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There are 565 “best pizza” spots in NYC. Junior’s Cafe in Queens has the “best pizza in town.” As does Rosario’s in Lower Manhattan, and Big Daddy’s Pizza in Brooklyn. At least that’s the case, according to the establishments’ respective signs. We know this because Brooklyn-based artist Yufeng Zhao has built a searchable database of all the words across the New York City streetscape. Think of it as a search engine for every visible word that’s appeared on streets, storefronts, buses, or construction fences in the city, since 2007, when Google Street View launched. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] The result is a linguistic map of the city that never sleeps, distilled from 17 years of Google Street Views, and more than eight million images. The database includes everything from business signs and street signs to flyers posted on windows, and even recognizable graffiti. And the verdict is clear: New York City is a city of “bests.” [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] “A lot of restaurants claim they have the best pizza or the best restaurant,” Zhao says with a laugh. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] A time capsule of NYC A city is a palimpsest. New flyers replace old flyers. Businesses die; shiny signs go up. VC-funded coffee shops erase self-made mom-and-pop shops. All Text NYC, as the search engine is called, launched in December 2024, which means it hasn’t yet caught up with the Zohran Mamdani poster craze. Nor has it seen the billboard ads for this year’s Tony Award winning musical Maybe Happy Ending. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] But if the city remembers, so does its search engine. For Zhao, All Text NYC is a time capsule of the city between 2007 and 2024, and the data supports it. “Never forget” shows up 363 times while “Covid” appears close to 10,000 times. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] There is a lot to learn from the words that make up a city, especially when it is as verbose as the Big Apple. Zhao, who recently moved from Brooklyn to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to pursue a Masters of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, identified a whopping 138 million snippets of text in the city. He thinks the number would be significantly lower in Cambridge, and likely higher in Shanghai, where he grew up. A vast majority of the top 10 most frequently used words are related to parking: “stop,” “one way,” “no standing,” “no parking.” Traffic aside, the word “deli” is high up on the list, as is “ATM,” and “Fedex” and a certain A/C company called Fedders that appears almost 60,000 times. The database lets you search individual words and word combinations (like “best pizza”). You can see the results through images where the words appear, as well as on a heat map of New York City. “Sabrett,” the hot dog brand, lights up most in Manhattan, especially in Times Square. While “preschool” is most prevalent in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] Sometimes, it’s more interesting to see where certain words do not appear. Take “NYPD,” for example. The word appears almost 80,000 times. It lights up a little everywhere, but wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods of the citylike the Upper West Side, the Upper East Sideas well as the outer boroughs remain unmistakably dark. (Meanwhile, the map around Midtown and the World Trade Center is glowing in white.) Google takes photos every year at the same location, so Zhao points out the map is not necessarily representative of where NYPD goes on any given day, but when you accumulate the data as he has over the past 17 years, you begin to notice patterns. “There are certain neighborhoods where NYPD is almost never captured,” he says. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] A similar pattern shows up for businesses that accept food stamps. The word “EBT” (for Electronic Benefit Transfer) shows up more than 56,000 times, but the map highlights how big of a desert Manhattan is on that front. Parts of Brooklyn, including the now-gentrified-beyond-recognition neighborhood of Williamsburg, are also conspicuously dark. Of course, low-income people do live in Manhattan, which highlights just how far they might have to travel to reach a grocery store that serves their income level. An underutilized resource When Google Street View first launched, it allowed people to virtually explore any location, creating a 360-degree map of the world. Over the years, it has been used for navigation, real estate research, and virtual travel during COVID, but for Zhao, it remains an underutilized resource. “It’s such a vast dataset,” he says, “The images contain so much data.” In 2018, the research collective Slab used Google Street View to create Culture Map, a cultural and ethnic map of Los Angeles. By mapping the city’s signs, posters, and flyers, they found 58 different culture hubs, which they noted was far more than those officially designated by the city. Slab’s algorithm, which folded in data from eight years (from 2011 to 2018) could detect many languages. For technical reasons, Zhao could only use languages that use the Latin alphabet, which means that areas like Chinatown, Little India, or the Eastern European enclave at Brighton Beach might not be fully represented. Still, the platform could become a goldmine for researchers, policymakers, urban planners, anthropologists, or anyone interested in the fabric of a city, and the patterns that only become visible when we listen to our streets and storefronts speak. Zhao says he plans to update the database at the end of every year. What will the city tell us then?
