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In the early days of the Windows operating system when it was making heavy inroads into the graphical interface market, Apple devotees began to find themselves in a very defensive posture. A typical response was that Windows was built over MS-DOS and that the Windows user experience and computing suffered for it. I recall an Apple Computer salesman once arguing for the superiority of the Macintosh interface over Windows by saying that you can dress a gorilla in a tuxedo, but underneath, you still had a gorilla . Salesmen love these clever little general quips – they sound good, avoid the specifics and minimize arguments. During that same time, I was evaluating Apple vs PC/Windows and was discussing this with an acquaintance very experienced in both platforms. I suggested something which I had heard in defense of the economy of a PC running Windows over the premium charged by Apple: anything you can do with an Apple computer you can do on a PC. He immediately retorted: yes, and you can also do it with pencil and paper . Although his response was an exaggeration, he did make a good point for the value of aesthetics/design over utility. This debate still rages on, with many seeing the purchase of Apple computers as foolishly overpaying for an unnecessary luxury and Apple users more than happy to pay a premium for what they feel is a superior user experience and industrial design. I can’t imagine a much better example of utility over aesthetic than what I saw recently on Muldoon Street in Staten Island: a metal table with chairs, unshaded, roadside, in the blistering heat in front of a NYC Department of Sanitation garage near the Fresh Kills landfill. The immediate surroundings are shown in the lower two photos. A online map street view shows this lawn empty, so it appears this is a recent addition. Perfect for Labor Day weekend. Picnic anyone?

My first formal exposure to cuteness was an introduction to the website cuteoverload.com by a friend. The mere mention of the website by name and I knew this had to be successful. I was immediately very irritated or, better said, jealous I had not thought of it first. Kittens, bunnies, snorgling, puppies and the whole panoply of obvious and non obvious subjects qualifying as cute populate the blog which receives over 40,000 visits per day. Some may bristle at cuteness, particularly in New York, a city that prides itself on being a center for sophistication and edge, with many self appointed curators. But cuteness lovers will not be dissuaded, and even in New York City, lovers and embracers of the cute, cuddly and adorable abound. And what does one do, when hyper cuteness becomes deliberate and in a way, with a splash of self mockery, redefines what is edgy? When a colleague who does the social networking for my business discovered and brought to my attention to the indie-pop band Supercute!, I was much more favorable to their brand of cuteness, as was everyone in our office. Was it that they redefined and remarketed cuteness in a novel way or was it that I recognized the marketing potential of Supercute! for a product we all they were manufacturing, hoops?* Both. Learning also that Supercute! were residents of New York City, I immediately asked a staff member to contact them, acting out fantasies of the agent and power broker finding and signing the unknown talent and sleeping giant. Laughable in the age of the Internet and also since these girls already had presence online and an active career with accolades from the public and press. Supercute! (Rachel Trachtenburg, June Lei and Julia Cumming) was easily approachable and a meeting was set up to discuss the possibilities of a mutually beneficial relationship, particularly with their hula hoop song. Seeing them arrive in costume and character was a big and fun surprise. They were accompanied by Rachel’s mother Tina and June’s father and photographer, John Lei. The photo was a recent visit where we customized a set of hoops for the girls in their signature colors of pink and blue. Always the charmers, the girls arrived again in costume. While waiting for their hoops to be made, the girls busied themselves primping up in our showroom for a performance in a variety show that evening at the Bowery Poetry Club ( see photo here ). Supercute! was formed in 2009 by Rachel Trachtenburg who has been performing since the age of six with her mother (Tina Piña) and father Jason as the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. These girls are getting invaluable guidance from their parents’ professional careers and experience in a world where success is neither easy nor durable, even if you are Supercute! * You can find our website here and here with posts about what I do here: Signature , Juggle This , Spinning , Artiste Extraordinaire , Fish and Ponds .

