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New York City suspends five Uber hubs until they divulge trip info (update: reprieve)
Uber's longstanding battle to offer ridesharing in New York City on its own terms isn't over... if anything, the conflict just got a bit ugly. The city's Taxi & Limousine Tribunal has suspended five of Uber's six NYC hubs until they hand over trip records to the Taxi & Limousine Commission, which recently established a rule requiring that ridesharing companies regularly share their travel data. Uber has been holding out on the grounds that the TLC is asking for sensitive information that could hurt its competitiveness and violate drivers' privacy.
New York City ponders bitcoin and Apple Pay for parking tickets
New York City wants to make it easier for the recipients of its some 8-to-10 million annual parking tickets to pay their fines. To do so, it's accepting pitches for payment systems that'd take advantage of mobile tech and things like Apple Pay and bitcoin. New York has an online payment system in place already, but as The Wall Street Journal notes, it doesn't work via mobile devices. There are a handful of guidelines (PDF), however, so don't go thinking you can get too crazy with your submission. Perhaps most notably, the system would need to support payment of tickets that have been placed but not yet processed ("windshield tickets"), the interface should be aesthetically pleasing and should also come at "no or minimal" cost to the city and its users. What's more, Gotham officials say that being able to schedule a hearing to dispute an infraction via the app is paramount as well.
Your search history's got nothing on this
In addition to dealing with symmetrical book stacking and full-torso apparitions in basements, New York's librarians have had to field some pretty crazy questions in their day. Case in point: "What percentage of all bathtubs in the world are in the US?" As Gothamist tells it, the book-lender recently found a box full of reference questions ranging in origin from the 1940s to the 1980s, and has started posting pictures of them to its Instagram account. What's more, the answers are coming too. You know, just in case you wanted to know if black widow spiders were more harmful dead or alive. Seriously, someone actually asked that. Each Monday, the New York Public Library will post a new question but if you're feeling impatient Gothamist has a handful of them in advance. We're guessing at least a few librarians are happy there's a program in place enabling people to Google stuff for themselves now. [Image credit: Associated Press]
Chicago's getting its own Uber-like app for ordering taxis
It's basically impossible to ignore the impact that the likes of Uber and Lyft have had on the taxicab industry, and Chicago's given up trying. The city government has approved a package from the local cab-drivers union that, among other things, pushes for unified mobile dispatching apps. As proposed, it'd work a lot like the aforementioned ride-sharing services and, compared to apps like Hailo, this would link potential customers to all of the city's 7,000 taxis instead of just a handful here or there. Additionally, the Taxi Driver Fairness Reforms package would make it easier for cabbies to compete financially as well. Lease rates would drop for fuel-efficient vehicles, saving drivers, as the city notes (PDF), between 15 and 25 percent on electric, hybrid or compressed natural gas vehicle payments over three years.
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.
Watch Kanye West and U2 play a surprise charity concert live on YouTube
World AIDS Day has already done a lot to both raise awareness of AIDS and fund research for a cure, but it's about to end with a bang. Bank of America and the (RED) charity are hosting a surprise concert at 7:30PM Eastern tonight in Times Square -- and they're streaming the whole thing live on YouTube. The gig will see most of U2 play alongside Bruce Springsteen and Chris Martin (Bono is recovering from an accident), with Kanye West and Carrie Underwood adding to the star power. It's short notice, we know, but it's definitely worth tuning in if you want to see some of the biggest names in music play for a good cause... and no, this won't show up in your iTunes library afterwards.
