Sox do some Cubthumping

Reflecting on the Sox’ three-game sweep of the Cubs over the weekend, we’re thankful that a state of baseball equilibrium has been achieved in Chicago, with the two teams splitting their six-game season series.
That said, our office, like the rest of the city, will be in a state of civil unrest if these two first-place [...]

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We’re No. 7! We’re No. 7! We’re No. 7!

Chicago ranks as the seventh-largest cybercity in the United States, according to a report from AeA, a high-tech trade association based in Oakbrook Terrace. A copy of AeA’s report may be purchased for $250.
After a nanosecond of deliberation we decided that if forced to rack up another $250 on our AmEx, we’d buy an 80 GB iPod Classic [...]

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Q&A with Brad Spirrison, Windy City tech icon in the making

Brad Spirrison has his finger — make that fingers — firmly on the pulse of Chicago’s converging Internet, media, and technology scenes. When he’s not hammering out his weekly Tech Matters column for the Sun-Times, Spirrison juggles multiple roles as president of Midwest Business Inc. and publisher of MidwestBusiness.com and SpeedNetworking.com.
And you thought you were [...]

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“Ball Girl” Born in Chicago

Turns out that “Ball Girl,” the ubiquitous viral video that’s been viewed a couple million times on YouTube, has strong Chicago connections. The spot was produced by Chicago ad agency Element 79 for Chicago-based sports-drink juggernaut Gatorade.
If you haven’t yet seen the bejerseyed young woman scale a padded wall to snare a fly ball — [...]

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(Yet Another) Disturbance on the Blue Line

While taking the Blue Line home from work yesterday, the train stopped at Western — and stayed stopped for a good 20 minutes. A surprisingly candid conductor explained to us over the intercom: “We’re being instructed to stay put because there’s been a disturbance on the train in front of us.”
We’re guessing that “disturbance” meant that [...]

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Up to 2,700 Jobs Lost as Boat Sales Slip

Lake Forest-based Brunswick Corp. announced today that it would be eliminating 1,000 jobs by the end of this year, and perhaps 1,700 more by the time the company is done with its current cost-cutting initiatives.
The maker of boats and recreational equipment also announced the closing of four manufacturing plants.
“An uncertain economy, high fuel and food [...]

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Chicago Renters Inch Closer to Affording Homes

Home prices have dropped 9.3 percent in Chicago over the past year, according to Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller index. For home-owning Chicagoans, the news could have been worse: the index, which tracks home prices in 20 major U.S. cities, revealed a 17.8 percent year-over-year decline in home prices nationwide.
Another couple of years like this past one, and those [...]

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That Shiny Silvery Thing

Today we intended to grab a Signature Salad from Cosi and bring it back to our desk to eat while updating a spreadsheet. But the mild temps, mostly sunny skies and festive atmosphere on the city’s crowded sidewalks put us under a spell, and the next thing we knew we were sitting on the edge [...]

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Cubs Dominate Sox in Weekend Showdown

What’s the word around the water cooler about the Cubs thumping of the Sox over the weekend? Here at CC, people have been oddly quiet about the North Siders three-game sweep of the Palehose. Just guessing, but perhaps because the Cubs so thoroughly crushed the Sox, Cubs fans feel no need to do any trash talking (their [...]

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Here’s Hoping “Staycation” Isn’t Here to Stay

Have you tired yet of this summer’s buzzword: staycation? CC sure has. We’re all for taking advantage of recreational opportunities that are close to home; in fact, we’ll be devoting numerous blog entries to unheralded destinations in and around Chicago. What annoys us are media-created words and phrases that are repeated ad nauseum until they [...]

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