Manhattan has a coordinated traffic signal system. Avenues run north/south and are generally one way like the majority of crosstown streets. These avenues have traffic lights that are timed progressively so that traffic can move without stopping. In theory. The lights move in a wave – a green wave of about 5 lights traveling below speed limit, sandwiched between red lights behind and in front of this green wave. Driving these avenues is urban surfing – wait for a wave, catch the wave, ride the wave as long as possible and don’t get caught in the soup. I have often ridden a wave like this for miles down an avenue. On other major avenues that are two way, Park Avenue, Central Park West, 11th and 12th Avenues, lights are timed to change simultaneously . This means that the faster you go, the more lights you can make before stopping. I drove a taxi in college as did nearly all of my best friends. On one occasion, the wildest driver of the bunch asked me how many blocks I could make on Park Avenue. I believe he said he could make somewhere in the vicinity of 27 blocks. Without going through the mathematics, I can assure you that is some fast driving on city streets, somewhere in the neighborhood of at least 60 miles per hour. Unfortunately, a few of us took this as a challenge, later comparing results. Fortunately there were no fatalities in this short-lived reckless contest. The speed limit in Manhattan is 30 mph. Traveling at 60 plus miles per hour on crowded city streets is lunacy. The reason for high auto insurance for those under 25 is abundantly clear. Today’s photo was taken looking north from the last Park Avenue mall. The small park extends from 96th to 97th streets where the Metro North train tracks emerge from underground to travel on an elevated trestle along Park Avenue. Looking at this now, I realize that I could have challenged my college friend to see if, in French Connection style*, he could out run a commuter train. I, however, will keep away from all temptation Park Avenue may offer, opting instead, for First or Second Avenue with the gentle waves of the progressive lights, where, with good conditions I can catch a wave and ride it all the way. That thrill makes me feel like the ultimate Beach Boy because in New York City, if you can catch a wave and ride it all the way, you feel like you’re really sittin’ on top of the world* *The French Connection (1971) has what many consider of the greatest car chase scenes ever filmed. The chase was between a hitman on an out-of-control train on an elevated section of a subway line in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and a police officer in a car on the streets below the train. Most of the chase sequence was real and filmed without permission from the city of New York. It includes an accidental car crash which was left in the film. * From the Beach Boys song Catch a Wave , with the refrain: “catch a wave and you’re sittin’ on top of the world.”

“There’s a place called Space Market. Their food is ridiculously cheap. Salad is only $7.95 a pound. A pound is a lot of salad.” Said by an upperclassman to a group of incoming freshmen, class of 2014 (this is the week that students are settling in for the fall semester). I overheard this at a restaurant last night and was rather stunned. I’ve gone to Space Market for years (it is in the heart of the NYU campus). In fact, I have written about it – see here . The food is not ridiculously cheap. Actually, many complain it is very expensive. They charge $.75 for a glass of ice (even when you purchase a beverage). In fairness, there are some occasional values, the food quality is very good and their pricing is typical of New York City delis or greengrocers, probably about as expensive as food gets in the United States. And by the way, Mr. Upperclassman of Experience, a pound is not a lot of salad, unless you eat only greens. A few years ago, I saw Think Coffee ( see my post here ) introduce a wine and cheese bar. Think is on NYU’s campus and is dominated by students. I discussed with a friend how wine and cheese seemed a foolish addition to a student hangout and was sure to fail. Shortly after on a subsequent visit, I saw an employee serve a nice bottle of wine to a group of students and a platter of gourmet cheeses. The offerings have been a success. Times have changed. With yearly expenses at $50,000, NYU is no longer a world dominated by starving students. It is common at Think Coffee, Space Market or elsewhere, to see students swipe charge cards for a $5 purchase or less. At the time I went to NYU, it was actually possible to work your way through college and leave with little or no loans. But at this juncture in time, work will have very little impact on the finances and debt load of the NYU student. Some do work part time, but I surmise the majority just use a credit card supplied by their parents and add only a little more to their college debt. After all, food is ridiculously cheap – salad is only $7.95 a pound

