Over my summer blog hiatus, I did manage to make a couple of time lapse videos featuring the A line.
For those of you who don't know, the A line is one of the longest lines in the New York City subway, and includes the longest one-seat ride in the system.
These two videos cover the whole thing, all three branches, and it will take just a few minutes to watch them. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label YouTube. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YouTube. Show all posts
07 September 2011
30 April 2010
10 March 2010
08 February 2010
The Veronicas - Could've Been
A song about unrequited love. Written from a female perspective, but the meaning of the song, and the gender roles could easily be reversed.
14 January 2010
The SarcMark: Internet Necessity, or Redundant Waste of Money?
Sarcasm. In today's world of text messaging, e-mail, and other forms of textual communication, one's apparent use of sarcasm may be misinterpreted as a statement of seriousness. Even in spoken language, sarcasm can be misinterpreted. In the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "Albuquerque," the teller of the story gives this example of such a misinterpretation.
The need for a visual indication of the use of sarcasm is not new, but some have offered suggestions, with little apparent success.
Enter: the SarcMark.
As the video above indicates, the SarcMark consists of a circular spiral design ending with a dot in the interior of the spiral, similar to the "at" symbol, @. The associated Web site, offers a font and additional software (supposedly for keyboard mappings), for US$1.99. Is it really worth it, though? Here's why I think it isn't.
First off, the mark is mapped to Unicode code point U+E001, which is in a Private Use area, and is not part of the Unicode standard. Next, in order to see the SarcMark glyph, you need a special font which contains the mark at U+E001. This is sold through the Web site. If you want an intended recipient to see this mark, that recipient must also have the font and software installed, unless, of course, your message (or the mark itself) is converted into an image. Next on the SarcMark Problem List, there is no free alternative. Further complicating this issue is that the SarcMark is a trademarked design (USPTO, SN 77522403, RN 3712952, filed 2008-07-15, registered 2009-11-17), so even if there was a free version of this mark, it could be subject to litigation. Further, I do not believe that registered trademarks like this are even allowed in Unicode. Even if it were to be included in Unicode, it would need to be moved from its current U+E001 code point to somewhere else (Probably in the U+2E31 to U+2E7F range, extending Supplemental Punctuation), so documents using the U+E001 version of the mark would have to make edits to their documents. Finally, it is not supported across all systems. Their Supported Platforms page lists several applications in Windows, an apparently kludgy way of entering it on Mac, and several models of Blackberry. It's not like I can open Text Editor in Windows or TextEdit on Mac, press the shortcut key, and it appears. Linux, you ask? What's that؟ There is no official Linux support for this, so you Linux users are out of luck.
With so many shortcomings, I present this question: Why bother? Why would anyone pay money for something that is not universally supported, either in Unicode or systemwide applications, and of course, in Linux? It's basically as useful as those smileys that install spyware on your computer. I offer this alternative. Use characters that are already universally accessible and Unicode standardized.
In the late 19th century, French poet Alcanter de Brahm proposed using something he called a point d’ironie, or irony point. It is essentially a backward-facing question mark, which is to be used to indicate that the sentence should be understood at a second level (irony, sarcasm, etc.) It is found in Unicode at two different code points, U+061F and U+2E2E, the former being the Arabic question mark, and the latter being a simple reversed question mark. There's already one irony mark in this blog post. (Linux, you ask? What's that؟) There's a bit of a problem using the Arabic question mark though. The English language is written from left to right (LTR). Arabic is written from right to left (RTL). This directional paradox is found in many text entry applications, from Web browsers to word processors. When typing using a primarily LTR script (like English), then all of a sudden, a character from a RTL script is inserted (like that Arabic question mark), the software automatically thinks, "Okay, the user has inserted a RTL character. Put the insertion point to the character's left." This can be confusing for writers new to the concept of switching back and forth between LTR and RTL. The solution would be to use the U+2E2E reversed question mark. The problem with this is that while Unicode is supported on Windows, Mac, and Linux, not all fonts have a glyph mapped to this code point. This is why you're seeing Arabic question marks instead of reversed question marks: ⸮.
