Musings of a Digital Nerd

My First Day on CitiBike

Mon, 27 May 2013 21:34:00 -0400

Today marked the first day that “Founding Members” of the CitiBike program could ride the bikes (everyone else has to wait a week). It was a day I had been looking forward to ever since hearing about the concept a little bit more than year ago. I brought a buddy along with me on a ride around Manhattan, and here are some of my thoughts.

Unlocking/Locking the Bike

This proved to be the most difficult part of the experience, but once you got it, you got it. I went to the nearest station and went to the kiosk. There were two other people there who were watching me and my confused look as I tried to figure out how to unlock the bike. The kiosk itself seemed straight forward for anyone wanting a daily or weekly pass but not for what I wanted. As a yearly member, I get a fob key that unlocks the bike. After trial and error, we all learned that the key (or credit card) goes directly into the docking station via a slot, not the kiosk, and that unlocks the bike. Great, mission accomplished. Now, how the heck do I remove the actually bike from the station bike. Without trying to break the thing, the man who was standing there (who acknowledged he wanted to see how it works) recommended lifting the seat up and pulling it back. Viola! That did it. Then I wanted to make sure I knew how to lock the bike. I kept jamming the bike back in like a neanderthal but it wasn’t locking. Then I noticed that the front tires on the other bikes were suspended in air, meaning I had to lift the front of the bike and slide it in. When I did so, it worked. I’m sure this is written somewhere on the website, but I must’ve glossed over it because I’m a guy and guys don’t read instructions. Once I knew how to unlock/lock the bike, away we went.

The Bike

This thing is sturdy, but it had somewhat of a simple design. The handle bars are pretty standard - bell on the left (which I used a lot), and the gear switch on the right - brakes on both handles for front & rear tires. There are two sets of blinking lights. A white one in the very front, and two red blinking lights in the back. It’s pretty bright and noticeable during the day, but it’s meant for rides in the dark. The bike only has three gears, which should be enough based on Manhattan’s terrain. The first gear is for the steepest of hills, but when I shifted into it, I looked like a fool peddling in it. I stuck to 2nd or 3rd gear the entire time.

The friend I was biking with brought up a good point - maintenance. One bike I picked up had a dead front tire, and another only worked in 1st or 3rd gear. I suppose there will be a human maintenance, aside from members submitting bike reports. There’s a chain cover which will limit the threat of rust on those rainy days. I would imagine these bikes get checked every 3-4 months?

Riding Around

Smooth. Very, very smooth. I think because the bike is so sturdy that riding it was a good experience. Even on the cobble stone roads, it rode well, although you have to make sure you’re not sitting.

Since I’m a yearly member, I have unlimited use of the bike, as long as I dock it within 45 minutes. I traveled from 18th street and 1st avenue down past the South Street Seaport, around Battery Park City (got to see the Freedom Tower), up the West Side and then across 23rd street back to 18th and park — within that entire ride, I docked my bike twice.

I never had a bell on my bike before, but I’m glad these bikes came equipped with them. That being said, sometimes it felt like I didn’t really have one because several times I’d ring the bell and nobody would move. They’d half-way turnaround and keep walking. Seriously? You need to walk 4-by-4, let alone on the bike path meant for bikes? As I passed those folks, I couldn’t help but murmur things along the lines of, “Thanks for moving,” but not in those exact words, if you get my drift.

Stares and Glares

For the first minute of riding, I did feel like I was a walking advertisement for Citibank. After all, this bike is extremely branded with Citibank logos. I mean I get it… Citibank dropped $41 million for a 5 year sponsorship. However, after this first minute passed, that feeling went away. I’m almost certain it crossed my mind because I work in advertising, so my thought process is always a little skewed.

As I rode around, I definitely noticed the stares, and passing comments. All of them were in sheer curiosity, and excitement. When locking/unlocking bikes, folks did come up to me to ask me questions, and I shared whatever I knew. I did speak highly based off of my current experience, but I don’t think that’ll change at all. The entire thing did have this feeling that was probably felt when people first started to ride cars. I’ll admit, it did feel pretty darn elite to be one of the first Citibike riders.

