ChicagoScope Podcast

TESTING TYPEPAD FOR iPHONE

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:50:00 GMT

Next week, I'll be on vacation in Colorado and am planning on posting photos and videos of interesting sights in the eastern part of the state. I might even make it up to Cheyenne Frontier Days for half a day.

I had hoped to accomplish all this by remotely updating my new blog, Thrillarama.com, but so far I haven't been able to get TypePad's iPhone application to upload photos at the quality level I want. I've contacted the good folks at TypePad and am hoping there's something I've overlooked, since otherwise this is a pretty nifty application.

POLAROID POGO A NO-GO FOR iPHONE

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:41:00 GMT

While I think that Zink technology has promise, the fact that Polaroid's PoGo won't work with iPhone speaks reams. That it's incompatible with a product that thousands of people are willing to stand in line for hours to buy shows how out of touch Polaroid has become.

But thank goodness that Polaroid's leash holder, Petters Group Worldwide, has taken the pulse of Young America. Follow the misadventures of Michael and Megan, those hip and crazy PoGo spokespeople who are on a "wild and wicked road trip across America."

Like, totally awesome, dude!

DEATH RIDES A SPONGE, THEY CALCULATE

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 06:28:00 GMT

Slide rules, calculators and the new iPhone. I'm thinking about these things right now.

It all started because I needed to buy a new scrubber sponge. I'd grabbed the first sponge at hand the other day when more than a few areas of the bathroom needed some attention.

And then I tossed that sponge back into the kitchen sink. Last night, I stood there merrily scrubbing plates when I realized, damn, this is the same sponge that last night had biblical knowledge of the toilet rim.

The fascinating website Hidden Dangers Revealed has this to say about kitchen sponges and dishrags:

Some sponges have enough bacteria to cause serious gastro-intestinal distress. A bacteria filled dishrag used to dry dishes could actually be transmitting a host of bacteria to the dry dishes, which could make you sick the next time you use them.

Holy moly, huh? I can't begin to imagine what they'd say about using a toilet sponge to scrub pizza off your plates.

So, I set out this afternoon to buy a new sponge. First stop: The Ace Hardware store near Milwaukee and Lawrence avenues about two blocks from Chez ChicagoScope. To my chagrin, the store is closed -- and, apparently, has been for several months. I guess I never managed to figure this out because displays remain in the front windows and the place is still filled with inventory.

A major clue should have been the signs in the windows offering "space for lease," but I assumed that, like the Foot Locker situation that I'll get to in just a moment, that there was unused square footage that an independent locksmith or such might use.

Well, duh.

This building used to house the Jefferson Park Woolworth's, and ever since it shut down about 10 years ago, the space has been cursed. First, the space became a Foot Locker store, probably because Foot Locker is the surviving Woolworth vestige. Trouble is, the store always looked pathetic because they only utilized about a third of the available space. As a result, it gave the impression of a desperate retailer on its last legs, which isn't the case with Foot Locker at all, as the the operation is quite successful in other locations.

Then, a couple of years ago, Foot Locker pulled out and Ace Hardware moved in. I had high hopes when this happened, since I hoped that it signaled a revitalization of the entire Jefferson Park commercial district. But that didn't happen.

So, I walked up the street a block and bought the sponge at the CVS drugstore. By the way, there are two CVS drugstores within two blocks of my place. I can't imagine how this makes any market sense, but CVS has always done things that I can't comprehend. Not the least of these is the sucky design of their checkout stations.

Instead of designing their stores with separate checkout lanes, CVS puts all of their clerks behind one central counter at the front of the store. This might be OK if customers were steered into queues like at airline checkins or banks, but CVS actively discourages this by placing impulse-purchase merchandise at the checkout area -- including most candy. This only encourages jerks to jump ahead in line.

I've complained about this to several CVS managers and they confirm that the stores' checkout procedure is customers' No. 1 beef and they can't do anything about it.

But back to the sponge saga. To get to the housewares aisle at CVS, I had to walk past office supplies, and I paused to look at a display of electronic calculators. Most were made by Casio, and even the most expensive scientific model cost less than $20. This was sure a change from when I was in high school. In those distant times, you still wielded a slide rule unless you were one of the few kids whose family was wealthy enough to pop for one of the new electronic calculators -- which cost several hundred dollars at the time.

I had a pretty good slide rule, though. Dad drove me over to the University of Colorado at Denver's bookstore, where he bought me a circular slide rule. I was disappointed because it didn't look much like a "real" slide rule. My definition of a real slide rule, of course, was one of those higher-end Pickett models resplendent in bright yellow lacquer.

But the circular slide rule did have a major advantage: It didn't get knocked out of alignment if dropped, a big consideration during tests in math-heavy PSSC Physics. (This was the only class in which I ever earned an "F" -- but that's another story.)

I used my little circular slide rule for 20 years almost daily in my job. I didn't calculate engineering projects or check calculus results or anything like that. I simply used it to specify enlargement or reduction percentages for photos and graphics at newspapers.

Today, I perform such calculations within Photoshop or InDesign, or on the iPhone's nifty calculator. But I still have that circular slide rule tucked away in a closet somewhere around here. I wonder if I still know to use it.

I also wonder whether I managed to smear feces onto the plates used for last night's dinner -- and whether I'm going come down with food poisoning. I'll keep you posted.

Learn more about slide rules:

Eric's Slide Rule Site

The Oughtred Society

Vintage Instruments: Slide Rules and More

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

ROUND UP THE USUAL SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 05:03:00 GMT

Today at work I needed to fact-check a reference to lyrics from "As Time Goes By," best known from its use in the classic motion picture "Casablanca," and discovered something pretty profound: This song's introduction is actually about Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity. Check it out:

This day and age we're living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.

Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein's theory.
âSo we must get down to earth at times
âRelax relieve the tension
And no matter what the progress
âOr what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed.

You just don't encounter a lot of song introductions these days. It wasn't until several years ago that I even heard the intro for "White Christmas," which is about being in Southern California is December -- which is why the singer is dreaming of a white Christmas.

Thanks to iTunes, I discovered another musical delight recently. I was searching for "El Paso," the classic Western ballad by Marty Robbins and, yeah, I also saw "El Paso City" -- but also for sale was an incredible song I'd never heard before: "Feleena (From El Paso)." This amazing song tells the "El Paso" saga from Feleena's viewpoint and is guaranteed to evoke an almost-operatic cascade of emotions from anyone like me who loves the original.

You surely know the tragic ending of the "El Paso" story, so I'll risk a spoiler by quoting my favorite set of lyrics from "Feleena (From El Paso)":

Feleena knelt near him,
To hold and to hear him
When she felt the warm blood
That flowed from the wound in his side.
He raised to kiss her and she heard him whisper,
"Never forget me, Feleena. It's over, goodbye."
Quickly she grabbed for the six-gun that he wore
And screaming in anger and placing the gun to her breast,
"Bury us both deep and maybe we'll find peace,"
Then pulling the trigger she fell cross the dead cowboy's chest.

Time is the reason you might not have heard "Feleena (From El Paso)." The song clocks in at 8 minutes, 19 seconds, so it doesn't get much airplay.

There's also an internal time problem in the "Feleena" song itself. In the original "El Paso," the young cowboy apparently spent some time in the badlands of New Mexico, yet in "Faleena," he tragically returns the next day.

Or maybe, as Einstein might say, it's all relative.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

"THE INVADERS" STILL GIVES ME THE CHILLS

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 02:54:00 GMT

Michael "Klaatu" Rennie leads the way as his alien henchmen escort David Vincent toward a flying saucer that has conveniently landed in the back yard.

When I was a kid, I loved the outer-space adventures of the original "Star Trek" series, which I found entertaining and thought-provoking. But another series at that time managed to scare the living bejeezus out of me -- and still does.

