The temperature at O'Hare hit 26.7°C/81°F just before 4pm today. That's a new record:

The National Weather Service recorded a temperature of 80 degrees at O’Hare Airport, surpassing the previous record of 79 degrees set in 1986 and met in 1998, according to NWS meteorologist Mark Ratzer.

But he warned not to get used to the heat.

A cold front heading to the area Tuesday afternoon is expected to cause temperatures to plummet to a low of 37 degrees by Tuesday night. Areas near the lake will likely be cooler than inland areas.

Showers and thunderstorms are also possible in the area early Tuesday and throughout much of the rest of the week. Temperatures rivaling Monday’s record likely won’t return to the area within the next week, according to the Weather Service.

That's right, kids, it's still spring in Chicago. So buckle up for the next few days.

• About this Blog (v5.0)  (1 month)
• Brews and Choos project  (3 months)
• Chicago sunrises, 2026  (3 months)
• Inner Drive Technology's computer history  (2 years)
• Logical fallacies  (6 years)
• Other people's writing  (5 years)
• Parker Braverman, 2006-2020  (5 years)
• Style sheet  (9 months)
• Where I get my corn-pone  (1 month)

With 44 days to go before I hand over the keys door codes on my house, I looked at one last place today. It's at the north end of the Northalsted/Boystown neighborhood east of Wrigley Field, so the location is fantastic. The unit itself didn't show well at all because the current owners, shall I say, don't seem to have the same standards of maintenance that I do. It's fairly small and I don't think I would like my home-office situation. Disappointing.

What this means, strangely enough, is that I may spend the summer in a compact 1-bedroom rental in Evanston with the bare minimum stuff I need. This will give me time to keep looking for a permanent situation while Cassie gets a whole bunch of new smells to explore. It will also save me a ton of money, while at the same time encouraging me to find the right apartment. And Evanston is delightful in the summer, despite the no-dogs rules everywhere.

Not the most ideal situation, to be sure. And my car is going to live on the street for the first time ever. (There is a car charger two blocks away, however, so I will be able to feed the car from time to time.) The place is also two blocks from Sketchbook Brewing, a top-10 Brews & Choos location, one block from the same Metra line that goes past my current house, around the corner from two independent coffee shops, and three blocks from the place where my mom lived while I was in college and law school. Who knows? I might find my forever home in Evanston while I'm up there.

All of this will happen in the next few days....

I believe I have sold my house. I will know for sure when the buyer deposits the main portion of her earnest money with my agent tomorrow or Tuesday. The agreed price (5% over asking) means that my house will have appreciated at 7.9% annually since I bought it—about double the general inflation rate. That's, frankly, insane.

Of course, every other property in the area has also appreciated significantly, and there aren't that many of them for sale right now. I looked at a lovely place in a great location yesterday that had about 80% of what I wanted. By the time my agent and I had discussed it and were ready to make an offer, the property had gotten 5 other offers, the highest of which was 10% over asking. The average time on the market in my ZIP Code is 6 days, which includes the time it takes to write an offer and have it accepted.

Even rentals have dried up. I looked at a place Friday afternoon at a rent that I wouldn't have paid for a place twice its size ten years ago. I've had to expand my range to about 3x my initial search area, even adding Evanston to the mix. I've lived in Evanston for many years, so I know it would work fine for a while: it's well-integrated with Chicago transit, many of my favorite places are there, and it would only extend the travel time to my downtown office by about 10 minutes. But since I last lived in Evanston back in 2008, the city has closed its dog beach and no longer allows dogs on outdoor patios at bars or restaurants. That may not sound like a big deal, except longtime readers will know how much Cassie and I enjoy sitting outside in my neighborhood having a beer. (Well, I enjoy the beer, she enjoys all the people patting her.)

The clock is ticking. Closing on my current house will be May 13th, 45 days from today. And right now, I have absolutely no idea where I will wake up on May 14th.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted yesterday that the OAFPOTUS administration has achieved an unprecedentedly stupid outcome through its unprovoked war against Iran:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday warned European allies that Iran could set up a “tolling system” in the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran ends.

“I did describe to our allies, however, that immediately after this thing ends, and we’re done with our objectives, the immediate challenge we’re going to face is an Iran that may decide that they want to set up a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable, it’s dangerous for the world. And it’s important that the world have a plan to confront it.”

