WATCH THIS NOW // How To Fit Four Full-Sized Rooms Into A Small Studio Apartment

New York wouldn't be New York without its bountiful supply of exceptionally small apartments, but we prefer to think of these pocked-sized pads as creative opportunities rather than style crampers.

Your own place probably isn't as "cozy" as this one or this one, but if you're feeling like there might not be enough room for all of those great gifts that you've received this holiday season, this video might give you some ideas for better utilizing your little slice of the Big Apple.

In the clip faircompanies, a cool website devoted to sustainable and simple living, takes a tour of the Manhattan studio of third grade teacher Eric Schneider, who enlisted architects Michael Chen and Kari Anderson of Normal Projects to turn his place into something more than just a 450-square-foot box with a tiny kitchen in the corner. They did just that, packing the features of four full-sized rooms into the space with an ingenious design that overlaps, slides and folds. Behold, the Origami Apartment!

-- John Ruscher

WHEELS UP // Biking The Length Of Broadway + Win A Ride By Helping Out Transportation Alternatives

Have you every biked the entire length of Broadway? That's OK, we haven't come close either.

But thanks to the folks at Buzzfeed you can experience that 13-mile ride without worrying about all of the wayward pedestrians and crazy cabbies along the way. Broadway runs from the northern tip of the island in Inwood all the way down to Bowling Green, and this time-lapses video covers the whole route, slowing down to point out notable landmarks along the way. Girl Talk's "Every Day" provides a fitting mash-up soundtrack for the trip. We particularly like the moment when John Lennon's "Imagine" kicks in around Midtown.

Speaking of bike-related marathons, the great cycling advocates at Transportation Alternatives are currently in the home stretch of their year-end fundraising campaign. If they raise $600,000 by the end of the year, a local foundation has promised to match that with an additional $600,000. They're 75 percent of the way to their goal (we'd say that's somewhere around Times Square if you're comparing it to a north-south Broadway run) and they've thrown in an extra incentive for would-be supporters. Donate now and you'll be entered to win a Jamis Commuter 4 bike. Then you'll be all set for your own Manhattan-spanning excursion (or for any less-ambitious, but still relatively-high-octane urban pedaling.)

-- John Ruscher

WATCH THIS NOW // When Steve Jobs Discusses Success and Failure, You Listen

It may not be an exaggeration to say you think of Steve Jobs (at least subconsciously) on a daily basis--you're most likely either using and/or lusting after one of his products. The man was a marketing genius and we'll continue learning from him for years. In the above clip, pulled from a 1995 interview recently posted by Brain Pickings, Jobs talks in true renegade nerd fashion about the fundamental perspective one needs to foster in order to succeed.

Meanwhile, find yourself another 2 minutes and watch Jobs' crucial take on failure as well:

Now with all that said, do what you do best: Get moving.

--Layla Schlack 

WATCH THIS NOW // An Animated Look At Education And Creativity

As backers of all creative endeavors, we feel obligated to point you in the direction of this speech by world-renowned education advisor Sir Ken Robinson. It's titled "Changing Education Paradigms," and while it centers mainly around problems in modern education, it's a must-see for anyone interested in creativity, the way we think and how these things relate to the world in which we live.

And, on top of Robinson's amazing insights, the United Kingdom's RSA Animate put together a truly mind-blowing animation to illustrate the entire thing.

Grab a snack, make yourself comfortable, put on those headphones and just watch this video. Think of it as 12 stimulating and inspiring minutes that'll make up for all the unstimulating, uninspiring time spent scrolling through your Facebook feed or playing Angry Birds. A true must watch:

-- John Ruscher

GO HERE NOW // PBS's "Off Book" Shows You The Fringe

 We've loved us some PBS since back in the after-school-special days. But if you haven't been watching web series "Off Book" by PBS Arts, we highly recommend getting on it. The series does short documenteries about a wide spectrum of contemporary artists; from steampunks to hackers to typeface designers and beyond.

This most recent episode, focusing mainly on street art, is a must-see.

Watch the full episode. See more Off Book.

It opens with Olek, a Brooklyn-based crocheter ("Knitting is for pussies," she says) who creates sculptures that have been shown in galleries world-wide. Olek's done interactive exhibits at both the Brooklyn Museum and the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. You've probably seen her work around the city, and her cover of the bull sculpture on Wall Street is particularly resonant these days.

The second half of the segment is devoted to Swoon, whomyou may recognize from Exit Through the Gift Shop. Her multimedia murals are inspired by the layered texture of New York itself, giving even her gallery shows a pleasantly gritty feel, even though her portrait subjects are often happy and smiling. It's hard not to do the same at this New York I Love You redux. 

--Layla Schlack

SCIENCE SCENE // MIT Research Skylar Tibbits Explains "Self-Assembly"

For people who make things, the materials are as important as the process of constructing. So imagine if that material was animate, robotic and knew how to assemble itself. In this mind-blowing TED Talk, MIT researcher Skylar Tibbits talks about how that might one day happen--and as it were, how we do have the technology, While still a long way off, it's fodder for a whole new world of makers (and inevitably, terrifying sci-fi horror flicks.)

--Layla Schlack