This awesome free tool will alert you when a new rent-stabilized apartment is available in NYC
Rent hikes got you spiraling into StreetEasy doom scrolls at 2am? Same. That's exactly what pushed software dev Adam Sebti and his friend Ilias Miraoui to build RentReboot.com —a brand-new, totally free tool that notifies you the moment a rent-stabilized apartment goes live on StreetEasy.
The duo, deep in the New York City rental trenches, was fed up with sky-high increases and the nearly impossible task of finding reasonably priced housing. So, like any good New Yorker armed with tech skills and a sense of rage, they decided to build a solution.
'We got the idea for this because we got frustrated with our rents increasing so much every year and wanted to find rent-stabilized apartments, but really struggled to do so,' Sebti, 30, says to Time Out. 'We both have backgrounds in tech—Ilias as a founder and I as a freelance software developer—so we decided to use our skills to build this tool.'
RentReboot cross-references active StreetEasy listings with the city's publicly available list of rent-stabilized buildings (yep, the one that's more than 600 pages long) and pings you when a match shows up. It's not perfect—just because a building can have rent-stabilized units doesn't mean a given apartment is—but Sebti notes that you can check a rental's price history to make an educated guess. It's clearly more helpful than endlessly scrolling through the Internet.
Currently focused on StreetEasy listings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, the team plans to expand to crawl other listing sites and eventually include additional alert types, such as no-fee finds or below-market deals. No bots, no gimmicks—just a couple of renters who got fed up and decided to share their fix. And yes, the tool is completely free to use.
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Metro
16 hours ago
- Metro
The megacity bigger than Scotland where 2,600,000 cameras are always watching
Big Brother is not just watching in the Chinese megacity of Chongqing – he is everywhere, all at once. Boasting a population of 30million people, and stretching across 31,815 square miles, it is one of the largest cities in the world, and even bigger than entire countries – like Scotland. What also sets the former wartime capital of China apart is the sprawling CCTV network that operates inside. Stepping inside Chongqing, every street, alleyway and apartment building is watched by cameras. The way it works is that neighbourhoods are divided into a grid-like pattern with 15-20 households per square. Each grid has a monitor which reports back on residents' activities to local committees. A report to the Chinese National People's Congress from earlier in March offers a glimpse of how this system works and how Chinese authorities are ramping up surveillance even further. It said another 27,900 surveillance cameras alongside 245 sensors were installed as part of the comprehensive 'grid' surveillance, Radio Free Asia reported. Cities in China are under the heaviest surveillance system in the world, with estimated 626 million cameras to 1.43 billion people. But Chongqing beats even science and technology hubs like Beijing and Shanghai, with almost 2.6million cameras in the city equating to one camera for every six residents. It is all part of a sophisticated mass surveillance project, conducted by the Chinese government through Internet surveillance, CCTV and through other digital technologies. Metro spoke to Dr Xiaobai Shen, a senior lecturer in international and Chinese business at the University of Edinburgh. She's lived in the UK for more than 30 years, and in the last decade her research has focused on advancing its digital data-based technologies. The social credit system is one of these – a national record rolled out in 2014 which tracks the trustworthiness of people and businesses, in the hope of regulating and improving behaviour and reducing crime. So while surveillance, including in Chongqing, feeds into that system, it is starting to be seen as a more positive thing in China rather than an invasion of privacy or intrusion. Dr Shen told Metro about the origins of the system: 'At that time there was rampant commercial fraud, economic losses, there was government judicial mistrust, and third was public safety issues and food related scandals, like the melamine tainted milk scandal. 'You didn't really feel China was a safe place. That is when the Chinese government pushed out the social credit system, to reboot society to be trustworthy, to build a trustworthy society and get back to the traditional Chinese culture. 'In reality the system is not monolithic and top down by central government, in reality there are hundreds of local projects. 'The cameras are only one part of the surveillance technology. There was a lot of investment used to set up all these surveillance cameras, but also a real name registration system, so every mobile SIM card is linked to your national ID. 'In China nowadays they don't really have any use for cash, they always use mobile payment wherever you go, you have a mobile on you, and if you got on the bus or take a train it can be monitored. 