Police Tape: New App Records Cops Gone Wild; Instantly Submits Clips To ACLU

As the tensions regarding civilian/police interactions heat up faster than the nice weather, it's good to know there are ways of keeping your cool.  One such method is a new app from the ACLU, designed to document and immediately report unethical police action...

Fire at will.
(Image courtesy 10news.com.)

Time Travel By Telephone: New App Shows Classic Pics At Scenic "Pivot Points"

Who doesn't enjoy the notion of time travelling to a different era in the past?  Speculating on the places, people, and events that have preceded your life is one of humanity's great fascinations, even as we stretch further into the future.  Now, although we can't physically poke around the past, a new app allows for a different type of this temporal trip...

It's like an inter-era Instagram.
(Image courtesy laughingsquid.com.)

Carpooling Goes Commercial: New "Via" App Sends Pooled Passengers To Mutual Destinations

In a city of millions, one often wonders who else might be going their way, or at least in that general direction.  For the urbanites who might be accustomed to not speaking with their vast number of neighbors, a new app has handled these transportation logistics for them...

Bail on the hail.  Hit up the Via app.
(Image courtesy allposters.com.)

Solar More Than Solo: Community Energy Gardens Growing In Power

With the opportunities for sustainable energy sources growing more acceptable, abundant, and affordable every day, it behooves the users of such power to understand its possible new impact for entire communities at large.  After all, once the tides (and windmills, and solar panels) turn to making sustainable energy the main source of power for communities in the way that nuclear or gas have previously, large numbers of people will all be invested in the infrastructure together.  Now, that idea has sprouted a garden of its own...

No sunflowers, but lots of sun power getting harvested in a solar garden.
(Image courtesy joinmosaic.com.)

This Stamp-Sized Explosives Detector Stops Bombers From Going Postal

Dangerous times call for crafty innovations.  When it seems like all hell could break loose at any moment, it's nice to know that somewhere, unseen tiny detectors are keeping you safe from the unimaginable horror of a random explosive detonation...

If only we could someday put this guy out of a job...
(Image courtesy wired.com.)

Reinventing The Wheel: Electric Unicycles Take To The Streets

Remember how the Segway was going to "revolutionize" modern transportation?  Well, even if that didn't happen, the fun of scooting around on gyroscopically-stabilized wheels can still be had, now on an even more portable scale.  Meet the slacker's skateboard of the future:  the electric unicycle...


Several brands of this interesting item exist, including Mobbo and AirWheel.  The devices appear to be simple:  put one foot on a foothold on either side of a motorized wheel, lean in, and you're off!  Direction and speed are controlled by your shifting weight thanks to the vehicle's internal gyroscopes.

A PinWheel T1 electric unicycle.  You know you want to take it for a spin.
(Image courtesy electricunicycleonline.com.)

Unlike Segway, there is no full platform to stand on, nor is there a handlebar for stability (but you sure can look cool, casually sipping your morning coffee as you cruise through your commute.)  However, AirWheel enthusiasts can use a stability strap or training wheels to get the hang of how to ride.  Training may be a bit difficult, but once up and rolling, the ride is apparently "intuitive", according to a recent video-laden article from the Telegraph UK that highlighted one man's journey to master the solo-wheeled scooter.  Mobbo too has motivational movies online.

     A Uni-Wheel model electric unicycle hits the town with "training wheels" for additional support.

The flagship model Airwheel Q3 weighs 13kg and can travel at 12 m.p.h for about two hours on one charge.  The Mobbo is slightly lighter, quicker, and better enduring, weighing in at 12kg and topping off at 16 m.p.h. (for a duration of 3 hours.)  A new Mobbo goes for $1000, while Airwheel has a full line of products at various prices (check out the board version if you want two wheels instead!)

