Notes

Josh Whitman Gets Contract Extension Josh Whitman isn’t going anywhere. Not until … Jul 17, 2026 Home Run Derby I didn’t watch any of it. I kind of forgot it was happening. Then I get a … Jul 14, 2026 Digger Digger is a new Tom Cruise movie that popped up on my radar so I had to see what … Jul 13, 2026 5K On Sunday, Maria and I decided to walk to this nearby park in a neighborhood or so … Jul 12, 2026 Overwhelmed I’m feeling overwhelmed right now. I’m the problem. Me. I have decided to … Jul 11, 2026 Dune Part 3 Here’s the official trailer for Dune 3. I am so looking forward to this. … Jul 10, 2026 Platner Drops Out I generally liked what Graham Platner, the politician, was saying and … Jul 8, 2026 Starlog is Back One of my all-time favorite things growing up is coming back. My Dad will … Jul 6, 2026 The Odyssey Watching the last trailer, I am oddly underwhelmed by this movie. It will … Jul 2, 2026 Fable 5 Anthropic put out a new AI model called Claude Fable 5, and the name is what … Jun 30, 2026 Happy Birthday to Me Birthdays are supposed to be remembered and cherished. On my 16th … Jun 28, 2026 Hello Stranger Logline Does this logline make you want to read the actual screenplay? A … Jun 26, 2026 Rereading The Great Gatsby I own a wonderful edition of The Great Gatsby. I’ve … Jun 25, 2026 Be Where Your Feet Are Alan Stein, a leadership and basketball performance coach … Jun 24, 2026 $112 Million Man Extending the Illini in the NBA coverage, ESPN reported Monday night that … Jun 23, 2026 The New Mister Rogers' Neighborhood YouTube Channel The folks at Fred Rogers Productions … Jun 19, 2026 Obligations I wish I could float smoothly from project to project with the ease of … Jun 17, 2026 Backmasking I love backmasking. Now with digital music files and home editing software, … Jun 16, 2026 Hello, Stranger Update You may not care, but you are reading this, so maybe… I … Jun 15, 2026 Little Things Shawn Blanc - Life is almost entirely a series of small, … Jun 12, 2026 None Of It Is Important Or All Of It Is Seth Godin — Steinbeck points out that the stars … Jun 11, 2026 The Future President Michelle Goldberg wrote a piece this week titled, “Why Everyone … Jun 10, 2026 Gambling in Sports Brendan Sorsby admitted to wagering at least $90,000 across more than … Jun 9, 2026 The Fill Rush opened the Fifty Something tour Sunday night at the Kia Forum. First show in … Jun 8, 2026 Mulch Spent the weekend adding mulch to the beds in the back. It looks great. Every time I … Jun 8, 2026 P!NK Takes Flight My wife loves P!NK, so the Tonys were on in our house Sunday whether I … Jun 7, 2026 The Myth, The Mythos, and the Man Om Malik with a great blog post exploring … Jun 7, 2026 Defining Humanity Cory Doctorow: Refining humanity: Computers don’t just clarify … Jun 5, 2026 Running in the Rain I used to run cross-country in high school and college. I was mediocre … Jun 4, 2026 No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious Ted Chiang is emphatic: LLMs are nowhere near … Jun 3, 2026 Taste Warren Ellis — All year I’ve been reading about taste. Someone somewhere identified … Jun 3, 2026 Tarps Off On May 15, a group of Stephen F. Austin club baseball players showed up to Busch … Jun 2, 2026 Something is Happening in Georgia This is one of the best political speeches of my … Jun 1, 2026 Caught in Joy I listen to a lot of YouTube at work. The moment I clicked through to the … May 31, 2026 What can a person learn in 10 minutes that will be useful for life? This Reddit thread … May 29, 2026 Stojakovic Stays For a few weeks there, I checked my phone like a worried parent. Andrej … May 28, 2026 There is no Scoreboard Dan Oshinsky — If you’re an athlete, results are measured in wins … May 