'The people living in different communities have different needs, so what you call dystopian in China it's considered a custom service, a local administration serves the local people. 'Over here in Edinburgh if you want to wait for a pothole to be fixed, possibly 10 years, but over there you could call up the local authority and straight away a drone is sent to inspect it and then they get things done. 'Last time I came back from China, sitting in the plane, and an old woman sat by me and we were talking about something and she said 'oh well, we all know we are now naked', so she knew there's surveillance, people gradually learn and understand.' Another element of what makes Chongqing so dystopian is the way the city is set up. Its mountainous geography has forced architects to utilise vertical space and create a multi-layered urban structure. Buildings and infrastructure are integrated into this terrain, with roads and metro lines erected above ground or tunneled through slopes and even residential skyscrapers, also to maximise space. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Historic neighbourhoods built centuries ago have been preserved as pedestrian-friendly tourist destinations, standing proudly next to towering modern blocks. Chongqiang was a significant military industrial hub during the Mao era and World War II, but the leftovers from this legacy have been reuses. For example, former weapons plants have been converted into creative centres, cultural parks, and tech campuses. This has resulted in a '5D city' where different levels of infrastructure are interconnected even high up in the sky. Most transport including rivers, railways and the main roads remain on ground of lower levels. But those roads can consist of up to five levels stacked on top of each other: the Huangjuewan Interchange, for example, is a complicated five-layer intersection with 15 ramps. The city is also known as the 'bridge capital of China' as it is home to more than 40 significant bridges, including Chaotianmen Bridge – one of the longest arch bridges in the world. Mid levels feature residential neighbourhoods, public plazas and shops, while public facilities like schools are higher up. This means high-rise buildings can have multiple public entrances on different floors, depending on which side you enter from. The city also boasts 298 skyscrapers over 100 metres tall and 26 buildings exceeding 200 metres, ranking 15th worldwide for the number of skyscrapers and sixth in mainland China. To put that into context, there are currently just 12 towers in London that exceed 200m. The city is also home to The Crystal, a horizontal skyscraper which connects four skyscrapers high in the air. For the growing number of tourists, the 5D city is a fascinating phenomenon, but for residents – particularly the working class who live on the lower levels of Chongqing – it means that sunlight has become luxury. The megacity is also perpetually grey, enshrouded by a thick layer of fog for over 100 days of the year, forcing residents to live in the dark for at least a third of the year. But planners have attempted to break this up and reduce the monotony by creating rooftop public parks on top of skyscrapers. More Trending The city has been broken up into three distinct zones: the central city, satellite towns, and the rural belt. Chongqing's famous skyline and most of its economic activity takes place in the central core, but new development zones are being set up to move activity outside of the city centre. Outer districts and counties feature mountainous agricultural terrain alongside ecological preservation zones. A version of this article was originally published on May 1, 2025 Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Urgent recall of 1,700,000 air conditioners over fears they harbour mold MORE: Tourist smashes two Terracotta Army warriors during bizarre museum rampage MORE: British man arrested in the US is accused of spying for China
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Billionaire owner's brutal put-down of racing sheikh in ongoing public feud
Mike Repole shared a video of Sheikh Fahad Al Thani falling off a horse in a charity race at Newmarket after he stuck up for rival owner John Stewart A billionaire racehorse owner has brutally put down a racing sheikh after he intervened in an ongoing public feud with another rival. Mike Repole is one of the most successful owners in US horse racing. The New Yorker, who sold his drinks manufacturing businesses to Coca Cola for nearly £8 billion, poured his fortune into establishing a racing stable which has produced star names such as Uncle Mo and Breeders' Cup winners Fierceness and Forte. In the last 12 months he has been engaged in increasingly spiky exchanges on social media with a relative newcomer to the sport, John Stewart. Former Toyota production line worker Stewart, who runs his own private equity business, has spent millions establishing his Resolute Racing racing and breeding operation since 2023. The vocal Repole has branded himself