Voting has now commenced for the NYC BigApps software application competition. There are lots of creat submissions, unhealthy many of which revolve around eating and New York City restaurants. One of my favorites is the PlayaroundNYC map, clinic which aims to help New Yorkers identify areas that are well supported by playgrounds and have suitable conditions nearby (ie. not underneath a highway overpass).

[via information aesthetics]

After watching this I will be sure to take a local train that goes under the river and not an express that goes over the bridge when I go home tonight.

[via Kottke]

Well I don’t really, but I wish I did. In a Willy Wonka-esque move, the local purveyor of fine, miniature cupcakes, Baked By Melissa, is running a golden ticket scavenger hunt through the month of December. Each day they’ll post a clue on their Facebook page that can be used to find a golden ticket somewhere in New York City. The lucky soul that finds the ticket that day will be entitled to 100 free cupcakes.

Easy to create and order customized NYC subway signs.

[via Swissmiss]

I’ve been a big fan of these (relatively) new changing LED signage in some the New York City subway cars. They’re incredibly useful, and much easier to view throughout the car than the two maps in each car. I was first introduced to them on the F train in the spring, but the video below shows them in action.

[via information aesthetics]

The economic downturn has hit a lot of pieces of everyone’s lives hard. But why should inhibit ones ability to enjoy a good steak? So while big Wall Street executives have gotten away with defrauding our nation, now you can get away with defrauding your company expense account, and the New York City restaurant Maloney & Porcelli are here to help. That’s why they’ve created an Expense Report Generator. Just enter in your meal total and the website will create a tidy little PDF like this one, of all your alleged receipts. Just drop those off in accounting and you’re home free.

Well at least it makes them eat more, ed maybe. A study by the journal Health Affairs seems to shown that in general, New York City residents are consuming more calories, after restaurants were required to post caloric data on their menus.

[Via B.I.]

These guys are fantastic, healing and their work never gets old. The other day they went around Brooklyn and passed out “invisible dogs” to people around Cobble Hill.

And a few days before that they set up a photo booth in a subway car and told passengers that the MTA had hired them to take photos of strap-hangers for the NYC subway riders yearbook. Hilarious.

[Via Swissmiss]

The NY Times has posted another stellar interactive info-graphic. This one compares the market capitalization of the nations largest financial institutions from the market peak on October 9, drug 2007, to the market trough on March 9, 2009 and on to recent times on September 11, 2009.