Times Square's new digital billboard is almost the length of a football field
New Yorkers passing through Times Square will see (whether they want to or not) the biggest, most expensive digital billboard (at least in the US) when it turns on this Tuesday night. The screen is big enough to run a whole block, from 45th to 46th Street along Broadway, and is made up of 24 million pixels. (To contrast, 4K TVs weigh in with around 8 million pixel, although the scale here is massively different.) Oh yeah, it's also eight stories high. According to the New York Times, the cost of this prime advertising real estate comes in at over $2.5 million for four weeks. Google, a company that has the means, will take over the big screen as the debut advertiser until 2015. But we can go bigger: LG's already using the world's biggest billboard in Saudi Arabia, which is 820 feet long. [Image credit: Richard Perry/The New York Times]
New York attorney general fights rule that curbs services like Uber
New York City isn't always kind to ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber, but those companies have just gained an important ally. BuzzFeed News has learned that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently sent a letter to NYC's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) opposing rules that would limit firms to dispatching exclusively affiliated drivers unless they strike deals with rivals. To Schneiderman, that creates "serious antitrust issues." Companies would frequently have to collude with each other to grow, and the rule would favor well-financed outlets that can lure drivers away, such as Uber. Instead, the official suggests an approach where transporters can affiliate with any company that shares the same worker's compensation system.
Dash takes the hassle and guesswork out of barhopping
Sure, you might be able to make reservations at your favorite dinner spot (or tip your barista) via mobile app, but that won't tell you how busy it'll be once you get there. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what mobile payment outfit Dash is hoping to solve with its new trick, Venue Vibes. By meshing with a bar or restaurant's existing point of sale system, it's able to glean real-time info on just how hopping a place is based on the number of open tabs compared against its maximum capacity. Looking for a bar that isn't too crowded, but still has some life to it? Aim for a watering hole with a "relaxed" rating. Want someplace rowdy? Shoot for a "lively" venue. The app is currently only available in New York and Chicago for now, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 different bars and restaurants on board.
New York Attorney General says most Airbnb rentals in NYC violate the law
The legality of Airbnb rentals in New York City have been under fire for awhile now, and the city just fired another volley: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has released a report titled "Airbnb in the city," and it's not particularly favorable. The report claims that 72-percent of all private short-term rentals (read: Airbnb rentals) are illegal -- specifically because they were rentals for an "entire/home apartment" for terms of less than a month. The report explains that these kinds of rentals probably should be paying hotel occupancy taxes, and estimates that the city has lost $33 million in tax revenue as a result of the illegal Airbnb rentals. Worse, the report says, a small contingent of hosts seem to be using Airbnb to run illegal hotels.
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]
Judge finds Grooveshark employees guilty of mass copyright-infringement
Grooveshark's disappearing and reappearing act looks like it could finally come to an end; permanently. A Manhattan judge has ruled that because Grooveshark employees themselves had uploaded 5,977 songs to the service and infringing on copyrights in the process, the outfit couldn't be granted safe harbor for hosting music from the likes of Jay-Z and Madonna. Meaning, the firm's previous method of compliance under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was null and void because it wasn't users who uploaded the copyrighted material (which would be subsequently removed upon request), it was in-house staffers including CEO Samuel Tarantino and CTO Joshua Greenberg, according to The New York Times. Reuters notes that there was also evidence of internal communications from Greenberg that told employes to share music as much as possible from outside the office in an effort to foster growth -- all as a condition of employment.
New York hotel tried to charge $500 fines for negative online reviews
Big brands and colossal companies spend small fortunes to protect their online reputations, so what's a small boutique hotel to do when it's worried about bad reviews? Well, for an object lesson in what not to do, consider the case of Hudson, New York's Union Street Guest House. By now, the broad strokes have been well established: The company had a ridiculous policy featured on its website, under which bad reviews were punishable with $500 fines. Here's the offending bit, before the hotel excised it from the web: If you have booked the Inn for a wedding or other type of event anywhere in the region and given us a deposit of any kind for guests to stay at USGH there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review of USGH placed on any internet site by anyone in your party and/or attending your wedding or event. If you stay here to attend a wedding anywhere in the area and leave us a negative review on any internet site you agree to a $500 fine for each negative review.
