Read more about our Giz Gallery 09 here, follow @gizgallery on Twitter and see what else we'll be playing with at the event. And special thanks to Toyota's Prius — without their sponsorship, there would be no Gizmodo Gallery.

A veteran of over 50 events, this set has actually seen crazier installs: An outdoor event under a tent during heavy rain flooded the set's power cables in front of a brigade of very upset Japanese executives. Then again, the week at Giz Gallery hasn't even started yet. [Giz Gallery]

Read more about our Giz Gallery 09 here, follow @gizgallery on Twitter and see what else we'll be playing with at the event. And special thanks to Toyota's Prius — without their sponsorship, there would be no Gizmodo Gallery.

This strange little nook, hidden behind a clockface, pictured below, that thousands of people see every day, doesn't even exist as far as most people are concerned, except for the few intrepid graffiti artists who've made it up here—"SODA TIME" is an easy favorite defacement, but click through to the panorama to find your own—and the guy who comes up here to keep this ancient timepiece greased and running with appropriately quaint, old-timey oil cans.

His name is Vernon—an overly distinguished name, he thought; one he always hated, and which the kids at the foster home made sure to hold against him. He was stricken with a rare fungal growth at the age of 14, which transformed his right eye—the good one, the one he could use to seek refuge in comic books—into a grizzled keloid. He was given, or bequeathed, really, a job by the friendless old man who'd been oiling the gears since the early 1900s, and who took a shine to the boy, for, however offensive his visage, he had a fine heart.

Until it was broken, by a girl from Hoboken. Her name is Tiffany, and she just couldn't find it in her being to love him, no matter how many times Vernon made it clear, with kindness, affection, and even once, heroism, that she was a rare—nay, his only hope for a life that wasn't miserable. Now, as Vernon sits idly in this faintly luminescent cell, oiling gears and scratching words into the walls, Tiffany sits in a courtroom, on trial for murder. But trust Verne—and trust me—she didn't do it. [Victor Hugo via the NYT via Fark]

This year's follow up to the original Giz Gallery is just that.

It is a collection of the greatest gadgets and tech we could find and fit under a roof. It is not meant to throw things in your face that you don't need so you can engulf them in exchange for debt, but is here to celebrate what is great about our world of tech, commercial or hacked, new or old. And there is no other collection in the world like it for strength of display of amazing technical achievement and fun—sometimes those artifacts are commercially made but more often, not. And this year we've learned a few new tricks.

It'll be 3 times bigger in a new location and open nearly 3 times as long (from September 23rd to the 27th). And from what we learned last year, we added lots of stuff for you to play with: there's less of an emphasis on staring at old, important pieces of gadgetry in glass cases, and more chances to try things out. We have over 60 devices this year; here are just some of the things we're bringing you:

• Tesla coils. Singing. Three times a day. (Hello? Man made lightning? Check!)




• Panasonic's amazing 103-inch TV, again. With exclusive art from Bad Robot's Star Trek playing on it. When we're not playing Rock Band or Call of Duty.

• A giant 3D Etch a Sketch with a custom 3D motion controller.



• Pancake Machine running all hours of the show.



• A brief timeline of the Sony Walkman, through history.



• A smartphone testing station—all the best, side by side, for your use and abuse and evaluation.

• The world's most expensive keyboard—hovering under the world's most disgusting Cheeto.




• A blank wall of Lego plates. And thirty thousand bricks you can attach to the wall.

• An original 1984 Apple Mac, signed by the entire Mac team (and currently owned by Jesus Diaz).

• A reader party on the 25th at 8pm with prizes.

• Guest-curated items by Adam Savage of the MythBusters, former nemesis and gdgt founder Ryan Block, Phil Torrone from Adafruit and Make Mag, and none other than the great Hartmut Esslinger, founder of frog design, who influenced the original Mac designs and Apple design language.



• One of a kind tech art projects from NYU's ITP program, including the messy and fantastic Mud PC.

• Secret new gadgets being seen for the first time at the Gallery.

• And much more.

• Did I mention free pancakes?

The tech world needs the anti Best Buy*. One as great as the Smithsonian or the Museum of Natural History. For now, we have our little Gizmodo Gallery and I want to invite you to come hang out with me and the Gizmodo NYC writers for a little while. It'll be a blast.

You can follow @gizgallery on Twitter to find out more about the crazy stuff we'll showing, early announcements and special events that are happening inside the Gallery.

(*There's nothing wrong with Best Buy, inherently. We're just doing something that is the opposite of it.)

There's no admission fee, but we will be collecting money for Doctors or Engineers Without Borders. Donations are optional but recommended.

