Fascinating Planet Money podcast on why the Tappan Zee Bridge in NYC is built in the wrong place (over one of the widest points on the Hudson River, at much greater expense than narrower points a few miles south, and to the detriment of the long-term health of the bridge).

How cool is this?: NYC’s public basketball hoops are handmade by blacksmiths.

This Conditioning Research handstand tutorial link brought the Bar-barians blog to my attention, which “keeps track of all of the developments in the Bodyweight Scene, with a special focus on all of the pull-up crews in NYC.” A month or two ago they posted two 2009 highlight videos, Top 10 Moves of 2009 and The Top 10 Strongest Moves of 2009, both filled with impressive feats. If you don’t feel like watching all 20 minutes (although I think it’s worth it), here are my favorite parts:

• Cleive: behind the legs clap pushups at 4:48 (1st video).
• Cruz: muscle-up hurdles at 5:33.
• Rick: slow muscle-up with obstacle at 9:16.
• HFK: 1-arm coffin at 5:35 (2nd video).

Pretty sure HFK stands for Hannibal For King, featured in this unbelievable video.

Coincidentally, if you are inspired to improve your pullups, the Jason Ferruggia post, Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Pull Ups also came across my newsreader today. Sound advice.

Check the cinematic destruction of NYNY set to Rhapsody in Blue.

In case you were wondering why NYC has steam pipes underneath it, SciAm Observations has the answer.

Okay, they were really writing about sharks, but I still thought this was a fun statistic to include:

Sharks bite fewer people each year than New Yorkers do, according to health department records. And you are far likelier to drown in your bathtub or be murdered by your spouse than you are to die in the jaws of a shark.

Payphone warriors. Sounds like fun.