Unless you are a saint, someone who has achieved nirvana, satori, samadhi or perhaps one of those individuals who is blessed as an eternal optimist, emotional life is an up and down affair. Life is Good, but not always that good. For those of us mere mortals, it is more reasonable not to expect a life of constant euphoria and bliss, even in New York City, which has so much to offer, but rather, to look for pockets of joy in a less than perfect world. One of the unique things about New York which I have never experienced anywhere else, is that no matter what your interests, passions, ethnicity, color, creed or education, if you look, you can find others of a similar persuasion. Immerse yourself with these people and you may find one of New York City’s many pockets of joy. For those who love music, this is an easy task. Head to Washington Square Park and often you will find numerous groups playing at the same time – make the rounds and sample the goods. The New York Times has recently done two articles on the activities here. As of late, the park has been invaded by a large group of drummers. Although the experience is rather entrancing to the participant and has added musical variety, it has, however, made the rest of the central plaza difficult for other musicians to play and be heard, such as regulars like Joe Budnik or guitar virtuoso Scott Samuels . Regular street performers add to the din. Hence, splinter groups form on the lawns, on pathways or tucked away in the folds of foliage. The musical entertainment seeker is well advised to circulate a bit as I did Saturday. A great number of musicians here are professional, some playing in the park for unstructured musical fun, others looking to play or rehearse outdoors on a beautiful day. Some form spontaneous groupings, some play together regularly and yet others have established bands and work together professionally outside the park. The latter was the case with a bluegrass group, the Bella Boys, I encountered on one of the lawns, away from the central plaza hubbub. These boys were quite bella and their command of repertoire was astounding to me as was the familiarity of several members with numerous instruments. At various junctures the mandolin, banjo and guitar were passed around like musical chairs. I learned that one of the members was leaving for Europe for four months, so I had fortuitously run into them on their last get together for quite some time. Later that night, I ran across another grouping (Sage, Peter, Jimmy and Joe – bottom photo) which included regulars I have known for some time. The singer, Sage, has a masterful trained and natural voice and his occasional forays into the park are always a welcome addition to any group (Sage plays a dozen instruments and has a collection of 100). I had the good sense to record video of these events. You can find videos of the BellaBoys here and here , Sage and company here , and the drumming and dancing here . At one point I during the bluegrass jam, I noticed the hair on my arms standing up – a clear sign that life was indeed good and I had found one of the city’s many pockets of joy Related Music Posts: Sieve of Darwin , Music Speaks for Itself , Sounds of Summer , Police Riot Concert , Bluegrass Reunion , The Conductor .

People love urban myths and recounting them, filled as they often are with drama, mystery, romance and unusualness. The more atypical they are the better and if there is an element of truth to them, they are more easily believed. Few will bother to sort out the “nuances”, separating fact and fiction – such “nuances” may undermine the entire story. We also have a love of individuals with supernatural or perhaps superhuman abilities, allowing us to triumph over the day to day battles we must all endure. Some urban legends explain things inexplicable to us, like how anyone could work at dizzying heights as an ironworker on skyscrapers. The Mohawk Indian innately endowed with uncanny capabilities became the explanation as well as an exotic and enticing concept – the American Indian transported and juxtaposed in the most urban environment imaginable – the steelworks of a Manhattan skyscraper. Articles like “THE MOHAWKS IN HIGH STEEL,” by Joeseph Mitchell in The New Yorker (September 17, 1949) did much to foster the mythical attributes of the Mohawk ironworker with statements like: “it became apparent to all concerned that these Indians were very odd in that they did not have any fear of heights” and “They seemed immune to the noise of the riveting.” However, Kyle Karonhiaktatie Beauvais (Mohawk, Kahnawake) says: “A lot of people think Mohawks aren’t afraid of heights; that’s not true. We have as much fear as the next guy. The difference is that we deal with it better. We also have the experience of the old timers to follow and the responsibility to lead the younger guys. There’s pride in ‘walking iron.’” However, Mohawks have been involved historically as ironworkers since 1886 when they were hired to build the Canadian Pacific Railway bridge over the St. Lawrence River between Canada and Kahnawake Mohawk land in New York State. They developed a reputation as top workers and began “booming out” from their native communities to projects in Canada and in New York City to build skyscrapers. In 1915, a large majority of men in the Kahnawake reservation belonged to the structural steel union. Many moved to New York City settling in the Boerum Hill and Bay Ridge neighborhoods of Brooklyn. In the 1940s-50s, as many as 700 Indians lived in Boerum Hill. Mohawk ironworkers have been involved in building the city’s most notable landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Chrylser Building, the Triborough Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the Henry Hudson Parkway, the RCA Building, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and in 1961 the World Trade Center. In September 2001, after the collapse of the twin towers, Mohawk ironworkers dismantled the wreckage. After a building bust, some have returned to the city and Mohawk Along with innate abilities, the percentage of American Indians in the trade has also been exaggerated. The classic photo from 1932 ( see Lunchtime on a Skyscraper here ) shows ironworkers who were predominantly Irish. My understanding is that American Indians have not dominated the ironworkers union. The skyscrapers of New York’s skyline are a celebration and tribute to ironworkers who, Mohawk or not, are New York City’s real supermen, our men of steel … Photo Note: This construction is located at 58 Washington Square South, where the former NYU Catholic Center was located. The site, on Washington Square South and Thompson Street, will be home to NYU’s Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.

People love urban myths and recounting them, filled as they often are with drama, mystery, romance and unusualness. The more atypical they are the better and if there is an element of truth to them, they are more easily believed. Few will bother to sort out the “nuances”, separating fact and fiction – such “nuances” may undermine the entire story. We also have a love of individuals with supernatural or perhaps superhuman abilities, allowing us to triumph over the day to day battles we must all endure. Some urban legends explain things inexplicable to us, like how anyone could work at dizzying heights as an ironworker on skyscrapers. The Mohawk Indian innately endowed with uncanny capabilities became the explanation as well as an exotic and enticing concept – the American Indian transported and juxtaposed in the most urban environment imaginable – the steelworks of a Manhattan skyscraper. Articles like “THE MOHAWKS IN HIGH STEEL,” by Joeseph Mitchell in The New Yorker (September 17, 1949) did much to foster the mythical attributes of the Mohawk ironworker with statements like: “it became apparent to all concerned that these Indians were very odd in that they did not have any fear of heights” and “They seemed immune to the noise of the riveting.” However, Kyle Karonhiaktatie Beauvais (Mohawk, Kahnawake) says: “A lot of people think Mohawks aren’t afraid of heights; that’s not true. We have as much fear as the next guy. The difference is that we deal with it better. We also have the experience of the old timers to follow and the responsibility to lead the younger guys. There’s pride in ‘walking iron.’” However, Mohawks have been involved historically as ironworkers since 1886 when they were hired to build the Canadian Pacific Railway bridge over the St. Lawrence River between Canada and Kahnawake Mohawk land in New York State. They developed a reputation as top workers and began “booming out” from their native communities to projects in Canada and in New York City to build skyscrapers. In 1915, a large majority of men in the Kahnawake reservation belonged to the structural steel union. Many moved to New York City settling in the Boerum Hill and Bay Ridge neighborhoods of Brooklyn. In the 1940s-50s, as many as 700 Indians lived in Boerum Hill. Mohawk ironworkers have been involved in building the city’s most notable landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Chrylser Building, the Triborough Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the Henry Hudson Parkway, the RCA Building, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and in 1961 the World Trade Center. In September 2001, after the collapse of the twin towers, Mohawk ironworkers dismantled the wreckage. After a building bust, some have returned to the city and Mohawk Along with innate abilities, the percentage of American Indians in the trade has also been exaggerated. The classic photo from 1932 ( see Lunchtime on a Skyscraper here ) shows ironworkers who were predominantly Irish. My understanding is that American Indians have not dominated the ironworkers union. The skyscrapers of New York’s skyline are a celebration and tribute to ironworkers who, Mohawk or not, are New York City’s real supermen, our men of steel … Photo Note: This construction is located at 58 Washington Square South, where the former NYU Catholic Center was located. The site, on Washington Square South and Thompson Street, will be home to NYU’s Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.

