(Unknown caller 1): In this episode I examine the history of telemarketing and robocalls–from a 1942 Popular Mechanics article describing an auto-dialer to efforts by the FCC to address the recent resurgence of robocalls.
Nature to A Minor to Red Star

March came in like a lion, but a lion cub. Continue reading Nature to A Minor to Red Star
Second Outgoing Message
This episode recalls the old Maxwell Street Market and the first night game at Wrigley field. Correction: I refer to the 2006 documentary about Maxwell Street as “Cheat Your Fair.” The correct title is Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street.
Savitri’s First Message
In this episode I recall my time writing for the Grey City Journal and discuss the hymn that inspired the title of GCJ. The lyrics by Edwin H. Lewis were inspired by Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition and became the University of Chicago’s alma mater.
First Outgoing Message (Outgoing 1)
This week’s episode leads me to discuss the “ship of fools” allegory from Michel Foucault’s History of Madness, a brief history of Illinois Central Railroad and the nineteenth century California writer Bret Harte.