This leads us to a second alternative, which can be used even on cell phones with international keyboard input. Of course, I'm referring to the inverted exclamation point (¡). Look at the above dialogue from The Big Bang Theory again with this punctuation.
Entering the inverted exclamation point is relatively simple. For Windows, it’s ALT+0161. In Mac, it’s Option+1. Much simpler (and less expensive) than buying and downloading a font. But what about sarcastic statements which are questions? Use the irony point. Since it looks like a question mark, there should at least be some kind of question associated with it.
In short, I suggest that to show sarcasm in written text, instead of buying and downloading a font with limited use and limited compatibility, use the following:
• The irony point (؟ or ⸮) when the sarcastic statement is a question
• The inverted exclamation point (¡) otherwise.
NOTE: This writing is not intended as sarcasm. If it were, every sentence of it would have ended with ¡ or ⸮.
Okay, like one time, I was out in the parking lot trying to remove my excess ear wax with a golf pencil, when I see this guy Marty trying to carry a big ol' sofa up the stairs all by himself. So I say to him, I say, "Hey, you want me to help you with that?" And Marty, he just rolls his eyes and goes, "No, I want you to cut off my arms and legs off with a chainsaw!" So I did. And then he gets all indignant on me. He's like, “Hey man, I was just being sarcastic!" Well that's just great. How was I supposed to know that? I'm not a mind reader, for cryin' out loud. Besides, now he's got a really cute nickname: Torso Boy. So what's he complaining about?Another example of misinterpreting sarcasm in one episode of The Big Bang Theory:
SHELDON: I have to say, I slept splendidly. Granted not long, just deeply and well.Later in the season, Leonard actually creates a sarcasm sign and holds it up for Sheldon to see. This was a one-time occurrence, though.
LEONARD: I'm not surprised. a well-known cure for insomnia is to break into your neighbor's apartment and clean.
SHELDON: Sarcasm?
LEONARD: You think?
SHELDON: Granted, my methods may have been somewhat unorthodox, but I think the end result will be a measurable enhancement of Penny's quality of life.
LEONARD: You know what, you convinced me. Maybe tonight we should sneak in and shampoo her carpet.
SHELDON: You don't think that crosses the line?
LEONARD: Yes… For God's sake, Sheldon, do I have to hold up a sarcasm sign every time I open my mouth?
SHELDON: You have a sarcasm sign?
LEONARD: No, I do not have a sarcasm sign.
---
LEONARD: You are going to march yourself over there right now and apologize.
SHELDON: (laughs)
LEONARD: What's funny?
SHELDON: That wasn't sarcasm?
LEONARD: No!
SHELDON: Woo, boy! You are all over the place this morning.
("The Big Bran Hypothesis")
The need for a visual indication of the use of sarcasm is not new, but some have offered suggestions, with little apparent success.
Enter: the SarcMark.
As the video above indicates, the SarcMark consists of a circular spiral design ending with a dot in the interior of the spiral, similar to the "at" symbol, @. The associated Web site, offers a font and additional software (supposedly for keyboard mappings), for US$1.99. Is it really worth it, though? Here's why I think it isn't.
First off, the mark is mapped to Unicode code point U+E001, which is in a Private Use area, and is not part of the Unicode standard. Next, in order to see the SarcMark glyph, you need a special font which contains the mark at U+E001. This is sold through the Web site. If you want an intended recipient to see this mark, that recipient must also have the font and software installed, unless, of course, your message (or the mark itself) is converted into an image. Next on the SarcMark Problem List, there is no free alternative. Further complicating this issue is that the SarcMark is a trademarked design (USPTO, SN 77522403, RN 3712952, filed 2008-07-15, registered 2009-11-17), so even if there was a free version of this mark, it could be subject to litigation. Further, I do not believe that registered trademarks like this are even allowed in Unicode. Even if it were to be included in Unicode, it would need to be moved from its current U+E001 code point to somewhere else (Probably in the U+2E31 to U+2E7F range, extending Supplemental Punctuation), so documents using the U+E001 version of the mark would have to make edits to their documents. Finally, it is not supported across all systems. Their Supported Platforms page lists several applications in Windows, an apparently kludgy way of entering it on Mac, and several models of Blackberry. It's not like I can open Text Editor in Windows or TextEdit on Mac, press the shortcut key, and it appears. Linux, you ask? What's that؟ There is no official Linux support for this, so you Linux users are out of luck.
