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After a fair amount of tough talk from both sides, the Transit Worker’s Union strike is on. I took my camera with me for my walk to work this morning hoping to catch some unique moments. However, my walk across town in the upper 30’s was quiet and uneventful, not unlike a snow day without all the slush. I would not have guessed that a transit strike would result in such light traffic (at least in some parts of town). Judging from the number of closed shops in the Garment Center, many people decided to stay home today or were unable to get to work. Many people will have terrible commutes while the strike is in effect. Check out the comments on Gothamist’s “The Most Inconvenient Commute Contest!” to get a flavor of how it is for New Yorkers when their primary mode of transportation is no longer running.

For those who are not living through this, or who wish to relive it, here are some pictures:

• bike blog
• bluejake
• Gothamist
• Joe’s NYC
• LOOK CLOSER
• transitstrike on flickr

Yet another cool application of Google Maps: The Gmaps Pedometer allows one to calculate distances between multiple points on a map.

Update 2007-03-17: The link above is not working at this time, MapMyRun offers the same functionality with some additional features.

MTA strike or not, there will be a bike pool from Brooklyn on Tuesday. A bike pool is like a car pool without the car and it is sure to be a lot more fun. This group ride takes off from Williamsburg at 08:00 on 20DEC.

Annie Leibovitz has been commissioned to photograph the New York Times Tower construction project. Some of the photographs are now hanging on the scaffolding over the sidewalk on 8th Avenue.

Update: Online versions of these photographs are posted on the building’s website. (via lisawhiteman.com)

Gmail users can now access their email from web enabled phones. The interface is very simple and loads quickly. It is a little more cumbersome to use than an application like Versamail but much easier than trying to access a regular web email application with a phone browser.

via news.com

With the MTA strike deadline looming, those dependent on public transit here in New York City might want to start thinking about what they are going to do come Friday when there is no place to swipe their MetroCard. The city has set up an Alternative Transportation Information Center to help people figure out their transportation options.

If you are thinking about using your bike to get around, check out Transportation Alternatives’ In Case of Strike: Bike page.

Update: Starts and Fits notes that, in the event of a strike, PATH will operate special service (PDF) between 33rd Street and World Trade Center. This service will operate in addition to regular service on weekdays between 6 AM and 8 PM. Remember, PATH accepts pay per ride MetroCards at the turnstiles and it’s only $1.50.

Take a look at this screenshot and ask yourself if there is anything that can be improved about the interface. Let’s see, it is simple and easy to read. It also provides clear and simple instructions. Wait a second, it is asking for an account number when one has obviously been entered already. It is not as if this is a short and easy number to remember either (the account number in the screenshot has been changed, but the number of digits are the same as the original).

To Time Warner Cable’s credit, at least one is able to easily create an online profile by which they can manage their account. All one needs to know is their account number and zip code. Hopefully they will have one of those numbers committed to memory.

Remember March 2004? You know, we were all looking forward to Spring and Vonage announced that they would offer WiFi phones at the end of the year. Right, I don’t really remember it either. Anyway, Vonage is finally offering those WiFi phones and only a year after they originally promised them.

via engadget

Driving directions have been available online from several sources for quite some time but public transit directions have been a little harder to come by. There are some websites, such as Hopstop, that offer help with public transit, but they generally cover only one or a few cities.

Google is now entering the fold with Google Transit. The site uses Google Maps to display information on how to get where you are going via public transportation. It includes such information as schedules, approximate travel time, and walking time. It even calculates the fare and tells you how that fare stacks up against the cost of driving. All this is currently available for Portland, Oregon only, but Google plans to add additional areas soon.

via slashdot

You’ll never be the victim of a dead iPod battery if you cook up your very own human powered charger. Mark at Geektechnique has all the details on how to turn a standard dynamo and some spare parts into a functioning, bike mounted charger. It should come as no surprise that this project is coming from the Netherlands.

via TUAW via engadget