All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (eyeing the weekend), Tulip Festival, nanotechnology, design, Nixon, Khaaaan!, music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny and 75.

Tuesday: Sunny and 78.

Wednesday: Cloudy, mid 70s, maybe some rain the afternoon.

Thursday: Cloudy, maybe some rain, upper 60s.

Friday: Some sun, mid 70s, small chance of rain.

Weekend: Cloudy, mid 70s.

Maybe the weekend will turn around.

Tulips

Albany's annual Tulip Festival is this coming weekend (there are events Friday-Sunday) in and around Washington Park. Here's the music lineup -- the headliner on the national stage Saturday is Sliversun Pickups (around 4 pm).

See them now
If you'd like to spend some quality time with the Washington Park tulips themselves, the best time is usually in the days leading up to the Tulip Festival. So if you have some time this week, stop by ahead of the crowds.

Mothers' Day
It's Sunday. If you're thinking about taking your mom out to dinner (or brunch), it's probably a good idea to get a reservation now (if you're not already too late).

Nanotechnology

Monday: K. Eric Drexler -- the "founding father" of nanotechnology -- will be at UAlbany for a talk about his new book Radical Abundance: How an Inevitable Revolution in the Material Foundations of Civilization Will Transform the Future. Drexler is focused on "atomically precise manufacturing" -- as he explained to Forbes earlier this year:

An ordinary printer shows how digital information can be used to arrange small things -- pixels -- to make a virtually infinite range of images. By doing something similar with small bits of matter, and APM-level technologies can fabricate a virtually infinite range of products. 3D printing also illustrates this principle.

Monday 8 pm, Assembly Hall, uptown campus - free

Arts and sciences

The Stephen Sondheim event at HVCC on Tuesday is sold out.

Methane
Tuesday: Stockholm University biogeochemist Patrick Crill will be at UAlbany for a talk about the role of microbes and methane in the planet's atmosphere (methane is a potent greenhouse gas). Part of the Falconer Natural History series. 8 pm CESTM building - free

The Adirondacks
This week is "Adirondack Week" at Union College, the slate for which includes a bunch of talks about the past, present, and future of the Adirondacks.

The Nature of Design
A new exhibit -- "Russel Wright: The Nature of Design," about the work of industrial designer Russel Wright -- is now open at the State Museum. Blurbage:

The exhibit includes objects such as wood serving bowls and spun aluminum trays designed Pre-World War II as well as Wright's more experimental and innovative Post-World War II designs, including earthenware plates, bowls, pitchers, and vases.

Among Wright's designs: the extraordinarily popular American Modern line of dinner ware. The exhibit runs through the end of the year.

Film

The Wild Bunch
Monday: Proctors' AFI100 series is showing Sam Peckinpah's 1969 Western The Wild Bunch. various times - $5

Our Nixon

Wednesday: The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy will be screening Our Nixon, a documentary built from Super 8 films shot by Nixon White House aides. Blurbage:

OUR NIXON begins in 1969. While many young people are demonstrating or dropping out, we meet three squares who have just started new jobs at the White House. Their loss of innocence and their betrayal by the President is the story of OUR NIXON. Their story sheds new light on larger historical themes at a key moment in American history when the age of Aquarius gave way to the age of Nixon.

Director Penny Lane will be there to talk about the doc. 7 pm - $10 / $5 students

Khaaaaaan!
Thursday: It Came From Schenectady at Proctors is showing Stark Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, probably the best of the original Star Trek movies. There will be games, prizes, and "special Trek surprises" with the screening. 7 pm - $9 / $6 students

The Third Man, outside
Friday: EMPAC is showing the classic 1949 noir The Third Man outside on the Evelyn's Cafe terrace. 8 pm - free

Thirst
Saturday: The State Museum will be screening Thirst, a locally-produced short film about two Union soldiers from New York and their attempt to take a well being guarded by Confederate troops. A Q&A will follow the screening. 1 pm, Huxley Theater - free

Music

Monday: Foals at Upstate Concert Hall
English dance rock. With: Surfer Blood, Blondfire. 8 pm - $18 ahead / $20 day of

Wednesday: Bad Books at Bayou Albany/Hollow Bar
Alt rock band, you might have heard this song. With: Shone. 8 pm - $13.50

Thursday: Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show at The Palace
"The next best thing to seeing the Rat Pack themselves." Ring a ding ding. 7:30 pm - $20 and up

Friday: Gabriel Kelly at The Linda
A guy with a guitar and a harmonica. With: MaryLeigh Roohan. 8 pm - $15

Friday: Peter Case at Valentine's
New Wave veteran from the Nerves and bunch of other bands. With: The College Farm. 8 pm - $10

Friday: Bernie Worrell Orchestra at Putnam Den
Funk keyboardist, founding member of Parliament Funkadelic. With: Chronicles. $12 ahead / $15 at door

Friday: Patty Larkin at Caffe Lena
"[P]art of the urban-folk/pop music phenomenon that spun off of the singer/songwriter explosion of the seventies." 8 pm - $22

Friday: Indobox at Red Square
Pop-y electronic dance from Boston. With: Bujak. 8 pm

Friday: Tom Chapin at Proctors
"Pied Piper of Children's Music." 7 pm - $9 / $7 for 17 and under

Saturday: Joe Bonamassa at the Palace
Blues rock guitar star. $72 and up

Saturday: Capital Cities at Bayou Albany/Hollow Bar
Alt rock duo from LA. With: Gold Fields. 7 pm - $10.27

Saturday: Tom Rush at Proctors
Blues/folk/country singer/songwriter. And 8th Step show. 7:30 pm - $28 and up

Saturday: Skeletons the Piano at Putnam Den
Album release show. With: Linear North, The End Men. 10 pm - $7

Sunday: Peggy and Pete Seeger at Proctors
Folk star siblings. Pete's 94 now. 7 pm - $24 and up
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These are a just a few things for this week. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

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