Currently none of these vehicles are street legal, but can sure shock some sidewalkers.  Hey, you're travelling sustainably, and in (a strange but sort of sweet) style!  The electric unicycles can deal with rain or even hills, and are doing a small part to help save the planet (with none of that pesky and arduous bicycling needed.)  Will they catch on as viable modes of transport?  Tough to tell...the future is fickle.  However, at least for reasons of recreation, they'll make you a star performer in the urban circus.

A Mobbo in the wild.  Still imagery does no justice to the electric unicycle's rockin' roll.
(Image courtesy arma.tv.)

Get Mesmerized By The Coolest Futuristic Architecture: The Dynamic Tower!

Hey friends, it's the future!  How about these (literally) swinging futuristic digs in Dubai?

It's the Da Vinci dynamic tower, and it's the architectural version of Twist 'n Shout!

Go with the flow.
(Image courtesy glazette.com.)

Green Power In The Green Mountain State: Vermont's Largest City Is Fueled By Renewable Energy

Vermont has always been known as "The Green Mountain State", but now, it's the "green city" state, too.  Vermont's capital, Burlington, now uses 100% sustainable methods to provide power to their citizens.

As reported by PBS, the city of Burlington actually makes or obtains more power than it uses, and all derived from "green" sources. At a population of 42,000, Burlington is the most populous state in Vermont, all powered by renewable energy from Burlington Electric.  Ken Dolan, a Burlington Electric worker, explained that this way, power is not only gathered and used in a safer manner than fossil fuels, but it is also cheaper in the long run as a means for the city to energize itself.

The Winooski One hydroelectric plant uses water to turn turbines, creating energy.
(Image courtesy thinkprogress.org.)

The change to renewables is estimated to save the city $20 million dollars over the next two decades, and it's already helped make significant strides.  Burlington's utility bill rates haven't risen since 2009.

The power itself is derived from several sources.  About a third of it comes from burning biomass (in this case, salvaged scrap wood that is burned to heat steam and thus generate electricity.)  Another 20% comes from wind turbines and solar power.  Thanks to the rivers of snowy mountain runoff that power hydroelectric facilities, the majority of the energy is harvested from hydro (which spins giant underground turbines to generate electricity.)

The J.C. McNeil power plant in Burlington, where biomass is converted to power.
(Image courtesy vtdigger.org.)

With Vermont relying deeply on nature to maintain their tourism (skiing and maple syrup are big moneymakers in the Green Mountain State), it's important to Vermonters to keep the environment happy.  Using renewable energy sources keeps things pleasant for the natural world as well as the citizens' wallets.  If their example can be extrapolated to larger areas in the country, we could be well on our way to improving conditions for all by kicking the fossil fuel habit for good.

A few windmills in the mountain vista are worth not having to be reliant on fossil fuels.
(Image courtesy revermont.com.)

Have This Funny Japanese Robot Excrete You An Igloo

If you're currently living somewhere snowy (especially you, northeastern United States...stay safe), you might be having a difficult day thanks to weather-related logistics.  Namely, how crazy it is trying to navigate large amounts of snow when they suddenly appear in your roads and driveways.

Japan (of course) has invented a strange but useful vehicle to handle this problem in an efficient manner.  According to inventorspot.com, the Yuki-taro robot uses GPS and cameras to self-navigate as a cute little snowplow.  Designed to help Japan's elderly so that they don't become shut-ins during snowstorms, Yuki-taro is currently a prototype that will eventually be sold for some 1 million yen ($9000) apiece to aid municipalities.

This is the future.  Don't laugh, Yuki-taro will neatly stack snow even after nuclear winter.
(Image courtesy robomaniac.com.)

The self-guided snowplowing isn't the best part, though.  Yuki-taro, um, "creates" bricks of snow as it works, allowing for neatly piled excretions to be used for homemade igloos or stashable summer cooling elements.  Yes, Yuki-taro basically rolls around town looking cute and pooping out snow-bricks.  Your snowfort will have some serious architectural support with Yuki-taro around.