Final Thoughts

A lot of people with whom I’ve talked to about this program share the same two concerns:
1. Drunken bike accidents
2. Increase of amateur riders on the road

These are very valid points, but in addition to promoting the program the folks at Citibike need to also promote the safety element of it just as much. It’s unfortunate, but while you can’t completely eliminate drunk driving, as an example, you can’t completely eliminate drunk riding (despite that sounding out right silly). NYC has spent a lot of money to make NYC very bike-friendly. This is just the next step in that evolution

As a side note - I did joke around with my buddy that had I received my Google Glass at this time (I’m a #GlassExplorer) I would’ve successfully reached of a very geeky milestone. Soon…

Overall, I’m very excited of this program, and proud to be a “Founding Member.” I sincerely hope it goes smoothly, but I know there will be some hiccups. I’m going to continue to be an avid supporter of this program, and may have already convinced some friends to be members, and hopefully more.

Update: I got an interesting response on Twitter.

@ceasetheday Nice report. 4 yrs with the same system in Montreal - here’s what will happen, it will be too popular. Lack of bikes and slots.
— marcom (@Gab_Dan) May 28, 2013

Exactly what I needed to listen to as the belt strap on my...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:15:57 -0400

Exactly what I needed to listen to as the belt strap on my computer bag suddenly popped open, but my cat-like reflexes caught it before it fell to the ground. Win.

Yep. That'd be me.

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:39:28 -0400

Glasshole - That know-it-all guy you’ve always hated, only now he’s got 4G and Google+ connected to his face. Thanks Google.
— Startup L. Jackson (@StartupLJackson) October 16, 2012

Taking it back a couple of years. Timeless track.

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:14:17 -0400

Taking it back a couple of years. Timeless track.

Not too shabby. Good spot in line to see Samsung’s...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:01:08 -0400

Not too shabby. Good spot in line to see Samsung’s announcement. Eye scrolling feature?? #TheNextGalaxy #UNPACKED (at Radio City Music Hall)

Google Glass Demo at SXSW, the Future RIght in Front of Our Eyes

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:15:07 -0400

Google Glass Demo at SXSW, the Future RIght in Front of Our Eyes:

This SXSW Google Glass demo is something else. Wearable devices will be a thing in the not-so-distant future, and Google is a pioneer in this movement, alongside other notable players such as Apple & their wearable watches and Leap Motion, just to name a few.

Oh, and when Google isn’t evolving Google Glass, or self-driving cars, their developing an Android-enabled talking shoe “…as part of a thought experiment on how wearable technology could interact with the human body and with the Internet.”

On repeat.

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:37:55 -0500

On repeat.

Happy 8 year anniversary to me #advertising (at G2 NY)

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:51:52 -0500

Happy 8 year anniversary to me #advertising (at G2 NY)

Twitter & Hashtags

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:43:25 -0500

Hash tag #wegetit
— Emma Z (@spigotZ) February 11, 2013

LL Cool J just did his third hash tag monologue, while holding a cell phone.
— The FADER (@thefader) February 11, 2013

hashtag stop talking about hashtags, LL Cool J #grammys
— refinery29 (@Refinery29) February 11, 2013

#hashtag
— Joshua Topolsky (@joshuatopolsky) February 11, 2013

Hashtag twitter jumps the shark
— Teresa Gorman (@gteresa) February 11, 2013

Good grief, stop trying so hard with the “social media” #Grammys! Just let it be.
— Cesar Razuri (@CeaseTheDay) February 11, 2013

Instagram Should Redesign Their Web-based Feed Design

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:20:32 -0500

Remember when Twitter attempted to introduce advertising on the iOS Twitter app? The term “Dickbar” was coined by John Gruber. (BTW - this phrase is a reference to Dick Costolo, CEO at the time, who tried to introduce a business model on the iOS, although some say double entendre.) Well, it failed and was quickly removed within a month it was introduced. This gave way for Twitter to introduce Promoted Tweets on mobile, which has proven to be a success on both mobile AND web. Good job, Twitter!

