Results tagged “blog”

Archbishop Timothy Dolan is on the information superhighway—the leader of the New York Archdiocese has a blog called The Gospel in the Digital Age, where he tackles things like sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (today's entry is an op-ed he submitted to the NY Times, which declined it) and baseball—"It’s been hard for this bishop to be against angels, but fortunately that crisis of conscience has passed with the Yankees 5-2 victory last night over the Los Angeles Angels, giving them their 40th American League pennant and sending the Bronx Bombers back to the World Series."

The notoriously Luddite NYPD—they still use typewriters for most paperwork—has a technological visionary in their midst. Though most people know the Internet is just a passing fad, crazy Capt. Kenneth Corey at the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn thinks it should be used to communicate with concerned citizens. So he frequently sends electronic mail, or "e-mail," to a growing subscriber list, informing them of local crime news. But is the NYPD brass going to stand for this? What do they pay spokesman Paul Browne for?

At a price of thirty dollars for half an hour, the Venetian Gondola Tour sounds like it has an easy victory over the horse carriage rides as the best valued date Central Park has to offer: You can be serenaded with opera, you're not trailed by the scent of manure and you don't have to worry about a throng of commenters on this blog questioning your integrity. But with that price comes a risk—your seemingly peaceful trip around the lake and interactions inside the boat might be judged by the seemingly sweet postgrad manning your boat...on his blog. And worse than that, now that blog's been taken to the next level—the Sunday Times!

If a story involves the words "skank" and "ho," an anonymous blogger, a besmirched model, and lawsuits, hell, it can be a Maureen Dowd op-ed column. The imbroglio between model Liksula Cohen and "Skanks in NYC" blogger Rosemary Port—Port wrote that Cohen was a "psychotic, lying, whoring...skank," Cohen successfully sued to have Google give up Port's e-mail address—gives Dowd an opportunity to opine about anonymity on the Internet, "If I read all the vile stuff about me on the Internet, I’d never come to work. I’d scamper off and live my dream of being a cocktail waitress in a militia bar in Wyoming," and dubs the Cohen-Port affair "the Case of the Blond Model and the Malicious Blogger."

Finally, the dark side of all those seemingly happy Brooklyn couples comes to light. Brooklyn Heights resident and WPIX-TV personality Mark Joyella is also an annoying husband in his spare time! His wife has started a blog centered around the fact, aptly titled My Husband is Annoying (Mark himself is a fan on Facebook). In one post she declares: "My husband likes to talk like a robot. For no good reason, he’ll just bust out the robot voice. It was even in our vows 'I promise to love you—even when you talk like a robot.'” A vow's a vow! She seems to have plenty of stories to regale her readers with, including one about getting a calculator and Five Guys Burgers for her birthday. See, it's not all sunshine and strollers over in Brownstone Brooklyn. [via Brooklyn Heights Blog]

In January, Internet guru and Videogum blogger Gabriel Delahaye penned a righteously amusing rant sparked by a recent IMAX expansion into multiplexes with smaller, 29' foot high screens, which the company has tried to pass off as an IMAX experience. (For reference, the Lincoln Square IMAX is 76' high.) We got in touch with the press rep for IMAX and reported on the bait-and-switch, and that was the end of it. Until this week, when TV's Aziz Ansari came along with his own blog rant, after paying an extra $5 for a Star Trek screening on one of those dainty "IFAUX" screens.

Of course the hipster-carting L train is the first line to get its own blog. Metro reports that the MTA is getting the L online sometime next month, and NYC Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges assured us it would be up and running by May 1st. Start picking out your avatars, he also told us, "we plan to have a comment section and we expect and will encourage our riders to post comments and questions." A decision they may regret! As for their scribes, it looks like L line manager Greg Lombardi and MTA marketing and public affairs staff will all be generating content. And about their foray into Twitter, they tell us, "we’re going to have an online voice of NYC Transit, to promote our various programs—like MetroCard Deals, MetroCard Trips, our Email & Text Alert program" and so on. They also note they'll be using existing personnel to write the 140-character updates. Fleuranges adds, "They are trying to get me to ‘tweet’ but so far I’ve held out."

