Digital Ink'd

It was only four months ago I went to see the Pop Smoke mural in his hometown Canarsie Brooklyn neighborhood. Opinions on social media and the Internet were not favorable to that mural that went up in February. There were supposed to be three murals around the Flatlands area (80th Street and Flatlands, Rockaway Parkway, and Conklin Avenue, and 82nd Street, and Flatlands Avenue) but only one was ever completed. Four months later with a posthumous debut album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon , a botched album cover art, new singles, a future deluxe album, and his alleged murderers arrested and charged, Pop Smoke's stardom and fan love have only been getting bigger. The new vibrant mural was undertaken by Hattas Public Murals .  Woo! Update : You can see Pop Smoke Mural No. II here , Pop Smoke X Mural III , Sources : 1. Mahadevan, Tara, "Pop Smoke Tribute Mural Appears in His Brooklyn Neighborhood of Canarsie", July 9, 2020, Complex 2. Sacher, Andrew, "Pop Smoke ho...

Historical Star Pin Company was first located in the Far Mill River in the Wells Hollow area of Huntington before moving to Canal Street in 1875 due to booming business and the Ousatonic dam upstream that provided crucial industrial energy. It had also used power generated by the Fulling Mill Brook before moving to Canal. The company that manufactured hairpins, pins, and eyes for clothing was founded on September 25, 1866, with a starting capital of $40,000. A hefty sum of capital for that period. In addition, it was the only factory in Shelton that was made of brick. In the early 1950s, the company even produced the packaging and boxes that held the pins. The company closed its doors for good in December 1977 after 107 years. To see more pictures of its early days, check out the fantastic book, Naugatuck Valley Textile Industry . James C. Hubbard, one of the founders and early officers of the company invented one of the first automated hairpin-making machines in the United States. In ...

Station House facing Liberty Avenue & Miller Avenue Historical Completed in 1891 the former Romanesque Revival style with Venetian and Noram Revival ornament structure was created by 'architect' George Ingram who is cited as the designer of the building. Architect Emile M. Grewe is also credited with having a hand in the collaboration. George Ingram was an assistant engineer in the Department of City Works in 1886 who was not a trained architect by trade. The building accommodated about 80 patrolmen, cells, and a stable via a passageway from the main building. Back then it was known as the 17th precinct (Originally 153rd precinct).  Entrance to the horse stable. Opening in 1892, the first detainee was John Pocahontas Smith who was arrested for public drunkness. In the 1930s it was renamed the 75th precinct until 1973 the precinct moved to the newer 75th precinct holdings on Sutter Ave. It then became the home to People's Baptist Church in...

The past of new beginnings. It almost seemed like yesterday that I could remember my first trip to Albany New York. The long three-hour cold drive up the highway. Waiting in the car as our local guide took forever to meet up with us. Venturing inside my first abandoned building . Exploring around downtown. Grabbing a quick bite from the local dingy McDonalds. The unpleasant drug-fueled essence inside the bathroom. It was an unforgettable experience that I would never forget. Dug into the archives and remastered some old photos that were unlikely to see the light of day. The Capital State The Egg Active Rail Line

Where the cuisine and customer service were lacking. Yelp reviews . I came across this sad sight on my way to the nearby Seaside Park for sunset where I learned I needed a permit to enter the park. I made a furious U-turn and pulled alongside the defunct Indian cuisine restaurant. It seemed this halal restaurant did not function very well during its two-year tenure whilst it was opened (around 2009). The property sits at a two-way street intersection in a prime location for park-goers. This property was once slated for a high-rise development but as of now, no action has been taken to proceed to that goal. Currently zoned for office and retail use many hungry travelers pass by unperturbed by its vacant status. Not even the late-night hungry hoards of students at the University of Bridgeport could save it. Before it was known as Salt & Pepper, this former place of business was originally known as Conty's drive-in. Built in 1961 and family-owned, it served burgers, seafo...

The withering dying days of another year and a new decade. I explored as much as possible this year but did not break 100 or 50 spots. So much going on in one year that time seems to melt away and before you know it it's the end of the year. Work, bills, and bouts of depression mixed in. It was an upside-topsy-turvy year. The biggest loss of the year was losing my DJI Phantom 4 drone. Just as I was getting into using it more, with new projects in mind and learning to manually maneuver without getting into the automatic settings, I lost it on a cold windswept park shoreline near the water. In hindsight, I should have packed it up and drove home. Instead, I took it up again pushed it hard toward the water, and turned. Pushing it again, I came back to shore low and fast. Before you knew it, it came in too close to a tree and reacted to the near object detection. Pulled up before I could throttle back hard it went up, clipped its rotors, and fell into the water. I had lost my...