New York City
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School districts ban Zoom over security concerns
Concerns about Zoom's security are having a real impact on its use in remote education. Some US school districts, including large ones like New York City and Nevada's Clark County, have banned or disabled Zoom over security and privacy worries. Others, such as Washington state's Edmonds School District and Utah's Alpine School District, are rethinking their policies on Zoom use. And unsurprisingly, both are either switching apps or considering it, such as NYC teachers moving to Microsoft Teams.
Lyft tries offering free bike-share passes to hospital workers
Lyft is offering free, 30-day bike-share passes to critical workers in New York City, Chicago and Boston. This should help people who still have to get to work during the coronavirus pandemic, and to keep them safe, Lyft says it is ramping up its cleaning efforts.
NYC-only affordable alternative to Uber and Lyft arrives today
Starting today, New Yorkers have access to a new option when it comes to ride-hailing apps, one that claims it's "built for New Yorkers by a New Yorker." Myle was founded by Aleksey Medvedovskiy, who says he's a 20-year veteran of the city's taxi industry. The company hopes to differentiate itself by giving people a more affordable alternative to Uber and Lyft.
Lyft's e-bikes return to New York City after a braking issue delay
After a delay due to brake issues, Lyft's Citi Bike has rolled out a fleet of "several hundred" e-bikes in New York City. They're now available to rent at any of the 900 Citi Bike stations in the city via the City Bike app, Lyft app or a member key.
NYPD will replace handwritten logs with an iPhone app later this month
After more than a century, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) is retiring the handwritten memo books carried by police officers and replacing them with an app, The New York Times reports. On February 17th, officers will begin recording their detailed activity logs in an iOS app on department-issued iPhones.
Y2K-type glitch is causing NYC parking meters to reject credit cards
A software glitch is causing parking meters throughout New York City to reject credit and prepaid parking cards, The New York Times reports. The payment software was set to expire on January 1st, and the vendor reportedly failed to update the software before the new year. So, at the stroke of midnight Wednesday, the city rang in a bug reminiscent of those feared around Y2K, which predicted computer systems would crash.
AT&T's real 5G comes to NYC and five other cities
American 5G is in a poor state right now, but carriers are making at least some attempt to rectify that situation. AT&T is following up on its mid-December launch of real 5G by adding coverage for six major cities. You should now have lower-band 5G data in New York City, Washington DC, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Detroit and Philadelphia if you're using the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. You'll also have access to extra-fast millimeter wave 5G ("5G+" in AT&T-speak) in parts of Baltimore and Detroit as well.
New York Governor vetoes bill to legalize e-bikes and e-scooters
New York had been set to legalize electric bikes and scooters, which would have allowed sharing programs like Bird, Lime or Jump to come to markets including New York City. However, Governor Cuomo has vetoed the bill, meaning e-bikes and scooters will continue to be illegal in the state.
Proposed NYC law would require drone inspections for building complaints
Drones could soon be key to keeping New Yorkers safe from crumbling architecture. Members of the New York City Council have proposed legislation that would require drone inspections within 48 hours of a complaint or confirmed violation. A robotic vehicle (not the Mavic 2 Pro pictured) would use infrared and a pair of conventional cameras to both look for the telltale temperature changes of cracks and inspect roof conditions. The intended drones would cost $2,500 each, but the proposal would reduce costs by offloading the inspections to private companies that would charge building owners.
Despite the HQ2 debacle, Amazon will add office space in Manhattan
Early this year, Amazon pulled the plug on plans to build an "HQ2" in Queens after a number of local leaders and activists pushed back against the $3 billion in tax breaks and incentives it would receive. Now the online retail giant has confirmed plans to lease 335,000 square feet of office space in Manhattan, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new NYC expansion will be located in the Hudson Yards neighborhood with more than 1,500 employees. It's a much smaller footprint than what Amazon had proposed for HQ2 -- which shifted to other locations in Virginia and Tennessee -- but it comes with no tax breaks or incentives, and no nationwide contest to lure the company's business. US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in response to the news "Won't you look at that: Amazon is coming to NYC anyway - *without* requiring the public to finance shady deals, helipad handouts for Jeff Bezos, & corporate giveaways."
NYC city council votes to ban non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes
New York City is set to become the largest city in the US to ban non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes. The city council voted 42-2 to ban them, and Mayor Bill de Blasio will sign the bill or let it pass into law, according to his deputy press secretary.