That program is "The Invaders," introduced each week with an ominous opening sequence:

The Invaders: Alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination: The Earth. Their purpose: To make it their world. David Vincent has seen them. For him it began one lost night on a lonely country road looking for a shortcut that he never found. It began with a closed, deserted diner and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey. It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy. Now David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form. Somehow, he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun.

The show's first season is now available on DVD and I've been watching "The Invaders" with new appreciation. Unlike a lot of series from that era, it sure holds up. The few effects are done well and the attention paid to lighting, music and art direction rivals that of many contemporary theatrical films.

Cloned from Quinn Martin Productions' "The Fugitive," this show follows "architect David Vincent" -- played by 29-year-old Roy Thinnes -- that's him then and now, at right. Although he gains allies in the second season, Vincent initially leads a desperate, one-man campaign to expose the vanguard of an alien invasion. The aliens themselves are among the reasons why the series proved so frightening to people. They're only shown in their human forms, which often aren't 100 percent perfect, and can be identified usually -- but not always -- by a misshapen pinkie finger.

To maintain their human shape, the invaders must periodically step into regeneration tubes. Only occasionally, a human gets to see one in its actual native form. Those who do often are driven to the point of madness.

And although within the context of the series these humans see the invaders, viewers never do. We see only the humans' terrified reaction to these aliens, which makes their presumed appearance all the more terrifying.

Almost as terrifying are the ways in which the invaders infiltrate human society. They're small-town sheriffs, government officials, leading scientists -- and in one notable episode even a stripper played by Suzanne Pleshette. It's a rich vein of paranoia later mined to similarly chilling effect by "The X-Files."

Although it's difficult to believe these invaders are here from "another galaxy," they've definitely come a long way to get here and their resources are being stretched to near the breaking point. Their most effective weapons are seldom a large scale effort, but rather treachery, brainwashing -- and a nasty little disk that when pressed to a human's neck induces death by cerebral hemorrhage.

But the biggest problem facing David Vincent is that it's next to impossible for him to prove that the invaders are here because when one is injured or shot, they just about always go up in a blaze of spontaneous combustion.

Most of the episodes in this set have been transferred in crisp color and with a rich soundtrack that allows Dominic Frontiere's chilling musical score to properly frost your spine. Roy Thinnes, now 70, introduces each episode and is also featured in a supplemental interview in which we learn that some of the show's crew thought UFOs were no laughing matter.

Series creator Larry Cohen narrates much of "The Innocent," which, although he didn't write it, is his favorite episode. Cohen offers up some interesting stories, but his narrative tends to wander. And he also gripes way too much about how his "Created by Larry Cohen" credit is at the end of each episode rather than at the beginning. Larry: If it's any consolation, I noticed and remembered it. So much so that when I saw "It's Alive," "Q" and "The Stuff" years later, I thought wow, this is by the guy who created "The Invaders"!

Genre fans will especially enjoy "The Innocent," which was originally telecast March 14, 1967. It's not hard to see why Cohen counts this episode among the best. In it, Vincent is abducted and taken aboard a flying saucer by one of the invaders' leaders -- played by Michael Rennie, famed for his portrayal of Klaatu in the seminal saucer movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

This episode illustrates how "The Invaders" sparingly used special effects to such advantage. Vincent is driven to a mission revival ranch house and taken to see Rennie -- and then he's escorted into the back yard where he's manhandled into the saucer. It all plays out so matter of factly that you'll think they were stuffing him into a Lincoln.

The saucer design itself no doubt tapped into its own wave of paranoia. Obviously inspired by the spacecraft reported by 1950s contactee George Adamski, it was in a way the series co-star, a character that all of us hoped to see more of than we did.

Perhaps the saucer's best appearance is in "The Mutant," which finds David Vincent tracking down reports of a crashed saucer in the Desert Southwest. The scene in which he stumbles upon aliens repairing their saucer does a great job of laying the early groundwork for vectoring the Roswell legend.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

THAT BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH IS BILL KURTIS

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 23:03:00 GMT

I'm not easily offended -- and, in fact, I'm not offended by this AT&T commercial in which the fate of Amelia Earhart is milked for humor. However, I am disappointed that Bill Kurtis didn't think this commercial was in poor taste. I mean, regardless of how this courageous aviator died, it had to have been horrifying.

So, no, I'm not offended. I just wish that Kurtis, who has in many ways been a communications visionary, had communicated to AT&T's commercial jesters that this spot simply isn't funny.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

CAKESTERS: SOME FOLKS LOVE 'EM

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 01:52:00 GMT

Hot on the heels of taste-testing Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Crackers, I sampled another new product, Nabisco's Nilla Cakesters.

Nilla Cakesters feature a couple of soft vanilla wafer cakes with vanilla frosting or creme or whatever in the middle. What's interesting to me is that Nilla Cakesters are based on an eating activity that nobody likes to admit doing: Dipping Nabisco Vanilla Wafers into a can of pre-made vanilla frosting. It's sort of like dessert chips and salsa.

To me, this product doesn't measure up to the homemade version and it was all I could do eat one of the things. However, opinion at my workplace among colleagues cajoled into performing a taste test seemed evenly divided. But even those who really liked Nilla Cakesters agreed that they don't taste as good as good as Oreo Cakesters. (These treats apparently are the coming thing; check out the Cakesters website.)

The big surprise was when one co-worker refused my offer to try a Nilla Cakester. Turns out she loves the things and had already eaten three packs -- that's six Cakesters total!

Check out the how Nilla Cakesters fare in tests over at The Impulsive Buy, ColuMn and gen[M]ay.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

TWITTER: A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP?

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 20:18:00 GMT

This weekend, I had planned on honing my Twitter skills in preparation for launching ChicagoScope2.com later this month -- but the darn thing seems to have imploded. Granted, Twitter is free and at some point you get what you pay for, but the question for me is whether the service is going to be reliable.

And by "reliable," I'll go ahead and show my age by suggesting that a great definiton of reliable is what the phone company gave us in, say, 1968. Even during the Colorado snowstorms of my youth that closed roads and schools and caused lights to flicker, our phone still worked.

Sadly, that's not the case now. In my Jefferson Park apartment building, landline phone service is dicey at best. Whenever it starts raining or snowing, calls bleed through to one another until the line apparently is saturated -- and then everything goes back to normal. When the line begins to dry out, there's a repeat performance.

Complaints about this ~~problem~~ issue invariably ignited a Yalta Conference about who owns the defective line, where it connects, whether the punchdown board is involved, etc., etc., etc.

I experienced similar ~~problems~~ issues with Vonage. It just wouldn't work reliably. The only positive from the experience was that when the digital line would cut out, the person talking on the other end often wouldn't realize they were talking to themselves until they came up for air -- in the case of one friend, that would be minutes.

Of course, much as I enjoy the Slowsky commercials, Comcast hasn't exactly been a paragon of reliability for me, either. I know more than a few people who are looking forward to bona fide competition.

Maybe that's what Twitter needs. When you have a free service, can uptime be anything other than a free-for-all?

By the way, does anybody know how Twitter makes money? The best guess I heard awhile back is that they get a cut of the SMS message fees that users' service providers charge, but I haven't read much about that theory lately.

I'd be more than willing to pay for a more-robust Twitter experience. An annual rate of $25 a year (that's what I pay for Flickr Pro) would be acceptable.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

KRAFT MAC & CHEESE CRACKERS, ETC.

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:39:00 GMT

(Recorded on a Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Digital Elph while standing under the eaves of that building at left in the above photo of Jefferson Park.)

Nope, we're not headed to the Taste of Chicago. The Taste can be kind of fun, but it's also a real headache to get to and you have to battle thousands of other people.

I'd say you need to embrace the hustle and bustle to fully appreciate the Taste. Sort of like how to tolerate alfresco dining, you need a high tolerance of carbon monoxide and pedestrian stares. That's a topic worthy of an entire podcast. I can understand how diners might enjoy having a meal in a secluded garden or a quiet courtyard -- but too often here in Chicago, alfresco dining means some eatery merely has jammed a dozen tables out on the sidewalk.

