All Over Albany

Proof that the peanut butter egg is better than the peanut butter cup

Friday morning on AOA's Facebook page we blithely asserted that the Reese's peanut butter egg is vastly superior to the peanut butter cup. And while there were some who agreed with us, we did later in the day realize the error of our ways.

We didn't have data to support our claim.

So, because it's Friday afternoon, here is definitive proof that the peanut butter egg is better than the peanut butter cup.

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Leg up

Because it's Friday at 4:30 pm: here are 12 seconds of a baby goat trying to climb up onto a couch at a recent Modern Farmer photo shoot. The kid is from Skipping Goat Farm in Westerlo.

Modern Farmer is a new publication based in Hudson. It's releasing its first issue in April.

Happy Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day we thought we'd whip up something fluffy: a little infographic of local bits related to holiday, love, and attraction.

Among the bits: the number of single people, the price of roses, Ferris Wheels, engagement rings, and... Craigslist.

It's after the jump.

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Traces

For no other reason than we like the way they look: photos of the traces recently left by ice skates on Albany's Buckingham Pond.

Here's a set of five in large format.

Earlier on AOA: Tiny, frozen bubbles

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A future timeline of Watson at RPI

IBM announced this week that RPI will be getting a modified version of Watson, the artificial intelligence system that famously put the beatdown on human players on Jeopardy. Blurbage from RPI press release:

The arrival of the Watson system will enable new leading-edge research at Rensselaer, and afford faculty and students an opportunity to find new uses for Watson and deepen the systems' cognitive capabilities. The firsthand experience of working on the system will also better position Rensselaer students as future leaders in the areas of Big Data, analytics, and cognitive computing.

This is a big deal because systems like Watson -- along with other stuff like Siri, and Wolfram Alpha -- are both the future and The Future (you have to say it while looking off into the distance). They hold the promise of helping people make sense of the torrents of data all around us.

Now, via a flashforward, a future timeline of Watson at RPI.

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You didn't actually ask, but...

It's that time of year.

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via an autocomplete url, feed reader, share, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

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Hipster Henry Hudson

We started goofing around today with @AlbanyArchives about the idea of Hipster Henry Hudson. It was prompted by AA's note about the Hudson River's name before, you know, the Half Mooning. Anyway:

@AllOverAlbany: "I'll be exploring the Grande River. It's in America. Very obscure. You probably haven't heard of it." #hipsterHenryHudson

@AlbanyArchives: "The Dutch offered me a Full Moon but I turned them down. Told them I'd only take half." #hipsterHenryHudson

@bdiddy100: "You know I had the first horn-rimmed spyglasses." #hipsterHenryHudson

And then Albany Archives created the image on the right.

Sometimes you just need a hipster portrait of a famous explorer to get you through the day.

Roll your own: AA has posted a blank version of the hipster Henry Hudson image if you'd like to your own Hipster Hudson quote. And here's one by @Bullmooser12.

You didn't actually ask, but...

This Washington Ave, it extends.

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via an autocomplete url, feed reader, share, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

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The manhole cover is looking back at you

Oh, you surprised me!

Because it's Friday: We came across this manhole cover on the Harriman State Office Campus recently while walking Otto.

It made us smile.

How to win a mayors race

A rare time out from the intensity of the race for (left to right) "Gary McCarthy," "Lou Rosamilia," and "Jerry Jennings."

While many politicians are just gearing up for the fall elections, some Capital Region politicians have been at it since the beginning of summer.

The nightly mayors race at the Tri-City ValleyCats games have kept Albany mayor "Jerry Jennings," Troy mayor "Lou Rosamilia," and Schenectady mayor "Gary McCarthy" in peak political shape.

Hardened with the fire of intense competition, honed to a razor sharp edge by experience, the three mayors now graciously offer some tips to other local politicians on how to win...

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What would you call a New York State without New York?

Hudson?

Today's (more than) somewhat ridiculous question: If New York City and the rest of the state divorced, what would you call the rest of the state?

This question came up during a conversation recently (obviously a very serious discussion). It was quickly decided that New York City would retain the name New York State. But what about parts upstate?

And would "upstate" even decide to stay together? We could see Upstate West and Upstate East also deciding it wasn't worth it to stay together. (It's a pop/soda thing.)

Yes, all very important questions.

Long Island: We're just assuming that Long Island would stay with NYC -- but a few years back there was legislation introduced proposing a study of possible Long Island secession. (insert your own joke here)

You didn't actually ask, but...

So many questions...

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via a bookmark, feed reader, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

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TulipVision

Virtual flowers never wilt.