27, 2026 The Mandalorian and Grogu Review Matt Singer on The Mandalorian and Grogu — The movie’s … May 25, 2026 Hello Stranger I finished a screenplay. Not this week, exactly. The file says draft four, … May 24, 2026 Cancellebration James Poniewzik on Colbert ending The Late Show — He didn’t land the … May 22, 2026 Bond, Casting Bond They’ve started casting the new James Bond. Amazon MGM hired Nina … May 21, 2026 Randy Rainbow Has a Question Political musical satirist Randy Rainbow’s new one … May 20, 2026 Lanterns Teaser Shines HBO dropped a new Lanterns teaser, and the show might actually be … May 18, 2026 The Difference Paul Stanley — “There’s a difference between standing up and telling … May 15, 2026 Welcome to the Machine I have been thinking a lot about what it is I’m doing when I … May 14, 2026 Foo Fighters Tiny Desk Concert May 13, 2026 My Mind’s Eye is Blind I don’t quite remember the first time I understood that other … May 12, 2026 The Illini at the NBA Combine The NBA Draft Combine runs May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena. … May 7, 2026 “Sweet Transvestite” on the Tonight Show The first time I heard the Rocky Horror … May 6, 2026 WKRP Comes Home Baby, if you’ve ever wondered. A radio station in Cincinnati just … May 5, 2026 May the Fourth Two things stuck this Star Wars Day. The first one I’m still thinking … May 4, 2026 Not all Opinions are Equal My random hot take on a Sunday trying not to doomscroll: Not … May 3, 2026 The Minnesota Fighting Illini The Minnesota Timberwolves have a couple of former Fighting … May 1, 2026 Artemis II Timeline Most weeks, the internet is a place that takes things from you. This … Apr 30, 2026 A King in Washington I did not watch King Charles address a joint session of Congress this … Apr 28, 2026 Stuck in a Time Loop (or is he?) Will is stuck in a time loop. At least, that’s what … Apr 25, 2026 The Onion Owns Infowars After 18 months of court fights, the deal is done. The Onion has … Apr 24, 2026 First Light When you watch the official title sequence for 007 First Light, you might be … Apr 23, 2026 Here. We. Go. Sean Bonner is on a tear and I’m here for it — I’ve been amused at … Apr 22, 2026 He's a Child David Graham in The Atlantic — In the lead-up to the war, which Trump … Apr 21, 2026 Truvia Vanilla Liquid Sweetener I need to tell you about Truvia Vanilla Liquid Sweetener. … Apr 19, 2026 Run it Back Brad Underwood’s pitch to his Illinois roster after the Final Four run … Apr 17, 2026 Blue in Green on Loop Miles Davis recorded “Blue in Green” in 1959 for Kind of … Apr 16, 2026 Remarkably Bright Creatures Trailer I listened to the audiobook of Shelby Van Pelt’s … Apr 15, 2026 The Choice I realistically think Keaton Wagler declares for the NBA Draft while … Apr 14, 2026 The Right Question Nicholas Bate – The question to ask is not will I be replaced by … Apr 13, 2026 Ramble On Apr 12, 2026 The View from Artemis NASA’s Artemis II crew flew around the Moon this week and the … Apr 10, 2026 The AI Writing Witch Hunt Joan Westenberg wrote a piece this week about the growing … Apr 9, 2026 Less but Better Greg McKeown — Dieter Rams, the legendary designer at Braun, worked from … Apr 8, 2026 Michigan versus UConn I stayed up to watch Michigan beat UConn. It was a good game. I … Apr 7, 2026 Name in Blood There’s a new Black Label Society album called Engines of Demolition that … Apr 6, 2026 The Ball Has to Go In Brad Underwood on the loss to UConn – “We fought, we … Apr 5, 2026 We Were Always a Final Four Team Apr 3, 2026 So Much Offense Isaac Trotter – The Illini have so many different ways it can … Apr 2, 2026 Fools Mark Twain — “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 … Apr 1, 2026 Yeah. I think she's