Made in NYC hosts a searchable database of products made in New York City.  Designed for business-to-business there is a selection diverse as its home city, from yarmulkes to neon to tamales to stained glass.  It’s managed by the New York Industrial Retention Network, a non-profit established in 1997 to strengthen manufacturing and save blue-collar jobs in New York City.

It was kind of the N.Y. Times to throw David Bowie fans a little bone at the very end of their profile of his wife Iman. Bowie’s last tour was cut short in 2004 when he underwent emergency angioplasty.  He’s performed a few times since then, but there are no albums or tours in the works.  He tells the Times  “And I’m not thinking of touring. I’m comfortable.”  He’s continuing his hobbies of painting and art collecting.  He joined Iman at the CFDA Awards on Monday where she received the Fashion Icon Award.

In a presumably unintentional publicity stunt, a Seattle Seahawks player was caught by police entering a Top Pot Doughnuts at 3 am from a back entrance off a hallway in the building he lives in.  He was given a warning by the police and his coach commiserated “I do understand the allure of the maple bars.” Oh, and by the way, Top Pot Doughnuts are now sold at Qwest Field during Seahawks and Sounders games.

Molly Moon’s Handmade Ice Cream (with Seattle store locations in Wallingford and Capitol Hill) is taking 10 flavors for cones, sundaes, and ice cream sandwiches on the road in their new truck (blog, twitter).  They drove the truck out here from Ohio, tweeting its progress along the way.  Molly offers vegan sorbets in addition to the amazing ice cream flavors.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who seek to end their 49 year old Stanley Cup drought this week, were named after their first owner’s military unit, the 86th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Blackhawk Division. The division was named after Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk American Indian tribe.  Black Hawk resisted U.S. settlement in Illinois and led his tribe in several conflicts against U.S. militia.  The 1832 Black Hawk War bears his name and sealed his place as a tragic hero in Illinois and Wisconsin history. His name not only lives on in hockey but in businesses and schools all across the region where his followers fled from and fought against the population whose descendents revere his memory.

“Seattle Center invites the public to a Free Ice Skate on the ice at KeyArena, Friday, June 4, 12 noon – 8 pm. Free admission, free skate use and 17,000 square feet of ice.” There’s no catch here, you can even bring your own food and drink, no tickets required, 40 minute sessions each hour, walkers for beginners. Have fun!

Antoinette Brocklebank, who lives not far from Belmont Park, has been sewing jockey silks for 40 years.  Married to a jockey, Brocklebank made her first silks for family members and found herself in business soon after when word spread of her sewing skills.  She and her sister Anna Marie Miceli estimate they’ve made over 5,500 silks.  They’ve dressed Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners.  Business boomed after their black and yellow creation rode to a Derby victory on Seattle Slew.  The silks are actually made out of Lycra and the designs for New York races must be registered with the Jockey Club which allows 38 different body patterns and 19 sleeve patterns. Any color is OK, except for navy blue which can be confused with black.

Your next restaurant wine list may be handed to you on an iPad or other tablet device.  Arguing the advantages of access to an electronic database for a diner’s wine selection seems unnecessary.  There’s so much more information available than in a printed list.  But I’m sure there will be those that miss the old binders and I doubt it will replace the sommelier.

WSDOT caters to the Seattle area techie crowd very well, making use of online traffic maps and Twitter to keep us moving.  They also have a blog with analysis and background info for when we’re not behind the wheel (and they discourage tweeting while driving).  Their glimpses behind the scenes on YouTube are fun and informative.  Here’s one about how they’ve borrowed a laser retroreflectivity van from the Oregon DOT to measure whether road stripes need to be repainted:

With Massachusetts campground bookings running 16% ahead this year and 450,000 people visiting, lack of popularity isn’t the problem for family run campgrounds.  But taxes, septic and health regulations are making the campground business more difficult and a few have closed over the years.  There are families who have been returning to the same camps each summer for over twenty years. Campground owners are hoping a pending state bill will help ease the Department of Environmental Protection’s regulations.