A week ago today we learned that a very, very dear friend passed away. Janet Smith, who was also a neighbor, had staved off ovarian cancer for nearly two years. Janet was a tenured professor in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). But that’s just a title. She […]

A few years back I posted about how we often anoint wunderkinds as “creators” of a new technology. The point was that scientific and technological advance reflects collaboration, not wunderkinds. That every advancement is sort of a collective milestone in the eternal scientific drive to learn more and do things better. Right now the commercials […]

I’m as fatigued as everyone else when it comes to dealing with the pandemic. The omicron variant news made a lot of people feel like we’re starting over again. But, for a glass-half-empty kinda guy, I’m optimistic that we have the spiky little pest on the run. I know that runs counter to news about […]

Hey Y’all, Sorry I’ve been absent the last couple weeks. The first week I just was worn out … work and life had  been hectic. The second week … um, I just forgot. Even Beth forgot, and she’s usually the one that keeps me on my toes. And now we’re in holiday mode. Despite omicron […]

Major League Baseball is screwing up in novel but unsurprising ways during what should be an off season of free agent signings and trades. But the season’s not even “off” right now because it’s been locked out by greedy, depraved owners. And nothing will happen until that’s over. Baseball owners have always been thus—rich, snobby, […]