I should mention at this point that there are two things you should never do in New York with people from California: eat burritos; and go to the beach. In both cases you’ll be subjected to constant reminders about how crappy they are here compared to how amazing they are in California. Every Californian seems … Continue reading It’s true
I’m not sure if this is a huge deal or whether it marks the first time Twitter is calling updates such, but I noticed this morning after about 10 a.m. ET that emails from the company began referring to postings on the service as tweets: At or Before 10 a.m. ET: Updates After 10 a.m. … Continue reading Twitter officially calling updates “tweets” now?
As an editor at a food blog, I’m used to getting messages like this:
Hello,
How much does it cost to eat out in florence?
There are so many factors to consider. Would you be kind enough as to give me some pointers as what to look for or avoid?
Any help appreciated. Thank you very much. yours truly, Fred
The first time I got one, I got snookered and ended up posting it as a Dear Slice letter on Slice.
But then I started getting more, all from the email address petrov.gazprom@gmail.com, all signed with different names: Continue reading “Weird question-asking spam”
Ugh. Second flat in two weeks. This time on the dreaded rear wheel. While researching this bike purchase, I read something about the tires being tricky to change because of the Shimano Nexus 7-speed internal-gear hub. Luckily, there’s a trick, which I found courtesy of a Bicycle Times article on the Breezer website [pdf]: I … Continue reading How to change a flat rear tire on a Breezer Villager bicycle
View My Commute in a larger map
At some point in my life I read that the word posh was derived as an acronym for “port out, starboard home,” supposedly the preferred cabin arrangement of people traveling to and from the British colonies in the Far East. That appears to be hogwash, but I can’t help think of it as it relates to my bike commute into and out of Manhattan, for which I’ve coined the acronym BIMO: Brooklyn (Bridge) In, Manhattan (Bridge) Out. Continue reading “My commute: BIMO”
I recently bought a new bike: a Breezer Villager. I had enjoyed riding around Brooklyn on my previous touring bike, but it wasn’t a good fit. The frame was too big (23″), it threw me into a hunched-up riding position, and the tires were so skinny that I always worried about bending the rims on the rough streets I biked along.
It was not a good fit, and consequently, I always found excuses to avoid commuting in to work from Brooklyn.
My Breezer Villager, however, is a dream. It’s built to commute right out of the box, with fenders, a dynamo-powered light set, a cushy suspension-pole seat, wide bump-absorbent tires with reflective sidewalls, and an internally geared seven-speed hub—which means there’s no front derailleur and that you can therefore fit a chainguard over the front chainring (so I don’t even need one of those pantleg straps). Continue reading “New bike, new routine”
My friend Justin has been drawing insanely cool fictional portraits on the subway since he moved here a few years ago. Recently, he’s been working on a set called the Urban Tribal Series, which is strange, disturbing, and compelling. It’s sort of based on the concept of Japanese salarymen, but the suited men of Justin’s … Continue reading Documenting an art project