If you thought your Christmas was depressing, the Burg (with some help from the All-For-Nots) are here to share your pain. Non-trust fund hipster bread lines, depression, hand-made garbage gifts, suicide threats...Happy Holidays from the Burg! more ›

The folks behind Fifty People, One Question went to Brooklyn to ask people there where they would want to wake up tomorrow. The result is a pretty amazing little video, which you can watch below. more ›

As Jon Stewart says: And now, your moment of Zen... more ›

This video takes you on an underground ride from 14th Street to 42nd Street. Not that exciting, right? Well it was filmed in 1905. As Andrew Sullivan notes, watch to the 5:00 mark where it gets real good. more ›

Ever want to post a bill on one of the city's walls only to find a Post No Bills sign standing in your way? Well the Post More Bills campaign is turning it all around. They claim "There is no hidden program, there is no bigger meaning, other than to spreading Bills far and wide and bring a bit of playful relief in our visually saturated media environment." And hey look, that American Apparel billboard is finally gone. more ›

This morning the Today Show took a look at the subway cars that retire from the underground of New York, and (at the cost of the MTA) are sent to create artificial reefs off the coasts of other cities. (The program may soon benefit us as well, however.) Consider the below clip subway-reef-porn, with footage of the old cars being made suitable for the sea, and dumped off barges to meet their final watery resting place. more ›

The MTA may soon be adding digital advertising to the subways that will be very similar to Bill Brand’s Masstransiscope. What's that, you say? The Creative Time-supported project "was installed in the abandoned Myrtle Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, New York in September 1980. It has been seen by millions of commuters for over twenty-five years. The 228 hand-painted panels are viewed through a series of vertical slits set into a specially constructed housing. The piece works on the principle of the Zoetrope, a 19th century optical toy." Below is a video with plenty of news clips when the piece was first released, and you can find more info here. more ›

Question: Is the word "hipster" so over...or is talking about the word so over? Below, a group of self-declared non-hipsters talk circles around what the word actually means. more ›

The folks over at Thirteen/WNET have produced three short web documentaries about the decline of manufacturing in NYC. The manufacturers profiled in the pieces are all currently in Brooklyn, and struggling to keep their businesses going. There's Angel's Bakery in Greenpoint (inventor of the muffin top!) trying to find affordable rent now that the area has been gentrified, metal fabricators Milgo/Bufkin (here's a map of their metal work around the city), and beach umbrella makers Embee Sunshade (watch below). more ›

Is New York the intellectual and cultural hub of the planet, or is it just where you come when you want to be called a bitch and have a cat thrown in your face? Last night, How I Met Your Mother explored the positives and negatives of NYC and NJ. more ›

The Federation of Students and Nominally or Unemployed Artists, or if you prefer: the Generosity Foundation, recently handed out free money in Union Square. The catch? You just need to explain what creative endeavour the money will go towards. They explain, "We give small, unsecured grants in the form of $10-$60 for creative projects thought up on the spot by everyday people." This time around they had $1000 to hand out, after each member raised $100 themselves. more ›

Ever wonder what Andy Rooney has to say about all the public art displayed in the city? Well, here he is mouthing off on what he calls "pretentious nonsense," amongst other things. more ›

A camera and a YouTube account are the new badge! This group of Brooklynites filmed the aftermath of an attempted robbery (allegedly the robber had a razor, which can be seen on the ground in the video). The scene includes a group holding a man on the street until the cops come to arrest him. Language and threats aside, no one gets violent...until another bystander comes over and kicks the would-be robber. Take a look: more ›

Some anonymous filmmakers have created Save Coney Island: The Movie. From their YouTube page, where they posted a trailer this week, they describe it as follows: "When Thor Equities, an infamous real-estate company, threatens to build condominiums on Coney Island's core amusements, Amos Wengler, the troubadour, must keep the spirit of Coney Island alive with a song before all the memories fade forever. The life, spirit and essence of Coney Island explode on the screen as the film explores the inter-dynamics of Coney Island's social life." more ›

Let's face it, New York City is going to have many cinematic love letters written to it, and they're not all going to be Woody Allen's Manhattan. The latest is called, simply, New York, I Love You, and amongst the long list of directors are Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. The cast includes bold-face names as well, like Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Blake Lively, Hayden Christiansen, Kevin Bacon, Rachel Bilson, James Caan, Orlando Bloom...the list goes on and on. Filming wrapped up in April, and here's a peek at what it's going to look like. more ›

