It’s enough to make one nervous when you start finding these things in your neighborhood.

On a calmer note, check out the old Office of Civil Defense logo.

Apparently, New York City is losing the war against…rats. With budget cuts on the horizon, officials are worried that the rats will gain the upper hand.

At least the city managed to get this one. I found it in Red Hook two weeks ago. Of course, it could have died of old age. How would I know?

As an aside, Archie (luckily) took no interest in the rat.

UPDATE: No sooner had I posted this than I had another personal encounter with a rat. On my way home, I was standing on the subway platform when a girl screamed and lo and behold a large rat ran down the length of the platform as people jumped out of the way. Now, I’ve seen rats on the tracks before, but never on the platform itself. It brings to mind this video of a rat riding the rails — inside a subway car. Might be time to start carrying a sharp stick on the subway.

Midtown Manhattan, 1:00am

Found: Manhattan, Upper West Side, October 2010

Sometimes meaning is unintended. Here’s an example I ran across recently that couples hand written text and improper installation to create new meaning.

It’s from a panel of scaffolding on a neighborhood home renovation. Obviously, the panel has been installed upside down and the text is supposed to read, “520 W.”

Instead, when viewed upside down — and very importantly, with the specific handwriting — it now reads, “Moes”

There’s something wonderful in how the “2” transforms into a lowercase “e” right in the middle of what appears to be an all uppercase word. And the number “5” doesn’t always make a good capital letter “S” but yet it works in this case. Additionally, there appears to be no space between the zero and the “W” helping to create a single word. All very accidental and more wonderful for the fact.

Beyond typography and design, it also made me think of “Moe’s Tavern” from The Simpsons.

Mmm…beer.