Category:
E-Commerce
All too often business leaders are making decisions based on unexamined fears, rather than really leaning into those worries and thinking them through. A 2023 survey of global business leaders suggests that a number of mistakes surface again and again. Three in particular top the list: Avoidance, inaction or not making an important decision, due to fear of making mistakes Overcontrolling, micromanaging or not empowering their teammates, due to a fear that they might make mistakes Withholding feedback, not sharing their honest opinions or not pushing back on bad ideas, due a fear of conflict or political backlash Sound familiar? And yet in order to change, grow, and navigate the endless obstacles facing businesses today, you have to take risks, you have to empower people, and you have to speak your mind honestly. Otherwise, youve got no chance. Its no wonder that 70% of all business transformation initiatives fail, according to McKinsey, with fear playing the largest role in that failure rate. But thats not to say that fear is the enemy. The truth is, fear is a teacherand learning to listen to it can help you beat the odds and succeed where others fail. The power of fear Fear is a wonderful evolutionary gift thats greatly misunderstood, an emotion meant to protect us. If a shark is chasing you, fear motivates you to swim faster or punch the shark hard on the nose. This is fear at its most useful, its most rational. Irrational fear, however, is less helpful. For example, you might be worried about how to find the right product market fit, which is a very rational thing to be concerned about. But if that concern leads you subconsciously to shut down, withhold information, or not voice your concerns because of a fear of retribution, that makes no sense. Your company will fail if you dont speak up. In this context, fear can lead to unintentional decisions that actually make things worse. Irrational fears, left unexplored, can be detrimental to every aspect of our lives, personal and professional. But when we look at how fear actually works, we see that its not about conquering fear. In fact, we cant conquer it. We have a fear centerour amygdalawired into our brains. Like it or not, it has an impact on our perceptions and decisions. The key is to understand the impact that fear has on us, stay intentional with how we respond to it, and listen to what fear is trying to show us. When we learn to listen to it, we find that many times, fear is actually our greatest teacher. Thats the key to not letting fear lead to paralysis, micromanaging, or not speaking up when its important. Lets look at how three common fearswhich are increasingly prevalent in our modern work environmentmay actually be inviting us to take a closer look at our decisions and overcome the real cultural challenges that prevent businesses from adapting and thriving. FOMO: Fear of missing out Unexplored, FOMO leads to premature decisions without considering the consequences. Take AI, for example. In the race to adopt AI, too many companies moved too quickly without thinking things through. In fact, a recent global study of C-suite executives found that more than half regretted firing people prematurely due to unrealistic expectations around AI. These leaders focused too much on not wanting to lose out on AI, as opposed to staying focused on their purpose and their mission. All too often, FOMO creates a minefield of unintended consequences. FOMO is an excellent reminder to make sure youre not missing out on what matters. Its a chance to reconnect to your core purpose, your true north, and your why. AI is a tool; its a how. Dont make your decisions based on anxiety levels. Make them based on what you really care about. FOFU: Fear of F-ing up On the other end of the spectrum, FOFU can lead to analysis paralysis, procrastination, and a catastrophic loss of early-mover advantage, if left unexplored. In fact, a 2023 survey of more than 14,000 employees and leaders across 17 countries reported that being inundated with too much data and information is leading to an epidemic of indecision. In that study: 74% said the number of decisions they make every day has increased tenfold over the last three years 86% said the volume of data is making decisions in their professional (and personal) lives much more complicated 59% admitted they faced analysis paralysis more than once every single day And 85% said this inability to make decisions is having a negative impact on their quality of life. That causes spikes in anxiety (36%), missed opportunities (33%), and unnecessary spending (29%). When you feel FOFU paralyzing you, and you feel that spike in anxiety, pause. Breathe. Get curious, and ask yourself what youre really afraid of. Explore the consequences of doing nothing. Challenge the nightmare scenarios and stories you may be telling yourself. And seek the help of others around you to think things through clearly. FOBI: Fear of being inadequate This is one of the most prevalent fears. Unexplored, FOBI leads to micromanaging, exaggerating and accidental narcissism, or focusing more on optics than outcomes. Maybe you have an important quarterly business review coming up, and there are unpleasant realities to talk about. Maybe youre feeling overwhelmed at work, but are afraid to ask for help. Or maybe youre just not sure about your companys overall strategy and vision, but are suffering from impostor syndrome and feel too scared to say anything. The truth is, fear of inadequacy in the workplace is a lot more common than people realizeprobably because were so afraid to talk about it. In fact, one 2025 study found that 71% of North American workers reported suffering from impostor syndrome, with half stating it had caused them to miss or turn down opportunities. When you notice your energy focused on yourself and feel like you might be shutting down, thats your cue to lean into the fear to see what its trying to get your attention about. FOBI is asking you to make a conscious decision about what matters moreyour insecurity or your impact. Its giving you the opportunity to choose to rise to the occasion, because the moment matters more than the risk of looking stupid. Whenever I feel nervous about a big momentlike writing my first book, or giving an important speechI remind myself that my why is bigger than I. Its a powerful mantra, and an important reminder of the power of purpose. Our fears are not designed to defeat us. Theyre actually asking for our attentionto orient us to what matters most. And the leaders who succeed are the ones who learn to listen to their fears, rather than run from them. Adapted from Unmasking Fear: How Fears Are Our Gateways to Freedom (Health Communications Inc; August 2025).