As you know by now, the fine folks at Creative Time have brought the torture-tastic waterboarding to Coney Island, via artist Steve Powers. Last weekend Powers and a trio of masochistic lawyers (is there any other kind?) upped the ante by submitting to actual waterboarding administered by a professional interrogator in a ski mask. No footage of that yet, but if you haven't made it over to see the animatronic "Waterboard Thrill Ride" yourself, here's some video (the Sesame Street theme music definitely ups the creepy factor). more ›

Beautiful Losers is coming to town later this week, screening at the IFC Center from August 8th to 28th. The film documents and "celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the 'establishment' art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture." You'll get an earful from many of these artists, including Shepard Fairey, Harmony Korine and Mike Mills. more ›

Earlier this week a video of Feist singing a Sesame Street-ized version of her hit song "1 2 3 4" showed up on YouTube. Now a highlight reel for the upcoming 39th Season is out, and even adults will probably be adding the show to their DVRs. more ›

Who better to celebrate the rich tapestry and diversity of America than the Muppets? They can be seen above performing a rousing rendition of 'Stars and Stripes Forever' in their own inimitable style. If one is watching the fireworks this evening, we suggest using this video as a simulcast audio addition. more ›

The hearing held to Save Coney Island on June 24th was well attended, but lacked some of the area's supportive characters. Rosie Perez, Murray Hill, Dreena De Niro and others were all showing their support in a different way at the (poorly scheduled) premiere of a Lola Starr's short documentary. Starr is currently trying to make her Dreamland Roller Rink a permanent fixture on the island. Below is a video of testimonials by those who attended the screening instead of the hearing. more ›

The city may be in a fictional hue of black & white in this animated video, but the sights and sounds are all accounted for. Join a tourist as he fights the crowds and experiences many failed attempts at taking the perfect shot of many city attractions. more ›

Last week the LA Times released a video documenting the gentrification of Carroll Gardens, and now the other, newer locals respond with their own take on the place they call home (also a place they call "East Village East"). These three residents see the silver lining in gentrification; you know what they say, one man's neighborhood mainstay is another man's Duane Reade. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has released another timelapse video; back in April the cherry blossoms took center stage, and now the roses are under the sped-up spotlight. more ›

The LA Times, of all papers, takes a look at Carroll Gardens and its old time Italian locals. They're not too happy with the new residents, high rises overshadowing brownstones, and kids playing video games instead of street ball. Take a look... more ›

While simultaneously seeking out new talent, WNYC is exploring the art of street photography through the eyes of six diverse photographers in their Street Shots series. One of them, 61-year-old Bruce Gilden, is more of a character than some of his subjects. He's been taking photos of strangers on the streets of Manhattan for decades, and he's becoming a little bored with the homogeneity of the passersby. See how his "in your face" approach goes over with his subjects: more ›

"Speedy," starring Harold Lloyd as a less-than-safe NYC driver, was released in 1928 and illustrates how New Yorkers gained their reputation as being somewhat reckless. The above clip features Babe Ruth himself requesting Lloyd the cabbie to get him to Yankee stadium in a hurry, and then soon regretting it as Speedy is more interested in chatting up his sports idol than keeping his eyes on the road. more ›

Grand Theft Auto gets an '80s redux (heroin for 20 bucks back then seems a little unrealistic, however). If you ever wondered what the game would have looked like on the original NES, this one's for you: more ›

The description to this video reads: "This guy is offered $20 to lick the hand rail of a Penn Station New York city train." That pretty much says it all. more ›

Last month came the video of an inflatable polar bear set over subway grates would rise and fall as trains passed underneath. The shopping bag art came from Joshua Allen Harris, and he's at it again with a subway monster that you won't need a Subivor kit to survive. more ›

This is way better than School of Rock; over in Mr. R's class in Brooklyn, the little ones are becoming luthiers. Mr. R, Paul Rubenstein, works for Working Playground and teaches high school and middle school kids how to make electric guitars and amplifiers, a program he started 5 years ago. He tells us:

"We make them entirely from scratch (except for the tuning machines) including the pickups. It has just grown since then... now we make amplifiers and square wave oscillators too." more ›