Henry Hudson and 400 years later

It is the anniversary of Henry Hudson's exploration of the river now bearing his name in tribute. I don't think anyone could have predicted what this little island was to become. The question on everyone's mind, during this anniversary, is what did this place look like when Hudson saw it for the first time.

NPR showcases National Geographic's September issue :


There is a mountain of information on the subject if you want to delve deeper into the subject. A good place to start is at the Manhattan Project website. You can explore the virtual island and learn about the fauna, flora and geography amongst other things (lectures, teaching aids, etc).

I also stumbled upon this map of NYC (NYC Oasis) loaded with valuable data, in a Google Earth type page with multiple layers. You can manipulate data such as transit route & roads, parks, environmental impact, land use, population characteristics and others.

Michio Kaku sighted in Hell's Kitchen

As I was doing my laundry, on 10th & 46St., I notice a familiar face at 44&X. There is a film crew, but I cannot place the face. My initial guess is Nintendo/Sony executive or game developer. Since I cannot guess a name, I snap this photo and upload it to Facebook for my friends to identify. This happens very quickly. The gentleman is physicist Michio Kaku. I probably made several cameos (and completely coincidental) while they were shooting (most likely for The Universe, on the History Channel).

Air Force 1 Flyover, Take Two: CANCELLED

At 10:00 EST, I received an email alert that another NYC flyover was to occur. I thought, "AGAIN??". Who would be stupid enough to try that stunt again? Thankfully several minutes later another alert came out canceling the event, but it got me thinking. The 4/27 flyover occured. It cannot be taken back. It is already paid for. Paid for by whom, you may ask yourself? By us of course. Air Force 1 is the people's airplane. Though most cannot ride in Air Force 1, we all chipped in to get the President a vehicle to get him from one place to another, so he could work. So I wrote President Obama an email about it :

Low-res version of one of the publicity shots in question, courtesy of ABC.com.

"On 4/27/2009, Air Force 1 flew over NYC creating a panic. I had no problem with that. Though I live in Manhattan and have been in the city for more than 25 years (and experienced both Tower attacks close up), I felt no threat or danger. I do have a problem with the use of public property. Air Force 1 is paid for and maintained by tax payer money for use in the administration of presidential duties. Think of the money that could have been saved if instead you used Photoshop:

$1000 (Photoshop CS4-Extended Retail version) versus tens of thousands of dollars for the real thing (depending on who you ask the flyover cost between $70,000 - $320,000). The choice seems obvious. The deed has been done and cannot be undone, but since public funds and property were used in this publicity stunt, then the public should get access to the final product. I would like to see the high-resolution pictures (RAW is preferable choice for me) of Air Force 1 available for anyone to download. I look forward to it.

Thanks."

The Neon Cross of 9th Ave

The rest of the photo-stream of the cross.

Full Moon near Tromaville, NYC

Original post here.

Winter Reigns in New York