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Revel plans to build a network of EV fast-charging stations in NYC
The company says the first site will be North America's largest universal fast charging station.
Amazon opens the first permanent online-only Whole Foods store
Earlier this year, Whole Foods temporarily converted a few of its locations into online-only stores to keep up with much higher grocery delivery demands brought about by COVID-19-related lockdowns. Its new location in Brooklyn isn’t just a temporary online-only store, though — it’s the first one the Amazon-owned supermarket chain built specifically to fulfill orders placed online. Amazon opened the new location on September 1st to exclusively serve customers in the Brooklyn area.
The Macallan distillery opens up for 4D virtual reality tours
Not everyone has the means to travel to Scotland and visit their favorite distillery a la Ron Swanson. To help connoisseurs live out their dreams of traipsing through its facilities, The Macallan has created the Macallan Distillery Experience. VRFocus describes it as a "4D multi-sensory" group tour that guides folks through the company's process for making its Single Malt spirit. Along the way you'll explore the Scottish distillery an the estate it resides on, learning about the outfit's history along the way. Visitors will step into a "15x15x15 cube-like projection structure" with 360-degree videos beamed to the installation's walls.
Samsung will reveal the Galaxy Note 9 in Brooklyn on August 9th
It wouldn't be summer without a big Samsung announcement, and now we know when it's going down The company just sent out invitations out for an Unpacked event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on August 9th (as expected) and even by Samsung standards, that's a pretty massive venue. Then again, Samsung has some pretty dramatic tendencies when it comes to putting on launch events -- after all, this is the company that turned a phone launch into a sort of faux-musical. If the invitation is any indication, though, the new Galaxy Note 9 will be the star of the show.
Inside Grado Labs: A legacy of hand-built headphones
Grado Labs is a special place. That sounds hyperbolic, but allow me to explain. Behind a graffiti-covered Brooklyn facade, there's a small factory where the family's namesake headphones and turntable cartridges are assembled. When you step inside the door off of Seventh Avenue into what used to be the family's fruit market and home, a history lesson awaits. And it's not just about this particular company, but of the audio industry as a whole. It just happens to be told through the lens of one New York City family.
New York City's free gigabit WiFi comes to Brooklyn
LinkNYC's free, gigabit-grade WiFi is all over large chunks of New York City, but there's a conspicuous Brooklyn-sized gap... or rather, there was. The communication network has switched on its first two Brooklyn kiosks, both of them on Fulton Street in the Bed-Stuy area. Don't worry about having to visit a small part of the borough to get no-cost internet access, though. There are nine other Brooklyn hotspots due to go online in the weeks ahead, including some near LIU-Brooklyn and Prospect Park.
A tech accelerator grows in Brooklyn
At its peak, the Brooklyn Navy Yard employed as many as 70,000 people, building maritime vessels like the USS Maine, Missouri and Monitor. Military shipbuilding isn't coming back to Brooklyn anytime soon, and neither are those particular jobs. But industry is returning to the borough -- just not shipping in the military sense. Think more along the lines of product shipping, thanks to facilities like New Lab. This is about more than giving startups a place to set up shop. New Lab is about building a community -- not just to employ more New Yorkers, but to spur further innovation in one of the largest cities in the world.
Formula E's New York City race is set for Brooklyn next year
We already knew Forumla E was planning to race in New York City and now we have more details about the event. The all-electric race series announced during a press conference today that the final race of the 2016-2017 season, the New York City ePrix, will take place in the area around Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook. The two-day event is currently scheduled for July 29-30, 2017 with a 1.21-mile course that winds around the terminal's parking lot with two straightaways that run down the side of Pier 11.
Netflix and Spike Lee are making a 'She's Gotta Have it' series
Netflix has ordered 10 episodes of a series based on She's Gotta Have It, Spike Lee's 1986 independent film. Lee will direct each 30-minute show and serve as the executive produce with his wife and production partner, Tonya Lewis Lee. The movie, made in just 12 days for $175,000, was considered trailblazing for breaking cliche Hollywood representations of African-American culture. It also opened the door to black filmmakers like John Singleton, and put Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood on the map.