Gallery Hours and Special Events Open to the Public:

Wednesday, September 23 through Friday, September 25
12noon – 8pm
- Main Gallery
- Opening Day features Laser Etching ($25 a laptop, $5 a gadget)

Friday, September 25
8pm-10pm
- Public Party, with prizes

Saturday, September 26
11am – 8pm
- Main Gallery

Saturday, September 26
9pm - Live DJ set by Music Director Jason Bentley, KCRW, 100% independently funded radio station

Sunday, September 27
11am – 6pm
- Main Gallery

Location:
267 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012

NEW YORK – On September 23rd, the Gizmodo Gallery is bringing the most impressive and fun tech in the world to Manhattan. The interactive museum will be filled with the coolest gadgets, handpicked from today and yesteryear, ranging from a one-of-a-kind model of the first Apple phone prototype and a man made lightning machines to a mind blowing gigantic Panasonic plasma TV to robots that can spit out 200 pancakes an hour.

This year's visitors will be able to get their hands on many interactive demos, including a guitar that uses lasers for strings, draw on a giant 3-D Etch-A-Sketch, use a computer made by mud, and take a bite from the world's largest Cheeto cheese snack. Some never before seen, secret gadgets are also set to be unveiled to the world at the Gallery.

Gizmodo's friends are bringing their toys, too. Adam Savage from Mythbusters, Phil Torrone from Make and Adafruit, Frog Design founder and original Macintosh designer Hartmut Esslinger and gdgt.com cofounder Ryan Block are set to be the Gizmodo Gallery's first guest curators, introducing their own rare and wonderful tech pieces to the public.

WHAT:
THE GIZMODO GALLERY presented by Gizmodo – a blog about gadgets and technology. Started in 2002, Gizmodo has grown to be Gawker Media's largest blog, bringing in upwards of 100 million page views a month in traffic with posts about a variety of electronics, as well as all sorts of things gadget geeks might enjoy. The Gallery is Gizmodo's best content from the year, come to life.

WHEN:
Media Only Preview:
September 22, 2009, 11am – 6pm

Open to the Public:
September 23 – 25, 12pm – 8pm
Public Party: Friday September 25th, 8pm
Laser Etching: Sept 23rd, $25 a laptop, $5 a gadget

September 26, 11am – 8pm
Live KCRW Show: DJ set by KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley, September 26th, 9pm

September 27, 11am – 6pm

WHERE: 267 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012

To attend the media preview or for press inquiries, contact:

Charlie Dougiello Lois Najarian
The Door The Door
718.383.1708 718.383.1708
charlie@thedooronline.com lois@thedooronline.com

Read more about our Giz Gallery 09 here, follow @gizgallery on Twitter and see what else we'll be playing with at the event. And special thanks to Toyota's Prius — without their sponsorship, there would be no Gizmodo Gallery.

This is the first of many in-gallery items we plan to reveal in the next couple of weeks leading up to Giz Gallery '09, and we love the $3500 ChefStack because it's both amazing and ridiculous. Basically, you just attach a bag of pre-made batter to the ChefStack and let it go to work. Before you know it, a pancake breakfast will be sitting in front of your face (at Giz Gallery, of course).

Gizmodo Gallery 2009
Groupe
267 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012

Gallery Dates:
September 23rd-27th

Times:

9/22 Tuesday
Media Day by appointment only. For info please contact gallery@gizmodo.com.

9/23 Wednesday
12-8

9/24 Thursday
12-8

9/25 Friday
12-8

9/26 Saturday
11-8
9-? - Live Musical Performance

9/27 Sunday
11-6

Read more about our Giz Gallery 09 here, follow @gizgallery on Twitter and see what else we'll be playing with at the event. And special thanks to Toyota's Prius — without their sponsorship, there would be no Gizmodo Gallery.

Giz Gallery on Twitter
Why follow @gizgallery on Twitter? We'll be dropping hints about the crazy stuff that will be showing up, making early announcements and discussing event details, all from this account. Oh, and if you like pancakes, we really suggest you follow @gizgallery!

Gallery Staff Info—Help Wanted
If you (or a trusted gadget lover you know) will be in NYC and available any day from September 21 through 29, we'd love your help. This isn't some volunteer thing—we'll pay you for your time and efforts, but we need a dependable and responsible staff. There are actually three positions we're looking to fill, so please look over the information below and apply for the position that best fits you:

Set-Up Staff
9/21
7am - Late
Our set-up day is going to be a full 12 hours or more of nonstop hustling, so expect to be running errands, lifting heavy items, setting up gadgets and dealing with Chris Mascari yelling at you.

