Can You Pay a Parking Ticket Using LinkNYC?
You are supposed to be able to but you cannot. But then, why would anybody want to pay for anything using a public kiosk such as this?
LinkNYC Misses the Bus
The MTA bus arrival time feature has returned to the LinkNYC kiosks, and it sucks the same as it did in April.
Updated: LinkNYC Real Time Kiosk Status Data Released
Everything looks awesome on the LinkNYC network according to a dataset released by the city last week that purportedly shows the latest status of the kiosk's WiFi, tablet, and phone. But wait... It's not as rosy as all that.
West End Avenue Phone Booths: Now There Are Only Three.
This week I had a chance to check in again the the Canadian-style phone booths CityBridge used to replace authentic American Airlight models on West End Avenue a couple of years ago. One booth is gone, and only one allows the promised free phone calls within the 5 boroughs.
What is CityBridge Doing With My Phone Number?
Phone numbers called through LinkNYC kiosks are being harvested by CityBridge in plain text, and no one in the privacy world seems to care.
Seizure Time, From LinkNYC’s Smart City
Lots of craptastic Smart City fail on this LinkNYC kiosk. The kiosk's digital advertising billboard freaks out and the mapping app is yet one that retains a list of what previous kiosk users looked for.
Looking For Religion In A Payphone
There is more religion on the upper east side and other parts of New York than most people realize. The messages are virtually subliminal, hidden in the contours of payphone enclosures.
Payphone Caller. June, 2018.
I spotted this dude using a payphone under the roar of an aboveground subway train. The beauty of this is that the payphone handset and enclosure muffle the noise, something the LinkNYC "payphone of the future" is incapable of.
Union Square Mandolin Player, Heard Through A Payphone
It's the sound of someone playing what I am reasonably certain is a mandolin, as heard through a Union Square payphone.
LinkNYC’s Real-Time Network Availability Data: Where Is It?
LinkNYC promised real-time network monitoring of its advertising kiosks. So far, it has not delivered.
This Times Square Payphone Still Works
You wouldn't think it from the looks of this old thing but a beaten-up payphone at the Times Square subway station actually works. I used it to make a one-way call. Listen in.
I Found PRAY, But Not On A Payphone
PRAY spotting might have me working the D train into my commute.
LinkNYC: The Unnamed Road to Porno?
I get why someone might ask LinkNYC where they can find porno. But why would anyone ask LinkNYC where they could find an "Unnamed Road"? An easy place to leave the body?
A Child’s First Phone Booth
It is in the middle of a field at a KOA campground. If I read the phone number right it appears to be in Pueblo, Colorado. But the more important question is: Does the phone work? Watch and listen to find out.
Making Artistic Use Of LinkNYC’s Non-Working Tablet Screens
LinkNYC's tablet screens often do not work. I endeavor to prove that a blank screen is more inspiring than a blinking one.
Go To Church Read Bible. Payphone Scratchiti by PRAY?
It's hard to see but it is there. It is one of a few recent sightings of a religious exhortation etched onto a payphone enclosure that could date back to the 1980s. Was this the work of PRAY, the legendary scratchiti artist?
Some Random Band Stole My Picture
I used to take umbrage when other entities used my photos or content without permission. But it's happened so often over time that I can hardly find the energy to even contact those responsible to ask for nothing more than a citation and/or a link.
A LinkNYC Headline From Hell, and Other Thoughts
LinkNYC's Headlines: You can't click on them, you can't scan a barcode for more information, and after a few seconds they disappear and you might not ever see them again.
Payphone Spotting In Iran
My friend, film maker Ugo Massa, spotted a couple of payphones while exploring Isfahan city and Yazd, Iran.
Tom Laceky’s AP Payphone Reportage
I spotted this interesting story from 1982 about Tom Laceky, an AP reporter who made the papers on account of calling payphones to gather information about developing stories.
Remembering How Obsessively I Used to Write Down Payphone Numbers
These scraps of paper from 1999 or 2000 appeared from my boxloads of papryal ephemera today, reminding me how obsessively I used to write down payphone numbers.
wfaa.com | REWIND: Irving payphone users lament 1970s rate hikes
An amusing look back at when the cost of a payphone call increased from 10¢ to 25¢, from WFAA in Dallas.
My buddy MAX is in charge of guarding what is left of New York City’s payphones
My buddy MAX is now in charge of guarding New York City's payphones. https://t.co/WhNSFCalza pic.twitter.com/0290AHyQBq — Payphone Project (@payphonenews) May 4, 2018
Is LinkNYC Making Money Yet? It Doesn’t Look Like It.
LinkNYC, the "payphone of the future", is looking to the federal government's EB-5 program to get foreign investors to pump money into the seemingly unprofitable program.
This Week’s LinkNYC Observations
Having last written an account of trying to understand LinkNYC’s new bus arrival time feature I now suspect it has been removed from the kiosks altogether, after just a few days of appearing on what was said to be all 1000+ kiosks in the city.
LinkNYC’s Bus Arrival Time Feature is a Smart City Headache
LinkNYC's bus arrival time screens appear to have been developed by people who do not use use the bus, for people people who do not use the bus.
Abandoned Payphone Across From Port Authority Bus Terminal
This abandoned payphone by the Port Authority Terminal was, by my analysis, owned and operated either by S.A.C. Vending, a now-defunct payphone service provider from Ozone Park, Queens, or else by Comet Communications, also defunct.
LinkNYC’s Mapping App: What Have People Been Searching For?
I don't know if this is boring to others but I find it fascinating to see what other LinkNYC users have been looking for on the mapping app, not least because we're not supposed to be able to do that.