New York Songlines is an impressive HTML map of Manhattan. Each block is annotated with historical facts and other trivia. I wish I were more familiar with Manhattan so I could know what buildings they were talking about.

East 28th St. and Park Ave. South: 6 Train to Union Square. In the film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, the ransom for the hijacked subway train is delivered to this station. It was also the site of the first recorded real-life subway crime, when a $500 diamond stick-pin was stolen on opening day, October 27, 1904.

[ From Boing Boing ]

A design by architect Daniel Libeskind was chosen for the WTC site. The design features a 1,776 foot spire that would reclaim the tallest building record, as well as 70 stories of offices, gardens, and a sunken memorial. The spire would house gardens all the way to the top instead of offices, because \”gardens are a constant affirmation of life\”. The guy who owns the lease on the site isn\’t satisfied with the plan, however. I dunno, it looks ok to me, though maybe it\’s not quite as instantly recognizable as the original towers. More pictures here

Fascinating article about Wal-Mart\’s retail domination. It is now the world\’s biggest corporation, knocking down ExxonMobil. They are the biggest customers to vendors such as Tandy, Revlon, and Proctor & Gamble, and as a result Wal-Mart can bully them around.

\”As Wal-Mart grows,\” writes consultant Ira Kalish of Retail Forward, \”it will transform its competitors, its suppliers, and the industries it dominates.\” In apparel, for instance, Wal-Mart is moving from staples into cheap-chic fashion, exemplified by its new George line, which offers career basics like skirts and blazers priced between $8.87 and $28.96. That in turn is pressuring everyone from Bloomingdale\’s to Banana Republic to compete on price as well as image. \”Wal-Mart has caused the fashion industry to go topsy-turvy,\” says Marshal Cohen, co-president of NPDfashionworld.

[ From Rebecca\’s Pocket ]

A huge collection of bumper stickers. I always thought it\’d be funny to put a sticker that says \”How my driving? Call 1-800-Eat-Shit\” on a BMW.

Spammers are hiring college students to use their PCs as spam relays. Students at Tufts University were paid $20 a month to run little programs on their computers that masked the true source of the spam. Bleh. Stupid college students.
[ From Slashdot ]

Somewhat related to the top 25 Simpsons episodes is the top 10 sensual Simpsons episodes. Mmmmmm…sensual.

The new McFarlane toys Matrix figures were recently introduced. They look so damn cool. As usual they\’re accurately sculpted and impeccably detailed. The Neo and Trinity figures include little dioramas of the lobby scene, and the deluxe set is a fight scene from the Matrix Reloaded.

So we\’ve heard tech support horror stories, now how about some pictures? The unconnected hard drives is just tragic.
[ From BrainLog ]

Big Bertha is a custom-made hot rod that started life as a firetruck. This thing is so weird. Take a look at this picture. At first glance it looks like a normal car because all the parts (wheels, fenders, grille) are in proportion to each other, but then you notice how small the guy is. It\’s like a normal car but in a bigger scale.

Am I the only person who finds this slightly creepy? For some unexplainable reason it makes me feel uncomfortable.

David Copperfield\’s secrets revealed! Scandalous! (Note: not Dickens-related)