Quotes

How many users does 4chan have?
We started with 20 users, now we’re the largest active forum in the United States with 8.2 million unique visitors every month, and 600 million page loads per month. People are on the site are on for an average of 19 minutes at a time and look at 30 pages each. On top of that, we’re currently getting 800,000 new posts a day.

Under Mr. de Blasio’s proposal, city officials would be encouraged — but not required — to post the applications of nonprofit groups and others seeking additional funds to a Web site called Open Government NYC. The database would allow users to search the name of the elected official to whom the application is made, the name of the applicant, the date of the funding request and the purpose of the request. The site would also disclose which items received funding

Our landlord, Yehuda Backer, essentially said, “You’ve been here a long time, you’ve always payed your rent on time, and for that we’re going to double your rent.”

In this regard, there’s a CNN story from last April that I like to tell: a road into a state park in Kauai was washed out, and the state government said it didn’t have the money to fix it. The park would be closed. Understanding the impact on the local economy, a group of businesses chipped in, organized a group of volunteers, and fixed the road themselves. I called this DIY on a civic scale. Scott Heiferman corrected me: “It’s DIO: Not ‘Do it Yourself’ but ‘Do it Ourselves.’” Imagine if the state government were to reimagine itself not as a vending machine but an organizing engine for civic action. Might DIO help us tackle other problems that bedevil us? Can we imagine a new compact between government and the public, in which government puts in place mechanisms for services that are delivered not by government, but by private citizens? In other words, can government become a platform?

The state Commission on Public Integrity charged Gov. David A. Paterson on Wednesday with violating state ethics laws when he secured free tickets to the opening game of the World Series from the Yankees last fall for himself and others. The announcement came as the governor, already mired in scandal, met with his cabinet and insisted he would stay in office…Mr. Cuomo is already investigating Mr. Paterson’s role in allegedly trying to suppress a domestic-violence case involving a close aide, David Johnson.

Mr. Johnson also attended the Yankees game in question and was involved in soliciting the tickets from Yankees officials. The tickets, with a face value of $425 each, seated them a few rows behind home plate.

State law forbids officials in the executive branch from soliciting or accepting gifts of more than nominal value from any lobbyist if the gift appears intended to sway the official. The Yankees organization is registered to lobby the Paterson administration, as well as the State Legislature, in connection with financing for the stadium.

My greatest ambition, besides raising my beautiful daughters, is to let other people know that, “YES, you CAN completely reverse your life for the better.” Just get on a bike and go!

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck told a group of bicycle advocates that department-wide training would be implemented to highlight the rights of bicyclists on the road and ensure that officers know how to deal with incidents involving bikes. Beck’s statements come amid growing complaints from cyclists that their rights are being infringed by drivers. It marks the first time top LAPD brass has publicly addressed the issue. Beck said bike riders are “our most vulnerable commuters” and that the police department needed to do a better job protecting them. “We hear you, we know we need to do a better job for you,” Beck said.

If you’re in your 20s in NYC and into media and culture, get drunk, get laid, get some kind of job (plenty of restaurants), take in all the experiences you can, write about them, pitch them to editors, meet people, fall in love, don’t listen to anyone telling you about a “career,” build things, be part of something you care about, don’t listen to anyone who has never done what you tried…and by your early 30s you’ll decide to get into a trade, either medical, mechanical, etc. Never get stuck working in an office. Never think there is one path. Always be creative.

Wow. It’s like finding out Bill Murray asked Scarlett Johansson out for a burger at the end of Lost in Translation.

A developing nation that wants to kickstart a startup community could do so by outlawing software patents.