He added that the U.S. “is prepared to be a part of that plan” but not lead it, and that allies had a lot of “buy-in to that concept” if Iran carries out such a plan.

Josh Marshall smacks his forehead in disbelief:

The key here is that the U.S. seems to expect the war to end without any agreement simply not to block the Strait of Hormuz or exact tolls through it, which means claiming sovereignty over it as a kind of inland waterway. There’s really no way to describe this other than conceding that Iran will emerge from the war massively strengthened. We’ve come a long, long way from regime change and unconditional surrender. The other way to view it is that Rubio concedes that Iran will come out of the war massively strengthened and that it’s up to Europe and perhaps some countries in Asia to fix it.

Needless to say, there’s a lot here that requires explanation. The EU powers seem to be saying they’ll be part of some post war plan to keep the Strait open. But only after the conflict is over. Point being they don’t want to be operating in any war zone. But wait! … if Iran is claiming sovereignty over the Strait and charging tolls, you don’t necessarily change that without at least threatening to go to war again. And that’s clearly not what the EU powers are signing off on.

Iran closing the Strait was such an obvious strategy that no previous US president has even attempted a major military action against them.

But because the grift is still so good, the Republican Party still refuses to remove the demented toddler from office, no matter how much damage he does to their own interests. MAGA wants to burn the world to the ground and rule the ashes.

The temperature at Inner Drive Technology World HQ has plummeted 4°C in less than 90 minutes as a cold front plowed through the area. I pity the people attending Opening Day at Wrigley, and not just because of the weather.

Meanwhile:

• Adam Kinzinger goes deep into the OAFPOTUS's corruption, concentrating this week on the grifts he's run since taking office 15 months ago.
• Jennifer Rubin flatly states the OAFPOTUS "blew it on immigration."
• The populations of many US cities have dropped fast because of the OAFPOTUS's know-nothing immigration policies, though Chicago has remained stable because we're awesome.
• Kyla Scanlon warns about the limits of fast fixes both in the economy and in your personal health.
• United Airlines has introduced a modified CRJ-200 to encourage more premium travel to and from O'Hare.

Finally, two tech pioneers (of sorts) have died. Journalist Tracy Kidder wrote The Soul of a New Machine, the history of the very last minicomputer that Data General designed. He was 80. Leonid Radvinsky also died, from cancer at 43. His contribution to technology was somewhat more pedestrian, but no less important to an entire industry: he created OnlyFans.

I have some work left to do today, which is unfortunate given the 18°C sunny weather this afternoon and the impending pneumonia front that will, in 24 hours, take us half-way back to winter for a day and a half. The forecast looks a lot like late March in Chicago should: 21°C today, 15°C plummeting to 1°C tomorrow, 4°C Friday (low of -1°C), 9°C Saturday, 15°C Sunday, and 19°C Monday. This lets us exercise our entire wardrobe excepting, mercifully, our heaviest winter coats.

Offsetting the beautiful weather is a situation that has me pissed off so thoroughly that I am re-evaluating my life choices. But that's not your problem.

At some point in the next week I should be back in a head-space where I can try out some of the new stuff I learned at last week's conference. This afternoon, in about an hour, Cassie gets more walk time.

Sure Happy It's Tuesday! Here's what crossed my desk today:

• Paul Krugman shows the receipts that prove OAFPOTUS droogs are using national secrets to get rich on prediction markets.
• Matthew Yglesias answers the question, "why hasn't oil gotten even more expensive?" Hint: Rhymes with taco.
• Jeff Maurer wonders where the people yelling about how "Greenland is strategically vital" have gone.
• James Fallows digs into the collision at LaGuardia Sunday, when a regional jet smashed into a fire truck while landing, killing the pilots and injuring over 40 passengers. The Atlantic's David Graham reacts by bemoaning the state of American aviation in general.
• Bruce Schneier thinks Japan's Team Mirai has a great strategy for leveraging technology in politics.

Finally, a Wrigleyville gem, Uncommon Ground, has put itself on the market so that the owners can retire. The restaurant includes Greenstar Brewing. Anyone looking for a new investment?