Tulips are past their prime? Still wish you could enjoy the blooms now? There's an app for that.

Introducing TulipVision, the world's first augmented reality app for tulips.

Using an iPhone, iPad, or Google Glasses, TulipVision inserts digital tulips into your field of vision in the spaces occupied by empty flower beds.

This is just version 1.0 -- future versions are planned to include a number of TulipFest-related features.

Future directions:
+ Audio capability to swap out music from the festival band for a band you think is cooler
+ Facial recognition for ID'ing people caught peeing on your street
+ Elected official tint adjustment
+ Fried food booth mapping

Yes, this is a joke.

The AOA tournament pool

We figured it'd be fun to set up an NCAA tournament pool for AOA people. So we did.

The pool is set up on Yahoo. This link should take you to the registration. But if not, here's the info:

Group ID#: 147896
Password: greatdanessaints

If you already have a bracket set up at Yahoo, you should be able to add it to the AOA pool with just a few clicks.

To make things (only somewhat) more interesting, we'll give the winner of the pool a $25 gift certificate to the Recovery Room.

The deadline to set your bracket is 12:15 pm on Thursday. (The new "first four games" -- or whatever they're called -- aren't included. Thankfully.) Good luck.

'Cuse: Syracuse is the #1 seed in the East bracket. The Orange play UNC-Asheville Thursday at 3:10 pm. The game will be on TruTV. You can also watch it online.

You didn't actually ask, but...

Karner Blues hang with a notoriously tough crowd. (We might have made that up.)

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via a bookmark, feed reader, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

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AOA valentines 2012

Using only scissors and a glue stick, we've made a new batch of AOA valentines for this year's Valentine's Day.

That's one of them on the right. A full size version, plus a few more (including one returning from last year), are after the jump. Please feel free to copy/email/facebook/tweet/pinterest as you like.

Happy Valentine's Day.

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You didn't actually ask, but...

Drinkable?

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via a bookmark, feed reader, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

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Stop. No, really.

In case you were thinking this is one of the optional stop signs.

We had a laugh this week after seeing this sign at the Price Chopper Plaza in Slingerlands.

Cities and towns as puzzle pieces

Here's something to burn off the rest of your Friday afternoon:

Can you guess Capital Region cities or towns by their geographic shape?

A handful are after the jump.

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You didn't actually ask, but...

There are many things in that bucket. Hope is not one of them.

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via a bookmark, feed reader, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

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How to survive the zombie apocalypse in the Capital Region

The ESP: wide open space to spot zombies -- but also few places to hide.

From everything we've been seeing, it's basically only a matter of time before the zombie apocalypse is upon us (it would explain a lot). And, if you're anything like us, you're totally unprepared.

But fear not, fair citizens. We have drawn on the wisdom of your fellow Capital Region residents to compile a quick primer on how to survive the zombie apocalypse here.

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New York's First Lady-friend, between takes

So, that might answer a few questions about her... cupcakes.

Possibly not safe for work.

[via Buzzfeed]

Earlier on AOA: A handful of items about Sandra Lee

An exclusive interview with Ryan Gosling's motorcycle

You might have seen one or two stories about the The Place Beyond the Pines shooting around Schenectady, and sightings of the film's star, Ryan Gosling.

Well, we weren't able to get an interview with Gosling. But we were able to land the next best thing: a few minutes with his motorcycle -- about the film, Gosling, and Schenectady...

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The color of Albany

There's a site called the "The Color Of," which pulls photos from Flickr and combines them to determine the "color" of something. So we plugged in "albany, ny."

It kind of has a nice impressionistic vibe going for it. And if you lean back, you can sort of see what looks like the ESP.

This idea reminds us of research done about 10 years ago to determine the color of the universe. (It's beige.)

[via Swissmiss]

Earlier on AOA: The Egg as text

You didn't actually ask, but...

Including a geography question involving the Twin Bridges.

Believe it or not, there are some people who don't visit AOA via a bookmark, feed reader, irresistible urge, or unconscious habit. (Yes, shocking, we know.) Many of these people come in looking for something via Google -- and sometimes we can't help but take notice of what they're looking for.

Well, as you know, we like to help. So even though you didn't actually ask, here's the (an) answer...

(there's more)

Capital Region news stories that would be better as TV shows

Veronica would have cracked this yearbook case, no problem -- all while solving Lilly Kane's murder.

We joked this morning that the Saratoga High School yearbook story would have been better as a Veronica Mars episode.

This got us thinking about other Capital Region news stories that could be better as TV shows...

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