November 2018 | Middling.Industries

Maureen Dowd on Family Opinions

November 25, 2018

Maureen Dowd writes this week of how political partisanship broke a relationship with one of her brothers, and how she worries politics might harm her connection to another. Since I...

Noticed

Glamour Going Digital

November 25, 2018

Glamour magazine is going digital-only. They claim 2.2 million print subscribers, but don't think they can make it in print any more? Something here doesn't make sense to me.

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Sorry To Bother You

November 25, 2018November 25, 2018

Boots Riley's crazy, semi-distopian movie, Sorry To Bother You, about a hard luck telemarketer making it big, the realities of race in America, and the bizarre price he has to...

Personal

We’re All Part of The Team

November 23, 2018November 23, 2018

I was part of a team today. This afternoon I went for my regular swim at the local park district pool. Loaded down with Thanksgiving food, it was harder than...

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Bill Gates & Silicon Valley

November 20, 2018

Bill Gates writes a hearty endorsement of HBO's Silicon Valley on his blog, saying, "If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley." His blog is great BTW. It...

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The Correspondent Launch

November 19, 2018

An interesting group of writers are attempting to launch a new national news site, The Correspondent. They want to raise $2.5 million from subscriber before they launch next year. It...

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Is Facebook A Problem

November 19, 2018

Facebook, and the amount I use it, makes me uneasy. This NYT article has convinced me that it needs to be regulated, broken up in anti-trust, or both. If you...

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Non-Profits Are Broken

November 19, 2018

This writer/activist argues that non-profits are no longer serving the greater good as a whole. i don't know I agree with the conclusion, but I've seen enough of the things...

Cities

After A Visit To New York, Some Reflections On American Cities

November 19, 2018November 19, 2018

[caption id="attachment_295" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Second Ave. and 60th St in New York City, taken by me from the Roosevelt Island Tram, which floats above the street.[/caption] I visited New York...

American Politics

Gov.-Elect Pritzker, Let’s Heal Illinois’ Cultural Rift

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018

Embed from Getty Images Dear Governor-Elect J.B. Pritzker, I write to you with serious concern about our divided state. While Democrats have won a tremendous victory in Illinois, winning not...

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Megencamp

November 9, 2018

Meg Ryan is marrying John Mellencamp? They should call it, "Megencamp".

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Queen at Live Aid

November 9, 2018

Yes, it was 33 years ago, but damn! Queen's Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium still gives me chills. Look at how Freddie Mercury pours everything into this 20 minute set.

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Slow TV

November 9, 2018

Election Day was stressful for me, as I'm sure it was for many. So I just searched for some Slow TV on YouTube and let it run all day long....

News Media

My News Diet

November 5, 2018

[caption id="attachment_280" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Fallow newspaper boxes in downtown Chicago, January 2012. Credit: Dan X. O'Neil.[/caption] Because I work in politics, friends often assume I like to talk about the...

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Smoke Filled Room

November 2, 2018

I produce a podcast at work, The Smoke Filled Room, where two old Chicago political hacks, Victor Reyes and Mike Noonan, just riff on what's going on. It's fascinating, because...

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Matt Taibbi

November 2, 2018November 2, 2018

Rolling Stone political reporter Matt Taibbi has a new book on Washington out, The Fairway, except he's putting it out in the form of a weekly email newsletter. Every non-fiction...

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Kara Swisher

November 2, 2018

Kara Swisher is the awesome O.G. of tech writers. This week her publication, Recode, went through some changes, and another tech writer used the occasion to throw some shade. Kara hit...

American Politics

A Letter To My Conservative Friends

November 2, 2018

Dear Conservative Friend, I have admired many conservatives. George Will, Jack Kemp, Bill Kristol, William Safire, and Peggy Noonan among them. Their thinking was strong and robust enough that it...