With so many shortcomings, I present this question: Why bother? Why would anyone pay money for something that is not universally supported, either in Unicode or systemwide applications, and of course, in Linux? It's basically as useful as those smileys that install spyware on your computer. I offer this alternative. Use characters that are already universally accessible and Unicode standardized.
In the late 19th century, French poet Alcanter de Brahm proposed using something he called a point d’ironie, or irony point. It is essentially a backward-facing question mark, which is to be used to indicate that the sentence should be understood at a second level (irony, sarcasm, etc.) It is found in Unicode at two different code points, U+061F and U+2E2E, the former being the Arabic question mark, and the latter being a simple reversed question mark. There's already one irony mark in this blog post. (Linux, you ask? What's that؟) There's a bit of a problem using the Arabic question mark though. The English language is written from left to right (LTR). Arabic is written from right to left (RTL). This directional paradox is found in many text entry applications, from Web browsers to word processors. When typing using a primarily LTR script (like English), then all of a sudden, a character from a RTL script is inserted (like that Arabic question mark), the software automatically thinks, "Okay, the user has inserted a RTL character. Put the insertion point to the character's left." This can be confusing for writers new to the concept of switching back and forth between LTR and RTL. The solution would be to use the U+2E2E reversed question mark. The problem with this is that while Unicode is supported on Windows, Mac, and Linux, not all fonts have a glyph mapped to this code point. This is why you're seeing Arabic question marks instead of reversed question marks: ⸮.
This leads us to a second alternative, which can be used even on cell phones with international keyboard input. Of course, I'm referring to the inverted exclamation point (¡). Look at the above dialogue from The Big Bang Theory again with this punctuation.
SHELDON: I have to say, I slept splendidly. Granted not long, just deeply and well.You can easily see where Leonard is being sarcastic (even though Sheldon can't) with the inverted exclamation point placed at the end of those sentences.
LEONARD: I'm not surprised. a well-known cure for insomnia is to break into your neighbor's apartment and clean¡
SHELDON: Sarcasm?
LEONARD: You think?
SHELDON: Granted, my methods may have been somewhat unorthodox, but I think the end result will be a measurable enhancement of Penny's quality of life.
LEONARD: You know what, you convinced me. Maybe tonight we should sneak in and shampoo her carpet¡
SHELDON: You don't think that crosses the line?
LEONARD: Yes… For God's sake, Sheldon, do I have to hold up a sarcasm sign every time I open my mouth?
SHELDON: You have a sarcasm sign?
LEONARD: No, I do not have a sarcasm sign.
---
LEONARD: You are going to march yourself over there right now and apologize.
SHELDON: (laughs)
LEONARD: What's funny?
SHELDON: That wasn't sarcasm?
LEONARD: No!
SHELDON: Woo, boy! You are all over the place this morning.
Entering the inverted exclamation point is relatively simple. For Windows, it’s ALT+0161. In Mac, it’s Option+1. Much simpler (and less expensive) than buying and downloading a font. But what about sarcastic statements which are questions? Use the irony point. Since it looks like a question mark, there should at least be some kind of question associated with it.
In short, I suggest that to show sarcasm in written text, instead of buying and downloading a font with limited use and limited compatibility, use the following:
• The irony point (؟ or ⸮) when the sarcastic statement is a question
• The inverted exclamation point (¡) otherwise.
NOTE: This writing is not intended as sarcasm. If it were, every sentence of it would have ended with ¡ or ⸮.
15 September 2008
For All You YouTubers out there…
I just want to note an update to my YouTube Channel. I've organized all my videos into playlists. There are 3 playlists to choose from.
