bookofjoe

New York City Subway Ride, 1986

Back story via The Awl wherein it is written, "In 1986 I made a round trip through the USA and Canada. The starting point was New York. So I filmed some scenes in Manhattan. And was going in the underground at 42nd St & Times Square. I filmed with a big Arriflex 16mm camera with a 120m magazine with 7250 Kodak 16mm color reversal Tungsten 400 ASA film and a Schneider Cine Xenon 1:2/16mm lens. This equipment is good for 10 minutes recording duration at 25 f/sec. After a time a man comes up to me and says he's a cameraman at ABC and filming at the subway is strictly forbidden without permission and police are on the other end of the platform. So I was leaving the station, but I had these beautiful pics of the old times in the New York subway."

"This thing is 10 minutes long, but it will definitely appeal to both transit and New York City nostalgists."

[via BUS YOUR OWN TRAY]

Care Label Scarf

190cm L x 57cm W.

100%

wool.

$58.

Radiation Dosage Chart

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By David McCandless, as seen on Information is Beautiful.

PLAYMOBIL x Apple Store Playset*

Yes, yes, I know I resolved recently to stop being such a fanboi but this is so over-the-top I simply couldn't resist.

From ThinkGeek: "The PLAYMOBIL™ iStore includes amazingly tiny iPhones, Macbooks, and iPads. A quick peek at the miniature Genius Bar and we were feeling a bit woozy.

Then we saw the tiny Steve Jobs presenting in the Keynote Theater on the top floor and that was it."

• Store comes fully staffed with PLAYMOBIL Apple Store associates

• Ground floor features product demo tables, software shelves and kids' corner

• Includes over 60 accessories

• Use your real iPhone 4 as the screen behind Steve Jobs in the Keynote Theater (downloadable simulated keynote presentation available on the PLAYMOBIL website)

$179.99.

Optional Line Pack (simulates Apple product launches, complete with a tiny Woz on a tiny Segway): $49.99–$179.99.**

*April Fool's

**Disclosure: I thought this was real until I saw over at TUAW that it was an April Fool's joke.

I am the most gullible person in the world.

Perhaps this is why I'm such a TechnoDolt™: I actually believe that if you follow the instructions literally, things will work like they're supposed to.

Time and again I fail to realize that tacit knowledge is embedded in the instructions, knowledge that's so basic it's understood everyone knows it.

Except me, watching the cluetrain disappear in the distance.

What do you want to bet PLAYMOBIL actually does make this set after getting zillions of requests for it?

How good are you at predicting behavior? The Office of the Director of National Intelligence wants to know

It's on.

From The Good Judgment Team:

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Prediction markets can harness the "wisdom of crowds" to solve problems, develop products, and make forecasts. These systems typically treat collective intelligence as a commodity to be mined, not a resource that can be grown and improved. That’s about to change.

Starting in mid-2011, five teams will compete in a U.S.-government-sponsored forecasting tournament. Each team will develop its own tools for harnessing and improving collective intelligence and will be judged on how well its forecasters predict major trends and events around the world over the next four years.

The Good Judgment Team, based in the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California Berkeley, will be one of the five teams competing – and we’d like you to consider joining our team as a forecaster. If you're willing to experiment with ways to improve your forecasting ability and if being part of cutting-edge scientific research appeals to you, then we want your help.

We can promise you the chance to: (1) learn about yourself (your skill in predicting – and your skill in becoming more accurate over time as you learn from feedback and/or special training exercises); (2) contribute to cutting-edge scientific work on both individual-level factors that promote or inhibit accuracy and group- or team-level factors that contribute to accuracy; and (3) help us distinguish better from worse approaches to generating forecasts of importance to national security, global affairs, and economics.

Who Can Participate

Requirements for participation include the following:

(1) A baccalaureate, bachelors, or undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university (more advanced degrees are welcome);

(2) A curiosity about how well you make predictions about world events – and an interest in exploring techniques for improvement.

You will be paid a token honorarium of $150 each year (over potentially four years) for your participation if you fulfill the requirements of the project. Ready to join us? Register here, and we'll be in touch with you shortly. Or read more about the project.

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[via Benedict Carey and the New York Times]

Egyptian Hieroglyphic Blocks

Play like an Egyptian.

"Set of 28 hand-carved basswood blocks feature names of pharaohs, hieroglyphic phonograms, and embossed puzzle."

Blocks measure 1.75"H x 1.75"W x 1.75"D.

Obelisk-shaped box.

$49.95.

Jayson Werth before he was Jayson Werth

Above, the Washington Nationals new star pictured in 1997 when he was taken in the first round of the amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Below,

Werth this year in spring training.

Manila Envelope T-Shirt

100% cotton.

$30.