Apple responds to government request in NY drug case
Remember when we said the fight between Apple and the government wasn't over? Well, its battle in New York just got a little more interesting. The Cupertino-based company responded to the Department of Justice's request to unlock an iPhone 5s involved in a Brooklyn drug case. It says that it isn't convinced that the government has exhausted all alternative methods to crack the phone, calling back to an earlier decision by a US magistrate judge that says it can't compel Apple to do so.
IKEA is my favorite live action game
Last Friday I took my parents to IKEA for the first time. I've been wanting to drag them to the Brooklyn location ever since it opened in 2008, but we never managed to work out a schedule between the three of us. And they never went on their own, despite all my poking and prodding. It always made me sad they'd never been there, because IKEA is probably one of my favorite places in the world.
The Big Picture: It's always sunny in Brooklyn
Google isn't the only company looking to map out urban skylines ahead of the solar revolution. The folks at MapDwell create surveys similar to Sunroof using technologies developed at MIT, and for more cities to boot. The company has already mapped out New York City, as you can see above, as well as Boulder, Colorado(for growing solar-powered hydroponic kush, obvs), all of the confusingly-named Washington County, Oregon and now San Francisco. "We range irradiation (energy that falls onto the surface) for each city," MapDwell wrote to Engadget. "From zero (dark brown) to maximum or ideal (bright yellow), we call this Solar Access Index or SAI." As such, the southern tip of Manhattan probably isn't the best place for a solar installation. And unfortunately, the service does not also extend to solar-powered food carts.
Despite recent challenges, Makerbot opens new factory in NYC
The past few months haven't been easy for Makerbot. But it doesn't seem like the restructuring and sizable layoffs are affecting the company's progress. Today it announced the opening of a new, 170,000-square-foot manufacturing center in New York City. For Makerbot, it means being able to double the production capacity of 3D printers, as well as offer better quality assurance for these machines -- and, considering a recent lawsuit, the timing couldn't be better. This doesn't only signal a commitment from Makerbot to keep growing its own operations, but also shows it doesn't plan to give up on a 3D-printing industry that's been struggling. The huge, upgraded space is located in Brooklyn's Industrial City, so you can expect Makerbot's 3D printers to keep the "Designed & Built in Brooklyn" branding for at least the next ten years.
New York City's first commercial wind turbine proves its worth
Sunset Park in Brooklyn is home to New York City's first commercial-scale wind turbine, and it's already flexing its green muscle. In under a month, the 160-foot-tall power source produced enough juice to power two homes for more than 12 months. It's not being used to supplement regular energy use, though, as it feeds a recycling plant at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal -- a facility that already gets 16 percent of its power from solar panels. NYC seems like the last place a massive wind turbine would make a difference, but the height of this installation, coupled with the open landscape on the shore of Sunset Park, makes for an effective combo that's capable of generating up to 100 kilowatts. Attempts to harvest the wind in New York City are nothing new, but they're typically used to power much smaller buildings, so their size and output are a fraction of this one at Sims Metal Management. Construction costs tallied $750,000, and the project is expected to pay for itself in five years. [Photo credit: AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews]
Google donates $1 million to help NY libraries get people online
That WiFi-device lending program we told you about this summer is getting a million dollar shot in the arm from Google. Mountain View's donation (along with $500,000 from the Knight News Challenge) is helping libraries in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens provide Sprint-powered hotspot devices to get qualifying families online. It's throwing 500 Chromebooks in for teens enrolled in after-school programs at New York City libraries, too. As the city notes, how each library system's rolling the initiative out this month is a bit different, but there are some common traits: most require that you don't already have broadband at home and that you're enrolled in an English class for speakers of other languages (ESOL) or an adult learning class. And, depending on the branch, the lending period is between six months and a year.
