Updated! The bees have been moved to Avenue B. I kid you not!

Once in a while I'll be lucky enough to hang out with him and this was an especially fun trip. Of course, it was all on the block I live, so that made it all the more fun for me.

I love how Marty builds a story with snapshots and captions. Come along on our trip to Tompkins Square Bagels and Hifi bar.

Per EV Grieve: "According to the FBI, 28-year-old Hector Xavier Monsegur, an unemployed computer programmer and father of two children, is Sabu, "the head of LulzSec, and the de facto King of Anonymous — easily the most notorious and influential hacker alive today."

Wow. This is absolutely huge, stunning news.

I was an invited guest of the always fabulous Marty Wombacher from the amazing Tripping With Marty live blog, we had our last supper at Bill's and bid our fond farewells until their new space opens up.

Here's to you, Bill's Gaye Nineties.

Pictured here is a very large "can't miss it" sign the MTA has above the staircase leading to the 8th Avenue bound (crosstown) L train at 1st Avenue on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. It's the only train here, going only in one direction, with only one platform, and this is the only entrance or exit. This train takes you to Union Square, 6th Avenue, and terminates at 8th Avenue, all along 14th Street.

Notice the MTA originally had "only" on that sign, but has recently taped over it. This got me thinking about usability of labels and what they mean to people.

Only: more than one definition?

The word only can be an adverb, conjuction, or adjective. Here's its used as an adjective. The sign appears to be often enough misunderstood by travelers, thus the MTA taped over it. But why?

1. Were enough people confused to think the train only went to 8th Avenue? If so, did they wonder where the local was?

Perhaps people interpreted the sign to mean the only destination was 8th Avenue, not the only direction. As mentioned, the only direction this train - from this platform - is 8th Avenue bound. That's what the on board announcements say, and the signs should match what is said for clarity and consistency.

2. Did people wonder how to get to the L train running in the other direction? Is that what the 8th Avenue only means? That you can't go to Brooklyn from here?

A lot of new New Yorkers don't understand how the MTA lexicon works. The MTA doesn't label things north or south or east or west. They label by the destination (8th Avenue) or direction (Brooklyn-bound). The trains rarely are ever in a due north-south or due east-west direction. I'll hear people say "Is this train going East or West?"

My Design Recommendation

Tell people this platform and train is 8th Avenue bound and 8th Avenue is the destination. The "bound" matches the on-board announcement, too.

Ordering and eating yourself is certainly a rare thing.

Thanks Chris!