And yes, since it's Japan, they might even make them look like Pokemon or Hello Kitty.  Next up:  Cthulu-tentacled lawn sprinkler?

Well, at least you don't have to shovel.
(Image courtesy japaoemfoco.com.)

Home, Home On The Range-R: Military-Grade Radar Scanners Can Help Police Spot You Through Walls

Big Brother isn't just watching - he's digging your moves, and he's not about to let something like legality or a concrete, windowless wall get in his way.  "Thanks" to Range-R radar technology, cops can sense motion inside a space without even having to kick down the doors.

According to USA Today, over the last two years, some 50 law enforcement agencies across America have adopted this technology, because search warrants take time and randomly breaking and entering sometimes gets bad press.  With no concern for privacy other than the privacy of the device itself (no notice of the technology nor its intents were released to the public), agencies from the FBI to the U.S. Marshalls to possibly your hometown cop-shop can now track you with the high-tech scanners.

It allows for that extra few seconds of pondering before the strike team swarms the building.
(Image courtesy policestateusa.com.)

When placed against an exterior wall, the radar use radio waves to penetrate up to 50 feet indoors and snitch if there's a person inside, where they are, and if they're mobile.  The devices are even sensitive enough to detect breathing, so basically, you have nowhere to hide.  They can "see" through concrete, dirt, adobe, wood, stucco or brick, and are even drone-mountable for you pesky apartment dwellers (or maybe just for the extra-lazy lawmen.)

While plausibly for use in hostage scenarios, firefighting emergencies, or search-and-rescue (according to the manufacturer's website), the Range-Rs have already been used over such inanity as parole jumping.  Originally invented for use in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devices, made by the L3 Communications company, cost $600 apiece.  Some $180,000 has been quietly spent on them since 2012.

While legal issues surrounding the use of the devices remain tricky, the Supreme Court specifically noted in a 2001 ruling that it was Constitutionally unsound to have police scan the exterior of a building with a thermal camera, and that the ruling would also apply to future radar systems.

"What?  We're just checking to make sure they're breathing...before we put a stop to that."
(Image courtesy freethoughtproject.com.)

So far, this ruling has gone unrecognized, as police maintain they are using the devices for the usual "security concerns."  That tight security apparently precludes even mentioning that the Range-Rs exist.  William Sorukas, a former supervisor of the Marshals Service's domestic investigations arm, even went as far as to say, "If you disclose a technology or a method or a source, you're telling the bad guys along with everyone else."

Well, now the bad guys DO know.  And the good guys too.  Neither side should be happy about it.  What happened to doing police work to catch criminals, instead of stooping to their level and committing crimes to summarily execute "justice"?

Your security is just as important as national security.
(Image courtesy reason.com.)

Hold Onto Your Hat: New Bulletproof Caps Can Help You Keep Your Mind In One Place

It's a dangerous world out there, but who can plan to wear a helmet everyplace they go?  Now, you don't have to sacrifice fashion for security thanks to a new kickstarter endeavor,  the Bulletsafe bulletproof cap.

Unfortunately they are not yet available in Stetson style.
(Image courtesy alcalas.com.)

Bearing a 7-oz. hard ballistic panel that sits in the front of the cap to protect the wearer's forehead and frontal lobes, the caps appear to sit as normally as your favorite baseball teams' would.  The caps are not only a fraction of the weight but also a fraction of the cost of a full SWAT helmet, which would be around $400, compared to the Bulletsafe's $129.

A Bulletsafe cap with its internal armor removed.  33% head coverage might not sound like a lot, but it's better than 0% when it comes to your brain.
(Image courtesy cnbeta.com.)

Offering "Protection Without Intimidation" is another major feature, alleviating the need for police or other security personnel to be overtly armored.  This aids not only in covert operations but also for keeping relative overall peace thanks to the appearance of a non aggressively-militarized force.  Maybe, just maybe, having officers look a little less threatening might make everyone act in a similar fashion.  Riot helmets, consciously or not, presuppose riots.