Bugs, carbon monoxide, allowing total strangers to waltz by and look at what you're stuffing in your pie hole. And this is a good thing? Mm-mm-good, huh?

Speaking of things that sound like a good thing but often aren't, let's talk about one of my favorite culinary topics: macaroni and cheese. I've always maintained that although Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner is the gold standard against which all other such dishes are judged, the amount of powdered cheese provided just isn't enough. In fact, ever since I was a kid, I've always added extra cheese when I cook up this favorite comfort food.

The other day while shopping in the Walgreens across my office, I noticed a new product: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Crackers. I bought a box and gave it a try.

Verdict: Not cheesy enough. And a few others at work reached the same conclusion. Please note this was the regular version -- imagine how noncheesy the "mild" version is. One colleague even compared the crackers to Cheese Nips, another Kraft brand.

I'm a loyal consumer of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, but I can't get too excited about these cracker knockoffs.

In this podcast, I also talk about finding a really cool site while Googling for reviews of Carrara, an affordable CGI application. One link led me to a site promoting a proposed TV series called "Atomic City" featuring the adventures of Phil Velvet, an Elvis lookalike private eye in a kitschy, retro-future re-imagined Las Vegas.

I'm not sure just why I like the site, but I must have watched the video clip several dozen times now. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Finally, what with the ascendency of digital imaging, chemical analog photography seems destined for retro status. Yet, even as I embrace digital, I find myself clinging to film photography. In fact, some of the best work I've done of lately has been with the Holga -- which is just about as analog as you can get.

Whenever I want to reinvigorate my excitement for analog photography -- or for photography in general -- I like to check in at Filmwasters, which serves up galleries by its five founders, as well as links to other photo-related sites. But the highlight for me is the Filmwasters podcast.

Well, that's it for now. Look for some episodes next month from Colorado, plus a special podcast with Dick about geocaching.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

HOW TO CREATE A PODCAST USING ONLY A DIGITAL POINT & SHOOT CAMERA

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 05:33:00 GMT

Despite my sad devotion to that ancient religion of silver-based analog photography, I've found a nifty little digital camera that I've been carrying with me everywhere of late.

My new friend is the Canon PowerShot SD950 IS. It takes still images up to 12.1 megapixels in resolution and also records high-quality video that isn't too shabby.

I hadn't even intended to record a podcast that day. My goal was only to test the SD950 in macro mode on some flowers in Jefferson Park. (See the example at right.)

While playing with the menu, however, I discovered a feature that will come in handy for real run-and-gun podcasting: The SD950 can record reasonably good audio. So, I decided to use the camera's digital voice recorder to create this podcast.

I recorded the sound as I stood next to the flowering tree whose pink flowers I'd just photographed. (The background noise is from traffic on Lawrence Avenue.) We're not talking high-quality sound, but it's acceptable enough to get the job done.

That job involved a totally on-the-fly reminiscence about my grandfather's observation that "the vegetable kingdom does not waste time."

And, indeed, it does not.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

WHY THE LEVEE FAILURES WERE SO CATASTROPHIC

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 02:02:00 GMT

On a recent work-related trip to New Orleans to attend the National Cartoonists Society convention, I joined with more than 100 other attendees to help with Habitat for Humanity efforts to rebuild affordable housing.

Before taking us back to the hotel, Habitat's driver took us through the still-devastated 9th Ward and we saw just how much still needs to be done to get this area back to something even remotely resembling a state of normalcy. Many communities are still without supermarkets or grocery stores.

The continuing impact of Hurricane Katrina was especially obvious as we crossed the Judge Seeber Bridge. Not only did the vantage point show exactly how high the water had been, but just a day or so earlier, malfunctioning gates allowed a New Orleans police officer to drive his car off the bridge and into the Industrial Canal below. His death sparked a wave of outrage over dilapidated infrastructure that had been in desperate need of repair even before Katrina hit the city.

Read a story about the death of Detective Tommie Felix in The Times-Pacayune.

View video "New Orleans Rebuilds."

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

IS BARACK OBAMA REALLY MR. SPOCK?

Fri, 9 May 2008 05:29:00 GMT

Long before this week's primaries I knew Barack Obama would likely win the Democratic nomination.

I don't base this supposition on polls or prognosticators. Rather, I've concluded that Obama will get the nod because he's wearing Starfleet sideburns. This isn't the first time I've allowed popular culture to shape my opinion of the Illinois senator. I've already remarked that he looks a lot like Clutch Cargo.

As for the other candidates...

If I were being mean, I'd suggest that Hillary Clinton fills the same ecological niche as Dr. Janice Lester, a former lover of Capt. Kirk's who resents his success in a male-dominated universe and uses a machine to perform a brain switcheroo.

But I'm not mean, so instead I'll note the similarities between Hillary and Nurse Christine Chapel, who is secretly in love with Mr. Spock but knows that nothing will come of it -- at least in the short run. Just about now, I think Hillary is beginning to realize that barring an Obama catastrophe, she's not going to be the Democratic Party's nominee.

John McCain's "Star Trek" counterpart is an easy one: He's Capt. Christopher Pike, the original commander of the USS Enterprise who was captured, imprisoned and tortured by the Talosians in the series' unsold pilot episode.

And although Pike is a warrior, he is increasingly reluctant to choose violence as a way to solve problems and is especially fretful over sending those he commands into deadly situations.

So, does all this mean that Obama is the "logical" choice? What do you think?

PHOTO CREDIT
Barack Obama photo by Jerry Richardson reproduced by permission under Creative Commons. Click on the photo to see the original, or go to Flickr.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

TOPA SERVES UP SUBURBAN-SIZE PORTIONS

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:37:00 GMT

Here at ChicagoScope, we often talk about portion sizes -- and how suburban restaurants seem to serve much larger amounts of food. Far too often, quantity tries to make up for quality. Thankfully, that's not the case at Topa Tavern and Grill. The Elk Grove Village establishment features "American eclectic" cuisine that's uniformly excellent -- and uniformly big.

Read Leah's published review.

OTHER ASSESSMENTS
Joe and Lisa's Cheap Date
Yelp
Metromix

RESTAURANT CONTACT INFO
Topa Tavern and Grill
944 Elk Grove Town Center
Elk Grove Village, IL
(847) 640-0440

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

FIND YOUR TOWN'S PHOTO HISTORY ONLINE

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:27:00 GMT

Back when I attended Community College of Denver, I always enjoyed presentations from a photography instructor who tried to impress upon us the fact that whenever we took a picture, we froze a moment in time. I've forgotten this instructor's name, but I remember her words whenever I pick up a camera.

She emphasized that we should occasionally take pictures of the ordinary images of our lives, since these glimpses would tell future generations the most about the present day. And she's right about that. Anybody who's ever glanced through family photos can see this instantly. I recently watched some Super 8mm movies I'd shot back in college and was immediately struck by how alien the hairstyles, gas prices and automobiles appeared.

And just the other day, I was sorting through some photos I shot of Jefferson Park commercial buildings -- and was glad that I'd photographed the outside of the barber shop where I had my hair cut for so many years because it's now closed.

It's true, you see: Press the button and you've recorded history.

Thanks to the World Wide Web, it's easy to see historical photos -- most of which probably were not considered to be anything special at the time. Yet time itself has given these images power and meaning.

One of my favorite repositories of images is The Library of Congress. I spend most of my time there searching through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. I especially enjoy the color photographs in the Farm Security Administration section, which provide a much different visual record of the Depression than the usual Dorothea Lange "Migrant Mother" stuff does.

