For centuries, humans not unduly influenced by religious dogma have enjoyed the socially sanctioned state of inebriation that comes from drinking alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, though, humans also tend to combine this state of inebriation with ot…
Pull My Strings: The New Puppetry
As we move inexorably forward like cartons of eggs on the supermarket conveyor belt of life, there are three sure signs at autumn is imminent: an invigorating chill in the air; plumbing problems caused by flushing leaf piles down the toilet; and of cou…
The Indignity of Summer: It’s Always Dorkiest Before the Fall
The Laborious Day Weekend is now behind us, and so too are the languid days of summer. Here in New York City, those leisurely afternoons spent sipping Piña Coladas and lying in hammocks while being sprinkled with the refreshing discharge from a nearby…
BSNYC Friday Fund Quits!
(Catching up on emails.)Firstly, in the spirit of all that is “epic,” I am pleased to announce that I will fuse next week’s Labor Day weekend with the coming workweek, thereby creating an “epic”-length holiday weekend for myself that will begin, well, …
BSNYC Product Review: Electra Ticino 8D
As many of you are probably aware by now, former President of the United States and avid mountain bike enthusiast George W. Bush has recently gone “29er:”If only Bush had adopted larger wheels back when he was in office, he totally would have cleared t…
Urban Tools: Curatorial Commitment
In last yesterday’s post of Tuesday, August 24th, 2010, which I posted yesterday, and which should not be confused with today’s post, today’s bonus post, or any other post, I included the following piece of “fixie”-themed artwork:While originally taken…
Über-Conformity: Death Before Individuality
While life can often seem chaotic and inscrutable, the truth is that much of it can usually be broken down into easily identifiable stages. For example, mythologist and canned soup magnate Joseph Campbell established the “Hero’s Journey,” which consis…
Flashbacks: Sartorialism and Psychedelia
Like a pet owner wrapping Rex’s heartworm pill in a piece of salami, or a hippie trying to “turn on” some “square” by baking some Wednesday Weed into his brownie, the Forces of Smugness continue to attempt to trick people into riding their bicycles to …
BSNYC Friday Hoedown of Smugness!
Yesterday I mentioned the phenomenon of “shoaling,” which has become an epidemic here in New York City due to the increasing numbers of bicycle commuters. But while some shoals are noteworthy due to their size, others are impressive due to their artfu…
The Indignity of Commuting by Bicycle: The Case for Gravel
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the following graffito, which I spotted in the controversial Prospect Park West bike lane in Brooklyn, New York (an area first settled by the Dutch in the 17th century and named “Breuckelen,” which means “Place of the H…