Breakfast Links: Rock, Paper Scissors, NYC Taxis & Apple
The Telegraph has published the secrets - discovered by scientists (of course! you see why I love scientists now?) - of rock, paper scissors. Personally, my secret was always the last tip they give - throw the move that would have beaten your opponent’s previous move and it’s stood me in good stead over these long years. But they give you an opening gambit, a chilling story of financial gain and how to use psychological warfare to your ends. Of course, now that you know the secrets, everything will have changed. But check out this video of the 2006 RPS World Championships. Serious athletes. Rock on. (Paper on?)
The future of taxis in my fair city may be very, very different in the future. The Taxi and Limousine Commision has submitted a 163 page report with suggestions on what should happen - fortunately Gothamist has summarized this lengthy tome. Things like taxis taking metrocards (even an unlimted ride card??) and a new kind of medallion that was only valid during peak cab hours so that there’d be more cabs when needed without flooding the streets all the time. They even went and suggested turning the cab seats into hard seats like on a bus or subway instead of all upholstered. Wierd! But I really dug the maps and charts, like the one above it’s interesting to see how even the pickup and drop off points are - it’s not like pickups all come from some areas and drop offs to others. Huh!
Lastly, Apple and Think Secret (an Apple rumor site) have been engaged in some legal troubles for quite some time - it has come to an end now with Think Secret shutting down. Apple, like the RIAA and MPAA has been in the business of suing it’s biggest fans for awhile now - which is strange and sad for the company. But in this case it seems to actually have been a happy ending (get your mind out of the gutter) at least for the Think Secret… an update from Engadget quotes Nick (i.e. Think Secret):
I’ll just say that I’m very satisfied with the settlement, and that I’d like to thank the Electronic Frontier Foundation and my attorney, Terry Gross of Gross & Belsky, for their support.
I wonder if that means Apple paid him to stop writing. That’d be something. Imagine if the RIAA instead of suing people who may or may not have downloaded illegally paid them! That’d be a whole different ball game. :)
December 20th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I heard on AM radio last week that they are doing away with the Metro Card. They did not say the reason behind it, nor if it was really going to happen (been hearing about the 2nd avenue subway for 12 years now) so we will see. As far as hard seats are concerned, if they expect to charge more than the bus, which you know they do, they best have better seats. What about the cab riders? Should we not have a few new rules? Like maybe the right to NOT have your driver be an insane racist knob who drives like he is the only one moving, or the right to NOT have your cap smell like a mix of some weird spice and body oder? Maybe these should be handed over to the human rights groups.
December 20th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I think they are not getting rid of the metrocard… they’re raising the prices!
http://gothamist.com/2007/12/18/key_mta_committ.php
ugh!