August 15, 2013
State halts King St. demolition work, SPD officer accused of improperly sharing license plate info, renovation of vacant Harriman campus building, "total engine failure" brought down Uccellini plane
Following a complaint filed by Troy city councilman Mark McGrath, New York State has posted a stop work order at 4-10 King Street in Troy, the site of an emergency demolition last week that's drawn criticism. An asbestos assessment of the property must be completed, but the matter of who's the responsible party is still being debated. [WNYT][Record][TU]
Problems with a contractor resulted in $1,359,250 in overtime at the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance in the month of July, as staffers rushed to process a back-up of paper tax returns.[TU]
The man convicted of stabbing a state trooper at the Empire State Plaza back in March was sentenced to 30 years in prison. [TU]
"People familiar with the case" tell the Times Union it was a Schenectady detective with 20 years on the force who was suspended from his job last year after he allegedly looked up license plate info for a friend who's accused of using the information as part of a plot to firebomb the home and car of his girlfriend's new boyfriend. Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett says it doesn't appear the the officer knew how the information would be used. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The body of a 31-year old Woodstock man was pulled from Lake George on Wednesday afternoon. The man was reported missing and was found a short time later in 15-feet of water north of Clay Island in Lake George. [TU][YNN]
To boldly go where no estate sale has gone before
Laura called our attention to this estate sale in Loudonville. It offered the usual stuff you might find at such a sale: furniture, jewelry, art, yard equipment, life-sized Star Trek figures.
Wait. What?
Yep. The lineup of items includes "three life size wax Star Trek figures": Kirk (complete with captain's chair), Spock, and Uhura. (All three in their original series version. Sadly, it appears Bones didn't make it.)
The estate sale already occurred, but the Star Trek figures aren't marked as sold. So maybe there's a chance to make it so. (Oh, wait, wrong series.)
(Thanks, Laura)
Earlier on AOA: For sale: time machine
photo: J&J Estate Sales
Volunteer or mentoring opportunities for science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics?
Elizabeth emails:
Are there any local organizations that need volunteers to mentor or tutor K-12 students interested in science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics? I am interested in volunteering, but having trouble finding a reputable organization where I can have an impact. I am especially interested volunteering for an organization that encourages high school aged girls to pursue a degree in a STEM related field. And while I've got your attention, are there other organizations (any type) you would recommend volunteering for?
Sometimes having someone there to lend a hand now and then, and tell you "I did this and you can, too" can be a powerful thing.
So, got a suggestion for Elizabeth? Please share!
Renata and Mike's Troy fixer-upper
Renata and I met many years ago, when we worked at a Girl Scout camp together. Renata was the camp's arts and crafts director, and her artistic talent shines through in the Troy home she and her husband Mike are renovating.
The couple's love for their home and neighborhood is evident. The house is full of details that can only be found in historic homes: tin ceilings, detailed trim, beautiful woodwork, and perfectly-worn wood floors.
Unlike previous homes that have been featured in the "Open House" series, Renata and Mike's home is in the earlier stages of renovations, and they have some great stories about the process (just wait until you see what they found in their walls). I love how their creative vision has shaped their approach to their home, and how their artwork fills the space.
Amtrak: all-time record ridership in July
Amtrak announced this week that it set a one-month ridership record in July with 2.9 million passenger boardings, the most ever in the system's history.
Ridership on the Empire Service -- which runs between Albany/Rensselaer and NY Penn was 99,801 in July, up more than 7 percent during the same month last year. That made the Empire Service the 5th most-traveled short distance corridor in the nation during July. (And it ranks the line 7th for the whole system when you include the Northeast Corridor and Acela.)
Fiscal-year-to-date ridership on the Empire Service through July was 894,616 -- up 1.2 percent compared the same period the year before. That also ranked #5 for most-traveled short distance corridor.
After the jump, ridership numbers by line for July and year to date, sorted by ridership levels.
The bill that authorizes federal funding for Amtrak is up this fall -- and there's expected to be a fight over it in Congress. [The Hill via @RachelBarnhart]
Son of Fuccillo
Noted: Billy Fuccillo has a son -- Billy Fucillo, Jr -- and like father, the younger Fucillo is also in the auto dealership biz. He just bought a VW dealership in Schenectady. [Biz Review]
Virtually on display at Art Omi
This could be kind of interesting: Art Omi in Ghent is hosting augmented reality tours of its Fields sculpture park. From the blurbage for Augmented Reality: Peeling Layers of Space Out of Thin Air:
This 40 minute tour allows viewers to enter a virtual world and see pieces created by 8 architects for Architecture Omi. Using an app installed on your smartphone, these works are viewable in real time as spatial projections onto the landscape - marking a further integration of novel technology in our everyday experience. What we experience here is not fully virtual; what we see on our phone is what we see around us, eerily enhanced by the overlay of digital content.
*This exhibition is only viewable through an iPhone, iPad, or Android. An iPad is provided for shared viewing.
The tours start at dusk (they're aiming for 5:30 pm in August). They're free and open to the public. (Though, as it mentions, you'll need one of those mobile devices -- and it looks you'll need the Layar app, as well.)
It appears Omi has done this before, in 2011. A video clip of the exhibit (installation?) is after the jump.
Augmented reality is one of those things that gets hyped now and then -- and seems like it maybe, could be cool and useful eventually -- but often falls flat. It'd be interesting to see how it plays out in this setting.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?