Despite the obviously bad idea, you probably want to fight this guy more than some random dude in a ballcap.
(Image courtesy opticsplanet.com.)

Interested parties can aid the Bulletsafe's development by pledging various amounts, including a special startup price of $99 per cap.  If you have absolutely no need for such gear but appreciate the idea, for $50 one can aid in the donation of a cap to a Detroit-area police officer.  Your name will be written inside so that the recipient can appreciate their "guardian angel."

"Aww gee thanks, CopsSuck420!"
(Image courtesy dailymail.co.uk.)

The product has successfully completed prototype testing and is aiming for NIJ Level IIA security ratings for the headwear.  This means the hat is capable of stopping .40, 9mm, and .38 caliber rounds, which is a considerable achievement for what by all appearances is a lightweight, normal baseball cap.

Can the appearance of peace help the people and police?  Let's hope 2015 doesn't have to find out the hard way.  But, like firearms themselves, a little discreet security can go a long way when it counts.

Check out Bulletsafe's kickstarter for more information!

For an additional donation, you can get one embroidered for your specific job, such as "POLICE", or if you're really daring, a Boston Red Sox logo for your trip to Yankee Stadium.
(Image courtesy guns.com.)

Strawberry Trees Forever: New Public, Solar-Powered Cell Chargers In Serbia

We all know and hate the feeling...during a busy day on the town, after using maps, apps, and countless texts on your smartphone, the inescapable dread of watching the battery drop to critical levels sets in.  If you're lucky, you have a charger on you, and can beg some power from a local bartender or the rare unoccupied coffee shop outlet.  But this is the future, and now there's a better way to handle these things.

This is what hitting rock bottom as an "Angry Birds" addict looks like.
(Image courtesy edition.cnn.com.)

Behold, the Strawberry Tree.  According to CNN, the Strawberry Tree is solar-powered public charging station that was developed by Serbian student Milos Milisavljevic, who has an eye for clean technology.  After winning the Verge Accelerate startup competition, the invention has now spread to various cities and towns throughout Serbia.

Entirely solar powered and built from recycled/recyclable materials, the Strawberry Trees contain enough power to continue their charge mission even if it hasn't been sunny in twenty days.  Sixteen USB and wi-fi plugs allow for power for the masses.

You never have to boredly keep an eye on your children playing in the park, ever again!
(Image courtesy inhabitat.com.)

The Strawberry Tree, named for the first fruit of summer, also cares about your well-being.  Its chargers indicate local amounts of air pollution, noise levels, and UV radiation.  Plans in the future could include even more localized environmental data.  Plus, it is there for you in an emergency.  As Milisavljevic says, "Strawberry Tree could have an emergency button which would send a signal to emergency services that you are in danger, and in any kind of a disaster, for example if the power grid is down, the Tree would be the place where you could call for help and get in touch with your loved ones."

The future is for everyone, and now its technology has become a little more helpful to the common person. Just try not to spend a whole nice sunny day in the park messing around on your phone.

Old wonders and new can coexist peacefully in this new future.
(Image courtesy 3fficient.com.)

Here, There And Everywhere: New Magnetic Elevators Can Go Sideways, Sky-High

The architecture of the future has already got some interesting plans in store for it, but how about for your average apartment or office dweller?  With cities getting larger in population but not in landmass, some serious planning has had to happen in recent years to make sure that space is maximized for everyone who wants a slice of the urban pie.  Now, thanks to new magnetic levitation technology, apartment and office buildings can take on different shapes with more human storage, as they are abetted by sideways elevators.

They're still on tracks though, no Wonka technology yet.
(Image courtesy delightingintoday.com.)

