An AMNew York article delves into the neighborhood and tactical thoughts behind NYPD sky watch towers. The towers have four digital cameras, a spotlight, and a place for a cop to observe what's happening from two stories above the sidewalk. Reaction to the sky watches has been mixed. Crown Heights Community Board 10 chairman Emil Clark said, "People that had been living in the neighborhood forever were concerned that maybe this was for the people......

Via Razor Apple, there's a great video of graffiti artist REVS getting ready to install a 400-pound sculpture. Though REVS's face is blurred out, we can tell he's tall, bald and badass - exactly what we imagined! And the NY Times' description of him from a 2005 article seems spot-on: "blackened fingernails of an ironworker, along with the vaguely feral intensity of someone on the lam." Here are photographs of REVS' work on Streetsy.com.......

An excellent Hasidic outdoor advertising update: Back in January, we noticed that an East Williamsburg poster of an Orthodox Jewish boy had been been updated for the boy to look more Hasidic - and it was splashed with some Hebrew graffiti. It turned out the graffiti was part of the ad, which is trying to encourage the Hasids in the neighborhood to donate cars to Oorah, a children's charity. Will at Razor Apple took......

Today, a reader wrote on Gothamist Contribute:The Building on Wooster and Grand (across from the Deitch gallery) has been hit BAD by the splasher. I walk by it on the way to work every morning. Not only was the street art covered, but practically the entire building in green paint! He also had his beloved "manifesto" up. No camera for a picture unfortunately, but this has to be his most extreme hit yet.We went......

H&M fans will be cutting themselves over this one: The Misshapes Clothing Line. We were just doing some light reading, when we came across the following: MisShapes Getting Their Own H&M Line? I was just eating brunch with a New York friend of mine in Glendale and he told me that the MisShapes are getting their own line at H&M! Apparently it will be their name on the line but designed by Benjamin Cho......

It's Halloween Eve, and even the animals are getting into the spirit. There is one pet that does not need a costume - the black cat. But as it happens, some cities (like L.A.) block black cat adoptions during the spooky season for fear that owners are just using them for seasonal prop purposes. The Daily News says that the city allows black cat adoptions, but screens potential owners more carefully. Animal Care and Control's......

Self-portraiturists rejoice: Anish Kapoor's "Sky Mirror" sculpture was unveiled this morning at Rockefeller Center. Any photoblogger worth their memory card is planning a visit today, so to get into the spirit, we're going to award a Gothamist t-shirt to the shooter who captures the best sky-mirror shot. Add your link in the comments below, and we'll announce a winner at 6pm. To get things started, here are some shots that have already been taken:......

Four thousand subway passengers had to be evacuated from subway cars when a track fire on the B/D lines disrupted service during the evening rush hour. And many of the passengers were stuck on the Manhattan Bridge, clueless as the MTA waited 20 minutes before explaining what had happened and sweltering as train cars lost air-conditioning. When we watched news coverage, passengers were glad to be out and noted that fellow straphangers were helping......