The Times has begun experimenting with a niche neighborhood blog platform, starting with a website about Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. If it works, perhaps Brownsville is next? Edited by Andy Newman, a Times reporter who resides in Park Slope (but just eight blocks from Fort Greene!), the blog has burst out of the gate with posts about sledding, kids who couldn't get into a movie, and the ongoing struggle to save Broken Angel. Newman introduced the site, called The Local, with a reminder to readers that "is an infant, unformed. With your care and feeding it can grow into a self-sustaining adult." So surely commenters welcomed this fragile newcomer with the tenderness it deserves? Ah, welcome to our world, Newman: "Oh, thank you so much for helping to continue the gentrification of my neighborhood by promoting it as the new cool local place for (white) people who read the NYT to be! Make sure to post lots of pictures of people eating in cafes and drinking coffee and riding their bikes to and from the farmer's market! I can’t wait to read what the hipsters love and hate about this neighborhood!" One day old and The Local already has their own "Ides of March." (See also: Jersey.)

Remember how last month we all had fun hating that "support group" Dating a Banker Anonymous [DABA], created by and for materialistic ladies freaking out about their suddenly penurious boyfriends? And then, after a NY Times article about the women led to an immediate book deal for the DABA co-founders—swiftly followed by talk of a movie and TV deal—we all gagged on our own bile? Well, as previously suspected, the whole thing was just a satirical put-on—there never was any support group, just a blog—and the Paper of Record has just issued a mea culpa, almost four weeks after the article was originally published:

An article on Jan. 28 about women who commiserated over dating Wall Street bankers caught in the financial crisis described a group they had formed, Dating a Banker Anonymous, as a support group. That is the name of their blog. Its creators originally told The Times that about 30 women had participated, but since publication, they have said that all involved were friends. Laney Crowell, one of the women who started the blog, said in the article that it was “very tongue in cheek;” she has since described it as a satire that embellishes true experiences for effect. Had the nature of the blog been made clear at the outset, the article would have described it accordingly, not as a support group.

Meet Courtney Scott, a self-described "vibrant freelance travel journalist and on-air personality," who's blogging about her mission to make it through a week eating nothing but free food culled from supermarket samples and other sources. She's on day four now, and her most recent report finds her stuffing Whole Foods samples into plastic baggies and bringing them home so she can document her little "meal." Scott's definitely got some great self-control (or a weirdly-manifesting eating disorder); yesterday she was hanging in Chelsea Market, alternately blogging and "making frequent laps down the concourse for fresh nibbles," when a stranger offered her the rest of his Pad Thai. After much internal debate, she declined, saying, " 'You can leave the plate but it's against the rules to eat it. I'll just have to throw it out.' So leave the plate he did, with a fresh set of chopsticks and napkins. And throw it away I did; an $8 half-eaten plate of Chelsea Thai Pad Thai in the trash." Victory!

It's that time of the year again: we're looking for more interns to work out of our Brooklyn office (or from the comfort of your own home/dorm room, depending on the task at hand). Responsibilities vary widely, hours are very flexible. Writers, photographers, and even "undecideds" looking for their niche in the World Wide Web are encouraged to apply. This time around we're particularly interested in folks with an in interest music and the chops to write about it. We are also looking for a tech intern with skills in php, javascript, perl or mysql. No pay, but occasional perks and college credit available. For more details inquire within, and please email your resume and any other relevant information to info (AT) gothamist (DOT) com, subject "internship." (No attachments, please.)

Watch out subway sleepers, while you're catching some z's, you are also being watched, photographed and blogged about. Asleep on the Subway has been gathering images of tired straphangers, and has started to get contributions as well, leaving no subway line safe to sleep on!

Here's the proposition: Print a newspaper of and then distribute it for free! That's what Chicago startup The Printed Blog is doing, starting next Tuesday in Chicago and San Francisco. Founder and publisher Joshua Karp tells the NY Times, "We are trying to be the first daily newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and other user-generated content. There were so many techniques that I’ve seen working online that maybe I could apply to the print industry.” The Times adds that the Printed Blog has received permission from 300 blogs "to publish their work for a share of the ad revenue, including small-audience bloggers in Chicago and nationally known blogs like Daily Kos," which helps cut down that hefty cost of the newspaper business—reporters! The Printed Blog also says it "reads and functions like a web feed—yet can still be enjoyed on the train or spread across the breakfast table, for an uninterrupted, pleasurably tactile experience." AND readers' comments will be included! Next: Time to learn hot type!

