This 1951 Mutual of Omaha duck-and-cover ad explains how to survive a nuclear attack, giving such wise advise as "resist the impulse to look toward the source of this burning brightness," "shield yourself from the flash of brilliance," and "be alert for the blast wave." Helpful stuff. ...and, ... More.
Tourist caves in the United States lean toward the disappointing—paved trails, teenage guides spouting corny dialogue, stalactites bathed in the purple stench of theater stage lights. That's why I was excited to find out about Venado Caverns, a cave in north central Costa Rica. My guidebook ... More.
Every single year for the last 60 years, a mysterious man would visit Edgar Allan Poe's grave on his birthday and leave a bouquet of roses and a bottle of cognac. Yesterday though, the man never showed up. From the Associated Press (Wikimedia Commons image): "I'm confused, befuddled," said Jef... More.
The New York Times announces that it will begin charging frequent readers for access to NYTimes.com sometime next year. Boing Boing readers, what do you think about this experiment in a metered model? I link often to stories there, but would think twice about doing so if it meant sending readers to ... More.
Last year, we all fell in sugary sweet love with the pups on the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam. Last weekend, the momma, Kika, birthed a new litter! Now we can fall in love all over again. It's, er, better than Cats. "Puppies 2: Electric Boogaloo" Previously:Shiba Inu Puppy Cam - Boing Boing ... More.
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Taking the tube without pants on in the UK would be a whole different story.
Hawt panties are hawt.
The only thing that could make watching that any more enjoyable for me is for some wingnut to post in these comments about how people have no right to mess with other people like that. So come on wingnut, I'm counting on you.
Thank God America is still the world super power in pantsless subway travel.
wrybread, I will not be that wingnut.
I love "messing with people," but I feel like large scale public actions like this can be applied to more important causes - like human rights.
Where was I just reading about that? Oh yeah... right here.
I can't help but feel what Improv Everywhere does undermines other public actions attached to social causes. Are the participants of events like these also the street protest types? How do they feel about doing both? And what about the "street protest types?" How does Ben Shepard feel about IE?
Does anyone even remotely agree with this? Or will it be like last time.
man i HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT when people mess with other people like that. they have NO RIGHT.
People walking around the NYC subway system in their underwear just doesn't make for shock value in the NYC subway system, unless you're a tourist from the sticks. I'd like to see some full-on nudity.
"Spirituality is about waking up." - Fr. Anthony DeMello
One purpose of Art is to wake people up.
This is over. Please stop, we don't care. Maybe cause I live here, but this is just OLD and tired. Maybe try this on, bunch of people get on NYCMTA and don't act like dicks (which we don't), now that's news.
Yes, naked weenises would be interesting-ish. kmoser is right. If you live here this is not interesting, it is not even annoying.
If it is an annual event, why do people, especially MTA workers, looks so surprised?
(aside: My captcha words: Mr. Godwin - oh noes, Godwined before posting...)
when I take my pants off it's a dance-off!
If it's not interesting and neither annoying, then why the fuss?
I love that the participants are wearing thick gloves - it's obv very cold. Doing it here in Melbourne, it's summertime and I believe it was about 35C that day - shouldn't be wearing much more than jocks anyway.
For the same reason I am against public nudity, i.e. there are a lot of bodies I really don't want to see naked, I am now officially against Public Underwear Day.
If nobody wore pants on the subway how much energy would be saved?
i'm still waiting on sex in public day....when that happends all will be complete!!
Actually doing this in London wouldn't be regarded differently - because we actually did it this year :) Check the account on Annie Mole's London Underground blog here:
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2010/01/inaugural-no-trousers-on-underground.html
What strikes me most is how these Americans choose to organize their time in such horrible economic circumstances of their own making. The US is occupying two countries at a cost of trillions of dollars which could be put to better use buying better health care for its citizens (I think I recall reading Doug Henwood writing that the US could have bought all American HMOs for a third of the original TARP funds which would have killed the organized opposition to universal single-payer health care), feeding the poor, building and maintaining schools, ending rampant evictions, and generally fighting corporate rule. Americans don't seem to have time to organize by the thousands for those things even though polls tell us they don't like any of them. But over three thousand of them in New York City apparently have time and the will to take their pants off and take a train ride.
