Events

First, two unidentified have discovered malware on 38 Android devices that could only have been installed after manufacture but before distribution to retailers: An assortment of malware was found on 38 Android devices belonging to two unidentified companies. This is according to a blog post published Friday by Check Point Software Technologies, maker of a mobile threat prevention app. The malicious apps weren't part of the official ROM firmware supplied by the phone manufacturers but were added later...

Chicago had no measurable snowfall for almost three months—until last night: Snow started Sunday. Snow in the Chicago area and elsewhere is leading to more than 500 cancellations at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports. The last time Chicago received any significant snowfall was in mid-December, when there was a little more than 5 inches of snow on Dec. 11 and 3.5 inches of snow days later. Since the first of the year, what rare flurries the city has seen have added up to less than an inch of snow. My...

Some stories from today: Andrew Sullivan sees Trump's insane Obama tweet as one more way to de-legitimize truth in general. Peter Beinart saw that too. President Trump, meanwhile, continues to claim credit for things that he had nothing to do with, like February's job numbers. There's new corroborating evidence that James Comey basically got Trump elected. Bruce Schneier calls for regulation of the Internet of Things. Peter Moskowitz sees gentrification as a long-term disaster for cities. Jeff Atwood...

Jeet Heer says no: [T]he very nature of our modern world, and the United States’ supremacy, makes it impossible to dismiss an American president’s word. The U.S. is a nuclear-armed superpower, with a commander in chief who presides over the world’s largest economy. Millions of people all over the world pay careful attention to what a president says, making their own plans based on the words coming out of the White House—and they will continue to do so whether or not the press corps and political class...

It looks more and more like the Republican Party created a trap for itself in its hysterical opposition to the Affordable Care Act, making the (I am not kidding) "World's Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017" a non-starter for clear majorities in Congress: Josh Marshall explains why "Repeal and Replace" is going very, very badly. WaPo says President Trump may try to steamroll movement conservatives, which won't help the cause. Brian Beutler makes it clear the Republicans brought this on themselves. If the...

Chicago is experiencing sustained 48 km/h winds with gusts up to 68 km/h, which has a noticeable effect on the building I work in. Sears Willis Tower was designed to sway in high winds. Over the years, however, material and building techniques have changed, so occasionally windows blow out of our upper floors. Fortunately this hasn't happened in almost 7 years, but these winds are high enough today that we may have to close the upper floors. I may pop up to 66 today just to feel it. At that floor, the...

Every night, I throw my excess pocket change into a bag. Sometimes I remember to empty the bag, as I did today. Total haul? Six dollar coins, a half-dollar, 648 quarters, 364 dimes, 220 nickels, and 664 pennies, summing up to $222.54. And no fee if you apply it to a gift card.

Several reactions to President Trump's bizarre accusation that the Obama administration ordered an illegal wiretap on Trump Tower last year, from left to right: Brian Beutler thinks Trump's weird tweets "royally screwed" the Republicans in Congress.  Josh Marshall says the claims are just ridiculous, and Trump kneecapped himself doing it. Jennifer Rubin wonders whether Trump is "bonkers, paranoid, or trapped?" The Chicago Tribune agrees that Trump essentially asked Congress to investigate himself, with...

The Finnish manufacturer is bringing back their 2000-era 3310: Given the rising angst of a society run by technology, Nokia might have picked the perfect time to introduce an antidote to the smartphone. But even under today’s conditions, it is tempting to see the new Nokia 3310 merely as another example of retro nostalgia. Ha-ha, what if you could get a dumbphone instead? It would pair perfectly with a milk crate full of vinyl albums. But it’s also possible that the 3310 marks the start of a new period...

A 2015 theft of a gun shipment from a railroad yard in Chicago continues to plague the city: The guns had been en route from New Hampshire weapon maker Sturm, Ruger & Co. to Spokane, Washington. Instead, the .45-caliber Ruger revolvers and other firearms spread quickly into surrounding high-crime neighborhoods. Along with two other major gun thefts within three years, the robbery helped fuel a wave of violence on Chicago's streets. The 2015 heist of the 111 guns, as well as one in 2014 and another last...