Amazon's grocery service hits Brooklyn starting today
Lately, Amazon's been playing a bit of back and forth with its services on either coast. What started with retail locations is now extending to its grocery delivery option, AmazonFresh. Folks living in Brooklyn, New York's Park Slope neighborhood will have access to the service that debuted in Seattle and California starting today, according to Recode. Naturally, you need a Prime membership to access the same-day (or next-day, depending on when you order), but starting next year a pricier $299 "Prime Fresh" subscription will be required. Not in Park Slope? Don't fret: the e-commerce juggernaut told Reuters that it will continue to be "thoughtful and methodical" in its expansion. Bezos and Co. failed to mention, however, if and when it'll be expanding into the likes of Manhattan or other boroughs. Don't get too excited to use that Dash just yet, greater Gotham. [Image credit: adpowers/Flickr]
AT&T and Goal Zero deploy solar-powered Street Charge stations in NYC, we go hands-on (video)
If you're lucky, your smartphone's battery can just make it through a full day, with the percentage meter dropping to the single digits as you finally get a chance to plug in. With 10 hours out and about, some handsets can't even last through dinner, though, and out of reach power outlets make juicing up at the restaurant a tad inconvenient. Beginning this summer, public power will be much more accessible in New York City. AT&T is partnering with Goal Zero to deploy Street Charge stations in a handful of parks and other locations around NYC. They'll be coming to Fort Green Park on June 18th, and will roll out to Brooklyn Bridge Park, Coney Island, Riverside Park, Rockaways, Summerstage in Central Park, Randall's Island, Governor's Island, Union Square, and Hudson River Park over the next few weeks. Each solar-powered pole, designed locally by Pensa, sports six USB connectors: for iPhones and iPads, there's 30-pin and Lightning plugs, Android and Windows Phone users can hook up to micro-USB, and everyone else can use their own cable with one of three female USB connectors. There's three 15-watt solar panels and a 168 watt-hour battery, enabling each Street Charge to power up to six devices for several days without exposure to the sun. Sure, it's probably impractical to fill your gadget's cell completely, but if you have a few minutes to spare, you'll be able to juice up and go. You can plug in phones, tablets, cameras, or even a Pebble watch -- each cable can pump out up to two amps of 5V power, providing support for just about any USB-powered device. Each weatherproof unit will have AT&T branding, which seems reasonable, considering the carrier is footing the bill here. You should start seeing these pop up at several TBA locations in New York throughout the summer, with more stations to come if the trial's a success. Take a closer look in the hands-on video after the break.
Time Warner Cable expanding fiber broadband coverage in NYC, only businesses to benefit
Google, we're not in Kansas anymore, we're in New York, where Time Warner Cable is planning to drop $25 million on expanding its (up to) 1Gbps fiber broadband infrastructure. Specifically, the additional network is hitting neglected areas in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but it's not for general consumption -- it's strictly for businesses. Don't feel too disheartened though -- you might not be getting a slice of this particular fiber pie, but it's all you can eat, all the time at the free WiFi buffet.
Inhabitat's week in green: solar powered toilet, pollution-fighting mural and the world's largest rooftop wind farm
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Hear those school bells in the distance? It's hard to believe, but the start of the school year is just a few weeks away -- and all week we've been rounding up some of our favorite eco-friendly back-to-school essentials. From green school supplies to sustainable backpacks, we've got all your back-to-school needs covered. And to top it off, we're giving away a laptop-charging Voltaic solar-powered backpack (worth $389) stuffed with green school supplies for a total prize package worth over $500. If we could go back to school and live in any dorm, we'd probably choose Copenhagen's Tietgenkollegiet dorm, a circular building with community kitchens, cafes, music rooms and a central courtyard. And if we could choose any gadget to take with us, it would have to be the P&P Office Waste Processor, which can transform a basket full of waste paper into fully-formed pencils.
NYC! Go play arcade games with a bunch of game industry folks tomorrow night!
You don't really need an excuse to head out to Brooklyn's Barcade, but we've got one for you anyway: the New York Game Critics Circle is throwing a shindig there tomorrow night. Beyond the beautiful smiling faces of the group's membership, expect to meet a variety of folks from the game industry: developers, journos ... maybe even Super Mario himself! (Sorry, we couldn't help it.)If that excitement isn't enough for you, there's also a ton of arcade games running on quarter plays and a great selection of delicious beer. That said, it probably goes without mention that this is a 21 and up event. There we go, mentioning it anyway.For full details, head past the break.[Image credit: Instagram]
