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Wow—check out the hyperlocal economic impact of Hurricane Sandy on NYC businesses (that is businesses frequented by Foursquare users checking in while frequenting them).
New Foursquare graphic tells the story of Sandy’s devastation of Lower Manhattan
(via thisbigcity)
Posted on November 6, 2012 via courtenaybird with 162 notes ()
Source: aboutfoursquare.com
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Here’s what I really wanted to say on that morning show…in other words, a more comprehensive take on NYC’s preparation and management of Hurricane Sandy. If you’ve got a little under 10 minutes, it’s worth a listen. It’s the qualitative (human) side of the story.
Hat tips go to @lolololori and @jesswhatshesaid for having the real talk with me before the interview.
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My interview on TV3 Ireland (the morning news show), talking about NYC’s recovery from Hurricane Sandy.
Source:
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IT’S HAPPENING!
Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan just unveiled NYC’s newest transit option: the Citi Bike.
The first Citi Bikes are coming in July, with plans for a total of 10,000 bikes at 600 stations—making it the country’s largest bike share program. Learn more at http://www.citibikenyc.com/.
(via courtbean)
Posted on May 7, 2012 via NYC GOV with 54 notes ()
Source: nycgov
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IT’S HAPPENING!
Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan just unveiled NYC’s newest transit option: the Citi Bike.
The first Citi Bikes are coming in July, with plans for a total of 10,000 bikes at 600 stations—making it the country’s largest bike share program. Learn more at http://www.citibikenyc.com/.
(via courtbean)
Posted on May 7, 2012 via NYC GOV with 54 notes ()
Source: nycgov
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We're Hiring! Storyful is Hiring! Come work with me...I'm fun.
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Some big news.
As most of you know, I’ve spent the last 2 years working at The Economist, a 168 year old British publication that I’ve been reading since the age of 16, and which I like to think informed my choice of an International Relations major in university. At The Economist, I’ve built new mobile products including 3 apps (HTML5 and iOS), hacked at our audio programs, cut video, researched new business extensions including gaming and dating, contributed editorial articles on energy, technology, and social innovation, and even launched our internal innovation lab The Economist Group Media Lab. It’s been a wild adventure, and probably the best way I could have dreamed to dive head first into publishing in one of the most exciting cities in the world.The confluence of media and technology here in New York is invigorating. Each day working in publishing, especially on the digital side, brings new ideas and new challenges. This industry is not for the weak; it is for the creative and the hungry—for those who want to stand by their principles, for those who care to press forward their impassioned ideas, and for those who crave success as well as personal fulfillment. I am excited each time I am introduced to another young man or woman looking to enter the industry, and this is how I will always aspire to feel about my career.Today, I’ve got some exciting news to announce. My last day at The Economist will be Tuesday March 20th. On April 1st, I will begin my new job at one of The Economist’spartners, an Irish news startup called Storyful. I’ll be heading up the Americas here in NYC, which will include managing our editorial relationships with publications such as the New York Times and The Economist, and also relationships with tech companies like Google and YouTube. Storyful is making social news and user-generated content stronger through technology and editorial curation, and as such is an exciting business while also a fun and unique opportunity. I will still be writing for The Economist and VentureBeat among other publications, but will be wholeheartedly focused on making Storyful the best product it can be. As I’ll be building out the Americas team in the next few months, keep an eye out for another post.I wanted to thank everyone who I’ve met and worked with over the last 2 years for your support and friendship. Working at The Economist has been an incredible learning experience and a great way to start my career. I hope that anyone I have worked or partnered with or even written about has found as much value in me as I in you.EricaPosted on March 5, 2012 with 7 notes ()
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Look! It’s the 3 cities I’ve lived in, all of our mayors together :)
Watch the “Big 3” education summit live at 10 AM featuring Mayor Bloomberg, Los Angeles’s Mayor Villaraigosa and Chicago’s Mayor Emanuel.
