COLD RELIEF -- NOT. If Chicago's cold snap eases your fears about global warming, not so fast. As NASA explained in 2010, weather like this is consistent with a global warming trend. And there's still that record snowless run -- something the Tribune's Eric Zorn rightly calls "downright creepy."
* Chicago preps for permanent heat wave (from May).
* City has official "climate action plan."
Does the cold ease your fear of climate change? Not so fast
Jan. 22, 2013New role for a former 'sexiest man alive'
Jan. 18, 2013
WE LOVE NO OTHER, SO LET OUR MOTTO BE VICTORY. A former (2005) "sexiest man alive" is headed for a new job: A seat on the University of Illinois board of trustees.
Manti Te'o hoax: Sports reporting's best ... and worst
Jan. 17, 2013
SPORTS REPORTING'S BEST ... AND WORST. Deadspin's revelation that the girlfriend of Notre Dame flinebacker Manti Te'o didn't die -- and, in fact, never lived -- is the result of reporting "better than almost anything you’ll see on any media site," according to Sports Media Guy Brian Moritz. But he says it shines a spotlight on the worst of others' work.
Facebook's new search, Obama's gun plan
Jan. 16, 2013
FACEBOOK'S NEW THING. Its search box, until now mostly useless, is about to become a lot more useful as Facebook tries a new way to keep you from ever leaving Facebook.
* And it's a little scary.
* But you can't have it yet.
OBAMA'S GUN PLAN. The president's unholstering some wide-ranging gun-violence proposals -- from universal background checks for all new gun owners to anti-bullying measures in the nation's schools.
Creators of 'South Park,' 'Book of Mormon' bank on Chicago
Jan. 15, 2013'MATT AND TREY WITH A LOT OF MONEY? BE AFRAID.' And Chicago's partly responsible for that joking warning from Comedy Central's chief, Doug Herzog, to The New York Times about the creators of "South Park," Matt Stone and Trey Parker, launching their own studio. Some of its funding will come from the roughly $1.5 million a week generated by the Chicago production of their musical, "The Book of Mormon," which the new studio may turn into a movie. Mayor Emanuel's brother Ari played a role in the deal, too.
Two gone, too soon: A Chicago radio star, and a Web pioneer
Jan. 13, 2013
RADIO STAR DIES. Just days after his promotion to a permanent midday slot with Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, WLS-AM radio host Jake Hartford -- a.k.a. Jim Edwards -- is dead.
AT 14, HE 'MADE THE WEB MOVE.' AT 26, HE COMMITTED SUICIDE. BusinessWeek's eulogy for Aaron Swartz, the Chicago-area native who co-founded Reddit, helped create the RSS standard ... and was weeks away from prosecution that could have meant 35 years in prison.
* Author Corey Doctorow: Swartz's "stunts were breathtaking."
* In These Times writer: "How Aaron Swartz Helped Save My Ass."
Homicide Watch looks to Chicago
Jan. 11, 2013
HOMICIDE WATCH: CHICAGO. An acclaimed Washington, D.C., Web site devoted to tracking murders in-depth with detailed followup coverage is expanding to Chicago, in partnership with the Sun-Times.
* Mayor Emanuel says Chicago-only ordinance could lead to statewide ban on assault weapons and high-capacity clips.
* Chicago teen drops gun in street, gets linked to shooting last month. (DNAinfo.com Chicago)
* Gawker: Yesterday's California high school shooting "proved once and for all how stupid the NRA is."
Best Picture Breakdowns: 'Argo'
Jan. 10, 2013
Three reasons I'll be rooting for "Argo" when Academy Awards are handed out Feb. 24:1. "Argo" is one of only three Best Picture nominees I've seen, and of those three -- "Lincoln" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" are the other two -- it has the happiest ending.
(Shallow cinephile? Why, yes, I am.)
2. "Argo" has a deep connection to one of the giants of the comic book world — and that's not a reference to the girth of Affleck's friend and inspiration, self-described "sedentary processed-foods eater" Kevin Smith.
No, it's the central role in the movie for comic book art that, in real life, was created by Marvel and DC Comics legend Jack Kirby ...
3. ...