Results tagged “future”

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?

Paging George Jetson, your future is here! Something called the EU Infrastructure has created an illustration of their vision of the future of public transportation. Forget The Aerotropolis, can you picture "Self Driving Cars, SkyTrans, Electric Bicycles, Mag-lev/air propelled trains, Moving sidewalks to replace pavement, Segways, Backpack helicopters and Zeppelins" in New York City? PSFK notes that "While some of these concepts are seemingly as far-fetched as the fabled flying car, they have all been realized to some degree." But maybe we should just focus on that 2nd Avenue subway line first? [via Animal]

Paging Doc Brown, this car is from the future! Well, at least the future we pictured back in the '80s. Or an old Transformers cartoon. Now it's more like a futuristic car based off of our nostalgia-inspired designs. Regardless, it was spotted recently on Avenue C and 8th Street and the photographer, Will McDonough, tells us "it had Hydraulic doors, that opened when the driver unlocked the door. He customized the dashboard with a tons of switches and levers... not sure what they did. This thing has so many blind spots, god knows how he can drive it through the city." How long do you think it'll last in this rough n' tumble town?

The opening line in this Wired article is sort of terrifying: "It's 2020, and cities are so overcrowded that it’s impossible to deliver packages." The megalopolis of the future sounds claustrophobic to say the least, but just how will we get our much needed crap delivered to our doors and desks? Before it breeds post-consumer waste, it'll travel through the sewer systems!

For well over a century almost a thousand acres of prime Manhattan real estate have gone to waste, as thousands of roustabouts loiter daily on that great green monument to squandered potential: Central Park. But at last a group of visionaries are trying to turn this urban void into something the city desperately needs: an international airport! But what about JFK, you say? Let the Manhattan Airport Foundation explain:

Continue reading "Manhattan Airport Foundation's Bold Plan for Central Park"

Remember the fun times camping out on line for concert tickets as teenager? Well, someday soon we might get to relive those precious moments, except this time for bread. The Times recently asked five economic experts to give their forecast for New York City's near future, and if you like a little doom to go with your gloom, you're going to love their predictions. (Spoiler: barrels with suspenders are poised to become the new Uggs.)

In what has to be a new contender for the most contemporary crime story, a young man was arrested for making graffiti and three other charges after another rider on the N train in Astoria snapped shots of him on her cellphone scratching a window on the train and sending them into Crime Stoppers via text. The vandalism task force was able to connect the cellphone pics to 18-year-old Andrew Morello, who had previously been arrested this summer for tagging "Shelly" on a commercial vehicle in Queens. The NYPD delegated a Crime Stoppers line over the summer specifically for text messages and had previously arrested a driver whose license plate was captured after he hit a cyclist and left the scene of the accident.

New York City bus riders could soon be commuting just like the tourists if the MTA follows through on their tall talk about bringing double-decker buses back into circulation. The Post reports that NYC Transit President Howard Roberts floated the idea before the MTA board yesterday; the double-deckers are appealing because they fit more passengers and, according to transit officials, actually cost less to maintain.

In yet another gem from Modern Mechanix, folks from 1932 ponder "How Much Longer Will Our Big Cities Last?" Photos of subway tunnels collapsing and apartment fires in New York set the apocalyptic tone for the piece which claims "scientific prophets" see the mammoth cities becoming obsolete. We're to pictured a cobweb-enshrouded Empire State Building and dandelions overtaking Wall Street after "exhaustive studies" concluded that we're pretty much, well, screwed.

According to such writers as Stuart Chase, when man built the city he built a Frankenstein monster which would eventually turn and try to destroy its creator. The city, Mr. Chase believes, has grown so intricate and unwieldy that it now dominates its helpless inhabitants, rather than being dominated by them.

Continue reading "Big Cities "Doomed" According to 1932"

Thanks to Modern Mechanix we can now see what New York was supposed to look like by the year 2000, as seen from 1927. In that article "streets on five levels have been prophesied," but by 1931, two-level streets (pictured) seemed more realistic.

A definite step towards the relief of traffic congestion on much traveled city thoroughfares by the construction of streets under streets is soon to be taken by the city of New York. When this stupendous project has been brought to completion the metropolis will have an underground lane for fast through traffic, a tunnel for local and express trains, all built underneath the surface street, which will be left for local traffic.

Continue reading "The 2nd Avenue Sub-Street"

The company that founded Chuck E. Cheese, which famously replaced lazy live musicians with ruthlessly efficient animatronic animals, now has their sights trained right on your server. According to this breathlessly excited vision of the future, soon “a new trend will be found at your favorite restaurants”! [Emphasis added.] Computerized touch screen ordering at your table is destined to radically marginalize the entire restaurant service industry, liberating diners from the bondage of inattentive service and tedious chit-chat with the help. Best of all, you don’t have to tip a touch screen! Oh, and there’s games, too! And ads!