There are apt metaphors for New York City – readers here know I am particularly fond of the city as a Jungle (see Jungle Lovers here). However, there are metaphors and I do believe there is a lawlessness here that makes this city feel at times like the Wild West (see here) . I recall in the 1970s being told by a friend that he had been mugged in the west village for $20. He subsequently saw the perpetrator some days later in the East Village and yelled: “hey, you owe me 20 bucks.” I don’t recall if my friend was reimbursed, but in less enlightened times, that man would be behind bars very quickly. In Washington Square Park e.g., the police know the drug dealers well and the dealers know that the police know who they are. They often chat. And they conduct business with impunity. Why? There are a number of reasons including the fact that the drug sellers know the law and have established a system of steerers, touts, lookouts and actual dealers, enabling them to work in a way that makes arrests difficult. Also, prisons are overcrowded and there is community opposition to new facilities. Often, drug dealers who are arrested are back on the streets in a day or two. Here, home of the ACLU, police officers must be careful of what they do and how they do it. They know they may face harsh retribution for improper procedures and actions. I have spoken to officers who have said they feel their hands are tied and they are often are disinclined to make arrests. The New York City criminal is very street smart, savvy and crafty and uses all this as a weapon to ply his trade. Thieves know what to do and how to do it. And they steal flagrantly and event flaunt their wares. The bike in the photo was found on Spring Street in SoHo. These orange DKNY bikes were originally part of a promotion – see Orange You Glad here . Apparently the new owner of the bike feels comfortable flaunting his new acquisition on Spring Street. Be glad it is not your bike, because in the Wild West, cowboys often steal with impunity

There was nothing that struck fear in the hearts of many high school students like the slide rule. I could never really understand because I loved mathematics and my slide rule. But so many seemed terrified . Perhaps it was all those numbers . Admittedly, the whole device is rather arcane looking – scales with tiny divisions and numbers completely cover both sides. The slide rule is an analog device and numbers can be read to only three significant digits without any reference to magnitude. In other words, 123 is the same as 12.3, 1.23, .123 etc. So interpretation of answers requires keeping note of and calculating (often just using memory) the magnitude of the answer which is only a series of digits – i.e., you need to know where to put the decimal point. The slide rule was used for multiplication, division and for functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry but not for addition or subtraction. They are precision instruments and require careful use – unlike a digital calculator, answers can vary depending on the skill of the user. Keuffel and Esser introduced them to the United States and I am proud to own one. The Keuffel & Esser Co. was founded in 1867 at 79 Nassau Street by two German émigrés, Wilhelm Johann Diedrich Keuffel and Herman Esser, as importers and jobbers of European drawing and drafting materials. Early on, the firm was successful and continually expanded, moving locations several times.4 K&E tentatively started manufacture and published its first instruments catalogue in 1870; opened its first retail store with a showroom in Manhattan in 1872; transferred its manufacturing to Hoboken, N.J., in 1875; moved its headquarters to 127 Fulton Street in 1878; and constructed a new factory building in Hoboken in 1880-81 (which was expanded in 1884, 1892, and 1900). The firm was incorporated in 1889, with Keuffel serving as president until his death. K&E, which had introduced imported slide rules in 1880, began their first American manufacture in 1891. The company became strongly associated with the product as the nation’s foremost manufacturer, credited with popularizing slide rules in the United States. In 1892-93, K&E constructed a new building at 127 Fulton Street to serve as its retail salesrooms and general offices. K&E played a nationally significant role in the technological development of the United States. K&E products, which included measuring tapes and compasses, were used in countless construction and engineering projects, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, of the