A cynical observer might even suggest that the FSA knew that stark black-and-white images would have greater propaganda value than the warm slides a minority of its photographers shot. There's no denying that a color tells a very different story -- or at least compels the viewer to infer a very different one. Maybe that's why so few color photos were taken; or maybe color work was so expensive they didn't have the budget for it. Whatever the reason, the differences are striking.

At the top of this posting are black-and-white and color versions of one of my favorite photos from the FSA color archives titled "Negro boy near Cincinnati, Ohio." The record states the photo was shot in 1942 or 1943 by John Vachon, but there's no other information.

Looking at the monochrome version of the photo (which I created in Photoshop), it's not difficult to imagine this kid's tough life and the gritty, hardscrabble existence his family might have endured. This little boy's world is gray, his clothes are gray, and there's little optimism here.

By contrast, the original slide (probably shot in the still-relatively new Kodachrome process) allows us to see that although he's probably poor, this kid has on clean clothes and has even completed the ensemble with a derby. His life no doubt has its challenges, but maybe this was a good day for the little guy. Maybe he's on his way to the store on the right, whose bright red Coca-Cola sign is all but lost in the black-and-white version. Maybe he's getting a Coke -- or perhaps a Nehi!

It's also insightful to view FSA photos of places in your own town. I liked the photo at right, taken of the Wrigley Building and Chicago Tribune Tower from a vantage point in the Illinois Central train yards -- now occupied by the Illinois Center office, hotel and retail development.

This photo by Jack Delano from April 1943 suggests that the Tribune Tower is long overdue for a steam-cleaning. The original image is a 4-by-5-inch Kodachrome transparency -- and the Library of Congress site allows visitors to download a high-resolution TIFF version, which provides for a lot of close-up inspection of building windows and human activity. Lots of photos on the Library of Congress site are like this.

Another great photo resource is the Denver Public Library's Western History and Genealogy Section. I often enjoy searching through the DPL's visual record of how the Denver I knew as a child grew up and grew old.

However, I've never found a photo of one of my most-vivid childhood memories of visiting the library's main facility at the Civic Center: a little circle of desks in the children's section made to resemble a merry-go-round.

Or perhaps I only imagined it.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

MACARONI AND CHEESE: THE SAGA CONTINUES

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:36:00 GMT

We received some interesting responses to our assertion that Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner is the gold standard by which all other mac-and-cheese recipes are judged. Missy from Chicago's Northcenter neighborhood says that Annie's is the best. Joe from Cheap Date weighs in on Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit, plus gives his opinion on Old Country Buffet -- whose mac and cheese he praises.

Finally, my colleague Marco talks about his own experiences with the Kraft product, and states that macaroni and cheese is the official food of latchkey children.

Many thanks to Phil Clark of The Brit and Yankee for sending me that crazy World War II radio spot for Kraft Dinner. It's a riot!

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

KRAFT MAKES THE BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 01:40:00 GMT

Some say Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni and cheese to the colonies, but no matter who first sent this dish steaming onto our tables, they created America's ultimate comfort food.

Although there are many brands, for just about everybody the name Kraft is synonymous with macaroni and cheese. Kraft's Macaroni & Cheese Dinner is considered the gold standard by many -- and even if it isn't, it's still the benchmark against which all others are judged.

That's why when I spied new Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese!, I just had to buy a can.

I really wanted to like this stuff, especially since I'm a big fan of Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit -- another of my childhood comfort foods. But the Chef's take on macaroni and cheese just didn't feel fresh. The cheese lacked that zing I've grown to expect from Kraft, and to me, the macaroni's mouth feel is best described as a synthetic sort of half-overcooked, half-al dente.

Don't get me wrong, though. Kraft isn't 100 percent perfect. Ever since childhood, I've been of the opinion that they don't give you enough powdered cheese sauce mix in that little envelope. Mom vainly tried to stop me from supplementing the cheese mix with the packet from a second box until we found that Kraft sold that exact same American cheese powder. It came in a golden-yellow container that was stocked next to the company's grated parmesan cheese, usually in the spaghetti-and-spaghetti sauce section.

A few years ago, Kraft changed the look of this powdered cheese and started calling it Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Topping. The container even uses the same design as on the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner boxes.

Oddly enough, the company won't admit that people actually buy this stuff to supplement the macaroni and cheese recipe. Instead, consumers are advised to "Shake on popcorn & more!" to "Sprinkle on fish sticks, potato chips, baked potatoes, chicken nuggets, hot popcorn and vegetables" and to "Stir into chili, soup, rice, scrambled eggs, grits and mashed potatoes."

Grits?!

By the way, everyone I know who enjoys eating out is constantly in search of the perfect macaroni and cheese side dish. Leah & Dick and I have vainly sought this rare substance, and so have Bridget and Tammy at Chicago Bites.

So if anybody's found the perfect macaroni and cheese, let me know.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

SECURITY ON CHICAGO METRA TRAINS

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:33:00 GMT

Jon Espenschied wrote a piece in Computerworld recently about how he was especially observant while waiting for his flight at an airport recently, and spotted a woman systemically fishing credit-card receipts from trash cans. Apart from exchanging a knowing glance, Espenschied didn't call the authorities on this person. Should he have?

Unattended bags, suspicious behavior and anything out of the ordinary are, unfortunately, causes for concern. After all, "If you see something, say something," is the message hammered home to us whenever we travel these days.

But if you see something on Chicago's Metra rail system, don't waste your breath saying anything.

That sad conclusion crossed my mind after reading Espenschied's column because I've had similarly unsettling experiences three times in about the past month on Metra, the commuter rail service linking Chicago and 230 stations in a six-county area. In my case, however, I saw something, tried to report it -- and was met with complete indifference.

It all started on Dec. 21, 2007, when I was about to board a Metra train at the Ogilvie Transportation Center. As I neared the last car, I noticed a picnic cooler sitting unattended in the vestibule. I figured this was no big deal, that some overburdened passenger had been manhandling a passel of packages onto the train and would return shortly. A couple of minutes passed and the cooler just sat there.

I wasn't about to get overly dramatic, since simple explanations are usually the correct ones. And the simple explanation was that nothing more hazardous than a ham sandwich, bag of Fritos and a couple of cans of diet soda were inside that cooler. Still, the thing shouldn't be left there.

Then, I noticed a Metra conductor walking along the platform. I approached him and told him about the unattended item in the vestibule. This guy curtly informed me he was off duty and that I'd need to alert the next conductor I saw and assured me there'd be one along soon.

"I understand that," I told him, "but we're supposed to tell you guys if we see something? You know, these times of heightened security and all?"

He repeated his desire not to be detained and hurried off. I started looking around. Other passengers were climbing aboard the train and walking right past the unattended picnic cooler without even noticing it. I wasn't scared, but I was sure getting miffed.

Finally, another conductor came by. I pointed out the cooler to him and he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Oh, that's mine," he told me. "I'll take care of it."

In the days that followed, I began to worry about both conductors' laissez-faire attitude toward me, so I telephoned Metra's customer service line and spoke to a representative. I wasn't too specific about the incident, since I didn't want to get some guy in trouble or fired for what I assumed was a simple lapse of judgment. When I asked what I should do in the unlikely event this happens again, the rep earnestly informed me that I should go tell someone in the glass-enclosed office at the end of the platform.

What I was hoping for was that she'd tell me they'd remind the conductors not to leave things lying about. In any event, I figured that was the end of that and that one way or another, these conductors would somehow get the message, feel somewhat embarrassed by the experience and learn to stow their lunch.

But that's not what happened.

On Jan. 3, 2008, I was boarding the train and, yep, there was that cooler again. And on Jan. 8, there it was a third time. Something tells me that this cooler is being left there unattended every day -- and since I don't ride Metra every day, I'm just not noticing.

So, what should I do? Call that railroad security phone number the next time I see this? Tell the folks in the glass-enclosed office? Do nothing? That seems to be what hundreds of other people who see this unattended cooler are doing.

