A Grab Bag

Just some stray thoughts from a thinking mind:

• Polling sure has come a long way from the famed Gallup presidential polls. Harris Interactive of Rochester took time out from weightier subjects such as Iraq to determine the nation's favorite college basketball team. The winner, for the fourth year in a row, is Duke. Good sign for the region: Syracuse comes in as the sixth favorite after years of not being on the list.
• Speaking of having fun, the folks at Pictometry International Corp. must love getting up in the morning. The company's digital imagery is featured in the recently released movie "The Inside Man," starring Denzel Washington. The movie was directed by Spike Lee. Pictometry's Brian Jackson got to spend time on the set helping the movie apply the imagery. Here's a photo of Brian in the movie's "control room:"
• The Center for Governmental Research is out with a provocative new report on Albany's use of "member items" -- money provided to legislators to gain goodwill back in their home communities. According to CGR, founded by George Eastman, there are no defined guidelines for choosing which projects get money and very little oversight. There is also an issue in terms of which regions get the largest amounts -- with the Albany region reaping the greatest windfall. Read the report here.