back. The full trailer for Supergirl dropped this week, and I’ve … Mar 31, 2026 Tourney Thoughts Things worked out as ideal as possible for Illinois in the tournament … Mar 30, 2026 Cardinals Baseball is Up and Running The Cardinals opened at home this year for the first … Mar 29, 2026 Illinois versus Houston What a game. It was advertised as a Final Four caliber match-up … Mar 27, 2026 The Changing of the Guard I’ve noticed something while watching lots of college … Mar 26, 2026 Are You Ready? Will Leitch on this Illinois basketball team — This weekend, we will find … Mar 25, 2026 Sweet For the last six weeks, I’ve been a bad fan. I had decided somewhere in that … Mar 23, 2026 Enthusiasm Charles Hayward — “There is a dynamic quality about enthusiasm which … Mar 22, 2026 Brand New Day The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer dropped this week and I’ve … Mar 21, 2026 Illinois versus Penn Illinois put up 105 points against Penn. That’s the most any … Mar 20, 2026 Three Reasons Illinois Makes the Final Four Since Selection Sunday, I’ve been sitting in … Mar 19, 2026 Have a Website You’ve likely heard it all before, but it’s good to remember… You don’t … Mar 18, 2026 Vote I voted. It was incredibly easy. Yeah, democracy. Also, Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Mar 17, 2026 Aim to be You Matt Haig, The Midnight Library ― “If you aim to be something you are not, … Mar 16, 2026 Animated Firefly Well, I was right. It was never going to be a live-action reboot, but … Mar 15, 2026 They’re Doing Something with Firefly I don’t want to get my hopes up. I am … Mar 14, 2026 Harsh Reality The harsh reality from today is Illinois basketball is going nowhere in the … Mar 13, 2026 Perspective is Everything Dan Oshinsky – A week ago, something pretty remarkable … Mar 12, 2026 The Kid Nobody Wanted When Keaton Wagler committed to Illinois, he was the 150th-ranked … Mar 11, 2026 Bread Elastic Laces Are Not a Joke A year or so ago, I read a review of Bread elastic … Mar 10, 2026 Blue in Green I was having a bad morning. Nothing major, just several things not quite … Mar 9, 2026 We Lost Dan Simmons Dan Simmons died on February 21st. He was 77. He wrote lots of books, … Mar 8, 2026 In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night The first teaser for HBO’s Lanterns has arrived, and … Mar 5, 2026 The AJ Redd Game I went to the final regular-season game at State Farm Center on Tuesday. … Mar 4, 2026 No Max Leibman: No means no. No, I do not want to install your app. No, I do not want … Mar 3, 2026 A Quick Thought on AI-Written Material Lately, I’ve seen commentary on Large Language … Mar 1, 2026 Almost I watched the Illinois Women’s Basketball team nearly knock off the #9 Iowa team at … Feb 27, 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026 The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees arrived this … Feb 26, 2026 Simplify I want to simplify my life. This is difficult for me. One of the best things I … Feb 25, 2026 Paying Attention It’s hard to walk the line of being informed, being outraged at the news, … Feb 24, 2026 Collapse Illinois basketball blew it against UCLA. Just a complete collapse. Lost another … Feb 23, 2026 Be in the Moment It is far too easy to bite back boredom with a smartphone. Of course, is … Feb 22, 2026 Vanilla in my Coffee Before Christmas, my wife, my step-daughter, and I went up to … Feb 20, 2026 Ted ChiangSeveral years ago, I read the two collections by Ted Chiang, Stories of Your … Feb 18, 2026 10 Years. 1 Leader This is pretty powerful. 10 Years. 