Am I making too big a deal over some conductor's lunchbox? Ask someone from Madrid.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

EDGEWATER INN HAS THE BEST PIZZA

Sun, 6 Jan 2008 07:35:00 GMT

I visited Colorado recently, and talked my cousin Brian Hague into joining me on a visit to Edgewater Inn, which I consider to be one of the best pizzerias in the world.

This suburban Denver eatery has always been an outpost for great pizza.

We ordered a large pepperoni pie and soda pop and the bill came to just over $15. I know this is going to sound odd, but the pizza tastes like a high-class version of the pizza that used to be sold at the Woolworth's in downtown Denver on 16th Street. (This huge Woolworth's was pretty much an experience in cheap mercantile overload. My mom once described it as "marketplace in Calcutta.")

I've loved the city of Edgewater for a long time. The place really does have the feel of a small town. Back when I was in high school, there was nothing quite like a walk down the hill into Edgewater's major retail section at 25th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. There were several cafes, a liquor store, a bakery -- and my favorite, Edgewater Drug. Whatever you wanted, chances are Edgewater Drug would have it. I was especially impressed by the selection of newspapers and magazines, second only to the treasure trove at Jerry's News in Denver at Colfax Avenue and Broadway.

Sadly, both Edgewater Drug and Jerry's News are but memories. Same for the Lake Shore Drive-In Theater, which, once us kids started driving, my parents only occasionally allowed us to attend. (Deserved or not, the drive-in had a reputation as Hood Central.)

Edgewater also was home to KIMN Radio, 950 kilocycles on your AM dial -- "95 Fabulous KIMN!" They pronounced the call letters as "kim." I believe the call originally referenced the Inter Mountain Network. Although the call letters are still used, the top-40 powerhouse hasn't been around in that format (or as an AM station) for years.

We also talk about the large number of Denver streets named after Indian tribes, and wonder whether the urban legend is true that a local appeared on a game show many years back and won big money by being able to reel off all those Native American names.

RESTAURANT CONTACT INFO
Edgewater Inn, 5302 West 25th Avenue, Edgewater, Colorado. Kitchen: 303-237-3524. Bar phone: 303-233-9892.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

CITYFOLK SHOULD READ A FARMERS ALMANAC

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 05:24:00 GMT

You don't need to live in the sticks to benefit from a farmers almanac. After all, everybody's interested in the weather, since sooner or later most of us will need to deal with it one way or another. We reviewed three widely available almanacs, all of which provide ample meteorological predictions, planting guides, tide tables and astronomical data.

But wait, there's more! Articles will enlighten you on the history of popcorn, how to wash your hands, ghost pets, famous blunders, strange weather in years ending in the number 8, all about bananas, wedding weather woes, how weather affects fall foliage, why butter is better than margarine, flowers that stink, and recipes, recipes and more recipes.

It's the advertising, however, that provides most of the entertainment in these publications. In addition to the standard farm and garden stuff like tillers, mulchers and the like, there are ads for incinerating toilets, sex pheromones, erectile-dysfunction cures, miracles uses for vinegar, and "Foods That EXPLODE in Your Bowel!"

If nothing else, these time-honored guides offer great reading in any room of the house -- or in the outhouse, for that matter. They also make great companions for the Burpee catalog.

ONLINE ALMANAC LINKS
The Old Farmer's Almanac
Farmers' Almanac

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

SAVE MASS TRANSIT IN CHICAGO

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 06:16:00 GMT

There are lots of people with ideas I wish I'd thought of, but only a few people whom I wish I thought like. My friend and colleague Matt Maldre is one of those latter folks.

Matt has a visually ingenious way of seeing the world, whether it's with traditional tools in connection with his job as a graphic artist, photographer and designer, or in his delightful take on how to creatively keep a Chicago Cubs scorecard at Wrigley Field.

Matt recently turned his attention to a serious matter that affects all Chicago public transit riders: Because of a lack of funds, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace will need to drastically cut service. According to the CTA, unless funding is obtained, on Jan. 20 it will eliminate 81 of its 154 bus routes, lay off more than 2,400 employees and raise fares to record levels. Similar cutbacks will occur at Metra and Pace.

Matt has found a way to use Metra schedules to illustrate the political ramifications of legislation to fund public transportation in Chicago.

The CTA is encouraging riders to contact our legislators. Now, thanks to Matt, I need to figure out why my representative failed to cast a vote not once, but twice on this important issue.

TECHNICAL NOTE
This podcast was recorded entirely with a Marantz PMD620 digital recorder using its built-in stereo microphones. And no, the occasional annoying clicks are not the result of Matt or me futzing with a ballpoint -- yours truly was adjusting the recording levels and all that button pushing got picked up. This is one of the downsides to this recorder that Jeff Towne explains in his review at Transom.org.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

NOODLES DELIGHT IS DEE-LITEFUL!

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:28:00 GMT

Leah, Dick and I find more than a few dee-liteful items on the menu at Noodles Delight out in the Chicago suburb of Roselle.

The eggrolls are especially good, with lots of substantial fillings, not, as Leah puts it, like those at many other Chinese restaurants, which often are "sleazy and with too much cabbage."

Related (and unrelated) topics we chat about while rolling merrily through the suburbs in the Mobile Recording Studio include but are not limited to:

A&W's Burger Family. Out in Hillsboro, Oregon, the Burger Family endured quite a bit of local drama.

Burger King's new broilers, and whether they make the burgers taste better.

Hardee's, for which none other than the late Mama Cass Elliott sang the praises. "Hurry on down to Hardee's, where the burgers are charco-broiled!"

The ever-popular General Tso's chicken.

Sensurround, which I experienced for the first time when the film "Earthquake" showed at Denver's Aladdin Theater. The low-frequency rumbling managed to shake loose bits of stucco, so netting was strung on the ceiling.

Farfel the Dog, who sang the Nestle's song. (By the way, here are the fractured lyrics that I learned back when I attended Wheat Ridge Junior High School: "N-E-S-T-L-E-S, guess what's up your A-S-S ... chawk-lit!")

Cars used in James Bond movies, and whether we'd rather have an ejector seat or hub-mounted tire-slashers.

Place names such as Des Plaines, Illinois, a victim of how Americans mangle French words; Gays, Illinois, (a town with a frequent visitor to this website); Mattoon, Illinois, home of the Mad Gasser; and various places with the word squaw.

Read Leah's published review.

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT
Noodles Delight, Cross Creek Commons, 853 E. Nerge Road, Roselle, (630) 307-1010.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

TELEPHONES GONE WILD!

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:34:00 GMT

Is cellphone use out of control? You sure get that impression from a New York Times article about the growing use of illegal devices to block cellphone frequencies.

Jamming the radio spectrum is an extreme reaction. Tom Roper of Chicago-based band Beatnik Turtle had a better idea: He wrote "Do You Mind?" -- a musical indictment of cellphones and the public jawboners who drive us nuts. In this podcast, ChicagoScope chats with Tom and finds out how he crafted this humorous response to rudeness. (Plus, we've received permission to include this copyrighted song in the show. Thanks!)

We also touch base with internationally syndicated columnist Bob Koehler, whose work appears in print, online and on The Huffington Post, who agrees that public cellphone users can be annoying these days. However, he suggests a way to turn lemons into lemonade: Learn to enjoy these glimpses into private lives.

Previously, Bob has weighed in on the worst classic "Star Trek" episode and explained why "Get Shorty" is the perfect pacifist movie.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

THE TWO BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:32:00 GMT

Noting the release of "Fred Claus," a film I saw being shot just up the street from where I work on North Michigan Avenue, got me to thinking about Christmas movies and which ones survive the test of time and become classics.

It turns out that two of my favorite movies also are my favorite Christmas movies: "The Bishop's Wife" and "Die Hard." At first glance, these pictures separated by a span of more than four decades have nothing in common -- but both celebrate the power of faith and redemption in subtle and entertaining ways.

