Trends come and go. But every now and then a major wave arises that ripples across the culture, and seeps into everything.

This is one such time, and the mega trend is this: the Internet is adapting us, not the other way around. It's our culture's Flux Capacitor,...

During my morning run, I cut through the public library's parking lot. My books are overdue, I remind myself. Like many Americans in the downturn, I've increased my use of the local public library. In 2011, OCLC -- a library consortium -- reported that library usage increased for...

It was the last Saturday evening of the summer. A breeze off the lake cooled the crowd gathered in Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion to bid farewell to the summer. A former dancer turned politician, Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced the Chicago Dancing Festival. He radiated pride as he welcomed...

Since 2008, I've been keeping an eye on Jonathan Harris. He's a renaissance man for a new century: artist, computer scientist, visionary. He caught my attention with his mind-blowing show at MOMA -- I Want You To Want Me, done in collaboration with Sep...

On my holiday lunch circuit with clients, I kept hearing a similar refrain from people. They are struggling to manage Millennials right out of college. They appreciate that they're tech-savvy, creative and enthusiastic. But harnessing those qualities in the work place is elusive. As people, they seem so different, I...

At a recent leadership conference, academic leaders voiced concerns about the future of education in America. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, their remarks were punctuated by angry protesters who openly confronted the panel of college presidents about the high cost of a college education.

What struck...

Occupy Wall Street may be an amorphous, platform-free movement. But as the protests that began in New York in September have spread across the United States, and the world, one clear issue of concern has emerged: student loan debt.

For over a year, I've been working on a foundation-funded project...

President Obama doesn't tweet non-stop. He shouldn't. After all, the leader of free world has the business of the keeping the United States safe and solvent to contend with. But because he was the first presidential candidate to "socialize" an election, pundits wonder what happened to the pre-presidency levels of...

If you need evidence that the pallid economy is regaining its color, just ask mural artist Doug Coggeshall. Last week, I caught up with Coggeshall for coffee between estimate meetings with clients. After 25 years, he considers his custom mural business serving metro-Chicago's most prominent residents "a canary in a...

It's 9:30AM on a Monday in a hotel ballroom that is filled to the brim with people eager to hear what Al Franken has to say. Last night, Austin was overflowing with parties, so I figure most people dragged themselves here with hangovers. Al Franken is sober. With...

The girls at my local high school are fighting back in outrage over a Social Network-style website that rates girls using sexually explicit and racist remarks. Their counter movement, RESPECT, is making headlines. Because many boys joined in solidarity with the girls, the ruckus says a lot about the future...

Using statistical tools at its sibling blog, AllFacebook, Galleycat compiled a list of the most popular authors on Facebook.

Authors are arranged according the number of Facebook fans they counted as of this Nov. 11, 2010. Shakespeare's still hot, rocking the #4 slot in most Facebook...

Some conservatives are saying it's time to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). It's a sign that the public may not understand the Department's role. That's a shame, but understandable. For the last three decades, people in education have been focused on talking to each other. In...

Remember when the Reagans were scalded by the media for consulting an astrologer? It makes me wonder if times have changed. Will the Obamas be consulting their astrological charts any time soon? I put the question to Susan Miller,...

Meet Killi. She's a German Shorthaired Pointer who is gracing our lives while her human family takes a holiday. Her owner brought her by this weekend for a meet and greet. It was love at first sight.



Sadly, my own dog passed away...

Last Friday, the deadline closed for entries into the National Endowment for the Arts logo contest. The controversial call-for-entries raised important issues for the creative economy, the biggest question being the value of creative work.

We live in a time of unprecedented creative output. Much of...

Does someone marketing in today's digital culture need a pricey MBA? Once considered the zenith of accomplishment in business, the relevance of the MBA degree has come under question. Clues as to why the criticism might stick could be found at the recent Kellogg Business School Marketing

The holidays are no time to think about death. But then again, many of us will be re-connecting with extended family during the holidays, and we can't help but notice that our folks are "getting up there" in age. A new report from Northwestern University points out that obituaries...

In cities across America, it's the season of the "cause." From charity 10K runs to sumptuous galas, volunteers of all sizes and stripes step forward in the fall to do their part. Chicago's no different. In fact, 1.7 million people volunteer in Chicago, contributing an equivalent of $3.6 million...

On October 28, 1938 the first mass gathering of American Marxists was held in New York City. Glenn Beck seems set on marking the occasion. I'm referring to his flagrant use of the word "socialism" to describe the Obama administration's policies.

Whether it's the federal bail-out or health care reform,...