I Can’t Leave You People Alone for One Day…
By Brian | March 6, 2008
I’m working from home today in preparation for a quick trip to Philadelphia this evening, and this is what I wake up to:
Homeland Security Says No Sign of ‘Imminent Threat’ to U.S. in Times Square Blast
NEW YORK — The Homeland Security department said there was no sign of an “imminent threat” to the United States in the blast that tore through an empty military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday morning, according to Reuters.But the agency also announced Thursday that the FBI would be joining the probe into what caused the explosion.
The blast occurred about 3:45 a.m. when an explosive device went off, causing minor damage to the recruiting station in Times Square — which is heavily populated with New York City tourists [during the day]. Hotel guests were shaken by the force in their rooms high above the scene.
Police blocked off the area to investigate the explosion, which shattered the station’s glass entryway. No one was injured.
Of note here: subway service under Times Square bypassed the station briefly, but then resumed normal service. The police blocked off the area at 3:45AM, but were letting normal traffic through when rush hour started (roughly four hours later).
Apparently, it takes more than a bomb in a public place to spook us nowadays. I mean, if the second most read story of the day were something like ‘Death Star’ Gamma-Ray Gun Pointed Straight at Earth, then there might be cause for concern, but what are the odds of that happening?
Ugh…
Categories: New York, New York | 2 Comments »
I don’t have a home right now, but if you leave a message…
By Brian | March 4, 2008
Google’s latest cool thing isn’t even a piece of software. It’s persistent phone numbers and voicemail boxes for homeless people.
Folks can sign up for the numbers at shelters across the city. The numbers will be local and personal — i.e., each person will get a unique [San Francisco] area code number that will never expire. The number will ring a voice-mail box that will play a personalized greeting; homeless people can check their messages by dialing in from any phone.
Google announced the plan at an event with Mayor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. The service, Newsom said, will help people who are filling out job applications or are awaiting medical test results. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Google has already handed out more than 4,000 numbers.
This is one of those rare win/win/win opportunities for everyone involved. The homeless win because they now have a significant lifeline out of the vicious cycle of homelessness – a tool to help get a job, medical services, etc.. The prospective employers, doctors, etc. win because they have ways of reaching people who ordinarily would be “off the grid.” And Google wins, because they can now build this service into their existing suite of tools, driving even more traffic to their properties, increasing and expanding the value of their advertising placements. Also, there’s the increase in good will with the general public that will likely result.
Now, if only their awesomeness would return to their stock price…
(full disclosure: I’m a shareholder)
Categories: Tech Talk | 1 Comment »
How People Found Me – February Edition
By Brian | March 4, 2008
My monthly analysis and commentary on how people made their way to Familygreenberg.com:
Read the rest of this entry »
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Familygreenberg.com Health Check – February Edition
By Brian | March 4, 2008
| Metric | January | February | % Change |
| Visits | 1,245 | 1,436 | +15.34% |
| Pageviews | 1,803 | 2,059 | +14.20% |
| Pages/Visit | 1.45 | 1.43 | -0.99% |
| Avg Time on Site | 0:49 | 0:45 | -9.31% |
| Bounce Rate | 81.77% | 83.36% | +1.94% |
| % New Visitors | 86.99% | 86.28% | -0.81% |
Well, after two months of down statistics, I guess it’s hardly an accomplishment to say you grew month over month. Then again, the trend could have continued, so I guess I shouldn’t look a gift pageview in the mouth.
Onwards & upwards…
Categories: Blogging about Blogs | Comments Off on Familygreenberg.com Health Check – February Edition
Song Graphs
By Brian | February 28, 2008
Here is an awesome Flickr slideshow that represents well known songs as charts and graphs. Go look at the whole thing, but here are a couple of my favorites:
(Hat tip: Willow Gross)
Categories: Words about Music | 2 Comments »
Proof that anything is cool if you do it with your iPhone
By Brian | February 28, 2008
Like, for instance, typing with your nose. According to CNET, it’s a useful skill when you want to dial a phone number, but you don’t want to take your gloves off on the ski lift.
Categories: Tech Talk | 1 Comment »
Este Pizza is Back!
By Brian | February 28, 2008
Those with insanely good memories will remember back in July of 2007, when I learned of the fire at Este Pizza by analyzing my web server logs. Este Pizza, of course, is the Salt Lake City pizzeria that was the source of the not-yet-executed-but-still-hoping-it-happens-one-day Great Simple Tricks Pizza Challenge, in which Chenopup (and Este’s owner, Dave) attempt to defend their claim that Este Pizza makes a pizza that “rivals or excels over the best New York has to offer.”