In 1947's "The Bishop's Wife," clergyman David Niven believes that heaven-sent angel Cary Grant is the answer to his prayers for help in squeezing millions from an obnoxious old matron to build a cathedral whose construction she's micromanaging. But Niven's marriage to Loretta Young is headed into stormy seas, and he gets more than he bargained for when Grant charms everyone from a comic-relief agnostic to the bishop's wife -- played by professional Catholic Loretta Young.

Their faith restored, the agnostic turns to religion, the matron gives her millions to the poor, and Niven realizes that his wife has the power to give him heaven on earth.

Another marriage is on the rocks in 1988's "Die Hard," in which New York cop Bruce Willis travels to Los Angeles to attend a Christmas party in the skyscraper headquarters of a Japanese multinational where his estranged wife Bonnie Bedelia is a top executive. When terrorists take over the building, several characters are forced to find faith in themselves.

A cop who has been afraid to fire his gun since accidently killing a kid becomes a hero, a desk-flying police chief learns to respect street cops and Willis and Bedelia symbolically reaffirm their marriage vows when they must snap open the clasp on a Rolex watch she's wearing to drop villain Alan Rickman to his death.

Cerebral use of Christmas music ranging from Run DMC to Beethoven to Sinatra adds greatly to the holiday spirit.

If you want "Peanuts" with that, check out "Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown."

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

PHO LE VIETNAMESE CUISINE SCORES A HIT

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 05:46:00 GMT

The Vietnamese cuisine at Pho Le gets high marks from Leah, Dick and me; there's plenty of reasonably priced food and it's savory and satisfying. We were less than satisfied with our initial waiter, however, who behaved like a real jagoff. Fortunately, he disappeared after about 10 minutes and was replaced by two polite and attentive servers.

Read Leah's published review of Pho Le.

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT
Pho Le, 551 S. Schmale Road (at Geneva Road), Carol Stream, (630) 588-8299 .

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

THE GLOBE PUB AND FARMERS ALMANACS

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 23:40:00 GMT

Just a brief podcast this time to let you know about some upcoming events. . .

REMOTE PUBCAST
Phil Clark of The Brit and Yankee has organized a pretty cool event in which a number of us from the Chicago Area Podcasters Network will descend upon The Globe Pub, 1934 W. Irving Park Road, to create simultaneous shows at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, as part of what he calls "an experiment in live, raw, new media in action."

Located in Chicago's entertainment- and restaurant-rich Northcenter neighborhood, The Globe is ground zero for soccer fans and the official pub of the Chicago Fire. "This place serves up a wonderful taste of home," says Phil, who had long planned on featuring the establishment on "The Brit & Yankee" -- but then asked the rest of us in the Podcasters Network to join in the fun.

In addition to Phil and Mike from "The Brit & Yankee," participating podcasters include Tammy Green and Bridget Houlihan of "Chicago Bites", Tom Kim of "Gamasutra" and yours truly. We'll offer our perspectives on The Globe's history, its management, patrons, soccer (aka "football"), darts -- and on the unique beers and cuisine offered.

In addition, Phil has persuaded Chicago band Beatnik Turtle to present a live acoustic performance at the pub. He's hoping that folks from Weird Chicago will drop in, as well.

We'd also like to invite anybody interested in podcasting to drop by, too. "Most folks think that creating and distributing their own podcast would be complex and costly, but podcasting actually can be a fairly inexpensive, straightforward process," Phil says. A variety of podcasting equipment will be on display, and all of us veteran podcasters (meaning anybody who's been doing it for more than a couple of months) will be happy to share our experience with newcomers.

Hope to see you there!

FARMERS ALMANACS
In this brief podcast, I also give you a preview of an upcoming show in which Leah, Dick and I review several farmers almanacs and talk about why these annual publications can still be of use to Chicago city-dwellers.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

THE SUBURBAN PUBLIC ART SITUATION

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:31:00 GMT

Lest anybody think my critical focus is too selective in pointing out Five Chicago Sculptures That Really Suck, I present evidence that problematic public art is no stranger to the suburbs.

I'm frequently at the Arlington Heights train station and often walk past a piece of public art that looks like a latter-day British phone booth. It's nicely styled, painted bright red, and looks inviting to anybody looking to have a private cellphone conversation. Last week, I needed to call my podcast cohorts, who were meeting me at the station. Lured by the visual promise of privacy, I took out my cellphone and stepped inside the booth.

To my surprise, this structure turned out to be a piece of public art that's designed to make you feel miserable. It's called "Cell Phone Booth," and a plaque next to it details the feelings of its creator, artist Ed Francis:

"Cell Phone Booth" is my somewhat cynical reaction to the proliferation and overuse of the cell phone. I made "Cell Phone Booth" attractive by painting it bright red and filling it with gleaming glass tiles. The glass tiles actually contain ugly and somewhat intimidating faces staring in at you. There is no place to sit and be comfortable as there is in a real phone booth. Openings between the bars prevent any feeling of privacy inside the booth. "Cell Phone Booth" is intended to feel like a jail once you are inside.

OK, let me get this straight: Mr. Francis, who apparently has a problem with rude people who use cellphones, created a phone booth designed to reduce the comfort level of considerate cellphone users who are mindful of others' privacy?

And please don't tell me that my negative reaction is Mr. Francis' way of making a point, because he actually fails to make his point. "Cell Phone Booth" is structurally and visually a nice piece of art, but imagine how much more positive a reaction Mr. Francis could have gotten if the glass faces were smiling, the openings between the bars eliminated, and his manifesto read:

"Cell Phone Booth" is my reaction to the proliferation and overuse of the cell phone. I made "Cell Phone Booth" attractive by painting it bright red and filling it with gleaming glass tiles. The glass tiles actually contain happy, smiling faces staring in at you. There is no place to sit and be comfortable as there is in a real phone booth, but there is a modicum of seclusion. "Cell Phone Booth" is intended to feel like a tiny oasis in our busy, noisy world.

Clearly that's not what Mr. Francis had in mind, so the result is that an artistically accomplished piece of work devolves into a simplistic political statement.

This piece was on temporary display, but thanks to the Arlington Heights Arts Commission, now is owned by the village.

This isn't ChicagoScope's first difference of opinion about the situation at Arlington Heights' train station. About this time last year, we took note of just how unfriendly the station can be.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

IS HALLOWEEN EVIL?

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:42:00 GMT

It's that time of year again. Halloween. More than ever before, adults as well as kids are going gaga for the holiday.

Even municipalities are getting into the celebration, big time. In the photo here, Chicago's Daley Center has been decorated with a haunted house as part of Chicagoween and orange dye has been poured into the fountain.

Halloween is said to be second only to Christmas as a decorating and party holiday.

Here on Chicago's Northwest Side, the Six Corners shopping district becomes Halloween ground zero as thousands of folks make the annual trek to Fantasy Costumes Hdq. (Reviews on Yelp, Metromix, Centerstage.)

This store gets to be a madhouse the closer it gets to October 31. Better hurry on down there now if you want this guaranteed crowd-pleaser: Happy Halloweenie Costume, whose catalog blurb declares, "Size DOES matter. Impress the ladies with the Happy Halloweenie Costume. Complete 3 piece set, for standard adult size."

But the question remains: Is Halloween evil? Some folks sure seem to think so. Check out The Dark Side of Halloween and Sorry Kids, Halloween is Evil.

Not everybody agrees, however. According to Feminist Mormon Housewives, Halloween is Not Evil.

So what do you think?

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

VICTORIA'S MEXICAN GRILL

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:48:00 GMT

This time out, our culinary expedition journeys to Long Grove for a taste of Victoria's Mexican Grill. We liked the food and loved the salsa, but felt everything could have had a bit more oomph.

