2010 Class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

A couple of months ago, I analyzed what I thought were the singers and bands that had the best chance of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. So with that in mind, my vote would include Kiss, the Hollies, Genesis, Darlene Love and Red Hot Chili Peppers, with the Stooges…

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Week 14 of the Elbo Room Holiday Tournament

With four teams already locked into the “money round” in late January or early February (honestly, this tournament and the latest Boston album are running neck and neck on which one will get completed first), it’s time for several other squads to pick up their game and try to get into the money round. As…

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Retro 6 – WRGB’s online look at its past

Let’s face it.  Of all the local television stations in the Capital District, none has a longer and more detailed history than WRGB.  As a General Electric television station, it tested its broadcast capabilities as early as the 1920’s.  It had scripted dramas and sporting matches as early as 1939.  And it also created several…

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Shooting with a vintage 300mm telephoto lens

About six months ago, I acquired a vintage Nikon 50-300mm f/4.5 telephoto lens as part of my photographic arsenal.  The original owner of the lens was an RPI student named Rachel, whom I met while both of us were “car extras” on the Salt movie.  I purchased the lens from her after the movie company…

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My attempt at Ultimate Frisbee

My Monday night Street Academy teammates (which has now grown to a clan of six, now that three other RPI students – Stefan, Dan and Tim – have joined Jeremy and Alexis and me at Revolution Hall) are devotees of Ultimate Frisbee.  For those who don’t know, Ultimate Frisbee is a very fast-paced version of…

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Albums I Want to Be Buried With: Manhattan Transfer, “Extensions”

My first memories of the pop-jazz quartet Manhattan Transfer go back to 1975, when I recall they had a summer television variety show of some success (they also had a hit song at that time, the gospel-influenced track “Operator”). But it wasn’t really until 1980, when my music teacher at the Street Academy of Albany,…

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Recalling the Schaefer Brewers Basketball Team

I recently read fellow Times-Union blogger Eric Medved’s piece on the new professional basketball team that will begin play at the Armory this spring, the Albany Legends of the IBL.  In reading the article, I noticed a small synopsis of Albany’s pro basketball history, which read like this: In the 1970’s, the Schaefer Brewers travelled…

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Week 13 of the Elbo Room Trivia Tournament

For all intents and purposes, I have qualified for the finals of the Elbo Room Trivia Tournament, and the big money prize in the final game.  However, there are still several weeks of tournament play left to go, and I find myself now in a very desirable situation. See, there are several teams that are…

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You call this a snowstorm?

Got an e-mail from a friend of mine, wondering how I was able to survive all these blizzards and snowstorms in usptate New York. I responded back, “This is nothing, we get at least two or three Nor’easters every year, you just learn to deal with them.” At which point I realized that there are…

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