The Algorithm That Could Save Vulnerable New Yorkers From Being Forced Out of Their Homes
Early one morning in April 2013, a stranger knocked on Virginia Hanlon’s door, identifying himself as a building contractor. That was the first lie.Â
New York City Wants to Audit the Powerful Algorithms That Control Our Lives
New York City will be among the first cities in the US to earnestly tackle black box algorithms, the automated decision-making systems that are rarely made public, but have greater and greater influence over lives. A bill passed by the city council this week orders the creation of a local task force to monitor and…
Report: New York Police Are Cracking Down on Small-Scale Airbnb Rentals
According to a new report in Quartz, New York City authorities are deploying a number of tactics designed to go after large-scale Airbnb operations to crack down on people just using the service normally, citing violations of building and zoning codes.
NYPD: Whoops, Turns Out Our New Windows Phones Are Now Worthless
It’s been roughly two years since Microsoft released a new Windows Phone, and it looks like the company has basically decided its awful, single-digit market share warrants a reimagined approach which might not come for some time. So it’s a little strange the NYPD, which is so much larger and well equipped than any…
Maybe Leave Dogs Out of This Anti-Vaccine Nonsense
Vaccines are good. Dogs are good—in fact, very very good, aren’t you girl?
Leaked Emails Reveal Bill de Blasio Gets Kind of Dad-Feisty When His Staff Forgets to Help Him Speak Spanish
On Tuesday, notorious rag the New York Post took a swing at the king, publishing excerpts from emails sent by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to staffers and claiming that the emails proved beyond all doubt de Blasio is an “imperious bully of a boss who threatens his underlings with dire punishment if they fail to meet his…
Dog Name Database Finally Proves Bernie Would've Won
New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released this year’s map of popular dog names based on legally required registrations. It’s an annual tradition to encourage people to register their dogs. But it also has an amazing way of solving debates. Debates like whether or not Bernie would’ve won. He…
This Dude Hit 240 Consecutive Green Lights While Driving in New York City
Driving around Manhattan can hardly be considered driving because there’s so much damn traffic and construction and crazy taxis and people on the street. Most of the time you’re “driving,” you’re actually just stopped or digging your car out of a pothole, or are constantly avoiding accidents or dodging human bodies.…
Trump Found a Way to Make Manhattan Even Worse
Midtown Manhattan—with its noise, traffic, slow-moving tourists, and overpriced everything—is the one place most New Yorkers avoid at all costs (if they can help it.) It’s also home to Trump Tower, a gargantuan gold-plated phallus jabbed straight into the city skyline where the President-elect is planning on spending…
Why Was This NYPD Officer Hiding His Face During Wednesday Night's Anti-Trump Protest? [Update]
Since Donald Trump was declared the President-elect early Tuesday morning, cities across the United States have seen daily protests, including Boston, Washington DC, and Portland. But after last night’s New York City protest outside Trump Tower, an eerie but familiar image of an NYPD officer obscuring his identity…
What We Know About Bizarre Crime Filming App Vigilante [Update]
“Can injustice survive transparency?” is the tagline of a new app called Vigilante, that purports to empower its users to stop crimes in progress, turning each of us into Daredevil or Luke Cage. In practice, though, Vigilante could end up being the best way to waste your time, annoy the NYPD, or just maybe get…
Free Web Browsing Disabled on NYC Internet Kiosks Because Homeless People
The tablets within those Link NYC Internet Kiosks are losing internet access because too many homeless people are using them. The city had received complaints that large crowds of homeless people were gathering around the kiosks.
WATCH: Man Mounts Trump (Tower) [Updates]
A man is presently climbing Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue using four suction cups. He reached the fifth floor about an hour ago according to Gothamist. Presently it’s not known why he’s doing this, but you can certainly watch it happen below, for as long as it lasts:
New York City Subway Faces Its Biggest Service Disruption in History
New York City’s subway system has been through a lot: it’s survived massive blizzards and fictional attacks from Godzilla. But now, it looks like time is finally catching up with the city’s beloved, 100-year-old transportation system.
NYC Looks Like an Amazing Acid Trip in This Stunning Video
When you put footage of New York City through a neural network, you get a city that looks like beautiful, moving artwork. Danil Krivoruchko and his team started shooting the city with an iPhone 6 in 240fps but completely transformed the footage in post processing and the results are hypnotic.
Wireless Payments Will Finally Come to the NYC Subway By 2021
The MTA’s MetroCard system is a source of frustration for regular commuters and presidential hopefuls alike. A plan to replace the magnetic cards with a modern contactless system has been in the works forever, and now the MTA is finally taking bids on the project.
NYC Halts Work on Critical Water Tunnel, Because Who Needs Water
If the ongoing Flint water crisis has taught us anything, it’s that providing clean running water to millions of people is an optional luxury. Wait, that’s not right.
More Convincing Proof We Need to Build Gondolas In American Cities
La Paz, Bolivia’s famous gondola system celebrates its second anniversary in May as a successful, low-cost travel option that moves 100,000 people per day. It’s also setting a global standard for a type of transportation that should be way more popular.
Brilliant App Tells You Where You'll Have a Signal in the Subway
Living in New York can be a real bag of garbage sometimes. There’s the actual garbage, the mounds of snow covered in dog poo, the defunct phone booths dudes use like urinals, and worst of all, the unreliable data service underground. The indignity!