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT
Victoria's Mexican Grill, 410 Robert Parker Coffin Road (Building 42), Long Grove. (847) 634-3772.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

TWO SEE-WORTHY PODCASTS

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 07:00:00 GMT

I'm not easily impressed, but lately two Chicago-area podcasting teams have left me overwhelmed and even a little bit jealous.

A YEAR AT THE WHEEL

At the last meeting of the Chicago Area Podcasters Network Meetup, I had the pleasure of meeting Shane and Amy Bugbee, a couple who are committing a year of their lives to a podcast version of the Lucy and Desi "Long, Long Trailer" thing.
Shane and Amy's project, "A Year at the Wheel," gets into gear here in Chicago on November 4, hits the road and then concludes November 5 next year -- just in time for the Big Election.

During their 365-day journey across America, they'll be creating audio podcasts, video podcasts, publishing a newspaper -- and generally doing the kind of Charles Kuralt-style coverage that the mainstream media too often neglect to do.

They've attracted some heavyweight attention -- namely, podcasting pioneer Adam Curry, who's scheduled to appear at a kick-off event for Shane and Amy on November 4 at The Empty Bottle.

I'm especially dee-lited by Shane and Amy's creative approach to fundraising. Visit A Year at the Wheel and see what I mean. One example of their out-of-the-box thinking is a video (see frame grab above) in which Shane demonstrates how to build your own inexpensive version of the Fig Rig. Shane's version costs considerably less than the original, which lists for $295 at B&H.

So, check out Shane and Amy's site and give them a hand in their journalistic odyssey. I know I'm looking forward to some vicarious thrills, as well as some high-quality journalism.

(Disclosure: I've donated a digital recorder to A Year at the Wheel.)

THE MIKE AND JEFF SHOW

"The Mike and Jeff Show" has been one of my favorite podcasts ever since I first listened to it last year. This simple, elegantly produced show features two guys discussing their lives with brutal honesty.

They've been funny, off-color, outrageous ... and insightful. But their latest show left me speechless. You've got to listen to this one. I dare anybody to do so and not conclude that our criminal justice system needs to be seriously overhauled.

Here's the link to Mike and Jeff Show Show No. 35.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

BARACK AND CLUTCH: SEPARATED AT BIRTH?

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 03:38:00 GMT

Recently I Googled "Clutch Cargo" to determine how to spell the series' famous Syncro-Vox system, which I remembered more for its use in Alex Toth's "Space Angel." As I was perusing the Wikipedia entry for Monsieur Le Cargo, the thought hit me like a ton of bricks: Clutch Cargo and Barack Obama were separated at birth! Just to make sure I wasn't imagining things, I showed both images to about a dozen folks and they all agreed with me.

Obama looks even more like Cargo in this AFP photo.

Of course, not everybody sees the similarity. My friend _______ says Barack and Clutch look nothing alike, but that's to be expected, since he also claims that the classic John Singleton Copley portrait (detail shown at right) of Paul Revere looks nothing like Bob Hope.

MORE INFORMATION

Toon Tracker

Toonopedia

Alex Toth artwork

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

FIVE CHICAGO BUILDINGS THAT REALLY SUCK

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 06:07:00 GMT

This time out, ChicagoScope takes aim at less-than-pleasing buildings. It's just my opinion, but I think I'm right.

OTHER OPINIONS ABOUT BUILDINGS

Waterslide arrives on top of downtown Chicago office building

Stop the blandness

Too many ugly buildings?

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

FUNNY FACE PUMPKINS ARRIVE AT THE JEWELS

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 05:08:00 GMT

Each year, I eagerly anticipate one of the most amusing events of the season. I'm not talking about our nation's efforts to turn Halloween into a full-tilt bacchanalia, which is now apparently second only to Christmas in popularity. No, I'm talking about the arrival at my local Jewel Food Store of a passel of little pumpkins pre-painted with cheery faces.

When I first noticed these fun-loving members of the gourd family about 10 years ago, the faces seemed to have been painted by hand. These decorated pumpkins looked so innocently happy and goofy that I figured they had to come from some sheltered workshop somewhere. I even bought one once for my cubicle at work.

Lately, however, I've noticed that although the pumpkins have the same goofy faces, the paint appears to have sprayed by a machine, rather than done by hand. Or maybe the pumpkins were painted by machine all along.

MORE ABOUT PUMPKINS

Frey Farms video news release

Where the great pumpkins are easy to find

Low pumpkin production forecast

Local pumpkin crop socked by soggy weather

Lack of rain stunts pumpkin crop

Indiana reports great pumpkin crop

Hand-carved pumpkins by The Rock & Roll Chef

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

FIVE CHICAGO SCULPTURES THAT REALLY SUCK

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:10:00 GMT

I'll cut to the chase: The worst public sculpture in Chicago is the one of Harry Caray, outside Wrigley Field. Runnerup is of Jack Brickhouse, in the plaza between the Tribune Tower and the Equitable Building. Poor Harry Caray looks as if he's in Hades, howling in pain while the disembodied heads of other condemned souls join his chorus of lament. As for Jack Brickhouse, he appears to be auditioning for the part of Capt. Christopher Pike.

Did much thought really go into these sculptures? Who cares? Not me -- I didn't pay for this stuff. I just have to look at it. And I think it sucks.

MURALS ALSO SUCK

These aren't the only examples of fugly public art, of course. There are many, many others, especially if the definition of sucky art is expanded to include murals -- most of which the public isn't permitted to criticize because this "art" has either been created by kids as part of social-engineering projects to boost their self-esteem or depicts animal species supposedly in danger of getting sucked into the extinction vortex.

But not to worry: I'm just talking about sculpture that sucks, and Chicago has plenty of that.

I realize that some folks might be upset that I have the audacity to say so many of Our Fair City's public art stinks, but if artists and their patrons aren't willing to accept public criticism of works the public is obliged to drive past, walk past and sit near every day, then they ought to grow thicker skins or get jobs in the nonprofit sector.

Or at least accept the fact that if you shove something out onto the public stage, you're going to get public comment.

And that many people are going to think your artwork sucks.

Like I said, the Caray and Brickhouse sculptures aren't the only sculptures I classify as eyesores.

CHICAGO'S OWN THING

It's only fitting that one of downtown Chicago's fugliest buildings has one of the city's fugliest sculptures squatting in its plaza.

Yes, I'm talking about Helmut Jahn's State of Illinois Building, since rechristened as the James Thompson Center despite the fact that the former governor is still alive.

This building is done up in a color scheme better suited to an episode of the old "Miami Vice" television series.

And in fact, there was a cop movie shot at the building in the 1980s, a really sucky Billy Crystal vehicle only notable for creative use of the building's cavernous interior for a rappelling sequence.

But back to the building itself: All precious and pink and quasi-turquoise blue, this building also sucks -- although let's confine ourselves to the artwork in question, which is a funguslike blob outside the southeast entrance.

Like much abstract art, you'll never have any idea what it is. A cold virus? A sponge? A giant truffle that was unearthed by the giant pig that might be immortalized in sculpture on the other side of the building?

This sculpture is so odd, I can imagine it having been used as part of a tourist attraction in the Desert Southwest. You know ... THE THING? WHAT IS IT?

Who cares what it is? Cart it away!

THE DEVIL'S FORK

Then there's this thing by an artist named Miro that's right across from Daley Center.

I don't know what this is supposed to be, either. There's a plaque that claims it's a representation of a woman, but that's a stretch for me.

I've always thought it looked other-worldly and bizarre. The best I've been able to come up with is that it's supposed to be an alien probe or a satanic eating utensil.

Eating utensil is the better possibility, since there's clearly a handle at the bottom for easy grasping, and the forklike top has tines.

For all I know, a push of the recessed red button in the handle causes the fork to spin, making it a boon for spooling spaghetti.

This devil-fork piece of work has influenced a neighboring structure, as well, since just behind it a playground for a daycare center mirrors the tine projections on its fenceposts.

