Ideapad

Loved this observation from Felix Salmon regarding New York's new bike sharing program and the reaction from Sean Sweeny of Soho Alliance:

"DOT and Janette Sadik-Khan's problem is they say, 'Here's what we're doing, take it or leave it,'" said Sean Sweeney of the Soho Alliance, a frequent DOT critic. "Instead, it should be, 'Here's 20 racks, where would you like them?'" He expressed concern about whether the stations would be located on too-narrow sidewalks or in valuable parking spaces or other inopportune locations.

Still, he said it would be nice if done right. "I walk a lot, I'll walk from 59th Street downtown," Mr. Sweeney said. "Let's say I don't want to walk or take the subway, then a bike sounds nice. But it's still a matter of giving over public space to a private company, so we have to be careful." He added that no stations should be place in Soho.

I love the way that Sweeney starts by implying that he would be happy to place 20 racks around Soho, underscores that by saying that the scheme "sounds nice" -- and then, at the end, drops the bomb that he's already decided that the optimal number of racks in Soho is precisely zero.

When I was a kid in New Jersey my brother once got a toy (long since forgotten) that enraged me to the point of public complaint. I made a sign and posted it for all the family to see. It read, more or less:

I HATE that [new toy]!
I HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT
I don't EVER WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN!

P.S. You'd better let me use it!

Felix posits that Sweeney isn't open to the idea. Quite the contrary: he's actually jealous, to the point of distraction, and he can't bring himself to admit it.

I wish I could remember what the toy was. I wonder if I wound up using it at all.