Category:
E-Commerce
Most new renewable energy projects take the form of massive wind or solar farms. Ann Arbor, Michigan, is trying something different: a new city-owned utility is building a local power network within city limits, made up of solar microgrids and geothermal energy installed at homes and businesses. Theyre creating a whole new model of energy delivery for a city, says Mike Shriberg, a professor at University of Michigans School for Environment and Sustainability who lives in Ann Arbor. The new utility wont replace the areas existing power company, DTE Energy. But it will help the city move much faster toward zero-carbon power. When Ann Arbora city of 122,000, with a $550 million dollar annual budgetset a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, it knew that the electric grid would be a challenge. DTE Energy doesnt plan to reach 100% clean power until 2050, and the companys definition of clean still includes some fossil gas. As the city researched options to accelerate the grids transition to renewables, it recognized the value of a distributed network with more rooftop solar. But the existing power company wasnt interested in moving in that direction. When we came up with a concept, we reached out to the utility and said, Would you be interested in doing that?, says Missy Stults, director of sustainability and innovations for the city. And the answer was no. And our response was, okay, well, then we will. The advantage of a local, distributed system The first advantage of building locally: if power comes from your own roof or your neighbor’s roof instead of traveling long distances, the system is more resilient. “The most vulnerable part of our energy system is the distribution network poles and wires,” says Stults. “That’s what a tree falls on and takes out. It’s not generation. So instead of relying on generating our energy in a faraway place that has to move across vulnerable distribution networks, why not focus on generating it in our own community? That’s more resilient. That’s more reliable.” Building large-scale solar and wind farms is also a long process. Getting permits can take years. The wait to get connected to the grid, called the interconnection queue, can also sometimes take five years or more. The Trump administration is also trying to slow down clean energy even more. And just finding the land can also be difficult. “We have more and more challenge in finding places to do large-scale,” Stults says. “We need to start thinking about all of the assets we already have.” Traditional investor-owned utilities don’t have much incentive to build distributed renewable energy. “They make more money when they build a bigger, centralized power plant,” says Shriberg. Regulated utilities make profits based on a rate of return on their capital investments. “The incentive structure for a city is completely different because you’re looking at sustainability and [consumer] costs and reliability as a driver,” he says. Of course, trying to scale up solar on tens of thousands of rooftops is also challenging. But because there’s no cost to homeownersthe city will own the solar panels and other equipmentthe city already has a long list of residents who want to participate. A new type of utility Ann Arbor calls the new system a “sustainable energy utility” or SEU. A few other cities use the same name in different waysD.C., for example, has a sustainable energy utility that focuses on helping improve efficiency. Ann Arbor will also help residents and businesses become more efficient. But its approach to adding new power generation is new. The city also considered the idea of a public utility that could fully replace the existing for-profit power company. But that approach would have been slower and more expensive. The city would have had to invest in the utility’s aging, unreliable distribution system. With the old system, “we have frequent blackouts,” says Shriberg. “It’s a distribution system that’s not working very well. And Ann Arbor determined that they want to build the energy grid of the future. They do not want to acquire the energy grid of the past and then be responsible for maintaining it. So this allows a quick way to do thatto build a new grid and a new system without the responsibilities of maintaining the outdated one.” Residents will still have access to the old utility, but can sign up to also be part of the sustainable energy utility. The city has calculated that the switch will save residents money on bills. If someone already has solar panels, they can start selling the power to the new utility and will have the option to let the city add new equipment, like a battery or more panels. (The monthly electric bill for people with battery storage will be higher, but still less than investing in a generator.) Others can sign up to get solar for the first time. The city will build microgrids in neighborhoods. As more local power is added, it will travel shorter distancesa wire could go from one house to the next. “You would be able to sell to the SEU and it would go literally to your neighbor,” says Stults. The race to 2030 In November 2024, citizens voted to create the new sustainable energy utility, approving the measure with nearly 80% support. (Michigan law helped make the change easier: the state’s constitution allows cities to create their own utilities.) In April, the organization was formally established, and last week the city welcomed its first executive director to lead it. Now, the new utility is raising financing to begin building its infrastructure. Right now, residents who want to participate can sign up for a waiting list. The city expects to begin installing new solar next year. A geothermal network is also in planning. For those who don’t want to wait for solar, the city is exploring the idea of recommending specific equipment that property owners could buy now, with the expectation that they could sell it to the city next year when the full system rolls out. Ann Arbor’s municipal buildings currently run on around 70% renewable electricity; the city as a whole runs on around 30% renewables. As the new utility races to add new renewable power, it’s unlikely to get all the way to 100% renewable electricity by the end of the decade. (The gap will be filled by buying offsets that are carefully selected to add new renewables in other areas that particularly need it.) But it’s a way to dramatically speed up the transition. Current anti-climate federal policy isn’t helping. But renewable energy is still the cheapest option for new energy. And Stults says that the city has no choice than to move as quickly as possible. “Humans are doing the largest experiment we’ve ever done, in terms of what we’re doing with our climate,” she says. “There simply is no other alternative than to move towards the clean energy future. We’re going to have to solve for this. It’s a bummer that we have another roadblock in our way but it’s never been easy from day one. So we’ll get it, and we’ll find a path for it, because I don’t think there’s alternatives.”
Category:
E-Commerce
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