Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on TwitterBe a Facebook FanTumble us!

16 May 2009 21:42

tags

Tech: Five things we learned by going to Tribune Tower in Chicago

16 May 2009 21:22

tags

U.S.: Michelle Obama gives commencement props to a tiny school

  • There are few things that are more rewarding than to watch young people recognize that they have the power to make their dreams come true. And you did just that.
  • First lady Michelle Obama • Giving a commencement speech to the first graduating class of the University of California, Merced, which is the newest school in the University of California system. Students and their families lobbied Obama to show up and give a speech, and she proved that her heart is not made of stone. See, students, dreams do come true! (This is way more uplifting that this drama.) • source

16 May 2009 21:00

tags

Sports: Girl power: The Preakness dominated in a rare win by a filly

Rachel Alexandra killed it today in her run. She’s the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924. Damn, dude. source

16 May 2009 12:56

tags

World: The H1N1/swine flu toll is rising heavily still

  • 8,451 confirmed cases of swine flu around the world source

16 May 2009 12:54

tags

Music: ShortFormBlog Saturday Mixtape: ’90s one-hit wonders

  • 1. The Refreshments are far more known now as the creators of the “King of the Hill” theme song, but “Banditos” is still an unsung classic. And lead singer Roger Clyne is still around with his band The Peacemakers.

    2. With “Brimful of Asha,” Cornershop managed to create an simple-sounding but ultra-nuanced pop tune – there are dozens of obscure references to Bollywood cinema in this song.

    3. The Cardigans sounded destined to sit next to Sixpence None the Richer on the Radio, but they were far more interesting than that. Check out “Explode,” a solid attempt at electronica by them.

    4. “Closing Time” might be a perfect example of a one-hit wonder, but Semisonic didn’t deserve the fate. Songs like “Delicious” brim with songcraft. And singer Dan Wilson later won Grammys for his songwriting

    3. Fountains of Wayne started as a pretty awesome synthesis of power-pop when nobody cared about power-pop. Eventually “Stacy’s Mom” pigeonholed them, but “Leave the Biker” is still a funny ditty.source

16 May 2009 12:51

tags

World: Russia to gay people: No, you can’t have your parade

  • The parade was planned around Eurovision. Moscow police detained dozens of people heading to a gay parade without explanation – including the two organizers of the parade. The people were celebrating Eurovision, the pop song contest that has a massive gay following and is being held in Moscow tonight. Clearly, Russia, this makes you look really good to the rest of the world. source

15 May 2009 21:39

tags

Sports: Charles Barkley is not a role model, and he’s barely a golfer

  • The former basketball star threatens to hit it towards the concession stands. Instead, he hits it towards an unlucky fan. Holy crap, he’s as good as we are at golf!source
 

15 May 2009 21:22

tags

Culture: How much money do SNL hosts make? Ask Justin Timberlake.

  • $5,000 per episode, J.T. sez. Nice gig! source

15 May 2009 20:59

tags

Tech: OK, we’re officially excited about Wolfram Alpha

This pretty brilliant computational search engine is in the midst of getting launched tonight. The hype is blinding. source

15 May 2009 20:47

tags

Biz, Politics: So, what’s next for GM’s laid-off dealers?

  • Good question. Maybe I’ll become a newspaper guy. I’ve been very fortunate. My kids are grown, college is done, weddings are done. I worry about my employees, though.
  • Chevy dealership owner Frank Videon • Who found out today that, after 53 years in the auto industry, GM was pulling the plug on his dealership. Regarding the newspaper thing: Haha, nice answer … jerk. (But we admit, we deserve it.) • source