Open-Hours Staff
9/22 - 9/27
11am - 9pm daily; also need staff till midnight on 9/24, 9/25 and 9/26
Our open-hours staff will be responsible for looking after all of our gallery items, trouble shooting gadgets, helping guests, cleaning up and running any last minute errands. If you're not a people person then this job isn't for you. We're hoping to have a dedicated open-hours staff for the whole week, so if you can't work all of the days mentioned above, please do not apply.

Clean-Up Staff
9/28 - 9/29
7am - Late
Our clean-up days will be just like our set up, so expect to work hard and take orders.

If you'd like to apply for a position, please send an email to gallery@gizmodo.com with "Giz Gallery Staff" in the subject line and the following information:

Name:
Age:
Staff Position Wanted:
If applying for Open Hours Staff, can you stay late on 9/24, 9/25 and 9/26?:
Can you work the full time period need:

We'll be responding to emails next week, thanks.

Gizmodo Gallery 2009
Groupe
267 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012

Gallery Dates:
September 23rd-27th

Times:
9/22 Tuesday
Media Day by appointment only. For info please contact gallery@gizmodo.com.

9/23 Wednesday
12-8

9/24 Thursday
12-8

9/25 Friday
12-8

9/26 Saturday
11-8
9-? - Live Musical Performance

9/27 Sunday
11-6

Read more about our Giz Gallery 09 here, follow @gizgallery on Twitter and see what else we'll be playing with at the event. And special thanks to Toyota's Prius — without their sponsorship, there would be no Gizmodo Gallery.

This year we're renting out a street level space in the New York neighborhood of NoLita from September 23rd to the 27th, where we plan to showcase our favorite tech related items from the last year or so. Expect some of the same types of stuff as last year, but we have all sorts of new ideas for this year that we think will make this year's gallery even more noteworthy. Some of these offerings will range from DIY creations, wacky and wonderful gizmos, vintage gadgets, all the way to the latest and greatest consumer tech products. Plus we'll have tech demos you wouldn't normally see anywhere else.

And aside from the normal day exhibits, Giz Gallery 2009 expects to have a few special exhibits throughout the week including a free laser etching booth, a reader meetup event, a special musical performer lined up, as well as a few other surprises to be announced. The best part is that the week long gallery will be free to the public during the normal hours of operation, so you can pop in whenever you feel like it.

Giz Gallery 2009 will be located on 267 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan, where the Groupe Boutique currently resides. A media-only day will also happen on September 22 for any press interested in getting a sneak preview of the gallery space. Questions and comments regarding Giz Gallery 2009 can be sent to gallery@gizmodo.com. Giz Gallery hours for each day are posted below.

Gizmodo Gallery 2009
Groupe
267 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012

Gallery Dates:
September 23rd-27th

Times:

9/22 Tuesday
Media Day by appointment only. For info please contact gallery@gizmodo.com.

9/23 Wednesday
12-8

9/24 Thursday
12-8

9/25 Friday
12-8

9/26 Saturday
11-8
9-? - Live Musical Performance

9/27 Sunday
11-6

Read more about our Giz Gallery 09 here, follow @gizgallery on Twitter and see what else we'll be playing with at the event. And special thanks to Toyota's Prius — without their sponsorship, there would be no Gizmodo Gallery.

From 8:00AM to 8:59 AM on an average Fall day in 2007 the NYC Subway carried 388,802 passengers into the CBD [city business district] on 370 trains over 22 tracks. In other words, a train carrying 1,050 people crossed into the CBD every 6 seconds.

Absolutely mindblowing. Now, off I go to get a bagel. [Frumination—Thanks David]

The thieving pair, Anthony Cintorrino and Tara Laburt, were the beneficiary of what those in the biz call an "inside job."

Cintorrino, a contractor who recently installed and maintained a number of the cameras, had intimate knowledge of where they were and how they could be taken down quickly and quietly. All he and Laburt needed was a cherry picker and some time, and the valuable Nikon cameras housed within were theirs for the taking. Sadly for we gadget geeks, no Nikon model number was given—anyone out there know which Nikon camera body/lens is best for snagging license plates at 50 feet? Update: It's a Nikon D2x, apparently. Thanks, snarky commenter!

