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By Jessica Roy 9/24/12 8:20am

silicon subway

(Photo: Flickr.com/mtaphotos)

Eternally Disaffected New Yorkers Unimpressed with Subway’s New ‘High-Tech’ Intercom System

Any self-respecting New Yorker can effortlessly call to mind a host of complaints about the subway system, that dingy portal between work and home that we grudgingly wade into day in and day out. While the train certainly gets you from points A to B faster and cheaper than a cab, rat-infested stations, painfully long wait times and people who decide to pee and then take a shower in the middle of the car can add up to a pretty unpleasant riding experience. Not to mention all those fare hikes.

Still, the MTA–an institution as beloved as ConEd or even Time Warner–is doing its best to make hurdling through that century-old series of tubes worth your $2.25. And for its next act, the MTA has begun to install “high-tech Help Point intercoms” in stations around the city. Read More

By Jessica Roy 6/28/12 10:49am

silicon subway

(Photo: Vimeo)

After Video of People Tripping at the 36th St. Subway Goes Viral, the MTA Blocks off the Staircase for Repairs

Internet vigilantes, you’ve done it again! After a video of person after person tripping at the 36th St. subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn went viral yesterday, Betabeat–and tons of other reporters, apparently–called the MTA to ask if they had any intention of fixing the offending step. The MTA told us, “We will send someone out to take a look and take corrective measures,” and apparently they’re making good on their word.

According to NBC News, “Crews went to the station Wednesday to block off the staircase in preparation for repairs.”

We did it, Internet! Give yourselves a pat on the back–if you can bear to take your hands off the keyboard, that is.

The only downside is that NBC News reports that the MTA is unsure how long the fix will take, which means it probably won’t be done for years. Sorry, Sunset Park.

By Jessica Roy 6/27/12 4:31pm

silicon subway

(Photo: Twitter)

People at the 36th St. Subway Station Be Trippin’

A Brooklyn filmmaker named Dean Peterson noticed something curious about his subway station at 36th St. in Sunset Park. One of the steps near the top of the staircase appeared to be just slightly taller than the other stairs, but the difference is so miniscule that it’s not noticeably visible. In fact, Mr. Peterson only noticed it when he realized that everyone trips on the step. And of course, being a cinephile, he decided to film it.

The Vimeo video, entitled “New York City Subway Stairs,” hit the front page of Reddit this afternoon, and as of this writing had accrued over 2,000 upvotes. Read More

By Jessica Roy 6/25/12 9:42am

silicon subway

(Photo: Travelpod)

Free Wifi is Coming to Six NYC Subway Stations This Summer

The dog days of summer are upon us, but there’s a bright spot gleaming like Gatsby’s green light from the West side of Manhattan. Google Offers, which apparently still exists, has teamed up with Boingo to provide free Wifi in six subway stations this summer. Can you imagine the awesomeness of being able to check your email while waiting on a sticky, rat-ridden platform for the ever-elusive M train? Read More