Manhattanite Mame McCutchin has been picking up your loose change and blogging about it. Her Found Money blog isn't the only one in town, however. The Daily News reports that there are dozens of change bloggers nationwide, all trying to fill up their piggy banks for rainy days. In New York, there's also Barbara Humphrey, a Staten Island mom whose gotten the whole family involved and records her findings at Change Pot. So far this year she's already up to $47.05, and has saved over $1,000 since starting three years ago. The paper notes that "Oddly, in wealthy Manhattan neighborhoods, they rarely find anything," which may explain why McCutchin is only up to $16.63 since last June. That could be up one cent by the end of the day, however—she wrote on her blog earlier: "Today I found a penny but it was frozen solid into some dirt near the base of a tree. I can't decide if I should go back with a cup of hot water or a screw-driver."

Photographer Seth Kushner and comic book journalist/historian Christopher Irving have joined forces to create a new type of New York blog: Graphic NYC. Launching yesterday, the site promises to deliver "the heart and soul of New York City through the eyes of her cartoonists." Graphic novelists and those who love them: unite! They say they'll be combining New Journalism with comics history and photography, and OTBKB notes it will "not only features conceptual photographs of comic book auteurs in their favorite and symbolic environments, but it also paints a narrative picture through essays that employ on-the-spot interviews and a critical view of their most personal work. Like a graphic novel, it employs the marriage of words and images to tell a story; in this case, it is the story of New York’s position in the development and life of comic books." If you're new to the graphic novel world, test the waters with their post about Dash Shaw.

Liskula Cohen, a former Australian Vogue cover model who saw her modeling career end last year when a doorman disfigured her face with a broken bottle, is now taking Google to court to find out who is trashing her on the blog Skanks in NYC. The website, part of Google's Blogger subsidiary, is solely dedicated to maligning the Canadian model with photos and insults about her "horsey face" and the "desperation seeping from her soul, if she even has one" and how she's "a psychotic, lying, whoring, still going to clubs at her age, skank."

Yesterday, the Post published a blog post from exiled Knick point guard Stephon Marbury, and after reading it, you might think he's either delusional or devious. He gives his side of the drama: "I sat on the bench for a whole month and didn't say one word. It wasn't easy because I love to play but that's the nature of the biz. Then they made a trade and needed 8 guys and coach told me he had a certain number of minutes. I was cool. My jersey was never hung in my locker though so I never refused to play. Things were never handled properly. Through it all, I respected their business position to go in another direction just like they have to respect my business position that I have a contract and obligated to pay me. It's the principle of the whole thing. It's really not about the money but it's about the money. Feel me?" Um, it's hard to be sympathetic when he wants his full $21 million for the year. But feel him for yourself by checking the post on the Post's website.

Consumerist, a Gawker Media blog about consumer tips, was purchased by the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports. CU president and CEO Jim Guest said, "We're delighted to add this vibrant site to our portfolio of information products. The Consumerist community is passionate about fair retail practices, truth in advertising, product safety, and other topics that Consumer Reports has championed for more than 70 years. The site is a perfect fit for advancing our mission of creating a fair, safe, and just marketplace." Consumerist editor Ben Popken will stay on as co-executive editor, and he said, "Consumerist.com is now assured of a strong, healthy future." The NY Times reports that the next Gawker Media blog for sale is Defamer, which covers Hollywood gossip (Gawker Media honcho Nick Denton thinks online advertising declines will be steep in 2009!).

on Facebook anyway) to open up lines of communication with the school community. The former Senator has been under fire after announcing he would assume the role of provost after the fifth provost in 7 years was let go, which then prompted senior faculty to give him a vote of no-confidence. Kerrey, who is no longer assuming interim provost duties, tells readers, "I look forward to having a direct conversation with you about the future of the New School," but one student writes, "I appreciate that you want to hear, or read, my voice. However, I am a little disappointed that this blog has been setup now after the recent incidents. It seems like this blog is just flimflam for you to claim an active roll in listening to what faculty and students have to say. I would like to remind people that even if you do genuinely interact with this blog, it still is only a product of the situation and should not distract from any current affairs."

