Remembering Spirograph: The Toy that Made Artists of Us All

NOTE: I wrote this article for the Journal of Antiques and Collectibles in January 2007.ย  I hope you enjoy it. The most wondrous of toys are those that help us fulfill an accomplishment. We may not be able to take on Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai in a battle of bouillabaisse, but we can at least…

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The Tragedy of February 20, 1970

There are five children in this photograph, a still gleaned from a 1969 8mm home movie.ย  I am the tallest, and am standing on the far left.ย  My brother John Kennedy Miller, known at that time as “Jay,” stands next to me.ย  My younger brother Allen Michael Miller is in the middle, and my sister…

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Week 1 of the 2010 Elbo Room Trivia Tournament

Yeah, there was no way I was going to stay away from this. While everyone else who posted responses on my blog about whether or not Mayhem cheated to win the most recent Elbo Room trivia tournament, or whether there was any impropriety in one of their members also working on the Elbo Room staff,…

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Tuesday Night Trivia at “Best Damn Sports Bar in Albany”

Snow’s coming down all over the Capital District.ย  I’ve played for several Tuesday nights at Pizzeria UNO in Crossgates Mall, and later moved my game to Wolf’s 1-11 on Wolf Road.ย  But last night, all I wanted to do was get to a trivia game and play and win and go home.ย  In that order.…

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“Is that a fish frozen in the ice?!?”

Back around August or so, I had this idea of putting together a 360-degree panoramic photograph of the Lakehouse at Washington Park, from the perspective of someone in a boat in the middle of the lake.ย  Of course, I couldn’t pull that idea off – there’s no way to stabilize a boat to stay put…

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Why my upcoming art book can’t include this photo

I had hoped to include this photo of a Coca-Cola vintage advertisement, painted on this Schenectady building, as part of an upcoming self-produced art book called “Ghost Signs of the Capital District.”ย  It was actually one of the first ghost signs (faded brick advertisements painted on old buildings) that I was able to photograph for…

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Mindy and Scott and the GE Photograph – Epilogue

I’m nervous. I’ve already finished off my second glass of diet soda and a bowl of cream of chicken soup (with rice) at the Blue Ribbon diner on State Street in Schenectady. My guests are on their way. Some background information. Last week, I noticed that one of my photographs, a late night HDR composition…

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