CHICAGO — Here's what we're reading today, aside from the latest on the now resolved Nicki/Taylor beef.
Fu-fu-fu-freezing? Senior editor Andrew Herrmann is, hunkered down in his hoodie at the over-chilled headquarters of DNAinfo.com Chicago. It's an American thing, apparently. A Washington Post story says the U.S. consumes more energy for air conditioning than any other country in the world. Europeans, who tend to raise the thermostat in the summer and lower it in winter, think we're crazy. One expert observes: "While indoors, Europeans wear sweaters in the winter while Americans wear sweaters in the summer." And not everyone is thrilled about the arctic office - women say they're iced out daily.
Grad School for Crooks: Locking up so many people in prison has created a graduate school for criminals, according to new research reported in Quartz. A University of Michigan economist has found prison may be increasing crime, rather than reducing it. Michael Mueller-Smith's research found that prison offers first-time offenders with access to mentors more skilled in the logistics of committing various crimes and a puts them in contact with a network of people committing similar crimes.
Sam Cholke noticed that what does reduce crimes seems to be more police on the beat — even if they're not arresting anyone. The research suggests that seeing more cops around increases the perception that you'll get caught if you try to pull something, which reducing the number or people willing to take that risk.
Test Drive a Tiny House!: While reporter Patty Wetli has made her detest for the tiny house dwellers clear, Alisa Hauser, who has happily lived in a 300 square-foot studio apartment for three years, wonders if her next life chapter will involve an "upgrade" to an even smaller spot. Getaway, a new start-up company from Harvard University's Millenial Housing Lab, gives the micro curious a chance to "test drive" tiny homes, Curbed reports. The Harvard lab is exploring "new ways to address the housing needs of a generation that's marrying later, switching jobs often, and deeply interested in meaningful, eco-conscious communities." The first home on the roster is a 160 square-foot micro house in Hampshire, Massachusets, which can be rented for $99/night. Hauser hopes Generation X-ers are welcome there too... Read more about it here.
Rolling Stone visits the Wild 100s: Morgan Park is the setting for a breakout piece on Chicago's gun violence in published in Rolling Stone on Wednesday. The magazine looks at the life, family and friends of Michael Haynes, a basketball standout who was shot and killed on July 26, 2012. The story delves into Haynes' background and the cycle of violence that plagues the South Side. The detail captured in this sprawling piece leaves readers feeling as if they knew Haynes on a personal level. Reporter Howard Ludwig highly recommends the piece.
Leafy Treasure Hunt: Reporter Heather Cherone is reading the Tribune's look at a team of archaeologists searching for bits of Illinois history in Cook County's Forest Preserves. Teams have already uncovered 10,000-year-old items — and a full-scale survey is underway, with 1,000 acres to be searched this year alone, officials said.
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