Sponsor

wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

FUF: 100 Monkeys and Park(ing) Day

Friday, September 18, 2009

It's not just Friday, but follow-up Friday. Just what is the "100 Monkeys Theory" and what does it have to do with nuclear war? Tom Flynn, Editor of Free Inquiry magazine, explains the theory. And, today is Park(ing) Day, when locals take over parking spots and turn them into public space.

Guests:

Tom Flynn

Comments [8]

mike from NYC

Alvin,

Each participant has a permit from the City.

Sep. 18 2009 12:20 PM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
mike from NYC

Janet,

You know what actually creates "impossible traffic snarls"? Other cars.

Public space doesn't need to be exclusively the domain of parks. We can build public plazas and neighborhood oases. Other great cities have them; NYC deserves the best as well. You might want to visit some other cities to get a better perspective.

I'd also like to correct your false notion that any impediment to driving somehow always creates more congestion. Traffic is not like water. Instead, it's made up from thousands of decisions made by people. If a driver one day can't go the route that want to, they will make a decision use an alternate mode of transportation, go at a different time, or go via a more efficient route. This has been proven over and over again for decades in the engineering literature. Unfortunately the general population is persistently unaware of this fact, only to be further condemned to ignorance by our faux-populist politicians.

Sep. 18 2009 12:19 PM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
Janet from Manhattan

I am very concerned about environmental pollution, global warming, and urban quality of life issues, BUT ... blocking off major thoroughfares in NYC creates impossible traffic snarls on alternative routes. This, after all, is a CITY, and those of us who want to relax in car-free spaces either go to PARKS, ROOFTOPS, or the COUNTRY!! Times Square and other centers of urban life are not about beach chairs, and offer little in the way of outdoor scenery. Sitting in buses, or in cabs while stuck in traffic, as meters run and tempers flare is hardly an improvement in city living.

Sep. 18 2009 12:10 PM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
Alvin from Manhattan

So, the Transportation Alternatives guy says that they're being "good citizens" by feeding the meter? "Feeding the meter" is explicitly prohibited by NYC parking regulations; the regulation even uses that term.

Sep. 18 2009 11:59 AM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
Fred from New York

Wasn't it Dick Cavett who once said, if you put 100 monkeys in a room with typewriters, one of them is bound to type "Valley of the Dolls"?

Sep. 18 2009 11:58 AM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
c from brooklyn

what about the theories developed around the fact that aztecs and egyptians were building in parallel ways beyond one another's communication

Sep. 18 2009 11:57 AM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
surfing at work from nyc

called it morphic resonance?

Sep. 18 2009 11:53 AM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0
surfing at work from nyc

Y! The Last Man.

Sep. 18 2009 11:52 AM
Vote this comment up Vote this comment down Score: 0/0

Leave a Comment

Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.







URL

If you enter anything in this field your comment will be treated as spam
Location
* Denotes a required field