[July 5]
On July 5, workers arrived to removed/chop down some payphones on the east side of Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Seventh Street...
[July 5]
...making way for... more LinkNYC kiosks, which are in place though not activated just yet ... there are two in very close proximity to each other, bundled together as if they were Duane Reades...
... and a few blocks to the north, there are now five LinkNYC kiosks between 13th Street and 10th Street (here are photos of three of them via Steven) ...
The city is reportedly expected to have 7,500 kiosks in place, each replacing a pre-existing phone booth, over the next eight years.
And what are they good for? As a reminder, via the LinkNYC website:
• Use your personal device to connect to LinkNYC’s super fast, free Wi-Fi
• Browse the web and access city services, maps and directions from the tablet
• Make free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S. using the Vonage app on the tablet or the tactile keypad and microphone.
• Use the dedicated red 911 button in the event of an emergency
• Charge your device in a power-only USB port
• Enjoy more room on the sidewalk with Link’s sleek, ADA-compliant design by Antenna
• View public service announcements and more relevant advertising on two 55” HD displays
21 comments:
I'm sure others will have reasons to bash; I won't do that here.
Instead, I really do have a question: Who, exactly, needs this? Anybody who has a device that can utilize this service, already doesn't need to use this service.
Free phone calls - but if I understand this correctly, only if you have a "device"? So basically, if you need to make a phone call the "old fashioned" way you're screwed. You can only make the call if you are already equipped with some tech item.
YaY... homeless/crusties/asshole magnets
Seriously wished these hadn't come south of 14th street.
But will it light up and spin?!?!
Off-Topic Kid with what might be one of the songs we remember this summer by.....Ian Hunter's just released tribute to David...."Dandy" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqA5aDBk2Zc
If you plug your phone into one of these you're a fool.
These things have a screen on them, which almost no one every pays attention to. Seriously, if 1 out of 10,000 people who pass one of these daily gain even an ounce of information from something that's on the screen I'd be surprised.
I think by device to make phone calls just means a headset, or at least headphones or maybe neither since it does have microphone and even a speaker... there have already been complaints about how loud the speakers are with human flotsam playing YT music videos and promises by NYClink to cut the volume in half at night.
The last time I passed by one on 14th & 3rd there were crusties camped out on one end and regular old homeless on the other with both USB ports charging up the cells and the homeless dude with a headset on what looked like an long phone call, I guess next step will be for Vonage to limit the call to a particular number to X number of minutes X number of times per hour.
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Just more visual clutter and totally unnecessary sidewalk crap where people should be free to walk, and all so those too stupid to make sure their phones are charged before they leave home can plug in. Because God forbid they can't check text messages or chase Pokemon thingies for 20 minutes.
THEY ARE POD PEOPLE! WAKE UP!
As if Superman didn't have it bad enough.
Seriously people..complaining about something new for free that totally replaces the horrible old costly crap? Although some of you sound like you are complaining more about the people who may/might/will use them. Do the crusties bother you? C'mon.....give peace a chance.
Good article.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/google-is-transforming-nycs-payphones-into-a-personalized-propaganda-engine-8822938
"...Old costly crap"? Take your Adderall Bryce. What are you even talking about? In the event of a blackout LinkNYC monoliths will only stay powered for 24 hours then links out! Problems pay phones never had.
Where is the uproar? Why aren't we landmarking payphones? The shame.
I had to smile when I walked by one of these the other day, and two homeless guys, one in a wheelchair, were engrossed in watching Looney Tunes cartoons on YouTube.
What's free? Do you think they're installing these because they just care about you so much and they want you to have free places to charge your cellulars, and free WiFi and free ... ? Nothing is free.
See the Voice article above and then see the works of Alvin Toffler. The "smart" environment has been coming for over half a century. Smart environment - dumb people.
We have these in Chelsea on Eighth Avenue. Bums, crazy drugged out freaks like to sit/lie against these for support, shade, play with the buttons, listen to music. It becomes a homeless freak druggie, stink speedbump on the sidewalk as pedestrians figure out how best to navigate their way by a heroin/crack/artificial marijuana/whatever drunk splayed out on the sidewalk who has claimed one of these as their home base.
I wonder if there's any LINK between the contractors on this project and "donations" to De Blasio. Follow the money.
No, someone wanted to give psychotic druggies a place on the busiest sidewalks at day/ night a place to turnover newspaper holders, sit in front of a free internet and tv hook up and watch to their hearts content while the public tries to pass and storeowners freak out a little. Of course this also poses a new challenge to the police. How long do they allow them to camp out there before they are required to move. Before these kiosks went up, I saw maybe 1 homeless guy splayed out on the sidewalk a day, now I see 6 in my immediate 2 block radius.
The NYPD is going to have to get involved and no matter what they do they will be criticized . But something needs to be done. Homeless, druggies, crusties and their ilk will not move unless the NYPD makes them. What will the policy be regarding the all day/night camping and use of these facilities? Can this program be stopped? Will the next Mayor remove these? This is a complete disaster.
It sounds as if the problem is not the kiosks themselves, but human beings.
Lets put 'em all in TSP !!!
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