"Godzilla is going to NY!"

OK. Well this small town has a lot going on right now, too.

On this date in 1865, the phrase "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" was coined.

The following day, renowned actor Edwin Booth was nearly the first victim of "cancel culture," due to the actions of his brother John the previous night.

Recalled bissell steamer and attachments.

#Recall: Over One Million Bissell Steam Shot OmniReach Steam Cleaners; The recalled steam cleaners’ attachments can unexpectedly detach from the steam cleaners and expel hot water or steam onto users during use, posing a serious burn hazard. Get new free attachments. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...

John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement The ag manufacturing giant will also make digital diagnostic, maintenance, and repair tools available to third parties for 10 years.

Farmers won their right-to-repair fight against John Deere. The settlement includes a 10-year “agreement by Deere to provide ‘the digital tools ​required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair’ of tractors, combines, and other machinery”. [thedrive.com]

Chicago Theaters Cut Ties With Jeff Awards After Director Accused Of Abuse Honored The 15 theaters said they no longer want to be associated with the organization after it gave an award to Invictus Theatre director Charles Askenaizer, who was accused of emotional abuse and harassmen...

15 theatres have now cut ties with Chicago's Jeff Awards following the awarding of a Best Director Jeff to the artistic director from Invictus Theatre, well after detailed accusations of abuse were levied against him.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/08/c...

I’m in that pic! And so are you!

Some days make this job feel very unimportant.*

*Yes, yes, art is important.

I was not prepared to see astronauts crying and hugging in space as they remember their friend and colleague’s late wife. 😭

(Also great to hear Commander Reid Wiseman ask ground control to let them know when the Orion crew's families are in the viewing room, so they can wave to them from the capsule. Especially when he followed it up with "you can lie to us and tell us they are there, too.")

It is interesting to hear the adrenaline ramp up in the Orion crew as they are getting a whole slew of both reminders and changes from Earth, while trying to relay changes/decisions they had to make in the capsule, plus trying to get all this done ASAP. Very much sounds like a live event stage crew.

For example, the Orion crew, while prepping for their science duties (as well as, you know, FLYING PAST THE FREAK'N MOON!), was also verifying which cameras should be setup for certain moments, getting last minute changes to timelines for "milestone" moments, & verifying any cascading changes.

One of the interesting things about the live-feed from the Artemis II mission is hearing what would be, to those of us who do live events on earth, the "stage crew" communication. Except in this case the "crew" is also the cast, as well as scientists trying to do that job.

It used to be that actors entering during the top-of-Act-2 blackout had to be very careful about finding the glow tape & knowing their path.

These days they can just use the glow of sea of cell phones in the audience to guide their way.

Carol Mullins, Who Illuminated Dance for Decades, Dies at 86

#DimTheLights for Carol Mullins, Lighting Designer for dance. She began in, as I like to think of it, the traditional way: by being asked "hey, would you like to do this?"

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/a...

The last few days have been some of the more challenging of my career. So the sight of the full moon clearly above a nearby thunderstorm, combined with the knowledge that somewhere in that view is 4 humans traveling to the moon for the first time in my lifetime, is especially beautiful tonight.

learning that astronauts have to use microsoft outlook in space is unspeakably depressing. we have set microsoft outlook free from the bounds of earth. polluting the stars with that janky piece of shit

If I were on a mission whose computer system required me to deal with Microsoft Outlook in space, I’d give up and go back to the slide rule

4-panel comic. (1) [Black panel with white text boxes] TEXT BOX: And God said, "Let there be light," (2) [Sun radiating light.] TEXT BOX: And there was light. (3) [View of bright sun rising over Earth's horizo] (4) TEXT BOX: God saw that light was-- [Chat bubble from Earth] CHAT BUBBLE: Can you add support for dark mode? Open xkcd.com to view toggles for different modes.

CREATION

Happy April Fool's Day!

xkcd.com/3227/

Tech Day 6: Because changes are part of the job.

CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using Male-to-Male Extension Cords, Secures Delisting Commitments from e-Commerce Platforms CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using Male-to-Male Extension Cords, Secures Delisting Commitments from e-Commerce Platforms

CPSC has secured the removal of hazardous male-to-male extension cord listings from major e-commerce platforms, including Walmart, eBay and AliExpress, and is warning consumers to stop using these products immediately.

cpsc.gov/Newsroom/New...

Irving David on the RSC's music cutbacks

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s decision to dismantle its music department should concern many more people than just the musicians whose posts are at risk, writes Irving David 👇

I honestly couldn’t see the end of it to the south. But Monroe would be logical as it connects directly with Butler Field in Grant Park.

Chicago: currently Dearborn is solid with marchers up to Wacker, and looks like at least down to Monroe.

Sometimes you’re programming 60 moving lights, other times this is your entire magic sheet:

Tech Day 5: Maybe some notes, maybe a run.

Expect rolling street closures during the march, likely including Wacker between Michigan and Wabash (for the now-traditional "flipping off Tr*mp Tower"). The march is more likely to affect Loop theatre audiences, though public transit may be crowded just before matinees.

Chicago: No Kings protest tomorrow at Butler Field in Grant Park (this is the field behind the Art Institute with the old band shell). It is scheduled to start at 1:30pm, with a march to follow. Allow extra travel time, especially on public transit before 2pm. May effect audiences after matinees.

Tech Day 4: Run it again.

6 years ag today, local stores were limiting toilet paper purchases to 1 package per customer.

I still believe at least some of this was due to the number of people who regularly were stealing TP from work to supply their own home, and no longer had that source.

Sardi’s Sells Its Name and Takes a Brief Intermission

Broadway mainstay Sardi's purchased by the Shubert Organization (already its landlord). Will close in June for a renovation (largely systems and infrastructure related, not decor) and then reopen after a few months. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/n...