New York City might not be smart in the eyes of Portfolio.com but we think they need to get their vision checked. Urbanophile recently looked at the same census data as Portfolio (who ranked us #36 in brains) and found something totally different. When you look at the density per square mile of those with college and graduate degrees New York comes in an easy second behind San Francisco and way ahead of Boston. And we'll be ahead of SF soon enough if current trends continue. more ›

New York City, our brainpower index is only 0.771. We don't even know what that number means, but according to this Portfolio study, someone in Boulder, Colorado may be able to enlighten us—their brainpower index is 3.941! Basically, Portfolio made up some silly list and put it into a stupid PDF and posted it online and it says that we aren't even in the top 25 brainiest cities in the country. We come in at #36 (of 200), behind places like Trenton, New Jersey and Provo, Utah! La la la, we're just going to ignore this sham study and go with the one that came out in October that ranked us at #10. [via the Hairpin] more ›

It's a common observation, but are New Yorkers really more rude than residents of other cities? In Smithsonian magazine, New Yorker dance critic Joan Acocella thinks we’re just misunderstood. After years of life in the city, she’s made a thorough argument that what outsiders perceive as rudeness is just a side-effect of life in New York, where the boundaries between public and private life are less pronounced. more ›

The specialty beverage industry – particularly Smart Water – is now the recipient of a clever parody from Brooklyn designer/photographer Till Krautkramer, who’s rolled out an elaborate marketing campaign for a line of beverages called MeatWater. The website proudly declares that the drink uses “only the finest protein” for such “High Efficiency Survival Beverages” as Dirty Hot Dog, “an authentic taste of the Big Apple you can sip through a straw!” and Italian Sausage:

Mangia! You’ll feel like youse is at da famous San Gennaro festival in New Yawk’s Little Italy after drinkin’ dis. But widdout the annoying bridge-and-tunnel crowds askin’ “How much is doze zeppoles? Tree fuh a dollah? I’ll take tree.”

Perhaps it's the high cost of fuel or the difficulty to find parking, but the arrival of the Smart car has some New Yorkers very excited. The compact car first made its debut in New York at the MoMA, but should be in showrooms in late January. Mercedes Benz parent company Daimler says that over 30,000 people have paid the $99 to reserve one of the $15,000 cars and The Post says many of the Smart cars are coming to NYC. One city resident even put the deposit down without driving the car, "I haven't even driven one, yet I am putting in a reservation. It's all somewhat irrational, but I had to have it." more ›