Jimmy Fallon is easing his way on to America's televisions, where he'll eventually land next year when he takes over hosting duties for Conan O'Brien. Until then, he's on the internet. Yesterday the former SNL cast member put up his first "blog, or vlog, if you wanna use that word" which, as Gawker points out, had a 1:36 runtime which "was far short of the 5 minute target." During that short time he announced that The Roots will be his house band, and he'll officially be taking over Studio 6B come March 2nd. In the meantime, more Jimmy is promised each night at 12:30 a.m., to be delivered right here.

Maybe one blogger can make a difference? Beer enthusiast Aaron Goldfarb has had it with tourists who dare invade our fair city with their money and slow walking. So he's sending a misanthropic message to the world with his NYC tourist blog that these shabbily dressed visitors must be stopped. Or at least mocked. Goldfarb spends his days documenting every Midtown tourist step, profiling them by their tapered jeans or cowboy hats, and snidely imagining their insipid chatter. Also on notice is anyone who eats pancakes or looks at department store holiday windows! His tagline: "Give me your tired, your poor, your disgustingly fat retarded sloths that get in my fucking way every time I try to negotiate midtown." But could it be Goldfarb (pictured here looking touristy with our 43rd president) doth protest too much, and secretly loathes the tourist within?

Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson (fresh off of Fashion Week) woke up on this 9/11 morning and went straight to their MySpace blogs to deliver their messages of remembrance. If their "currently listening to" sections are to be believed, their blogging was soundtracked by John Lennon's "Imagine" and The Concert for New York City cd. Feel free to put one of those selections on now as you read their reminiscences. Lohan writes:

“I am in New York and I would like to remind everybody to take a moment today for those lost in tragedy that occurred on 9/11/01. thank you. xox L”

"waking up in nyc this morning 7 years later and it feels like just yesterday this city and our worlds were turned upside down.... never in my lifetime had I ever believed that I would see such horror- the kind that you see in documentaries set in far off places and read about in text books- never in my life had I ever thought that I would wake up and fall asleep afraid- watching things on television that felt like a film- walking through a city that felt like a war zone. there were army vehicles on houston street, barricades dividing neighbourhoods and lines around the block of people waiting to donate blood set in front of a backdrop of smoke filling a space where two of the largest buildings once stood. Two buildings that shaped one of the most famous skylines in this country, or in the world...... Seven years later and I will never forget. I don't really know what to say except to all those we lost we will never forget and never take for granted the sacrifices that you made. xoxo"

The legal travails of Room Eight, a blog dedicated to NY politics (its name refers to "Room 9," which is where the press corps are located in City Hall), are examined in today's NY Times. In a nutshell, Bronx DA Robert Johnson's office subpoenaed the blog's co-founders Ben Smith and Gur Tsabar, demanding the IP address of an anonymous contributor. And what's more, they were not allowed to even disclose the existence of the subpoena of they “could impede the investigation being conducted and thereby interfere with law enforcement."

A judge decided that the city can attempt to fire a Staten Island teacher who documented her crush on a student on her blog. According to the Staten Island Advance, New Dorp High school teacher Colleen McGraham "hounded the 11th-grader through instant messages and e-mails in 2005, when she was 36 and the student 15." She also visited his blog frequently.

The Sun reports that a new Department of Education policy that "bans employees from linking to their Web logs in their work e-mail signature" is making at least one staffer with a blog unhappy.

So, Moby just happened to Google Alert himself run across this music blog that wrote a (video) post asking him to play their anniversary party since their headliner had canceled (headlining was The Teeth, who broke up...and broke stuff at our CMJ show last year). The video message, which offered $1,000 to play the show, also went out to Win Butler, Kate Nash and Ben Gibbard. Moby responded "yes" (aww). And Hoboken ladies: he's ready for an after-party:

so, as i spend way too much time on the aforementioned internet and i have free time on april 10th and i love to play if there's an audience and/or beer involved, saw his request and i emailed him and said, 'i'd be happy to play at your party'. then he wrote back and, to paraphrase, said, 'great'. so i'm playing at his party.

Continue reading "Moby Discovers Show Opportunity Online"