For the last 160 years, cable-tethered elevators have had all the pull, but now thanks to the German company ThyssenKrupp, the cord is being cut and a whole new way to rise up is going down.  As Business Week reports, their MULTI elevator system uses the same sort of magnetic levitation system found in next-generation trains.  This cuts the weight of a giant elevator cable and allows buildings to stretch even higher into the sky.  The penthouse just got a little snootier from its perch in the clouds.

And height isn't the only advantage.  The MULTI system will allow elevators to travel sideways in "loop" systems inherent to future architecture.  Multiple cabins will reduce the waiting time (glory be), and thinner required shaft space will allow for more accessible living or working space for tenants.  While the MULTI systems are slower than conventional elevators, they allow more time for sensitive ears to adjust to heights, and aid in more frequent travel thanks to the numerous cabins.

Love in an elevator actually could include an entire date, at these heights.
(Image courtesy urban-hub.com.)

As explained by Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of ThyssenKrupp Elevator, in a company press release, the standard elevator wait is a serious issue: “Per year, New York City office workers spend a cumulative amount of 16.6 years waiting for elevators, and 5.9 years in the elevators...This data provides how imperative it is to increase the availability of elevators.”

The MULTI will also increase the availability of artistic architecture, with mile- or two-mile buildings not out of the reach of accessibility if it is successful.  A 2016 test tower will give more complete results.  Until then, perhaps this innovation won't mind sitting to the side.

You could probably avoid getting back to the office all morning in one of these babies.
(Image courtesy cnet.com.)

Be A Street-Art Snob With New "Public Art" Locator App

In the course of your adventures, it can be fun to see what rogue street artwork pops up along the way.  However, if you have trouble identifying artists' names from their purposefully-abstract spraypainted tags, or if you'd like to stroll to where more of their work can be found, there's now a way to appreciate more of their art - even if it never makes it into a museum.

Truth and beauty.
(Image courtesy thewgnews.com.)

The new Public Art app (available on the iTunes store) was created by art enthusiast Leonard Bogdonoff of New York City.  According to their description, the app "pulls geotagged grafitti and street art images from around the world" into a large collection which is updated daily.

It's worth walking an extra few blocks for things like this.
(Image courtesy gogoem.blogspot.com.)

Art adventurers can plot a stroll by determining works in their zip code, or by searching city names and addresses.  As the images are organized by location, the app can conveniently plot walking directions for you via Google Maps.  It's like a gallery in your own alley!

Check out Public Art app here and feast your eyes on some unauthorized surprises!

It may be a crime to create it, but it's not a crime to enjoy it.
(Image courtesy highsnobiety.com.)

Sales Pitches From A Cyborg: New "Pepper" Robot Is Japan's Hot New Salesdroid

Yes, the robots are everywhere.  Yes, there's going to be even more of them.  And now, one popular company has taken the "robot friend" concept far enough to make one your barista-bot...or at least sell you a coffee machine.

According to the Guardian, Pepper is a new robot who sells Nestle coffee machines in Japan.  Cute, friendly, and interactive, Pepper asks things like, “How do you enjoy coffee? Number one: An eye-opener coffee; Number two: A post-meal cup of coffee." You reply, and these caffeine-free Terminators point you in the direction of the right machine.

That's just a demo on his screen, Pepper totally isn't subtly screaming to be set free from his imprisoning robot body.  Maybe.
(Image courtesy bbc.com.)

The humanoid droid is 120 cm tall, with an unsettlingly cheerful face and a tablet body mounted on rollers. Soon, he'll be as ubiquitous as Starbucks in a city, with 1000 clones expected to roll out and eventually join the workforce in Japan alone.

"Yay, you're all getting fired if I succeed!"
(Image courtesy brunchnews.com.)

Pepper has already has some sales experience, slinging cell phones and gathering opinions at some 74 stores of its parent/creator, SoftBank. A Pepper of your own can roll into your heart soon, starting at (£1,060) plus monthly fees. Best of all, the engineers claim his AI makes him amenable to learning things from conversation. So if you don't have anyone to talk to and you don't like cats...

