The Telectroscope lets Brooklyn see London

By Sean O'Neill
October 3, 2012

An amazing optical device dubbed the Telectroscope has been installed at the Brooklyn base of the Brooklyn Bridge and by London's City Hall, miraculously permitting New Yorkers and Londoners to see each other--live.

Through June 15, this art installation at Old Fulton Street at Fulton Ferry Landing will be open and part of the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge's opening. Peer into a giant copper and wood lenses that poke out of the Earth's surface, and you can see excited crowds in London waving back. Details at the Telectroscope website.

Or watch this video at CNN.com.

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China: New policies for tourist visas

Planning to travel to China this summer? The government has enacted new visa rules in order to keep better tabs on the more than 1.5 million visitors expected for the Olympic Games in August. While the new regulations are having more of an impact on foreigners living and working in China, tourists are also being required to jump through a few extra hoops. According to the Chinese consulate in New York, people applying for a 30-day tourist (L) visa must now provide proof that they have purchased round-trip airplane tickets and have made reservations at hotels for their entire stay. Here are the required documents for tourist visas: —A completed visa application form, which can be downloaded at nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng or china-embassy.org/eng. —A passport with plenty of extra pages, valid for at least six months. —One recent passport photo. —Copies of hotel bookings from the day you arrive to the day you leave. —Copies of your round-trip airplane tickets. There are other changes to be aware of. China has suspended multiple-entry visas until October, meaning you cannot leave China (to take a side-trip to Thailand, for example) and return to China on the same visa. Also, the government is requiring tourists interested in going to Tibet to fill out a form issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau—when you call the Chinese consulate in New York, a recording instructs you to call the tourism bureau directly at 011-86/891-683-4313. I don't think this form will be easy to get—China has really tightened access to Tibet following the riots there this spring, mainly to keep out foreign journalists. Lastly, you cannot submit a visa application to the Chinese embassy or any consulate in the U.S. by mail—you have to either take it to the office personally, or have a friend or travel agent do it. Visa prices have also gone up to $130 for individual applicants, and $110 per person for people applying as part of a tour group. A good source for up-to-the-minute information on visa regulations is the English-language China travel website Chinatravel.net. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL —Do-It-Yourself China —The 2008 Beijing Olympics Planner —How to Get Visas For Countries Around the World —More Do-It-Yourself China advice.

Gear: New carry-ons, Plus: Checkpoint-friendly cases

Luggage news: USA Today published a particularly interesting story this morning. American Airlines' recently announced that on June 15 it will begin charging $15 for checked bags on U.S. flights for "non-elite" passengers. This new rule means that carry-on bags are more important than ever. So which new bags on the market are lightweight, well-designed, and affordable? USA Today's Jayne Clark lists the pros, cons, and specs on five pieces of luggage that have appeared on shelves within the past year or so. (Clark has been going to the luggage makers' conventions to see new products for years and she frequently writes on the topic, so you should value her opinion.) Her implicit focus was on the needs of business travelers, I feel, so only two bags struck me as most interesting to budget-conscious leisure travelers: Skyway's Montage 22-inch carry-on weight 7 pounds--about half of what carry-ons used to weigh back in 1990. (See an image at Skyway's website.) It comes with a water-resistant outer shell, a leak-proof-cosmetic bag, lots of pockets, and an interior shoe bag. Rates ranged this morning from $54 to $70. Eagle Creek's Tarmac 22 weighs in at 8 pounds. Its expandable pockets allow you to add space when you need it. The reporter praises the Eagle Creek product for enabling you to keep your items well-organized. The bag even comes with a shoe box. The downside is that it was at a starting price this morning of $225 to $275 at online stores. But if you're the type of person who prefers to buy one bag to last a decade or more, then this might be the bag for you, given it comes with an "unconditional lifetime guarantee." See image at the manufacturer's website. Probably coming within a few months: New "checkpoint-friendly" laptop cases. Kip Hawley, the chief of the TSA, is moving toward easing one of the largest airport security annoyances: forcing travelers take laptops out of cases at airport checkpoints, reports USA Today. Several manufacturers (including Targus and Skooba Design) are designing cases that can go through X-ray machines and quickly reveal what's inside to TSA inspectors. Old bags will still work, but you'll continue to have to remove laptops from those old bags. EARLIER Try taking just one bag. An expert describes how to do it. Jaunted claims that the above expert's method is sexist. The blog came up with its own list of one-bag packing tips for ladies. Personally, I don't think OneBag's tips are sexist, and I think a few of Jaunted's tips are absurd, but I leave it for you to decide.