You selfish Americans!
No fun of any kind until all the world's problems are solved!
Guys, it started with 7 people and grew to thousands over the decade. It's a lot of fun every year. And it's not supposed to scandalize or outrageously shock anyone, just kind of make you go "wait, what's going on?" if you don't already know.
3,000 is approximately 1/100,000th of the US population. There are plenty more than that who fight for important causes. I don't think it says anything whatsoever about Americans that a couple thousand of us got together to have fun one Sunday afternoon.
Hey you there! Put that top back on. What kind of subway ride do you think this is?
#17: Don't misstate my post as if one must choose one or the other (protest or pants-less train ride). I never said one must order one's activities: protest before pants-less train ride. And you exaggerate my list of problems into "all the world's problems" for further misstatement.
That said, the pants-less train riders would seem to agree with you on the exclusivity--apparently they're choosing the train ride and not the protesting. That stands out to me. Such organizational power, such free time, being used in another way could speak to people across the country about something important. Particularly when over 3,000 of them are meeting in a city the national media pays attention to.
#18: I think it says something about these Americans, which is what I posted. Their percentage in the population is big enough to make a statement that could be carried to many others should they choose to do so (see above). But since you want to talk about Americans in general: as far as mainstream American media goes most Americans aren't expressing objections in any organized way regarding their eminently repairable collective ills.
Once you hit about 80% pantsless in a car (like at 1:25) it's no longer a funny 'prank':
It's a bunch of strangers sitting alone in a subway car without pants on.
Yeah Chris, I'm with you! If we start having fun the Republicans and terrorists have won!
#22 You're cherry picking one example to make a generalization about an entire nation. A few examples of American's organizing: The tea party people. Obama's campaign. there's also the battle in seattle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTO_Ministerial_Conference_of_1999, the 1960s student anti-war movement, the civil rights movement, the union movement, gay rights and stonewall, feminism, California's Prop 8 protests, etc, etc.
I'm not an American and I know all this. Where do you come from?
you're thinking of BART
Perhaps there were no protests this particular 3000+ people felt compelled to attend on this particular day? Maybe every single one of them is attending a protest for something very important next week, but that's unlikely as it's unlikely that all 3000+ of them share the exact same views. In fact I'd say the only generalisation you can make about this particular 3000+ people is that they all believe it would be fun to ride the subway without pants on for a little while and it would be even more fun to do it in a group.
Here's my opinion: I think it's kind of dumb and uncreative. The only reason it's of any interest is that, hey, people are pulling their pants down en masse on the train. Yay.
I understand the whole "messing with reality" aspect, but beyond that, does this make anyone think or change their perceptions of anything? If it's just a bit of fun for the people pulling their pants down, then fine, but the "normal" people in the train are allowed to scoff.
Now the Sound of Music in the Belgian terminal, that's good stuff. How about these pantsless people coordinate something a little more interesting?
I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank JB NicholsonOwens for being the wingnut I was hoping for in posting #3.
And thank you BoingBoing for never disappointing!
This is just a networking event for the conspirators and practice organizing for the real demonstration to be held at some yet to be decided future date. The part about not wearing pants is just to divert people from its true purpose.
Partly presumptious on my part, but I'm guessing the majority of the pantless riders were not high-ranking economic or military policy members for Bush (or Clinton), and it's unlikely many were involved in developing or promoting subprime mortgage backed securities. And yes, I'm not a member of an organized political party myself, I'm a Democrat. Making people smile in an often grim city (and by youtube, in an often grim world) is a good thing. And there's of course the question, why are you posting/(trolling?) on BB, and not outside protesting?