Hans Eisenbeis In just a matter of days, the new toll lanes on Interstate 394 will open, giving thousands of commuters in the western suburbs the option of paying to escape the bonds of gridlock as they make their busy way to and from downtown Minneapolis. The last time we drove west on I-394 it was not … Read more
In just a matter of days, the new toll lanes on Interstate 394 will open, giving thousands of commuters in the western suburbs the option of paying to escape the bonds of gridlock as they make their busy way to and from downtown Minneapolis. The last time we drove west on I-394 it was not … Read more
This past weekend, it was hard to escape the feeling that most of the art world showed up on our doorstep to help celebrate the gala reopening of the Walker Art Center. This had the feeling of a truly remarkable moment—an acknowledged world-class art center turns its operating volume up to eleven. It is not … Read more
We were a little sad that our old friend Ted Genoways (Virgina Quarterly Review) didn’t manage to pull off an upset and bring home a National Magazine Award yesterday, after being nominated in two categories. Likewise, the upstarts at 5820 did not win—but these small, passionate puiblications can certainly make plenty of hay out of … Read more
We’re big fans of our TiVo, but we don’t hold much stock in its ability to recommend and record shows it thinks we’ll be interested in. To be fair, we haven’t really done our part—by constantly jabbing the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” button every time we’re watching the tube. This is a function of … Read more
We got a kick out of DC SOB’s funny item today,
We have not had a chance to read Jon Gertner’s entire article from yesterday’s Times Magazine on the Nielsens, Arbitrons, and other media-measuring devices—but we’ve enjoyed what we’ve read so far. It comports with some of the bones we’ve been gnawing on around here in recent days. In two very important ways, these sorts of … Read more
As far as tempests in teacups go, this is pretty good—and we’ll just assume that the tea party is now permanently adjourned. We’d link to them to show you just how idiotic and desperate they have become (Last post: “Could We Have Some Facts, Please?”—no shit) but we’ve pledged never to do that again. See, … Read more
It’s the first we heard, but apparently Dan Kennedy is leaving his post as media critic at the Boston Phoenix. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed reading him—especially his smart, clean copy about the rivalry between the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald. One of the best things about the alternative press is its self-conferred (and … Read more
Today, the New York Observer pulls a nifty stunt. Media writer Tom Scocca recreates the masthead of The New Yorker, which has never published such a thing in its seventy-five years of publishing. We wish we’d thought of that. (We’re thinking Spy magazine must have thought of it before, too; they used to publish the … Read more