Thoughts on a Subway

Being a fast walker is almost a burden in New York City. I'll be walking along, and my thoughts will be interrupted because there's a person in front of me that just isn't moving. Then I have to awkwardly walk around them.... It's kind of neat how crowds sometimes work themselves out. For example, on the escalator, there's a spontaneous convention that people who want to walk up the elevator go on the left, and people who want to stand go on the right. Does this come from fast lanes on the highway? I love walking next to the trains as they rush by. I have already helped several people with directions on the subway. Mostly I can do it because I've just figured everything out, so the difficulties are fresh on my mind. In one of the stations, to distinguish the letters, the announcer (who is so good that she sounds like a recording) says "A as in apple", "C as in Charlie", and "D as in delta". The subway service is okay. Sometimes it's impossible to determine which train to get on, and you just have to try your luck. Also the trains and station are fairly dirty. Often times a train will be delayed. I'm pretty sure the free market could do better. But it definitely gets me around well enough. One day there were so many white people in the subway station that I concluded that they must be in a group. And they were. It was interesting that their style of interaction rang familiar, probably only noticeable because I haven't seen it in so long. I'm definitely a minority here. And they just seemed... happier.

I'm still being surprised at how late and early things open and close. I was up at 8 and didn't think I needed to check if the library would be open. I also learned that free nights at the museums are popular. I got to the Museum of Modern Art .5 hours after free night started, and there was a line halfway down the block. They had barriers specifically for the free-night line.

More thoughts on the subway:
If the American economy is going to collapse, most production is futile. Some production which is not futile:
1) Spreading the correct philosophy as much as possible. This writing or influence on minds cannot be lost as easily, and is extremely valuable.
2) Scientific research. In this great age of information, I do not believe important research will be lost, even in an economic collapse. At least I would know it, and would be able to spread it then.

-Alex Powell

New Year's Resolution

On this first day of the new year of twenty-aught-nine, I, Alexander Scott, student of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, resolve to achieve the following goals, for the good of myself, and by implication, for the good of others.

1. To become a Scientist. The most mutually beneficial exchange I can make is to explore and discover the deepest truths of the universe, forwarding the development of Science. This goal shall be advanced every day of the new year, and shall become the breath that is my life.
2. That I will, in the mean-time of developing my scientific career, create a wealth by other, more immediate, productive means, using my ability to reason to solve problems and create passive income.
3. To develop a social network, online and offline, at WPI, personal and professional, to maximize the opportunity for mutually beneficial exchanges.

-Alex Scott

Turning Over

So on New Years in New York City I decided to go to Times Square. This was fairly fun, and was worth seeing it, but it would have been significantly more worth it if I had someone with me. It was pretty cold, so I didn't head out until 10PM. Mom and Dad, that coat you bought me at MSSM is definitely starting to pay off. The subways were definitely crowded. I got off at 59th street, because the 50th street stop was closed. For reference, Times Square is at 45th street. Then I followed the crowd. There were dozens of police officers around, and they did a pretty good job with crowd control. The line for security check was actually more squished than anything else, probably because it was temporary. It was definitely beyond sustainable human density. After getting through,


there was a lot of open space. But then I walked, and walked, down past 57th street, and this is where I hit the solid wall of people. Again let me illustrate where this is with respect to Times Square.


A is where I was, just outside Carnegie Hall. B is where the ball was. That's about one kilometer away. But I could still see Times Square.


The sidewalks were separated off so that businesses could operate, and people who had hotel rooms or restaurant tickets could get into them. But besides that, it was a solid layer of people. Standing in the crowd for 1.5 hours wasn't that cold, probably because we were all heating it, and blocking the wind. It was said by a few people that toes were the coldest, and my data confirms that. This kind of human density makes me wonder about things like the maximum weight a street can take, or whether the subway was desined with this pressure in mind. There were more foriegn conversations than English ones. Some completely inconsiderate people were smoking. Here's the countdown and ensuing fireworks show. It's taken sideways because I forgot that videos can't be rotated in youtube.



I'm gonna have to say that what happened in Hong Kong was more awesome. The open-harbor location allows for a lot more than does the constricted Times Square.

Makers of silly 200X New Years glasses; your reign is over.

-Alex Scott