August 14, 2007
Junior Senior, the dynamic duo from Denmark, strutted around the Highline Ballroom last night with infectious energy. Augmented by three other musicians and two backup vocalists, Junior Senior knows how to make a crowd wiggle and wave, and last night's program featured the all-hit lineup from D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat, starting with a memorable thumping "Go Junior Go Senior"; the delightful and quirky "Rhythm Bandits"; and later the eternal crowd-pleaser "Shake Your Coconuts." That most of their lyrics are either nonsensical or pure whimsy only makes their live performance more enjoyable.
Junior Senior releases their album Hey Hey My My Yo Yo in North America today, with a track list that at first blush continues on the happy electronica beat that made their bubblegum album D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat so beloved. While new songs "Can I Get Get Get" and "We R the Handclaps" are distinctly Junior Senior, other tracks such as "Ur a Girl" and "No No Nos" sound a bit like blendered Saint Etienne for the MySpace crowd. The new "Happy Rap" and old smash hit "Move Your Feet" indeed had last night's crowd jumping and swaying, at which point the 70's and 80's fashionistas blended in just perfectly with the geeked-out we-just-walked-across-Ninth-Avenue-from-Google-HQ crowd.
photo copyright © 2007 NYC.com
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Posted on 8/14/2007
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August 14, 2007
Film crews sure do have a lot of down time, especially those guys from Haddad's, who schlep equipment and wardrobe units around. Thus, the "No Smoking within 100 ft of this vehicle" clearly doesn't apply to the guy in the passenger seat spotted on lower Sixth Avenue.
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Posted on 8/14/2007
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August 13, 2007
Today's national gas temperature map shows all of New York City in the red-hot zone, whereas a quick trip across the Hudson River reveals prices as much as 50¢ lower per gallon. Curiously enough, even in Manhattan prices fluctuate wildly, from roughly $3.19 to $3.39 a gallon. And out in Canarsie, you can find it at just under $3.00, a relative bargain for the city. There seems to be no logic at work here, just greed combined with insanely high New York taxes. Unusually, more counties in New York State at present have higher prices than anywhere else in the continental United States. Generally the most counties with highest gas prices can be found in southern and far-northern California. In most of the United States, gas prices have gone down nearly 40¢ per gallon since May. But not in New York City, where on average they've only gone down by half that much.
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Posted on 8/13/2007
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August 08, 2007
While much of South Asia continues to suffer from record monsoon rains, New York was taken out of service this morning by a downpour of around three inches. The morning commute did not happen, and we observed thousands hoofing it to downtown Manhattan, in an eerie reverse of 9/11. Dozens were lined up at bus stops, worried brows wondering how they could push their way to the front when an overcrowded bus would arrive. Phalanxes of office warriors attempted to hail phantom taxis, none bothering to ask the next person ten feet down the street, Want to share a cab? Where did that MTA strike solidarity go? Today we weren't all in this together; it wasn't the heat, it was the humidity.
We watched Con Ed bleeding massive quantities of steam from fat pipes situated at various points throughout Manhattan, perhaps in response to the chief steam guy's tepid testimony before City Council yesterday. As of this writing (11:15 am) the MTA home page would not load—apparently their servers in addition to their trains were flooded? We also heard that the Biblical floods knocked out elevators at the luxury high-rise known as the Time Warner Center. As of 1 pm, cars and trucks were still ignoring traffic lights and creating massive gridlock. Perhaps if you were unable to make it to work today—the MTA suggested you stay home—you might read up on the South Asia monsoon. The BBC reminds us that "Monsoons occur every year in many countries around the world - northern Australia, Africa, South America and the US are also affected." Finally, although the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 6:50 am it took most of the day for NWS to confirm what residents of Bay Ridge already knew: a tornado had indeed struck 20 minutes earlier.
photo: traffic lights optional on Canal Street today
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con edison, monsoon, time warner center
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Posted on 8/8/2007
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August 07, 2007
Beleaguered flyers can rejoice. In this summer of record delays, cancelled flights and sullen service, Virgin America launches its new New York to California service with extremely low fares that must be booked by August 8th. So book now! American—which had the worst on-time record in June—has protested Virgin's launch. (If you can't beat 'em, try to squash the competition.) We also received word today that American is considering a legal challenge to New York State's new law that requires airlines to "provide fresh air, toilet-waste removal, drinking water and snacks to passengers on an airplane that has left the gate and remains parked on an airport apron." Virgin, if only you had arrived earlier this summer....
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Posted on 8/7/2007
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August 06, 2007
On a slow morning in the construction business, even a bulldozer can be a refreshing place for a snooze, as seen here on Broadway near ABC Carpet & Home.
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Posted on 8/6/2007
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