1. My Montages. All the montage videos I've posted to the Blog will be in this playlist.
2. Transit. All the transit-related clips will be posted in this playlist.
3. Et Cetera. The other random things I happen to take videos of. For example, hovering seagulls, or a vending machine selling drinks for a nickel shy of $100.
Check it out!
1. My Montages. All the montage videos I've posted to the Blog will be in this playlist.
2. Transit. All the transit-related clips will be posted in this playlist.
3. Et Cetera. The other random things I happen to take videos of. For example, hovering seagulls, or a vending machine selling drinks for a nickel shy of $100.
Check it out!
30 July 2008
My Cat is Going!
For those of you who know me, please note that no, I did not suddenly go out and get a cat. Besides, where would it be going if I had said this about my hypothetical cat?
The name of this post is what it is for a simple reason.
Listen to the video below which appears further down this post.
Today, Elvis Duran and the Z Morning Zoo played a very old "Phone Tap." Actually, it wasn't originally called a Phone Tap when it first aired back in 1999. It was called a Nutcracker.
They played it today, and as with other Phone Taps which debuted in the Z100 era, they removed any and all references to anything that pre-syndication. They even deleted Christine Nagy (who was with the Zoo at the time).
The transcript:
Elvis: …Obviously,
Danielle: Oh, boy.
Elvis: the mother Anita, loves Twinkie the cat.
Christine: Oh, absolutely!
Elvis: We had Dave Brody call her…
Yeah. They eliminated that part as well.
Now, thanks to the good folks on YouTube, you can hear this Nutcracker in close to its original form.
I'll post what I commented on the YouTube page.
Instead of downloading the mutilated version of "My Cat is Going" from the Morning Show Phone Tap podcast, listen to the video below.
The name of this post is what it is for a simple reason.
Listen to the video below which appears further down this post.
Today, Elvis Duran and the Z Morning Zoo played a very old "Phone Tap." Actually, it wasn't originally called a Phone Tap when it first aired back in 1999. It was called a Nutcracker.
They played it today, and as with other Phone Taps which debuted in the Z100 era, they removed any and all references to anything that pre-syndication. They even deleted Christine Nagy (who was with the Zoo at the time).
The transcript:
Elvis: …Obviously,
Danielle: Oh, boy.
Elvis: the mother Anita, loves Twinkie the cat.
Christine: Oh, absolutely!
Elvis: We had Dave Brody call her…
Yeah. They eliminated that part as well.
Now, thanks to the good folks on YouTube, you can hear this Nutcracker in close to its original form.
I'll post what I commented on the YouTube page.
This Nutcracker is almost 10 years old! I know. I don't believe it either.
They played it (rebranded as a "Morning Show Phone Tap") this morning (30th July 2008). You cannot believe how much mutilation they have done to this. Of course, everything Anita Townsend says is exactly as it was originally, but all references to "Z100," "Z Morning Zoo," and "Nutcracker" have been eliminated. They even mix the "Spybreak!" Phone Tap intro (which sounds worse than before) as Elvis is reading the e-mail.
Instead of downloading the mutilated version of "My Cat is Going" from the Morning Show Phone Tap podcast, listen to the video below.
28 February 2007
Weird Sighting. Oh, and Videos!
Last night, I was over at the Apple Store, looking at SubChat, and I notice that the guys at computer next to me were looking at a video from YouTube which I had download, transcoded, and uploaded to my iPod earlier that day.
The video was of an ex-Green Bus Lines bus going through the rollsign readings.
I then noticed them watching the following video.
I thought this was a bit weird.
Speaking of videos, I uploaded one of my own to Google Video, which features download of videos to format compatible with iPod. Since Blogger uses Google account, I figure that I might as well take advantage of the Google account in other ways.
Here's the video. Enjoy.
The video was of an ex-Green Bus Lines bus going through the rollsign readings.
I then noticed them watching the following video.
I thought this was a bit weird.
Speaking of videos, I uploaded one of my own to Google Video, which features download of videos to format compatible with iPod. Since Blogger uses Google account, I figure that I might as well take advantage of the Google account in other ways.
Here's the video. Enjoy.