Today, Instagram announces a web-based feed that is to look similar to the mobile feed. Two issues I see with it: the consumer interaction, and the method to monetize. Let me explain…

Personally, I don’t think I’ll be using it often. Why? Well, from a consumption perspective, Facebook mobile = Facebook web, Twitter mobile = Twitter web, but Instagram mobile ≠ Instagram web. The content on Instagram is, how do I put this… too large? Links, status updates are simple decisions for me to make on mobile and web - view it or not, because it comes in appropriately sized modules that display to size within the mobile or web display I’m viewing it on. For an image stream that only feeds photos on a web display the way they’ve currently designed it, no thanks.

One can argue, “Well - what about Pinterest? It’s technically a clickable image board.” To which I say, “BINGO!”

If this web-based Instagram feed is going to take off on the web, it’s gotta take the small, modular mobile display everyone loves, and utilize the large canvas of a webpage to create, what I personally love, Pinstagram. Simple, simple, simple.

# # #

My last point is this. While we’d like to think this decision is consumer first, it’s not. There’s gotta be some sort of monetization that needs to happen. Let us not forget, this is Facebook, however, I think they can learn from a design like Pinstagram. If you can incorporate the least intrusive way to introduce ads by utilizing a large canvas with small modules, ads aren’t in my face. It’s subtle, and don’t require me to do something special to engage with it. I click on a thumbnail, I see the larger version. Simple as that.

Facebook's Ambient Social App

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:02:46 -0500

This rumored Facebook app can, and will take ambient social mainstream (link). I like highlig.ht, and thought Glancee was neat as well, except what they don’t have, of course, is 500+ mobile users (link)… well, except Glancee by way of that Facebook acquisition (link).

Vine

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:27:57 -0500

Vine, Vine, Vine, Vine, Vine.

You know who’s kicking themselves? The guys over at, now defunct, 12seconds.tv.

Might be a little (or very) late on this, but this song/band is...

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:20:47 -0500

Might be a little (or very) late on this, but this song/band is great!

Facebook's "Promoted Post" #2cents

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:07:00 -0400

If someone has something really important to say/post/whatever, and is willing to pay $7 for it to get promoted to the top of my feed, go for it. First posts, while being eye-catching, isn’t what Facebook is about to me. More power to them, though.

For me, and others I know, we create an imaginary bookmark when we’re on Facebook. You remember where you last left off and you scroll from top, to bottom. We’re not fans of “Top Stories” and always toggle to the “Most Recent” option.

The comments in this TechCrunch article bewilder me (some make me frighten our youth): http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/03/us-promoted-posts/

Facebook is a company, and they need to make money. Of all things they can do (and have done), this is probably one of the least-intrusive things that they could do to generate some $$$ off of these promoted posts. (#1 least-intrusive tactic goes to selling ad-space on the logged out screen. I found that both hilarious, and clever.)

It will be interesting to see if there’s a way to limit these (per user?). Anyone know?

Little experiment: Google MyTrack, Run Keeper, Nike+ Run (Taken...

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:41:57 -0400

Little experiment: Google MyTrack, Run Keeper, Nike+ Run (Taken with Instagram)

The exciting thing about Google’s Project Glass is that...

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:31:32 -0400

The exciting thing about Google’s Project Glass is that it’ll usher in a new type of photography with more emotion, and a more personal story told through the eyes (pun intended) of the photographer. It’s easy to instantly connect with the photo above. It’s a raw emotion that is hard to capture with a cellphone, digital camera, or even through the magic of photoshop. I cannot wait until this comes out.

(Taken with picplz.)

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:23:29 -0400

(Taken with picplz.)

I remember cartoon villains wanted a billion dollars as ransom money. Today, it just buys social...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:08:58 -0400

I remember cartoon villains wanted a billion dollars as ransom money. Today, it just buys social platforms. Glad to be a kid when I was.

Please toast to parents who sacrificed for us. Thank you mom and dad.

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:28:04 -0400

Please toast to parents who sacrificed for us. Thank you mom and dad.

If you liked it then you should’ve put a Pin on it. Don’t be made when you see that he...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:45:10 -0500

If you liked it then you should’ve put a Pin on it. Don’t be made when you see that he Pinned it.