Getting serious about the Capital Region’s funny business (Metroland – January 6, 2005) It takes only about two minutes for tonight to become one of those “bad nights” they talk about in the comedy business. The comedian on stage is just finishing up his third or fourth bit, doing an impression of himself as a [...]

A 21st-century spin on treasure hunting that can take you a few miles or around the world, geocaching is most loved not for the rewards, but for the journey (Metroland – September 16, 2004) John Bensetler is sliding one arm through the strap of his backpack when he notices the park’s hedge maze. “See?” he [...]

The H.M.S. Bounty—which docked in Albany last week—offers aspiring sailors a taste of a disappearing lifestyle (Metroland – November 25, 2004) ‘It’s right around the corner here,” says Charlie Adams, pointing out past the shipbuilding shop, down toward the Hudson River. “I can’t take you very close, but once you get around the building here, [...]

The fitness industry is booming, but are clubs maximizing their revenue at the expense of consumers’ rights? (Metroland – August 5, 2004) In July 2001, Jill Doris thought she had found the perfect fitness center. It was fairly new, local, and with relatively low monthly fees. Most important was that the club had all of [...]

In which a Metroland reporter strides confidently into the Republicans’ midst, and is forced to toast George W. Bush in order to make it out alive (Metroland – September 2, 2004) I’m in a bar on 33rd Street with Beverly and Hannah, operations assistants for the Republican National Convention, and I just toasted the notion [...]

As an embattled entertainment industry cracks down on campus file-sharing, students question the industry’s motives and tactics, and colleges are caught in the middle (Metroland – Sept. 11, 2003) When the Recording Industry Association of America targeted Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute freshman Jesse Jordan, another RPI student, and two students from other colleges with expensive copyright-infringement [...]

The Capital Region has been slow to ride the wireless Internet wave, but hot spot access is finally on the way (Metroland – February 17, 2005) As Anthony Hersko, Tom Morgan and I drive around Albany, a web of wires draped over the center console of Hersko’s Chevrolet Cavalier and not one, but two sets [...]

Hudson Valley author Daniel Pinkwater has been letting Web readers take a peek at his new book for free—and is now waiting to see how it will affect sales (Metroland – May 3, 2007) At a time when many creators seem to be spending as much time blocking their products from showing up early on [...]

While other cities lament their failures with similar projects, Albany pushes forward with ambitious plans for a new convention center (Metroland – March 02, 2006) Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: People of this fair but beleaguered city! Do you want all your problems solved? All you need is a convention center! Would [...]

Ten years after identifying his brother as the Unabomber, David Kaczynski talks about what the experience cost him, and what it taught him about the criminal-justice system (Metroland – January 26, 2006) David Kaczynski waited until the last possible day before traveling to his mother’s apartment. The FBI had given him three days to prepare [...]