Items tagged with 'people'
Ecovative called a "technology pioneer"
Ecovative's environmentally-friendly packaging material.
Ecovate Design, the Green Island-based startup, has been named a "Technology Pioneer" for 2011 by the World Economic Forum (you know, the Davos people). From the WEF brochure:
Over US$ 100 billion dollars of environmentally harmful foams are used each year, depleting finite fossil fuel reserves and causing serious environmental impact during production and disposal. Ecovative's technology has the potential to eliminate a significant amount of environmentally harmful foams, including the expanded polystyrene used worldwide in packaging, automobiles, building construction and consumer goods.
Ecovative has developed packaging and insulation that made with seed husks and mushroom roots. The two founders, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, are RPI grads. The company's gotten a lot of attention -- it was even name-checked on CSI:NY.
From 2008 on AOA: A (very cool) fungus grows in Troy
photo: Ecovative Design
The bindi lady
Brittany Johnson Michael -- the bindi lady.
Brittany Johnson Michael makes bindis -- the traditional Hindu jewelry worn by women on the forehead.
Brittany is not Indian, and she wasn't raised in the Hindu culture, but she's been wearing bindis and writing about them for years.
Now she's making bindis. And from her studio in Albany, her new twist on the ancient custom -- the Om body bindi -- has made it to Yoga studios and new age shops around the country.
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: Schoharie County, the Great Escape, Mountain Brew, cupcakes, breakfast, calamari, the Judge's Inn, burgeoning gentians, contractors, cookies, text books and fish.
The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center
Scott Kellogg and his daughter on the site of the future Radix Center.
Scott Kellogg wants to teach you to live greener and be more self-sustaining -- you know, grow your own food, raise a little livestock.
Hey, city dwellers -- this means you.
Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew are the founders of the Rhizome Collective, a center for community organizing and urban sustainability in Austin Texas, and the authors of The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living.
Now they live in Albany, and they're building a space called The Radix Center to teach city dwellers and suburbanites alike to do everything from compost with worms and grow porch mushrooms, to collect rainwater and raise their own fish.
Scott says not only is this possible, you're actually going to enjoy it.
NY Post gives harsh thumbs down to local kid film critic
You've probably seen Jackson Murphy, a local 11-year-old, do movie reviews on YNN. He goes by the name "Lights Camera Jackson." He started reviewing movies when he was seven.
Murphy's gotten a lot of attention for his reviews. He's won an Emmy. He's interviewed Jane Lynch (you know, from Glee). And in July, he appeared on the CBS Early Show (embedded above).
That CBS appearance set off NY Post film critic Kyle Smith. From his almost-800-word piece:
Leave aside that our latest cultural commentator is too young to see PG-13 movies. Forget the shouty nonsense he thinks equals a movie review. Let's get to the real issue: me. Am I jealous? As Jackson would put it, "Of COURSE!"
Being a movie critic these last five years has been like Act 3 of a slasher flick. What happened to all my friends?
If there are beaming 11-year-old stage monsters who can do my job well enough to be on national television, WHY DIDN'T I GO TO LAW SCHOOL?
Dude. A little touchy, huh.
Smith's piece did include this bit we hadn't known: Jackson Murphy is the son of former WTEN sport anchor Dan Murphy.
[via @Metroland]
My Exit: Leslie Stevenson
Every Monday night our friends at WEXT do this thing called My Exit -- local listeners get to come into the station and program an hour of music. So we thought it'd be fun to find out a little bit about these people and why they picked the songs on their play list.
Here's tonight's person:
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: horse patootie, a jockey on a bike, A to Z, the Altamont Fair, mall food, a caterpillar, Western Mass, the ER, cupcake trucks, and photos.
Hannah's Hope Fund
Hannah and her family
Your three year old daughter is diagnosed with a rare disease.
There's no support group. There's no foundation. There are no clinical trials -- just well meaning doctors with advice about how to make her more comfortable.
If you took that advice, who could fault you?