post-Civil War boom years, and K&E surveying equipment is considered to have been critical to the westward expansion and development of the country. K&E’s offices and salesrooms had been located at 127 Fulton Street since 1878. This address was close in proximity to the financial district and the offices of many architects and engineering firms. Over the next 13 years,“business increased, doubling and redoubling in volume, year after year,” leading the firm to require larger quarters. In May 1891, the architectural firm of De Lemos & Cordes filed for a new 8-story (plus basement) Keuffel & Esser Co. Building, to house the company’s primary retail salesrooms and general offices. The nearly 25-foot-wide, fireproof steel-and-cast-iron-framed structure was completed in February 1893. By 1930, the K&E catalogue carried over 5,000 items. You can read more about the building, its history and the company here. The 8-story building’s upper stories are clad in buff brick and terra cotta. The base has an historic 2 story cast-iron storefront, framed by colonettes with spandrels bearing small shields, the company’s initials and representations of its products. K&E vacated the premises in 1961. The property will be converted to residential condos. A slide rule was the engineer’s tool and companion, often carried in a leather case which could also be used as a belt holster. You can see my original Keuffel and Esser slide rule and molded leather case in the photo. After reading the history of K&E, I am duly impressed and I have a newly acquired reverence for that slide rule I have, made by Keuffel and Esser

There are many kinds of surprises and one type is that caused by Tunnel Vision, a common ailment with New Yorkers. The perennial joke that Village residents never go north of 14th Street is not an exaggeration but only a New York City variant – people that don’t even look past their neighborhood. We typically see ourselves as inventors or at least very early adopters but certainly not the last to know . There are a few exceptions – the things we don’t want or the things we just can’t have due to space limitations. Big box stores like Home Depot were very late comers here and there is no Walmart in New York City. Large behemoth retailers have had to scale down their operations, shoehorning and tailor fitting them to the biggest spaces they could find. A California resident told me about the opening of Trader Joe’s first store in New York City on 14th Street in Manhattan, March 17, 2006. I was informed that the place had a cult following and was known for their sharp pricing, good quality and a fan base for their house brand (80% of Trader Joe’s product line is their own brand). The product line is very green conscious, with health oriented foods, including gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian items, and an extensive line of frozen and imported foods. I assumed that this new opening was a case where New York City was privileged to get a specialty shop that had a location or two elsewhere in the West coast. However, I learned today of the mammoth scale of this retailing operation with 344 stores nationwide. New York City’s first location at 142 East 14th Street opened to much fanfare with long lines to enter. Recently however, a new location opened at 20th Street and 6th Avenue (seen in the photos) with a much roomier feel with large aisles. Shopping here is an adventure, particularly for Manhattanites where food shopping in a large space is such an anomaly. Customers push shopping carts around like their suburban brethren. So, if a New Yorker brags to you about the wonderment that is Trader Joe’s, as if it were a city creation, humor them and let them believe it. Why spoil the fun and tell us the truth – that actually we are the last to know ? About the Company: Trader Joe’s was started in 1958 by Joe Coulombe as the Pronto Market chain in the Los Angeles area. The South Seas motif was inspired while Joe was vacationing in the Caribbean and the first shop with the Trader Joe’s name opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California. The company expanded and in 1979, it was purchased by the late Theo Albrecht, one of two brothers behind the German supermarket chain, Aldi. The Aldi chain is comprised of two separate businesses, Aldi Nord (owned by Karl Albrecht) and Aldi Sud (owned by Theo Albrecht). Aldi Nord has stores worldwide including 1000 locations in the USA. However, Trader Joe’s is owned by Aldi Sud, so there is no business connection between the Aldi stores in the US and Trader Joe’s.