Events

Temperatures in Chicago hit 35°C yesterday, tying the record set in 1983, and only the seventh temperature that high ever recorded in Chicago this late in the season. And then, because it's Chicago, the forecast calls for a 14°C temperature difference by Friday. In all, summer hasn't sucked too badly this year. I still wish it were already over. I guess I can hold out one more day...

He had a little more hassle than I did. Only a little: So back in July I decided to give it a shot. If you’re a US citizen/permanent resident, Dutch citizen, South Korean citizen, or Mexican national, you can join the program. (Canadians can join via the Nexus program.) I went online and filled out the extensive application. I mean, this thing looks at your history going back for several years. It requires previous residences, everywhere you’ve traveled, and more. Once you finish filling it out, you pay...

If the AP report is true, this is a complete win for the President: Assad is now agreeing to preserve and strengthen that norm. He’s agreeing to sign the treaty banning chemical weapons — a treaty Syria has been one of the lone holdouts against. He’s creating a situation in which it would be almost impossible for him to use chemical weapons in the future, as doing so would break his promises to the global community, invite an immediate American response, and embarrass Russia. This is, in many ways, a...

The Economist's Gulliver blog has had enough of UnitedContinental's computer problems: Late last month, for example, America's Department of Transportation fined United $350,000 for taking too long to process its customers' refund requests. ... Here's the remarkable thing about this latest fine, which was connected to delays of some 9,000 refund requests: United blamed it on the merger. According to the Los Angeles Times, United told the regulators that when the two legacy airlines' reservation systems...

I adopted Parker on 1 September 2006, seven years (and one week) ago. Since I wasn't in Chicago last Sunday, I didn't make a note of Parker Day at the time. Here, then, is Parker's annual portrait, complete with a blade of grass on his nose: And here, also, is hoping for at least seven more years with the fuzzy dude.

I rarely buy plane tickets this far out, but something made me think buying holiday tickets right now might be a good idea. Things, for example, like this: The Department of Justice’s somewhat surprising lawsuit to stop the merger of American Airlines with US Airways may not offer much help for passengers hoping that competition among the majors will keep a ceiling on airfares. Like any commodity, airfares are a function of supply and demand — and carriers have been removing supply from the market. Some...

For only the third time this season, I got to see the Cubs win at home. They started strong and...well, that was all that they needed to do, because the Brewers are just as bad as the Cubs this year. Both teams are now tied for last place with 60-80 records. Whoever wins the next two games will be solidly in fourth place. It was a fun game, though. And really great weather. I think I have only two or three more games on my list this season, and I hope this starts a trend.

Security guru Bruce Schneier has two essays in the Guardian this week. The first explains how the US government betrayed the Internet: By subverting the internet at every level to make it a vast, multi-layered and robust surveillance platform, the NSA has undermined a fundamental social contract. The companies that build and manage our internet infrastructure, the companies that create and sell us our hardware and software, or the companies that host our data: we can no longer trust them to be ethical...

I only had a day in Edinburgh, and catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in three years took precedence over photography. I took a few dozen shots, but none except this really hit my standards: That's the Observatory House atop Carlton Hill. It's hard to see the 30 km/h wind blowing us over in this photo, or my unbelievable jet lag, but I assure you, dear reader, both contributed to the dearth of good photography I produced Monday. The last time I visited Edinburgh (in June 1992), I only had a few...

Remember the Google Street View Tardis Easter egg I mentioned? It's real: That's right in front of the Earl's Court Tube stop this past Sunday. Apparently the Doctor has installed a CCTV camera on his roof...hmm...