December 2009
16 posts
Diddy Handing Out Taxi Rides
WTF?
Diddy — or to be more precise, the vodka company for which he shills — will be giving away $15 debit cards that can only be used in NYC yellow cabs after midnight tomorrow. The giveaway will take place from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. in Times Square, and is meant to promote “responsible celebration,” though nobody who lives just a $15 cab ride away from Times Square will be driving a car...
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Software is Architecture
I had a coversation/argument with a good friend + luddite yesterday about the relevance of a communication that did not involve looking in someones’ eyes.
The digital is strange somtimes. I spend so much time with this interface - and when it breaks or fails - this failure feels physical - the frustration is felt physically - as though I were in a traffic jam, or a poorly designed flight of...
About Creative Places + Spaces - Creative Places +... →
This would have been great to check out.
What’s The Challenge? While collaboration for collective interest sounds good in principle, it is easier said than done. Conflicting interests, egos, cultural barriers, and exposure to liability are among the things that can make it hard to find common ground. Difficulties posed by collaboration tend to reinforce conventional approaches and as Jane Jacobs...
Wiggly Bus
This is a really interesting example of community(!) driven enterprises. It seems as though a group from Mere set up a non-profit corporation and assumed control of a light bus service. The project is now defunct, but I’d be extremely curious to learn more about what sorts of services they provided, and what obstacles they ran into along the way.
-DAVID
A Past Future of Transportation
I recently came across this pretty remarkable vision of the future, produced by Disney in 1958:
The vision did not foresee the energy scarcity that our present day future lives with, but I think it would be valuable to discuss what it possibly gets right. Is there anything worth salvaging?
Something rediculous: “radiant heat will keep the highway surfaces dry through rain, ice, and...
Cash or (Social) Cred
Hey Alex, Thanks for sharing this article about carpooling in China. Is there a way that I can reply to posts directly? In any case, I’ve got a few questions: the article mentioned this, but are legal considerations really the main deterrent to carpooling in China?It seems like carpooling would be really popular in a communist state? It also makes a ton of sense, infrastructurally...
Department Of Needing Transportation
I really should have read more of the stimulus package before taking that cab to the airport alone.
PHOENIX—Stressing that it would be really good to get there by Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Secretary of Needing Transportation issued a formal request Monday stating that he would “be happy” to tag along on any potential weekend trips to Tucson.
Addressing the nation from the...
China Welcomes Carsharing
When stuck in a taxi on one of Beijing’s many clogged ring roads, I’ve often marveled at how empty the other cars are. From the tiny pod-like QQs to the palatial Darth Vader-esque Audi A4s, Beijingers were typically driving alone. Sure, China’s collectivist history — and crowded streets and public transit — would seem conducive to ridesharing and carpooling. But in...