At any rate, I received this e-mail from Chenopup this evening:
From: Chenopup
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 9:12 PM
To: <Various>
Subject: Este Pizza Back in Business!!!!
——————————————
I just got word today that Este Pizza has reopened and done a little stylin’ in the same location but interior has changed now. I’m going by tomorrow to take pics.Spread the word. The gates to Pizza Heaven have reopened :)
Cheno
I’m thrilled to hear it. Gentlemen, start your ovens…
Categories: The World Wide Weird | Comments Off on Este Pizza is Back!
The Second-to-Last Play at Shea
By Brian | February 27, 2008
So I get this e-mail a couple of weeks ago from Citigroup, marketers of my Citi MasterCard. It says I have an opportunity to purchase advance tickets to Billy Joel’s “Last Play at Shea” concert on July 16th, which will be the last rock concert at Shea Stadium before they tear it down in favor of the new Citi Field, currently being built in the parking lot next door (funny how Citi’s name is all over everything here, right?)
Little did I know how valuable an e-mail that was…
At 9AM on Saturday (2/16), I logged on to 507tixx.com and put in my special password. Viola – I got right in and purchased four tickets on the field. They were a bit pricey ($110/ticket), but what the heck – it’ll be a special night, right? The last concert ever at Shea Stadium. History.
Well, not so much. It seems that Mets season ticket holders were allowed to buy tickets two days earlier, and then the rest of the stadium sold out in 48 minutes. Also, 507tixx.com had problems handling all the volume, and by 10AM on Saturday, a lot of angry, shut-out Billy Joel fans found 441 listings for tickets on StubHub, top asking price: $99,215. As a result, a second show was added on July 18th, making the show I bought tickets for the (somewhat less historic) Second-to-Last Play at Shea.
I’m of mixed emotions on this. On the one hand, I thought I was going to see history being made, and now there’s a little less of that. On the other hand, Joel has always been disgusted by scalpers, so I’m sure he’s no fan of StubHub either. Adding a second show definitely gave fans who weren’t able to buy tickets another chance to do so at (somewhat) reasonable prices. On the third hand (what? why can’t there be three hands?), history aside, if I knew there were two shows in the first place, I would definitely have tried for the Friday night show, avoiding the need to trek out to Queens on a Wednesday night (I live in New Jersey, so it’s a schlep – especially on a work night).
On the whole, I’m not really upset at all. I’ve always enjoyed his concerts, even the more recent ones, and this will still be a special night. Also, it’s not like there isn’t any history here. The July 16th show will make Joel the first (and last) musician ever to play New York’s four major sports venues: Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium and Madison Square Garden. And the concert will be the night after the All-Star Game, which will take place across the river in Yankee Stadium, so we’ll get to hear Billy Joel’s take on that game first hand. All in all, it should be a great night…
Categories: Words about Music | Comments Off on The Second-to-Last Play at Shea
Peace Through Music
By Brian | February 26, 2008
The New York Philharmonic just performed a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea. The program consisted of the following:
| Patriotic Song (the North Korean National Anthem) |
| The Star Spangled Banner |
| Dvorak’s New World Symphony |
| George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” |
| Encore #1 (not mentioned in the article) |
| Encore #2: Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” |
| Encore #3: Arirang (a folk song beloved in both the North and South and often used as a reunification anthem at friendly events between the two Koreas) |
Kim Jong Il did not attend, but the Vice Culture Minister did. He said this:
I can say that through the concert tonight, all the members of the New York Philharmonic opened the hearts of the Korean people. . . . The concert serves as an important occasion to open a chapter of mutual understanding between the two countries.”
When the concert ended, the audience “stood and applauded enthusiastically, waving to the musicians.”
Bravo, folks. Bravo.
(Hat tip: Kushol Gupta)
Categories: Political Rantings, Words about Music | Comments Off on Peace Through Music
The Other Mac Attack
By Brian | February 24, 2008
If you haven’t seen the New York Times’ recent article about John McCain yet, it’s here. Allow me to summarize by reading through the article and pulling out the relevant points sequentially (all emphasis is mine):
Eight years ago, McCain’s campaign staff thought he was having an affair with a lobbyist, Ms. Vicki Iseman. Without telling him, they met with her and told her to stay away from McCain. Even if they weren’t having an affair, his advisors were worried that too much contact with a lobbyist would damage his reputation as “the ethical candidate.”
Categories: Political Rantings | 2 Comments »