Microsoft has decided to take a different route to fight those popular "I'm A Mac" commercials. They enlist a five-year-old, kittens, unicorns, and "The Final Countdown." Success! [via] more ›

About 40 local Red Cross volunteers are in California helping evacuees. more ›

Have you noticed the photos and merchandise featuring a green metal soldier throughout the city? At your local 7-Eleven there are Slurpee cups featuring the same soldier carrying a flag, there is a strange red-orange new flavor of Mountain Dew called Game Fuel, there is a commercial with a elderly man talking about the great battle where "Master Chief" saved his life, and there's another where "Master Chief" seemingly comes alive in the middle of a massive diorama. There are books, comics, web "machinima," toys, and even an article in Time Magazine. This is Halo. more ›

After touring the world for the past year in support of their breakout album Witching Hour, the members of U.K. dance-rock heavies Ladytron prove there's no rest for the wicked. The group's DJs, Reuben Wu and Mira Aroyo, are currently traipsing the U.S. under the Filter mag and Microsoft Zune banners, and Chicagoist was fortunate enough to snag Reuben for a few questions. Chicagoist: This tour is co-sponsored by Zune … do you happen to... more ›

We'd like to start this week's run-down by wishing a very happy birthday to parent blog Gothamist, which turned four on Friday. If it wasn't for them, the rest of us wouldn't be here. They celebrated their birthday by nabbing an interview with Entourage star Adrian Grenier, who misses NYC public transportation when he's working in LA. They also reported on NYU students protesting a band whose name is also known as a slur,... more ›

Now that the Chicago Auto Show is well under way, we've had a few bright, shiny glimpses of what could be on its way for this car culture of ours. One of the most excitingly American innovations to debut is technology that could allow drivers to check email while on the road! Woohoo! We're sure it will take a few years for Chicago aldermen to notice it and ban it, so you've got some time... more ›

Dick Durbin popped up in the news again this weekend (no tough feat for the Majority Whip), suggesting that the new Democratic majority in congress will work to pass some sort of immigration bill this term. "I think prospects are good," said Durbin, referring to discussions going on over a comprehensive bill that would offer more visas for highly skilled workers, toughen border enforcement, and could offer a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants... more ›

We're a little late on this, but this month's Wired print version named two Chicago companies as top "acquisition bait." RSS provider FeedBurner and software shop 37signals clocked in at #8 and #9 respectively (and we're guessing that order is arbitrary). more ›

One happy Chicago kid received a Microsoft Zune for Christmas this season. Her unhappy parents discovered that the device was preloaded with two hour's worth of five men in a gay orgy. They were not amused. more ›

We have been helped through many long lonely walks and nights with our iPod. We've found it therapeutic and necessary in many circumstances, and as you can tell, we are quite attached. We have dealt with a kid saying, "Wow, is that the oldest iPod ever?" and one has even broken on us already. Fortunately, that one was still under warranty. With this one, however, we were not so lucky. That's right folks, it's joining many before it in going to iPod heaven. We thought about finding a friend we didn't like too much, and suing them, but that evidently that doesn't work. As we contemplate our next move, we have found ourselves in quite the quandary. more ›

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a double-ticket),... more ›

This is certainly the time of year to walk outside and find stuff dandling from the trees in your front yard, but residents of suburban Willow Springs found more than just toilet paper dangling from the branches. Those pranksters from Microsoft dropped 2,000 copies of their new Accounting Express 2007 software all over the burg in little parachutes, providing free coasters and rearview mirror ornaments for the village of 6,000. Residents first thought they were dropped from the sky, but one early-riser said they had been chucked from a car. more ›

Yesterday’s fire in the South Loop had an impact on the present and took away a part of Chicago’s past. The building that caught fire was the Witt Dexter Commerical Loft Building at 630 S. Wabash. Firefighters battled the blaze into the night, the CTA’s Loop elevated trains were shut down, and nearby buildings were evacuated. Here’s what you need to know for your morning commute: Green Line and Orange Line service is currently... more ›

Google recently upgraded their suite of web-based applications for use around the office. Gmail is now supplanted by upgraded, official releases of word processing and spreadsheet programs. more ›

This week Live Nation agreed to purchase the House of Blues chain for a cool $350 million. What does this mean to us? No one knows yet as neither company is commenting about what changes the acquisition may bring. Jim Derogatis helps us understand what it could mean for Chicago in terms of market domination by one company ala Starbucks or Microsoft. He also explains how Chicago is unique in that we still have Jam... more ›

CTA Tattler posted some fun pictures yesterday that a reader snapped at the revamped Jackson subway station. An information screen went rogue, revealing the software running beneath. From the looks of it, the monitor was just playing a PowerPoint presentation on Windows XP, but someone forgot to lock things down. Riders even got to see a helpful security popup letting them know that the computer wasn't running a firewall. Neat! This is red meat for... more ›

• A former Aurora gymnastics coach was sentenced to 20 years for molesting 7 young girls. He says that gymnastics is a hands-on sport and that his touches were misunderstood.
• This is already one of the coldest Decembers on record. Warming centers are open for the homeless.
• A Chicago man is suing Microsoft for selling a "defectively designed" product, saying that the Xbox 360 has a flaw that causes the hardware to overheat and freeze in the middle of gameplay.

In an evironmental impact study, the FAA has endorced the plan for O'Hare's proposed expansion plans, an 8-year long project that will cost $15 billion and will help alleviate our painful flight delays. City officials expect final approval by September. more ›

Alex Seropian, Founder, Wideload Games more ›