Why Say It With Diamonds When You Can Say It With R2-D2?: If you're thinking of proposing marriage to an ultra nerdy "Star Wars" fan, there's a ring for that. Apparently the force is strong among jewelry makers, who've crafted sparklers that resemble everything from lightsabers to TIE Fighters. MTV.com has rounded up a rogue's gallery of options and reporter Patty Wetli has to admit that dazzled she is by the sapphire and diamond R2-D2.
Microsegregation Defies Diversity: What happens when a neighborhood gentrifies — and the poor people somehow manage to stay? It's not necessarily perfect. Senior editor Andrew Herrmann is reading a Fast Company piece that includes an interview with Derek Hyra, an American University researcher who studied a Washington D.C. neighborhood as it went from 90 percent black to 55 percent white. The two groups "now live next to one another — but not alongside one another," says the story, describing the situation as "micro-segregation." For example, the schools in the neighborhood are still overwhelmingly black. So when neighborhood associations started to be run by the newcomers, the issues reflected their interests (dog parks and bike lanes but not necessarily better schools.) "We need to facilitate social interaction," says Hyra.
A Chirp Off The Old Block: Reporter Ariel Cheung is reading a Crain's Chicago report about North Center-based radio station Chirp. The independent has been "live and local" online for five years, but it'll also ride the radio waves come October. With its well known record fair at the Pitchfork Music Festival and a team of 250 volunteers, the Chicago Independent Radio Project is "trying to fill the void of what radio should be — what radio used to be in the early days of rock," said Jennifer Lizark, a DJ and president of Chirp's board.
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