Lyft gets the green light to operate in New York City
Nearly two weeks after New York's Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman, made a push to bar Lyft from offering its ridesharing service in New York City, both parties have finally come to an agreement. As a result, Lyft is now free to operate in all five boroughs of The Big Apple, after the company "agreed to operate in New York State in full compliance with existing laws and regulations." In addition, Lyft has also assured state officials it will operate with commercial drivers only. But it wasn't a complete win for the pink mustache company, as this agreement stipulates that Lyft must cease services in Buffalo and Rochester by next week, on August 1st.
New York wants Bitcoin exchanges to be heavily regulated
Popularity just isn't easy. That's something cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, are starting to grasp. Yes, they're now being accepted as a formal method of payment by more and more places, but some government entities still can't figure out how to treat them properly, particularly in the US. Case in point: the state of New York, which is proposing that companies exchanging virtual currency with consumers go through a regulatory process. BitLicense, a plan that's been in the works for nearly a year, would require these cryptocurrency banks to verify the identity of customers and, in some cases, ask for more information from "high-risk customers, high-volume accounts, or accounts on which a suspicious activity report has been filed." But that's not necessarily a bad thing, not for everyone anyway. "These regulations include provisions to help safeguard customer assets, protect against cyber hacking, and prevent the abuse of virtual currencies for illegal activity, such as money laundering." Benjamin M. Lawsky, superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services, stated in a press release about to the proposal.
Google letting curious explorers take Glass for a free spin
Glass has run the opinion gamut from "great" to "hate" to "surprisingly useful," but Google thinks you should forget all that. We just received an invitation (after the break) to several Google Glass "Basecamp" offices with the following teaser: "There's a lot of talk about Glass, but have you tried it for yourself yet?" If you're near San Francisco, LA or New York, you'll need to schedule an invitation for a fitting, service or a demo. For those worried about the original, not-so-stylish cyborg look, Google has hooked up with couture magnate Diane Von Furstenberg to create more normal eyewear designs. And of course, anybody can get them now -- as long as you're willing to burn $1,500.
Libraries will lend out WiFi hotspots to foster online learning
For the less fortunate, a library may be the only reliable way to get online. But what do they do after hours, or when they can't make the trek? That's where a pair of Knight Foundation grants may prove vital. Both the Chicago Public Library and New York Public Library are starting up large-scale projects that lend WiFi hotspots to households with little to no internet access, giving them a chance to pursue internet education programs that would otherwise be off-limits. Chicago's approach will let those in six broadband-deprived neighborhoods borrow a hotspot for up to three weeks; in New York, the library will offer mobile routers for up to a year as part of existing learning initiatives.
NY medical marijuana law could mean big bucks for vaporizer makers
New York is against second-hand smoke of any kind; even beneficiaries of the state's new medical marijuana law will need to avoid lighting up. Government restrictions do allow vaporizers, however, which got their (legal) start with tobacco and are about to become big business in NY. The handheld devices will play a key role in the treatment of medical marijuana recipients, who will be permitted to inhale the drug through vaporizers, but not by using cigarette paper and a lighter. You'll also be able to consume marijuana in food or through a concentrated liquid called a tincture, but there's no question that vaporizers will become more prolific as more New Yorkers get their hands on closely regulated prescriptions in the days and months to come.
The man who defined net neutrality is running for office in New York
Many will tell you to run for office if you really want to change the political status quo. Tim Wu, the professor who defined the term "net neutrality," has clearly taken that advice to heart -- he's now running for lieutenant governor in New York state. As he explains to the Washington Post, he sees this as a chance for state governments to get more of a say in both net neutrality issues and telecom mergers. People aren't happy with "concentration in the media industries and tech industry into political strength," Wu says.
New York law lets Tesla continue direct car sales
Tesla has just dodged another bullet -- well, sort of. Just days after New Jersey overturned a ban on direct car sales, New York has enacted a law that lets Tesla continue selling cars through its stores in the states. As with similar laws in other regions, though, there are strings attached. In keeping with an agreement forged back in March, the EV maker can only pursue direct sales through its existing five stores; beyond that, it has to go through dealerships.
