Weiner likely to get hard time

From the Daily News:

Anthony Weiner is facing hard time — unless his lawyers can strike a good deal.

Attorneys for the disgraced former congressman are trying to talk prosecutors out of going forward with child pornography charges that could land Weiner behind bars for at least 15 years, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The charges stem from sexually explicit messages and images he allegedly exchanged with a 15-year-old girl.

Sources told the newspaper that Weiner’s lawyers have been in talks with federal prosecutors for weeks, angling for a plea deal. But officials from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and FBI agents have not backed off.

No texting and biking!

From NY Mag:

Hide your calls, hide your texts: The City Council is considering a new bill that would outlaw both of those activities for cyclists, putting an end to the showoff-y, "look ma, no hands" biking. Councilmember Mark Treyger's bill would slap first-time offenders who talk or text without a hands-free device with a $50 ticket, which could go as high as $200 for repeat offenders.

The bill would also ban using a tablet, or, for the very adventurous, balancing a laptop on your bike while riding. Worse, the only way for a first-time offender to avoid the class would be by taking a bike safety course.

Governor unveils highway texting locations

From Metro:

New York State drivers will now have designated areas to pull over and send a text message.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled on Monday 91 texting zone locations along the state thruway and state highways in the latest effort to cut down on distracted driving.

“In addition to tougher penalties, new detection methods for state police and ongoing public outreach efforts, we are now launching special Texting Zones to allow motorists to pull over and use their phones,” Cuomo said. “We are sending a clear message to drivers that there is no excuse to take your hands off the wheel and eyes off the road because your text can wait until the next Texting Zone.”

The governor also announced a 365 percent increase in tickets issued in summer 2013 compared to summer 2012 for distracted driving. This summer, state police issued 21,580 tickets, surpassing last summer’s total of 5,208 tickets.

The texting zones are located in areas throughout upstate New York and in Suffolk County in Long Island.

Pay attention!

From the Queens Chronicle:

Sparks flew between Queens borough president candidates state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) at a Monday forum in Jackson Heights.

The topic of the night was sustainability but it shifted briefly when Avella accused Vallone of receiving assistance via text messages from volunteer supporters at the forum at Community Methodist Church.

Avella later said he didn’t accuse Vallone of cheating, but thought Vallone and another borough president candidate, Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), who also had his phone out, should put them away.

“Even if you aren’t getting texted the answer, it’s rude,” Avella said at a later interview. “You are supposed to be listening. We were taking questions from the audience.”

Vallone said that he was tweeting and arranging with his daughter how she would get home.

“I would rather be engaging with the public [via twitter] than listen to Tony,” Vallone said during a later interview.

Wait...was he texting his daughter or engaging with the public on Twitter?

City app for finding parking spaces & paying meters

From CBS New York:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a pilot program Tuesday that will allow drivers to add parking time remotely by using a smartphone app, the internet or by telephone.

Motorists will also receive a text message or email alerting them their time is about to expire. They will then be able to purchase additional time and extend their parking periods.

Drivers will also be able to spend less time hunting for a parking space with the city’s new real-time curbside parking availability map that can be viewed on the Internet, smartphones and tablet devices.

What's Cuomo hiding?

From the Daily News:

There’s one phrase Gov. Cuomo never hears: “You’ve got mail!”

Cuomo refuses to communicate with his staff by email, sources close to the governor revealed to the Daily News.

If aides can’t talk in person or by phone, they are told to use the BlackBerry PIN-to-PIN messaging system — a function that leaves no lasting trail because it bypasses data-saving email servers. It allows users to connect directly through their devices using Personal Identification Numbers.

Only members of Cuomo’s inner circle are told his PIN, sources say.

A message sent over a data server can always be recovered, even when deleted. Not so for PIN messages, which are gone forever once killed, a spokesman for BlackBerry operator Research In Motion said.

And while much of the back-and-forth communication between the governor and his aides is private, it could be subject to subpoena by ethics investigators, prosecutors and possibly members of the Legislature in the event of a probe.

“He told me directly to use the PIN and that was the way to do it,” said one former administration official.

Cuomo — who promised to have the most open and transparent administration in state history — did not tell the former official the reason to use PIN communication, but the message was clear, the source said.

“It doesn’t have a paper trail,” the official said. “If he gets a new phone, he gets a new PIN, even if he has the same phone number. Every phone has a specific PIN.”

Let's elect someone with a brain, please

From the Forum:

Less than a week after she was audibly fed answers by Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch during a press conference, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley was caught playing with her phone during a debate. Several different videos taken during the debate show extended periods of scrolling, eyes locked onto her phone screen, as her competitors engage in an interactive debate.

Her behavior was disrespectful and irresponsible.

An aide claimed she was merely taking notes, to assist in her replies during the debate. The only problem with that is, in order to take notes on a phone, one must type.

Not just scroll. Scrolling is really best for reading – perhaps reading notes and instructions being sent from one’s staff. And if one checks out any of the multiple videos shot during the debate, one sees an awful lot of scrolling.

Even if she was taking notes, they should have been brief thoughts jotted down. Things she might like to mention when it’s her turn to talk. Not the start to a novel.

Watching Crowley at that debate was a little bit too much like catching a fellow teenager cheating on an Algebra test, notes written up and down her arms in black felt marker. Only this time, we’re not teenagers. We are all as grown up as we are going to get. This is it America. We are the adults. And that one’s still got Cliff’s notes.

While we have no problem with a politician fighting for police and firefighters, we have to wonder – what happens if someone else gets into her ear?

Furthermore, the job Crowley’s applying for is to be a congressional representative. She will represent you, on the United States Congress. You, personally. Is that how we want the rest of America to see Queens?

MTA: Texting underway

From NY1:

City transit officials are investigating the case of a worker who was caught on cell phone video texting while driving the train.

The straphanger who shot the video says it happened at about 8:45 a.m. today on a 7 train that was headed from Woodside, Queens to Grand Central Station.

In the video, the motorman is seen using his mobile device and not keeping his eyes on the above-ground tracks. He then looks behind at the rider with the camera and then stops operating the mobile device.

A city transit spokesman said in a statement, "MTA New York City Transit has an absolute, zero-tolerance policy against texting, cell phone use or handling any type of mobile device while in a crew cab. The incident is under investigation and once identified, the train operator will be removed from service pending the disciplinary process."