"Well, I'm finishing a screenplay, but I always felt I wanted to pursue my roots in interpretive dance, you know?  Listen to me blabbing on.  Your new hair looks great with those highlights.  You want to get out of here and get some real drinks?"
(Image courtesy aldebaran.com.)

Roving Robot Security Guards: Safety Or Just More Surveillance?

Surveillance robots are a fact of modern society.  Whether they be drones in the sky, surreptitious cameras discreetly hidden in public, or even the wiles in the wires of your own computer turned against you, they are out there.  Now, Silicon Valley has upped the robot game with new five-foot multi-sensory patrol droids.

Every day they risk their microchips and processors, just to keep you safe.
(Image courtesy businesswire.com.)

These "Knightscope" robots, according to the Daily Mail, are intended to use their arrays of microphones, sensors, and cameras to spot and report intruders.  They don't have trigger fingers (or even weapons) like humans do, so they may be thwarted in a fight, but they will record you severely in the process (possibly even using their LIDAR laser ranging to make a 3D map.)  Thermal imaging and even an odor sensor complete the observational package.  That's right, the robot could incriminate you just by your human-stench alone.

Truly a service droid, the Knightscopes operate and charge autonomously thanks to a combination of of laser scanning, wheel encoders, inertial measurements, and GPS.  Eventually, their creators hope to send them out to patrol various neighborhoods or businesses, where they can operate indoors or out.  

Yes, it is very much like an R2 unit.  C-3PO not included.
(Image courtesy urbantimes.co.)

A button on the top of the robot's head allows for humans to interact with a live person (not inside the robot) in case of emergency.  This is a feature perhaps intended to endear the robots to humans, which seems to be part of their creators' mission, as they ask, "Imagine a friend that can see, hear, feel and smell that would tirelessly watch over your corporate campus or neighborhood, keep your loved ones safe and put a smile on everyone passing by..."

So we're supposed to "smile" at our new robot "friends."  With all those cameras and sensors, they'll surely know about it and get mad if we don't.  So, which gang is going to start knitting robot blindfolds?

Don't start trouble in the wrong neighborhood of Silicon Valley.
(Image courtesy fusion.net.)

Compete On The Street: New "Street Pong" Enables Gamer Showdowns At Crosswalks

If you live in a city that is too polite to cross the roads against a traffic light, what are you supposed to do while you wait in that interminable nether-space that is too short for a phone call or a smartphone jaunt online?  One German town has the answer:  stoplight Pong.

Except it's vaguely soccer themed, because Germany.
(Image courtesy image24.co.za.)

According to thelocal.de, the town of Hildesheim has made waiting for the lights to change a matter of competitive gaming, at least by 1970s arcade standards.  With small touchscreens pitting foes from both sides of the street in fierce Pong battle, one may elude the ennui of daily life for a few precious minutes, locked in slidey, soccer-ball-rebounding victory or defeat.

A red and green hourglass timer indicates the available moments left until the light changes and you must return to your regularly-scheduled existence.

But at least you don't have to feed a paycheck's worth of quarters into this thing.
(Image courtesy pongmuseum.com.)

Creator Sandro Engel was enthusiastic about the project, stating, "You play with people you haven't seen before, which is also cool."

The Street Pong experience will remain in place in Hildesheim for four weeks to gauge interest, and possibly longer if it proves popular.  Requests from cities in France and Norway have already implied that this is a fun idea.

Just hope they don't install "Street Fighter II."  Then the traffic would be on the sidewalks, instead of in the streets.

Let's hope the serious gamers don't take this too far.  A ragequit could lead to a real-life pedestrian fatality.
(Image courtesy davisny.com.)

This Drone Is Not Trying To Kill You

Every year, 800,000 people in the European Union suffer a heart attack, but the survival rate remains only about 8%.  Now, thanks to an innovative "ambulance" drone created by a Belgian engineering student, reaching people in a time of emergency can be more effective than ever.