Hey! Do you suppose parents receive a discount for dropping off Rosemary's Baby at this place?

My conclusion is that although some art can get away with being thought-provoking, I shouldn't need to play "Where's Waldo?" with my imagination to figure out what something is, so ... get the hook and haul this one away, too!

BULLWINKLE'S HAPPY ENDING

Last but not least, our whirlwind tour of public sculpture I dislike brings us back to the Equitable Building, where tourists are being delighted by a stainless-steel moose with a big penis.

Some tourists, especially wild-and-crazy young ladies, even like to try helping this moose have a happy ending as friends document the levity photographically.

I'm not a prude and don't have a problem with realistic representations of human and animal forms.

But maybe the artist and his or her patrons should have found another animal to put on display here -- maybe a female one.

Certainly a work that invites giggly discussion and high-school silliness really isn't the best use of this public plaza.

Besides, if some family's most vivid memory of their vacation visit to Chicago has to be that of a hot dog, let them enjoy a meal at Superdawg.

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

FIVE CHICAGO SCULPTURES THAT REALLY SUCK - ENHANCED VERSION

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:06:00 GMT

This ENHANCED VERSION will play in iTunes and display graphics. If you don't use iTunes, please download the regular MP3 version.

HOW TO CONDUCT PODCAST INTERVIEWS

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:48:00 GMT

Each month, the Chicago Area Podcasters Network has a Meetup at Chicago's North Michigan Avenue Apple Store. Thanks to my colleague Alice Singleton, September's Meetup featured Stan Lawrence and Terry Armour (shown here; that's Stan on the left), who host of one of the city's most popular radio programs on WCKG-FM.

In this recording made Wednesday night, Sept. 12, by Tom Kim, our organizer, Stan & Terry reveal the secret of their interviewing technique, offer tips on how to maintain a professional radio voice, and provide motivation and inspiration to podcasters.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Chicago Area Podcasters Network

(Photo courtesy WCKG)

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

PARADISE FOUND IN HOFFMAN ESTATES

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:01:00 GMT

If India and Pakistan can get along so well as tandem cuisines on so many menus, why, oh why, do they want to nuke each other to tandoori consistency? Don't ask me. There's lots of stuff I don't know -- like why in France the girls wear scanties, but on lamb chops they put panties. And why (I know this sounds jerky) in Turkey, who eats turkey? I'm tellin' you, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!

Both subcontinental cultures peacefully coexist at Paradise, a restaurant in Hoffman Estates that Leah, Dick and I visited recently. We liked almost all the dishes we sampled -- and I even enjoyed the Bollywood movies and videos plastered CinemaScope-size across a wall.

Other issues we address include Frozen Coke, Icee and Slurpee. Interestingly enough, according to this Wikipedia entry, Slurpee actually is Icee.

And for the record, the first Icee I ever had was at the UoteM convenience store in what was then unincorporated Jefferson County, Colo., at 20th and Wadsworth.

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT
Paradise Restaurant, 721 W. Golf Road, Hoffman Estates (847) 755-9955

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

TEPATULCO

Mon, 3 Sep 2007 19:08:00 GMT

I missed yet another chance to eat insects when Leah, Dick and I went to Geno Bahena's Tepatulco, a restaurant in Lincoln Park.

Unless you count the random, accidental sucking-in of a bug while jogging or riding a bicycle, the last time I consumed insects was in junior high when, as part of what today no doubt would be a state-mandated "cultural diversity" program, our teacher insisted we sample taste treats such as palm-tree hearts, pickled grasshoppers and chocolate-covered ants.

I didn't like eating bugs in junior high and I don't like eating bugs now. So no way was I going to try the grasshopper appetizer at Tepatulco, but Leah and Dick are clearly made of sturdier stuff and they enjoyed the insect part of the evening.

As you'll hear, however, I enjoyed the rest of the food I ate. Leah and Dick were pleased, as well.

READ LEAH'S PUBLISHED REVIEW OF TEPATULCO

INSECT RECIPES
Iowa State University
Edible Insects
Ohio State University Extension

OTHER ASSESSMENTS
Yelp
Centerstage Chicago
LTHForum

EDDIE ADAMS
Here's the story of that famous photo I mention during the podcast. By the way, I got it wrong: Former South Vietnamese Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan didn't open a doughnut shop in Los Angeles, it was a pizza place in Virginia.

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT
Tepatulco Restaurante, 2558 N. Halsted St. (773) 472-7419

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

SATISFYING KOREAN FARE AT JUMONG

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 06:37:00 GMT

As we point out in our assessment of the cuisine served up at Jumong, a restaurant out in Buffalo Grove, most Americans really ought to try Korean cuisine. The food is largely meat-based, and prepared in ways -- grilling, barbecuing -- that we're comfortable with. In short, there's no reason not eat a little Korean. Although kimchi has a (mostly undeserved) reputation as being hot and pungent, most of the entrees are meat dishes and soups that you'll have Absolutely Nothing to Fear About.

In a similar vein, Dick explains how he learned to avoid being afraid of dining out while traveling: order the New York Strip Steak -- aka "The Traveler's Friend." He was taught this when working for Digital Equipment Corporation.

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT
Jumong, Cambridge Commons, 23 E. Dundee Road, Buffalo Grove. (847) 353-3333

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

SHOP TILL YOU DROP 24 HOURS A DAY

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 07:35:00 GMT

We rolled into the Rolling Meadows Meijer because Leah & Dick's cat, Max, has suddenly decided not to eat catfood. The solution: Gerber baby food. But the real surprise for me was the vast cornucopia of stuff at this 24-hour store.

No matter what you want, it seems to be available here. Speakers for your iPod, plumbing supplies, lawn furniture, comic books, tiki torches, fuel for your tiki torches, eggs, teas from all over the world, T-shirts, shoes, balloons specially designed for use in water-balloon fights, Amish potato salad, hamsters, guinea pigs -- and even spotted dick in a can.

Yep, at midnight or 2 a.m. you can apparently buy a guinea pig ($25) or a hamster ($3). You don't need to be a PETA supporter to figure out that selling an animal for $3 is a universally bad idea. At that price, the poor thing is a toy -- not a pet. What was especially sad was seeing one of the hamsters desperately trying to escape. Ah, well.

MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST

Crowbusters

Prospect Heights

Al Capone's Hideaway & Steakhouse

Tommy Guns Vodka (I mistakenly call it Al Capone's Vodka)

John Dillinger

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.

AZUCAR

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:22:00 GMT

It was sure hot the night we dined at Azucar, a tapas bar in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. And several of the young ladies seated in a window table were pretty and hot, too, much like the senioritas of "Sabado Gigante" -- the Spanish-language program that seldom requires translation.

And speaking of Spanish, much to my disappointment, I learn that patatas bravas has nothing to do with one of my favorite movies, "Rio Bravo."

Overall, we really liked the food, as you'll discover in this podcast that tackles a wide range of other topics as we roll down the windows in the Mobile Recording Studio and treat you to a B-grade soundseeing tour of Chicago, the Northwest Side, Niles and other similar hotspots.

Subjects on our plate this time include miniskirts, pantyhose, why guys are wearing clothes that are looser than ever at a time when gals are wearing fashions tighter than ever, why it's called "Wilbur Wright College" and not "Orville and Wilbur Wright College" (did Orville get caught giving someone a prop job?), as well as numerous other diversions on the way to dessert.

OTHER ASSESSMENTS

Metromix.com

Centerstage Chicago

Citysearch

LTHForum.com (Nice photos!)

CONTACT INFO FOR RESTAURANT

Azucar Tapas Restaurant and Cocktail Bar, 2647 N. Kedzie Ave., (773) 486-6464

ChicagoScope feedback line: 312-683-5272. Send e-mail to ChicagoScope@gmail.com.