Clever little public service move disguised as fun interactive technology. And it comes directly from the NYC Department of Transportation! It’s called “YOU THE MAN” and can calculate your blood alcohol content, connect you to car services with a click, and a little spin the bottle to determine who the designated driver should be.
Our only beef: is the DOT suggesting men are more likely to get drunk behind the wheel than women? And wouldn’t it be nice if it could actually calculate your BAC by just blowing into the phone? I don’t know if my touch and/or cognitive skills can accurately input how many drinks, how long I’ve been out and my body weight at that point in the night. Or maybe some of us need another button that says, “Sign up for AA.” Either way, props to the NYC DOT for jumpstarting this kind of app, hopefully it inspires other cities, especially those that don’t have 24 hour public transit systems or 13,000 taxi cabs.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