The last two weeks have really taken a toll, so I don't have a lot of creativity to spare today. Between performances, travel, an open house, and everything else, I didn't have a normal day from the 10th until yesterday. And yesterday was only "normal" in that I had no planned or scheduled activities of any kind, which I celebrated by doing fuck all.

Today I have my usual Monday meetings and my usual Monday rehearsal, followed by more of the same all week. I need the routine. Because it looks like I'm going to start packing up my house in two weeks—and I have yet to find a new house. (I'll have more on Chicago's insane real estate market soon.)

Cassie has gotten 2 hours of walks so far today because (a) I had a showing and an open house and (b) it's gorgeous out. I am, however, down about 12 hours of sleep in the last 7 days, and I may have had an extra drink or two in the Hospitality Suite with my colleagues on Wednesday. Plus, of course, 10 hours of traveling yesterday.

Regular posting resumes tomorrow.

Heading back home. I get why people like spending time by California beaches, and yet my main priority right now is getting Cassie back, followed by sleeping in my own bed tonight. I got a little lovin' from a middle-aged German shepherd dog on the beach this morning, which helped.

Last night a friend and I had a filling dinner at Jones. On the way back to the car we discovered a robot nest:

Millions of dollars in research and development went into making them adorable. It works. We found ourselves talking to them: "Almost home, buddy! Sleep well!"

I wonder about the economic prospects of both companies running robots in L.A. and Chicago, especially given how awful Americans can be and the propensity of Chicago to have what we refer to as "weather." We'll see. I don't live inside the delivery zone of either service, but perhaps I'll run an experiment to see if they'll deliver to a park bench or something similar.

Boarding is in 45 minutes, I have had second breakfast (at Chicago lunch time, though), and I am ready to be home. Updates as conditions warrant.

The conference has ended, but I'm staying another day in the Southland. Regular posting resumes tomorrow.

And hey, when in Rome (or Orange County), do as the Romans. I've never had In-N-Out Burger before. It was worth the stop.

As usual, I signed up for the hiking excursion at this year's conference. It did not disappoint (unlike my dying Surface and the hotel's WiFi):

Here's my Garmin track:

Now that I've had a shower, I plan to sit outside and read for an hour. Dinner is at 6:30.

As much as I'm enjoying this conference, including the History of Cyber Warfare talk a colleague just presented, the rest of the world continues to smolder:

• Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won nomination to the US Senate over US Representatives Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi in yesterday's Illinois Democratic Primary. Other winners include Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss for the US House (9th district) and Melissa Bean for her old seat in the 8th district.
• James Fallows wraps his head around how badly the OAFPOTUS has screwed up in his completely unnecessary war against Iran.
• Radley Balko has some questions for Homeland Security Secretary nominee Markwayne Mullins in his upcoming Senate hearings.
• Francis Fukuyama outlines "what AI hypists miss."
• Adam Kinzinger provides "a blueprint for staying in the fight."

Finally, citing the insanity of the Persian Gulf situation, the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged this morning. "The decision marks the second meeting in a row in which the central bank has opted against a policy move, instead voting to keep rates unchanged at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent. Stephen I. Miran, a governor appointed by President Trump last year, issued his fifth straight dissent and voted for a quarter-point cut."

For the third second day of the conference: breakfast at Parlor Donuts, just off the Huntington Beach Pier. No photos of the sugar and fat bomb that I ate an hour ago, and will still be digesting this time next week. But the pier itself looks good just after sunrise:

I've only got a few minutes before the next panel, and I have to sit on my balcony looking at the ocean now. Next post before lunch, as Illinois had an election yesterday that might count for something this fall.

As hoped, I got out of my hotel room and walked up to the Huntington Beach Pier:

Once there, I conducted some pier review:

Once back at the hotel, I bought a pair of shorts, because I was very warm. I remembered to pack shorts, but of course I remembered at O'Hare. Had I known I'd have to stay at O'Hare for 8 hours I probably would have made a different packing choice.

Conference "pub quiz" starts in 45 minutes, and then dinner. Then, I believe, I'll sit outside and read for a bit before collapsing.

Despite all my travel issues, I managed to get to the right hotel and to all the panels I signed up for today. And I have to say, our conference planners did a great job on the location:

Posting will be spotty, but I will try to get more photos of California up while I'm here. Right now, I have to take a nap and then go for a walk, or I'll fall asleep at dinner.