In the end, the couple was nabbed by New York police, but not before they had stolen and resold $88,000 worth of hot goods with their cherry picker truck. Unfortunately for any New York drivers out there, everything was recovered, and the camera rigs were put back into place a mere 48 hours after the crimes were committed. [New York Post via Autoblog - Thanks for the pic, Derek]

It's easy to see what happened here: faced with a failing fleet of typewriters—used for property and evidence vouchers, and little else—the NYPD could either upgrade and computerize their entire system, possibly saving time, money and morale in the long run, or just fix and replace their existing equipment. For a variety of plausible and sympathetic reasons—upfront cost, time, lack of cooperation from the government, etc—they chose the latter route.

But don't let that tarnish the glorious absurdity of the situation for you. This a 21st-century big city police force, nearly all of whom own personal computers, that spends—and will continue to spend—its days slaving away in front of machines that the rest of the modern world only waxes nostalgic about. [NYP via Yahoo via Reddit]

The captain of Cactus 1549—the codename for flight 1549—is cooler than Batman, Iron Man, and frikkin Admiral Adama all rolled into one. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, 57, is a former US Air Force fighter pilot who left the military in 1980. Couple that with the fact that he is also a safety expert and a glider pilot, and you will understand why his nerves are made of steel.

Jump to minute 1:26, when the birds hit the fans and all the action starts. Then, keep listening until he decices to go down onto the Hudson river rather than going to Teterboro airport's runway one:

AWE1549: Ah this is Cactus 1549 hit birds. We lost thrust in both engines. We're turning back towards Laguardia
L116 (NY departure radar contact): OK, yeah, you need to return to Laguardia. Turn left heading of uh two two zero.
AWE1549: Two two zero.
L116 (to Laguardia tower): Tower stop your departures. We got an emergency returning.
LGA: Who is it?
L116: It's 1529 (sic). He got a bird strike. He lost all engines. He lost the thrust in the engines. He's returning immediately.
LGA: Cactus 1529 which engines???
L116: He lost thrust in both engines, he said.
L116: Cactus 1529 if we can get it to you, do you want to try to land runway one three?
AWE1549: We're unable. We may end up in the Hudson.
L116: Alright Cactus 1549, it's going to be left traffic to runway three one. (First he got the number wrong and now he's not listening. Is this guy this thick?)
AWE1549: Unable.
L116: OK, what do you need to land? (big iron balls, that's what)
L116: Cactus 1549 runway four is available if you want to make left traffic to runway four.
AWE1549: I'm not sure we can make any runway. What's over to our right? Anything in New Jersey? Maybe Teterboro?
L116: OK, yeah, off to your right side is Teterboro airport.
L116: Do you want to try to go to Teterboro?
AWE1549: Yes.
L116: Teterboro, uh empire actually, Laguardia departure got an emergency inbound.
TEB: OK, go ahead.
L116: Cactus 1529 (again?) over the George Washington Bridge wants to go to the airport right now.
TEB: He wants to go to our airport. Check. Does he need any assistance?
L116: Ah yes, he was a bird strike. Can I get him in for runway one?
TEB: Runway one, that's good.
L116: Cactus 1549 turn right two eight zero. You can land on runway one at Teterboro.
AWE1549: We can't do it.
L116: OK, which runway would like at Teterboro.
AWE1549: We're gonna be in the Hudson.

(understandable silence from La Guardia)

L116: I'm sorry, say again Cactus.

Then listen to another pilot repeating his last transmission, right at the end, half scared half surprised. Seriously, I want to be this guy when I grow up. [Thanks Kat]

[Thanks readers]

I have been talking with Jorge Mozo, a dear friend of mine who is an Airbus A340 pilot. He said the pilot is a genius, for both his decision on the Hudson river—as it's quieter than the open sea—and his amazing skill; "He got a bit of luck, but his landing was absolutely brilliant". Specially when, after having both engines out, his electrical system was probably on emergency mode and the flight computer that compensates for the plane behavior and the fly-by-wire controls was off. Big skill and big cojones indeed. [Twitter—Thanks Mona]

The Google Earth Blog estimates that the new New York City (captured here with Google Earth Pro) has seen an update with hundreds, if not thousands of new buildings. That wild estimate sounds right to us, as here's what the skyline looked like in January 2007:
Sure, this is just one city, but it's a sign of where Google Earth can go. Scratch that, it's a sign of where Google Earth is going. Really, really, really neat stuff (that will be a gloriously mundane commonplace in a few more years). [Google Earth Blog via CrunchGear]

Apparently it's some sort of New York staple, as someone else spotted the same car two years ago with the exact same equipment. You can see the old photo here. What the hell is it? A moving art piece? It sure as hell can't be real, since all that equipment would probably have been stolen a while ago. We're stumped. Do any of you readers know more about this mysterious car office, the blonde and his pre-Windows applications he's working on? [Thanks Henry!]