1 Leader. Josh Whitman. Feb 17, 2026 More Like It The Illini game on Sunday was more like it. Heavy domination on rebounding … Feb 16, 2026 Valentine’s Day Dio On Valentine’s Day, I was tasked with acquiring a heart-shaped pizza … Feb 15, 2026 Friday the 13th Sometimes I wish I gave a shit about horror movies and the like, but I … Feb 13, 2026 The Neil Gaiman Situation I read a long investigative piece into the allegations against … Feb 13, 2026 Fixing Big Ten Officiating Brad Underwood is tired of the shitty officiating in the Big … Feb 11, 2026 “The Only Failure in Life is Not Trying” Lindsey Vonn crashed during a training run at the … Feb 10, 2026 Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl The Super Bowl halftime show featured Bad Bunny with special … Feb 9, 2026 Super Bore As soon as Seattle finally scored their first TD after four field goals, the … Feb 8, 2026 Fool’s Spring Today is the first day I could legitimately wear a T-shirt or a Polo to work … Feb 8, 2026 The Post Joan Westenberg — “When you write a blog post, you’re creating a standalone … Feb 7, 2026 The Occasional Burst of Motivation James Clear – Use the moments of high motivation … Feb 6, 2026 Dosunmu to the Timberwolves Ayo Dosunmu has been traded to the Timberwolves. I haven’t … Feb 5, 2026 Remarkably Bright Creatures on Audiobook My wife has chided me for continually listening … Feb 4, 2026 Tank and Rebuild With Spring Training on the horizon, Chaim Bloom and the St. Louis … Feb 3, 2026 Something Special Illinois earned another massive road victory over a Top 5 team on … Feb 2, 2026 High Hopes Illinois basically stiff armed Washington last night to get their tenth win in … Jan 30, 2026 Rian Johnson Scripts Writer-director Rian Johnson has posted many of his scripts on his … Jan 29, 2026 46 Well, that was a hellava Saturday. I’m still a little stunned. Keaton Wagler put … Jan 26, 2026 "He just plays." Illinois head coach Brad Underwood on Keaton Wagler’s 46-point … Jan 25, 2026 One Piece of Advice Corey Doctorow — “I have one piece of advice: if you read a book you … Jan 24, 2026 The Rip I watched The Rip last night and thought it was an entertaining couple of hours. … Jan 23, 2026 Stojakovic Andrej Stojakovic, in his previous stops, was the primary everything. At … Jan 22, 2026 Not Knowing Leo Babauta – For a lot of my life, I had a very strong attachment to … Jan 21, 2026 Really Dope Patrick Rhone – There is a cannabis dispensary opening soon in my … Jan 20, 2026 The Ultimate Bus Story This person relates the most unhinged bus story I’ve ever read. It … Jan 19, 2026 Our Practice Seth Godin – What do you do regularly? Where do you show up, what do … Jan 18, 2026 Wake Up Dead Man I finished Wake Up Dead Man, the third movie in this series, last night. … Jan 17, 2026 JD Vance is a Piece of Shit Drew Magary is on fire. “What does he actually stand for, … Jan 15, 2026 Scott Adams Obituary Here’s some advice: Live your life in such a way that when you die, … Jan 14, 2026 The Largest Video Display in College Football Illinois, Daktronics Install Largest Video … Jan 13, 2026 The Madness of Living in 2026 Will Leitch has had a hard week. Haven’t we all? “I have … Jan 12, 2026 Shortcuts Seth Godin – The simple rule: Nine shortcuts take longer and are less … Jan 11, 2026 Having Fun It was a good B10 road win the other night, but what I noticed is that Illinois … Jan 10, 2026 Murder It was murder. Dave Pell of Nextdraft made this Atlantic piece a gift article and … Jan 8, 2026 Office Hours with Scott Galloway Scott Galloway answered my question on his video. It … Jan 7, 2026 Illinois State versus Montana State Last night, Montana State won the FCS national … Jan 6, 2026 The Start This is the start of another year in our lives, and I hope to improve upon it, … Jan 4, 2026 A Whole New Year Judy Garland — “Well, we have a whole new year ahead of us. And … Jan 1, 2026