But Matt Sames and his wife Lori couldn't let go without a fight.
The Rexford couple has managed to bring together an international community of scientists and doctors, and raised over $2.2 million to help save their daughter and others like her.
Now the Hannah's Hope Fund is in fourth place for a $250,000 Pepsi Refresh grant that will help support an upcoming clinical trial.
Paper Sparrow sold
Kate Eggleston, the owner of the fab downtown Troy shop The Paper Sparrow, has announced on her blog that she's sold the store. Her last day will be this Friday, August 27.
Writes Kate in the post:
I'll miss my customers, my neighbors, and the new friends I've made since opening these doors two and a half years ago. Troy is an amazing place, one that I'd given up on years ago, but it has come a very long way. It's so nice to be a part of such a fantastic community with great people and a friendly, welcoming environment. I hope to always be a part of it.
She says the new owner will be keeping the shop open, with a new name and look.
Earlier on AOA:
+ The Paper Sparrow: light and sweet
My Exit: J Hunter
My Exit D.J. J Hunter
Every Monday night our friends at WEXT do this thing called My Exit -- local listeners get to come into the station and program an hour of music. So we thought it'd be fun to find out a little bit about these people and why they picked the songs on their play list.
Here's tonight's person:
Tyler White is a lumberjack
and he's OK
Three years ago Tyler White went to woodsman team practice with a friend at SUNY Cobleskill to see what it was all about. All that chopping and sawing and rolling on logs looked like fun, so he gave it a try.
Next week Tyler will compete against five of the nations top collegiate lumberjacks at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship in Oregon.
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: the Post Office, the ER, a quick exit, the winners' circle, bathrooms, the Adirondacks, a basil thief, Katrinella's, Hatties's, Beekman Street Bistro, Yono's, the racino, booze and a groundhog.
My Exit: Kizzi Casale
Kizzi Casale's musical playground, tonight at 8 on WEXT.
Every Monday night our friends at WEXT do this thing called My Exit -- local listeners get to come into the station and program an hour of music. So we thought it'd be fun to find out a little bit about these people and why they picked the songs on their play list.
Here's tonight's person:
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: home ownership, over-served young ladies, chefs, lobster, corn, disappointing beans, customer service, pizza, Saratoga, hot yoga, ospreys, Lake George and a visual joke.
The Drum Set
Check out this short film by Niskayuna high school student Alexandre Gilmet. There's a twist at the end.
"The Drum Set" won the "best film high school" award at the Ballston Spa Film Festival this past weekend. It also won the "best direction" award at the Rod Serling Video Festival, a statewide competition for high school students.
My Exit: Bobby Z & Nick
Every Monday night our friends at WEXT do this thing called My Exit -- local listeners get to come into the station and program an hour of music. So we thought it'd be fun to find out a little bit about these people and why they picked the songs on their play list.
Here's tonight's person:
Clifton Park's Claudia Braymer -- World Cup rugby player
She's 5'3" and can probably take you down.
Meet Claudia Braymer.
Claudia is a 5-foot-3, 28-year-old mom and attorney from Clifton Park.
She enjoys running, teamwork and tackling people much larger than herself.
And in two weeks, she's off to England to represent the US on the Women's World Cup Rugby Team.
A chat with the producer of the mysterious Albany movie
On location for Sister Spirit.
OK, so as it turns out, the current working title of the movie currently filming in Albany is, in fact Sister Spirit -- though you'll have more luck finding info online searching for Ass Backwards, the original title.
Molly Conners, a Capital District native is one of the producers of Sister Spirit (she also co-produced the Oscar-nominated Frozen River, filmed in Plattsburgh, starring Melissa Leo). Conners took a few minutes from the set today to answer what she could about the movie, working in Albany, and yesterday's unfortunate Hamilton Street towing incident.
