Monthly Archives: July 2009

The Billyburg Bust

williamsburg-map-850x870

NY Mag features the boom and bust of the Williamsburg condominium development fever that has left many sites stalled, or in foreclosure, in the wake of a declining economy.

There are already about 400 new apartments on the market in Williamsburg, and additional condos are completing construction every month. According to a study Maundrell released last month, 2,818 new apartments will have hit the market by the end of this year, with another 2,766 projected by the end of 2010.

It’s interesting to read this as a former Brooklyn-ite living in Williamsburg. The rent was absolute shit for the location and I could only assume it was because of the boom of development that inflated the price. Since moving back to San Francisco, however, I’ve heard a lot of folks discussing a move to New York for this year and the next. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all ended up in my old neighborhood.

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Square iPhone payment system

“Square” is a credit card checkout system for the iPhone currently in early alpha stage testing. It’s currently being used at Self Edge NY.

Via Cool Hunting.

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Wilt, Arnold, and Andre

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Obama and the unicorn

Dan Lacey has a bunch of paintings of President Obama, nude, with unicorns. View the entire set.

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Sex and the Sartorialist

The Globe has an awkward and revealing interview with Scott Schuman, the Sartorialist, at a party at Holt Renfrew.

You look fit – just not big like a quarterback.
I’m pretty good at the sex. And pretty good at picture taking. That’s about it. Garance is pretty happy. And the hotel-room neighbours are pretty pissed. You can write that; that’s totally fine with me.

You want people to know you’re good in bed?
Yeah. Yeah.

I haven’t read the Sartorialist in a long time, but it appears that he started an affair and/or left his wife and kids since reaching international recognition.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
Every rapper says if I was not doing this, I would be in jail. And basically, I’m a rapper, only I’m a photographer. So if I wasn’t doing this, I would definitely be in jail.

Kanye West needs to watch the fuck out — Scott is out to dethrone you.

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And you told me you were scared

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Blowing up a dead whale

…the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds.

This is one of the many ways to (improperly) dispose whale carcass.

Via MetaFilter.

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Untitled #3

Photograph by Justin Martin.

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Mad Men Yourself

The first Asian working at Sterling Cooper courtesy of Mad Men Yourself.

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Texting while driving

The New York Times reports that a study finds that texting, while driving, raises crash risk 23 times.

In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field.

I am guilty of this very dangerous habit and will be keeping this article in mind the next time I feel tempted to text (on my iPhone, nonetheless) while driving.

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We both love soup

I was at Trad’r Sams a few weeks ago when a sullen blonde-haired lady was throwing ice cubes at my friends and I from across the bar. She looked completely hammered and had an evil sneer every time we made eye contact. She reminded me of Jennifer Coolidge from Best in Show.

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Nopa SF burger

I went to Nopa SF last night to celebrate my parents’ 27th anniversary. I’ve heard good things about their burger, but it falls a bit short in a few areas. The bacon was really good, and, for the most part, the meat itself was cooked well. The bun, however, was a bit too dry alongside the patty. The fries were okay, but nothing spectacular.

I’m still kind of partial to Spruce.

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Added — Twitter updates and monthly archives

I’ve just gotten around to cleaning up the site a bit and making all the remaining Wordpress code uniform with the theme. I’ve added a monthly archive and Twitter feed that includes my most recent tweet.

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Sufjan Stevens etc.

Sufjan Stevens has dominated my iTunes for the past month, so I thought I would share a few of my favorite tracks from Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lake State, Illinois, and Seven Swans.

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Sufjan Stevens – Romulus (4:42)

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Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day (5:54)

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Sufjan Stevens – To Be Alone With You (2:48)

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Steven Chu on The Daily Show

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is one charming dude in this interview. He’s also just the second Chinese-American to hold a position in a Presidential cabinet.

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