Someone uploaded the video below of what they call a "new weird door chime sound" from the R62A car of a 7 train. We were quite excited about the prospect of a new sound entering the staid and inert landscape of our daily routine, so we contacted the MTA to find out some more about the noise. Unfortunately, according to MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz, the sound is a malfunctioning chime, not a sonorous addition to our sonic subway lives. For what it's worth, you still have some time to seek out the wondrous and rare auditory sensation in its natural enviornment before the train goes in for its periodic inspection.
Video: The New Subway Door Chime Is Just A Malfunction
R.I.P. Every Single NYC Crosswalk Signal?
It's not infrequent to find a crosswalk signal blinking mixed messages, but last week the Daily News found malfunctioning devices all over the place, from Morningside Heights to Times Square to the East Village. This comes a year after Councilwoman Gale Brewer pointed out the hazard... and how long before the apocalypse?
Subway Escalators to Nowhere: MTA's Worst Escalators
The MTA operates 182 passenger elevators and 176 escalators in the five boroughs, but some of them are out of service so often they might very well be cursed. The spookiest station is Herald Square, where three doomed escalators haven't moved an inch so far this year, and four others are quite often inoperative. Another notorious escalator at the Gun Hill Road station on the 2 and 5 lines in The Bronx broke down 61 times so far this year. And at one station on the Lexington Avenue line, vandals have ripped out the escalator handrail so often that workers are now trying to redesign the rail so that it can't be taken apart.
When City Electronics Malfunction
Not too long ago there was a behind the scenes glimpse of the Times Square billboards that light up the "Crossroads of the World" day in and day out. Now it looks like the old fashioned painted ads are more reliable, as AndIAmNotLying points out a glitch from last night in one electronic billboard on 8th and 42nd. Oopsy! It's a snafu that could be costing someone as much as $300K a month, and this isn't the first time it's happened.