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: a really old road, bow-chicka-wow-wow, the Aquaducks, Cooperstown, St. Joseph's, Garden Bistro 24, Delaware Ave, pulled pork, a sushi buffet, doughboys, adorable vegetables, Adam Duritz, Vermont, and birthday cake.
Inside the movie house on Hamilton Street
What, your dining living room doesn't look like this?
Yesterday, while we were on Hamilton Street checking out the set of that movie (whatever it's going to be called) we got a quick look inside the house where they're filming.
Turns out the 140 year old brownstone is kind of interesting on its own, even without a movie crew hanging around.
Behind the scenes with Chopped champ Ric Orlando
After New World chef Ric Orlando emerged victorious on last week's episode of the Food Network show Chopped, we thought it would be fun to get the backstory on how all it went down.
Among the bits that came up during the conversation: his zen approach to the challenges, being judged, editing, celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli's seemingly snippy comments -- and what he did with the prize money.
Woot! Andrew Gregory!
It's a sassy bird.
Today's t-shirt at Woot! -- the one-deal-a-day site -- is a design by Rensselaer artist Andrew Gregory. The design is above -- you can probably make out why it's called called "Mocking Bird". It's $10. The deal ends at midnight.
Gregory's site has a bunch of his other shirt designs -- a lot of them are clever and funny, making using of of verbal and visual puns.
(Thanks, Paul!)
Earlier on AOA: "Rub me on your butt!"
Miss New York on her pro-gay rights platform
Claire Buffie, this year's Miss New York, was on MSNBC this weekend talking about being the first Miss America contestant to ever run on a platform supporting GLBT rights.
She should probably earn bonus points for being able to do the interview while balancing that crown on her head.
From a recent interview Buffie did with The Advocate:
What did you think of the controversy surrounding Carrie Prejean at the Miss USA pageant in 2009? The question is a difficult part of the competition. I initially applauded Carrie for having an opinion and voicing it rather than just feeding the public what they wanted to hear. I feel she was forced into a media frenzy over which she did not have complete control. The difference between Carrie Prejean and myself is that this is a platform on which I have personal stories to share and I can support statistically, and I don't think she had that education on the issue to be a spokesperson. I think if anyone's going to speak publicly about a serious issue like this, they need to be completely [knowledgeable]. I feel sorry for someone in that situation.
[video via Buzzfeed]
Earlier on AOA: Miss New York supports same-sex marriage and can fix iPods
More focus of Shirley Jackson's corporate board memberships
NYT copies follows up on Bloomberg's "college presidents on corporate boards" story -- you know, the one that featured RPI president Shirley Ann Jackson.
Again, Dr. Jackson is one of the examples highlighted:
In the case of Dr. Jackson and her five board appointments, Ms. Minow says, "it is just physically impossible to do the work necessary to be a good director" on so many boards. The Corporate Library estimates that board members must invest 240 hours a year, including meetings and preparation, to do the work properly. But it can become a full-time job if the company runs into trouble. ...
Dr. Jackson would not comment for this article. A Rensselaer spokesman, William N. Walker, said she regularly worked on her board duties through vacation and on weekends. As proof that she was not being distracted from her Rensselaer duties, he cited the hiring of more than 270 new faculty members, $700 million in construction and renovation including four new centers on campus, and a $360 million anonymous donation in 2001 as part of a $1.4 billion capital campaign. Her networking at I.B.M. paid off by helping to bring a $100 million supercomputer to the campus in partnership with I.B.M. and New York State, he said. In June, Rensselaer's board of trustees voted to give Dr. Jackson another 10-year term.
Earlier on AOA:
+ Does Shirley Jackson have too many jobs?
+ RPI's Jackson tops compensation chart
EMPAC, which is a part of RPI, advertises on AOA.
My Exit: John Gleeson
Every Monday night our friends at WEXT do this thing called My Exit -- local listeners get to come into the station and program an hour of music. So we thought it'd be fun to find out a little bit about these people and why they picked the songs on their play list.
Here's tonight's person:
... said Anonymous about The Albany metro area is "brainy"