Times Square Counts on Russians for Crowd Data

They've tried vertical cameras and even lasers but nothing beats a Russian immigrant when when it comes to counting bodies Times Square, according to this fun article in the Times, which tells you all you never wanted to know about counting crowds at the crossroads of the world. It's almost exclusively Russian immigrants who get paid $8 an hour to stand around and count. An engineer who oversees the process explains that the Times Square Alliance—which spends up to $100,000 a year for the data—formerly employed Nigerians, but "at some point we switched over to these Russians." And most of them are overqualified. 66-year-old Alexander Turin, a former French literature professor who left Russia in 1976, says he counts because "sometimes you just need to do the simplest jobs." So thanks to Turin and his comrades, we know that half a million people recently passed through Times Square in a single day.

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By John Del Signore in News on December 26, 2008 1:09 PM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

"Back in Minsk, I was metallurgical physicist..."

Snoopy

And here I thought all those email solicitations were a scam. Live and learn I guess.

rhonda718

The Nigerians must have come into a lot of money from a rich Uncle back in the homeland who contacted them via email... so they retired.

Tar_Baby

But seriously, why'd they stop using Nigerians?

Snoopy

^That seems like a racist realism.^

GuestShow

ruskis are educated

nigerians cant count worth a shit

Rob T Firefly

Rumor has it if the Russians don't work out, they'll contract the services of a certain Transylvanian immigrant with fangs and a purple face.

"One! One tourist! Two! Two tourists! Three! Three tourists! Ah-ah-ah!"