When the Board of Commissioners of Central Park decided it was time to build Central Park in 1857, they announced a design contest with a prize to the tune of $2,000 (around $50,000 today). Obviously, it was Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s design won. But there were 33 other failed entries, only five of which still exist.
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A 2004 Hyundai Elantra is worth about $5,000 cash today, according to Cars.com. Philip Romano’s model is probably worth a bit less than that, since it’s coated headlight to fender in gritty black chalkboard paint.
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So you’re doing your groceries or are out for a run, when you suddenly get a call – and then your phone dies because it’s out of power. What’s a desperate person supposed to do at that point, especially when the call is an important one?
Consider yourself lucky if you’re in New York, though, since you could probably just set off for the nearest Street Charging station to give your phone some much-needed power.
These solar-powered charging stations are thanks to the collaboration between AT&T, portable solar power systems developer Goal Zero, and Brooklyn design studio Pensa. The Street Charge stations were rolled out in various areas of New York.
Each station has PV panels installed on top and an internal battery that stores power gathered from the sun. Just plug your phone in and wait a few minutes to give your phone enough power to make that call or to charge it up because you have nothing better to do but stand and enjoy a sunny day. And also because you want to knock a couple of bucks off of your electric bill.
The concept for the Street Charge charging stations were done in early 2012 by Pensa. Marco Perry, one of the members of the studio’s team, described it as “an elegant all-in-one community solution for solar charging of mobile devices.”
From the looks of it, we agree.
[via Gizmag]
We’re not always the biggest fans of Time Warner Cable
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When you build a monolithic tower that reaches hundreds of feet up into the sky, it’s going to cast a shadow. That can be a big problem for those on the ground, if they’d like to occasionally see the sun. But the designers of a new building being planned in lower Manhattan have figured out a way around the problem: An oddly-shaped building that will not only shed light on occupants, but spread it around for neighbors as well.
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There’s a great scene in the first season of Mad Men where Don unveils a campaign for Bethlehem Steel. "New York, Chicago, and Detroit—all brought to you by Bethlehem," reads the copy. The client rejects the pitch, but the sentiment itself was hard to argue with: steel from those small rustbelt towns was feeding the growth of a kind of city never imagined before the 20th century.
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New York City is doing some serious work on the Second Avenue Subway, the first new line built under the city since 1932. The $4.5 billion project aims to decrease commuter congestion for east Manhattan. Check out these pictures. They are incredible.
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The Little Free Library isn’t a new movement, although it’s definitely still a novel one. We covered this neat project almost a year ago, where we saw participants build mini “libraries” that looked like they were converted from old mailboxes and birdhouses.
The new Little Libraries in Manhattan, however, take the movement to the next level.
Ten designers were chosen to create Little Libraries for the borough and the one you see above was created by Stereotank. It’s a pretty apt creation given the name of the group, as the Little Library looks like it was fashioned from an old water tank.
It’s spacious and offers temporary rain shelter while housing a rich selection of books that’ll satisfy curious passersby.
Those who have books to share can also drop their old volumes into the library, adding to its selection so that there’s more choices and more stories to pass along.
Stereotank’s Free Little Library is located at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral School in Nolita and it will be there until September of this year.
[designboom via Colossal via Beautiful Decay]
You might argue that eBay is a virtual store of sorts already. But according to reports, the auction giant is planning a new spin on the term. Reuters claims that eBay plans to place 9-foot by 2-foot screens in closed retail units in a variety of locations around New York. The idea being that real shoppers will be able to paw at the virtual stores through the glass, and have purchases delivered to them in under an hour — ideal for those who just can’t wait. There’s already one client onboard (Fith & Pacific Companies) which plans to use the screens to launch a new fashion brand without having to kit out physical stores. The firm does plan on furnishing actual bricks and mortar outlets eventually, but won’t ditch the screens after. Instead making them a permanent fixture in-store to add items that aren’t always available in current stock.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters
Apple is known for its strikingly beautiful retail stores around the world. Perhaps one of the most iconic store is the company’s Fifth Avenue, New York, outlet which was flooded with rain water this morning. New York today saw torrential downpour and due to a leak in the west side of the store, water found its way inside the retail space where some 15 customers were present at the time. The New York Post reports that this leak started some time around 8 a.m.
Apparently the leak was caused due to construction that had been completed last year on the store’s roof. According to a worker, the large flat stones people walk on to reach the store were fixed correctly and this morning water came through them. Another worker said that there was a drainage problem with heavy rain. The Fifth Avenue store employees rushed to remove the water, though customers weren’t evacuated as no electrical issues were reported. Quite a lot of water was accumulated on the floor but it didn’t look like any of the products had been damaged by the flooding.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New iPhones Will Reportedly Be Produced Starting June, Pegatron Forecasts Revenue Dip As iPad Mini Demand Drops, 
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