Posted on March 2, 2012 via NYC GOV with 3 notes ()
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Doug Wheeler Installation at David Zwirner Gallery, Chelsea, NYC
image from artnet
I recently made the trek over to West 19th and 11th avenue in Chelsea to see what most of the art community here in New York City had been excitedly bumbling about since January. Doug Wheeler, the respected contemporary artist known for his work with light sculpture inspired by the mid-20th century experience, had apparently created a sensation at his gallerist David Zwirner’s NYC space.
All I knew before going was that it was Wheeler’s take on infinity, and that no matter the wait, it was worth it.
Well, the wait was exactly 2 hours and 32 minutes. The experience lasted 10 minutes. It was one of the most worthwhile 10 minutes maybe in the last 7 years of my life.
I’m not much for extremes, or for lists, or for classifications. It’s not often that I qualify such things as most important moments. I think our perception of what’s important shifts according to our current experiences and present state. But what had such a deep impact on me was more what I left the space with, as opposed to what I felt in the very moment.
All the installation consisted of was a room that had been meticulously painted such that once walking in, you had very little idea where it ended or where the ceiling was, and what was up or down. After a few minutes of adjusting, it was indeed possible to find the walls and see some of the texture of the wood in the ceiling. But, what was more impressive was the feeling of complete clarity and an utterly empty mind.
I’ve tried to achieve this cloud-like sensation of an empty mind, free of any thought, good or bad before. I’ve tried through meditation and through yoga. The closest I’ve come to what I’ll call “thought-lessness” is envisioning a pale blue light flowing through my body. That is indeed calming, but not in true essence a complete lack of thought.
Doug Wheeler finally helped me to achieve the state of an empty mind. And what was most intriguing in retrospect was how warm the sensation was…the emptiness of mind was wholly and encompassing-ly glowing with heat.
David Zwirner’s foresight to set up the waiting room with chairs in a circle and around 40 people waiting in said chairs, reading and speaking with each other quietly also set the mood. I felt as though this must be what purgatory (or to religious people, what waiting to be judged or let into Heaven) must feel like if it were to exist. It was peaceful while also seeming mathematical. This was just as much part of the experience for me as was being in the literal installation.
Now, whenever I feel the need to let go, just for a moment, I can recall that warm sensation of emptiness—what Wheeler and critics are calling infinity—and find peace of mind and body just for as long as I need.
This was one of the most complete pieces of art I’ve ever been lucky enough to experience, and it will stay with me for the remainder of my days.
Posted on February 25, 2012 with 2 notes ()
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Building a MVP (minimum viable product) in 54 hours: What The Founder?
This weekend, I participated in NYC Startup Weekend at the co-working space and educational campus, General Assembly.
At the moment, my brain is wrecked. But what I’m not is over doing this—rapid prototyping, startup bootcamp, or working with my particular team. If anything, this showed me more of what is possible when getting together with the right team, motivating each other in the right ways, keeping track that everyone is more or less on the same page, and not stopping until the deadline.
This is why we created What The Founder? Name aside (yes, it’s funny and meta), the point is that more honest conversations need to happen on small teams (startup or not) in order to build the best product possible. These conversations also immensely improve your relationships at work and with the work you do. I know this having only met half my team this weekend. And I know this from having won the Spirit of the Event Award too.
Yes, I may have gotten lucky. But, I think we ultimately just had talented people and damn good karma. We built a product that surfaces issues or rather in a positive light, synchronicities on a team, which hopefully will improve the way we work and build in the near future.
For now—my day job it is. In the future, who knows. All that matters is that we got WTF done, and we loved it. Follow us on Twitter or sign up to keep updated.
Posted on August 15, 2011 with 5 notes ()
Hi! I'm Erica Berger. I work in digital publishing and live in the big bad(ass) city that is New York (but I sleep at home in Brooklyn). I'm from Chicago, spent ample time in California, and adore the people I associate with and the city I live in more than anything else in the world. You can find my writing at www.Economist.com, www.VentureBeat.com, my older writing at www.NewBandDaily.com and HarmoniesandGreenery.blogspot.com, but of course, follow me here (and on twitter @GoodBerger too). These are my musings on tech, social innovation, the environment, design, music, art, and urban life.
Happy social webbing!
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