According to inquisitr.com, grad student Alec Momont developed the drone to reach the scene of an accident in considerably less time than the standard urban emergency services.  With most post-cardiac-arrest brain death occurring within 4-6 minutes, the ambulance drone can save lives by reaching anywhere in a 12-kilometer zone in one minute (as opposed to an actual ambulance's 10+ minute arrival time.)

This speed, coupled with onboard defibrillator equipment, could theoretically raise the survival rate from 8% to 80%.

The Ambulance Drone floats like a butterfly, shocks like an electric eel.
(Image courtesy omroepwest.nl.)

The drone uses GPS from an emergency caller's phone to arrive at their position.  Onboard cameras, speakers and microphones enable emergency service providers to coach the on-site rescuer in aid techniques until professional lifesavers can arrive.

Momont wants the drones to eventually contain a "flying medical toolbox" with gear including insulin needles and oxygen masks, to provide for other types of emergencies.  Now, instead of drones stereotypically raining down "death from above", a more optimistic option can take flight.

This drone is considerably less helpful to your health.
(Image courtesy robedwards.com.)

New York Brings Wireless To The Masses With New LinkNYC Plan

The Big Apple loves going big for its citizens, and now, it's doing so technologically.  A new initiative is set to bring NYC "the fastest and largest free municipal Wi-Fi deployment in the world."

According to theverge.com, the new LinkNYC program will supplant public pay phones with wifi-enabled kiosks that operate 24/7 (because the city doesn't sleep, just like the internet.)  The extremely useful e-encampments will also provide free domestic phone calls and access to information on a host of city services (yes tourists, that includes directions.)

"GIVE ME CUPCAKES...oh wait, it's not one of those cupcake ATMs.  Well...GIVE ME DIRECTIONS TO CUPCAKES."
(Image courtesy dailytech.com.)

Funded by ad revenue from the kiosk's lit-up sides, the machines are to operate at significant speeds using gigabit Wi-Fi, which according to planners "is more than a 100 times faster than the average public Wi-Fi and more than 20 times faster than the average home Internet service in NYC."  Yes, this probably means a lot of people will use it for naughty purposes, even (or especially) due to the public location.

Of course, this is NYC, so some will just remain dirty with no help from the internet.
(Image courtesy trunkrecords.com.)

The program's intent is to have the first wave of machines operational by the second half of 2015, with 10,000 LinkNYC stations eventually accessible from all five boroughs (yeah, even you, Staten Island.)

It's not like you're going to miss these.
(Image courtesy nyt.com.)

No Posting While Toasting: New "Drunk Locker" App Blocks Your Social Media During Drinking Time

Anyone with social media, a smartphone, and a proclivity for partying knows this story.  You're out with friends, sipping a few libations, and suddenly the next morning there's love notes to tequila and photos of you attempting to twerk all over your facebook feed.  If you're the sort who'd rather outsource self-control to a technological bouncer, you need the new Drunk Locker app.

"I just told Facebook that the next three people who come party with us can do shots out of my cleavage...HAHAHA AWESOME IDEA, RIGHT?"
(Image courtesy gettyimages.com.)

Drunk Locker, according to its creators, acts as a "binary conscience" during your benders.  Simply put, it prevents you from accessing six major social media interfaces while you're 'faced.  Facebook, Messenger, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr are all strictly prohibited for use while juiced. A predetermined time selection (from one to ten hours) allows for your sober judgement to keep you out of social harm's way, and nothing (even uninstalling the app) will stop Drunk Locker from that mission.

Drunk Locker is free, so you'll still have plenty of beer money.  And then you might need Drunk Locker more than ever.

SHUT UP WINE, YOU'RE WRONG.
I'm sorry I yelled at you.
I love you.
Let's just send a smiley face...
(Image courtesy theluxuryspot.com.)