the 'commissioner' of horse racing in the US who is committed to unifying the factions in the sport but his banter with Stewart has become increasingly bitter. Last year, after Stewart described Repole as 'divisive', the New Yorker responded by calling his rival an 'arrogant, free spending new kid on the block' and a 'shallow rich guy'. Stewart, who last year added the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Goliath to his string, is sponsoring races this weekend at the Belmont Stakes fixture at Saratoga. He explained he had become involved for 'for the horseplayers and the fans. Without the horseplayers and the fans the sport doesn't exist in the US.' He added: 'There are enough 'look at me' people in the horse industry that are just in it for what they can get from it. 'I believe that in order to be a true participant in horse racing you have to support the broader industry. I am not a breed to sell operation and we don't stand stallions so some may argue that we shouldn't sponsor races. 'Resolute sponsors races for the same reason we participate in stallions shares and hold free promotional events for fans and industry participants. 'I want Resolute to promote the sport and to engage with others. Of course we like winning races and we do, but we like handing out trophies to others and celebrating others success.' Repole could not resist commenting on the post, and responded: 'I have to give credit where credit is due. In the 150 year history of Thoroughbred Racing, Little John is the ONLY owner to ever sponsor more races than he has won!!!!! This is an historic and epic feat that will never be duplicated!!!!! 'I am ashamed and embarrassed to admit that Repole Stable has won over 1000 career races, over 100 stake races, Classics, Breeders Cups, won the Travers 2x, Multiple Eclipse Awards etc, etc, and NEVER sponsored a race. 'I would like to 'sincerely' apologize to my family, friends, all of Gioia's stuffed animals and the Thoroughbred industry for any embarrassment I have caused you by consistently winning races. Will you forgive me?' Rallying to Stewart's side, Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, whose Qatar Racing is a partner in some of Stewart's horses and who through Qipco has been a major sponsor in Britain, remarked: 'At least someone gives back to the races. We all have to do our part not just take.' But Repole dug up a clip of Sheikh Fahad falling off his horse and crashing through the rail during the 2017 Newmarket Town Plate. The sheikh suffered minor cuts to his head and face. He said: 'Sheikh Fahad, I will take the high road on this disappointing post, because we both know this is untrue. I am just happy you and the horse were both OK after this incident.' He signed it :'Mike From Queens.'
Reuters
3 days ago
- Reuters
Cuban students seek concessions as frustration grows over internet rate hikes
HAVANA, June 4 (Reuters) - Cuban students clamored on Wednesday for further concessions to roll back a rate hike on internet data, saying a decision on Monday to offer them discounted access did not go far enough. Students of at least one department at the University of Havana, the country's largest, called on their peers to skip classes in protest of the price hikes, which have been rebuked across the Caribbean island nation. Reuters spoke with several students outside the university on Wednesday who confirmed the calls for a class boycott in some departments. They said the situation remained tense on campus, and the issues unresolved, despite concessions on Monday from state-run telecommunications firm Etecsa that offered deeper data plan discounts for university students. Haydee Fernandez, a 28-year-old student, said the price increases were unreasonable. "I can't study if I don't have up-to-date (online) information," she said. "If it's necessary to stop classes, they should be stopped until there's a logical response to these needs." Four students said attendance appeared largely normal on Wednesday but that many students continued to threaten walkouts. Hany Blanco, 19, a first-year student, said she would continue going to classes but felt prices needed to be rolled back immediately. "The old prices were accessible but now it's gotten very difficult." Etecsa on Friday capped subsidized mobile data plans - offered for a steeply discounted rate of 360 pesos (less than $1 on the informal market exchange) - at six gigabytes, well shy of Cuba's average monthly usage of 10 gigabytes, according to state data. Prices for an additional three gigabytes soar to 3,360 pesos ($9), more than Cuba's monthly minimum wage of 2,100 pesos ($6). The price hikes - billed by the government as necessary to upgrade ailing infrastructure - have touched a nerve in Communist-run Cuba, where inflation has soared in recent years. The University of Havana acknowledged the debate over the hikes but warned in a statement late on Tuesday that it would not tolerate disruptions to its classes. Cuba rolled out widespread mobile internet in 2018, well behind much of the world. Cellphone data use on the island has soared since, with over 7.5 million users.
