Obi-Wan Kenobi’s “little friend”
Like many Star Wars fans, when I first saw Episode I – The Phantom Menace, I hated it. For all the usual reasons, of course. But there was one plot point that bugged the hell out of me, made me feel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bigger is Not Better
WXRT (93.1 FM Chicago) is my favorite radio station. Its morning team in particular, Lin Brehmer and Mary Dixon, are the best in the business: informative, insightful, and erudite, and hilarious...
View ArticleHow to make the perfect grilled cheese — without killing yourself
In Episode 45 of the ever-entertaining, always-informative podcast How To Do Everything, guest contributor McKay Marshall gave his technique on “How to make the perfect grilled cheese.” I found his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, et al, by John le Carré
I have of late become totally obsessed with the spy novels of John le Carré. I started with his classic The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, a paragon of the genre, then went straight into Tinker,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Canning the “smart cans” for a while (if not longer)
Earlier this week, the trash can disappeared from the street corner near my office. The only sign of its prior existence: two quartets of severed bolts protruding from the darkened pavement, their...
View ArticleHow to Ruin a Perfectly Good Ballpark, in Six Easy Steps
Stop me if you’ve heard this one… Step 1: Acquire a professional sports team that plays in an aging but hallowed and much-beloved stadium. Step 2: Declare the team incapable of financial solvency if it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Laura: Out of a Misty Dream
Watching Laura on TCM tonight… I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but… in the middle of the film, just before the big twist in the plot, Lieutenant McPherson (Dana Andrews) is in Laura’s apartment late at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Peelian Help Desk
I’ve worked in IT for more than twenty years. Along the way, I have worked in a lot of different realms: academia, government, finance, publishing, manufacturing. What’s strange is how each of these...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Get to know the real Artoo Detoo
Years ago, I came to realize that the real hero of Star Wars is not the guy everyone assumes it is, Luke Skywalker—rather, it’s that plucky little astromech droid, Artoo Detoo. I had some fun writing a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why the Mythbusters Newton’s Cradle failed
What with the Mythbusters having a bit of a mishap this week (a vast understatement by the way, and thank goodness no one was injured), folks have likely forgotten about their most elaborate and...
View Article