NYC creates a high-level position to oversee ethics in AI
New York City wants to avoid bias in AI and other algorithms, and it's creating a role primarily to ensure that equal treatment. Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued an executive order creating a position for an Algorithms Management and Policy Officer. Whoever holds the position will work within the Mayor's Office of Operations and serve as both an architect for algorithm guidelines and a go-to resource for algorithm policy. This person will make sure that city algorithms live up to principle of "equity, fairness and accountability," the Mayor's office said.
Google's Waze-like app for public transit hits five more cities
Last year, Google incubator Area 120 announced a public transit app that works in a similar way to Waze. Users of Pigeon report transit information to help others know if they're likely to face delays or other issues. Until now, it's only been available in New York City, but as of today, it's going live in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
New York Supreme Court dismisses Uber's challenge to vehicle caps
Uber's bid to overturn New York City's ride-hailing caps didn't last long --New York's Supreme Court has dismissed the company's request to annul the cap law implemented in August 2018. The court rejected Uber's claim that NYC had overstepped its bounds. There have been far less specific delegations of power that have passed muster before, according to the Supreme Court. It also rebuffed Uber's assertion that other laws preempted the caps.
Arca will use AI to soundtrack NYC's Museum of Modern Art
If you pay a visit to New York City's Museum of Modern Art in the near future, you'll be awash in artificial intelligence before you've even seen an exhibit. Electronic musician Arca (who has produced for Bjork and FKA Twigs) has announced that a piece she wrote using Bronze's AI creative tool will provide the soundtrack for MoMA's lobby for the next two years once it reopens on October 21st. Don't think that it'll be just the same tune playing on loop, though. The AI will "never make the music play the same way twice," Arca said. In that sense, it's more like one very large piece.
Lyft sues NYC over limits on driver 'cruising'
Uber isn't the only one suing New York City to demand looser rules for ridesharing drivers. Lyft has sued NYC in a bid to end a rule that limits the amount of time drivers can "cruise" in Manhattan (that is, drive without passengers). The 31 percent cap on cruising time for most vehicles before 11PM is based on "outdated, unreliable data" from the Taxi and Limousine Commission, Lyft claimed. It likewise argued that the rule "unfairly" excluded taxis from the cap and that this could hurt transportation for underserved areas.
Floating LED art illustrates the quality of NYC's water
You don't have to check a website to find out whether or not New York City's water is healthy -- for the next few months, you just have to take a look at some art in the water itself. Playlab, Family New York and Floating Point have debuted a floating art installation, + POOL Light, that displays the water quality in NYC's East River using LED lights. The 50x50 feet sculpture glows blue if all is well, but it turns teal if a sensor detects pathogens and pink when those levels venture beyond safe swimming standards. The brightness, frequency and sharpness of the lights respectively indicate the oxygen, turbidity (the cloudiness based on particulates) and pH levels, while the light animation changes to reflect the current's direction.
Verizon 5G goes live in parts of New York City
It took ages, but Verizon (Engadget's parent company) finally has 5G service available on its home turf. The carrier has switched on ultra-wideband 5G in "parts of" New York City that largely focus around heavily trafficked areas. In Manhattan, you'll find it in the Financial District, Harlem (including East Harlem), Hell's Kitchen, Midtown and Washington Heights. Brooklynites can find it downtown, while Bronx residents will find it in Fordham Heights, Hunt's Point and Pelham Bay. There are also pockets of 5G around major landmarks like Bryant Park, Madison Square Garden and the Theater District on Broadway.
Uber sues NYC over vehicle caps
Uber isn't about to sit quietly while New York City extends its caps on ridesharing. The company has sued NYC in a bid to halt rules that both freeze the number of new for-hire licenses and limit the amount of time drivers can spend cruising Manhattan looking for rides. It contended that the cruising rule, which will cap the roaming ratio to 31 percent of drive time by July 2020, would "threaten the viability" of ridesharing. The rates were determined using "flawed and arbitrary" models, Uber said.
Inside Apple's redesigned 'cube' store in New York City
Just in time for the launch of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, Apple is finally re-opening the doors to its flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Better known as "the cube," the iconic 77,000 square feet space has been closed for renovations since 2017, but Apple is ready to let customers back in starting this Friday. Before it opens to the public tomorrow, though, we got a sneak peak. And frankly, it doesn't just feel renovated, it feels like a completely new store, especially underground, where everything is brighter and more spacious than before.
