Recent content from James Lileks
Lileks: Never Trust The Amazon Reviews
Did you miss Cyber Monday? It's the only thing anyone calls "Cyber" anymore. In the '90s, they slapped "cyber" on anything to give it a…
Lileks: The neighborhood drugstore might be next to go
News story: Amazon was casting around for another part of the world to take over, took a look at the pharmacology industry and said:…
Lileks: Keeping tabs on the new rules for license plates
Now we need an appointment just to give the state money?
Vast photo archive of the Twin Cities lets you compare then and now
Walter Norton and Clifford Peel left an extensive collection of commercial photography.
The story behind a downtown Minneapolis building that never reached its potential
The Wesley Temple building (West Grant Street, between S. 1st and 2nd avenues), built by the adjacent church with the same name, was finished in 1928…
LIleks: Blame not bars, but loud ones
I’m not an epidemiologist, unlike everyone else on the internet who reads a brief description of a scholarly article whose title reaffirmed what they…
Ever seen your dog mix it up with a raccoon? I did, and it isn't pretty
We may think of dogs and cats as enemies. But wait until you witness a dog-raccoon duke-out.
Lileks: Ready for lean-back French-style TV?
It’s fun to consider phrases or conversations that would’ve made no sense last year. For example: “The governor is supposed to speak this afternoon. Do…
Online archives let you explore America's attic – from comedy and radio to newspapers of yore
Need to kill some time? Consider getting lost in these illustrative archives.
Lileks: Finally surrendering to the infomercial
“Let’s go shopping!” someone says. One type of person says “yes!” The other asks a sensible question: “For what?” “I don’t know. That’s not the…
Lileks: Uptown Minneapolis is Schrodinger's neighborhood
Is Uptown dead? Yes, of course. It’s always dead. Everyone who moves to Uptown is informed by a grizzled veteran who’s lived there since 2018…
Lileks: When your fridge says no
I’m afraid I have to issue a correction, because I lied. It goes like this: “In a recent column, the short guy who ceased to…
Lileks: Ho ho, hey hey, Daylight Saving Time has got to stay
Who has the time to do something about the time?
Lileks: What killed Tab? COVID, of course
You might have heard that Tab’s been discontinued. Possible reactions: “What is Tab?” It’s a soft drink — or pop, as we say up here…
Lileks: Calling a different kind of lid
I'm about to discuss something about which I know absolutely nothing but nevertheless have opinions. That seems to be all the rage these days.A few…
Lileks: Doing battle with home insecurity systems
We had a prowler last week. According to my neighborhood watch groups and security apps, it was only a matter of time. If you look…
Lileks: A sign of the times – scoffing at red lights
The unsettled air of 2020 has turned us into a society of miscreants.
Lileks: After cutting the cord, the cookies go missing
As a public service, I have been detailing my attempt to "cut the cord" and get the idiot-box bill below the weekly grocery bill for…
Lileks: Rudolph can't save you now
We can all agree that packing people into small rooms and scaring them so they scream and emit fine mists of personal fluids is probably…
Archives of an architecture firm reveal a Minneapolis that was never built
Ed Baker's drawings and models of past projects give us a glimpse of what might have been.
Lileks: I come not to praise vinyl but to scratch it
News story: Sales of vinyl records have overtaken CDs. You think: They’ve sold 11 records this year, and only 10 CDs? No. About $232 million…
What happened to Old Main, the former heart of the University of Minnesota campus?
It’s a rare part of the city that’s been untouched by time, but this place is still around: the University of Minnesota’s campus before the…
LILEKS: Oh, right, that other virus
Saw a sign the other day that made me think: Ohhhh, right. That thing. Are you kidding me? Of all years, are you kidding me?It…
Lileks: Crime-fighting apps deliver on paranoia, but little else
There are plenty of apps that keep you apprised of crime. But they may offer more information than you bargained for.
Flavors of the Food Building
When the Fair's epicenter for food is packed with people, you never notice this funny feature.
Lileks: It isn't always nice work even if you can get it
A Labor Day axiom: “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Says the man who loves to spend his…
James Lileks explains why the 4-H building is so tall
A peek behind the scenes, including the barracks.
Lileks: Now we have an excuse not to do what we usually don't do
All the things we can do next year.
Fair Minute: Reminiscing about what happens at the Grandstand
Counting columns and reminiscing about what happens at the Grandstand.
Lileks: Stop calling me about my roof
The other day my phone rang, which is never good news. What brute calls people? And talks? We all text now, and soon that will…
While workers were away: Six new buildings on the Minneapolis skyline
The pandemic hasn't stopped construction in downtown Minneapolis, where the skyline continues to change.
Take a peek at State Fair landmarks you know and (maybe) love
Seed art, beer and winning crops show up here in a normal year, but this year isn't normal.
Lileks: Can you handle a bag shortage?
We have been taunted in our neighborhood for a month by a passive-aggressive ice cream truck. If that’s what it is. We haven’t seen it.…
Lileks: Ground bees are our latest infestation
With no joy I bring you news of the lawn-eating beetles, which will add their distinctive unpleasantness to the chunky goulash of calamity we call…
Lileks: The seasonal aisle tells the future
Back-to-school supplies aren't flying off the shelves. But will Halloween skeletons be wearing COVID masks?
Lileks: Please, more junk mail
It's always a shock when you get that AARP card in the mail. What? I'm not old. Although the actual sound of surprise and indignation…
Lileks: Murder hornets are so passe now that we have zombie cicadas
Something else not to be alarmed about.
What's the future of Minnesota's small-town downtowns? Hint: It's not Mayberry
Minnesota's small-town downtowns have a future, but it won't look like past.
Lileks: Let's vent to the wilderness, Minnesota-style
I scream, you scream, we all scream for Iceland.
Lileks: Is this the end of the men's suit?
Brooks Brothers, venerable men’s clothiers, has declared bankruptcy. Let us blame changing societal standards. I do not know if that is really the reason,…
Lileks: What does hand sanitizer cost? Who knows
At some point while restocking the home supplies, I realized I was preparing for the next pandemic. When flour was in short supply, I bought…
Lileks: How will we cope with the looming stick shortage?
It was time for the celebrated Minnesota tool.
Lileks: Why are fireworks in Minnesota so wimpy?
They're harmless fun, if you follow the law — which prohibits anything that goes up or explodes.
Lileks: Already looking forward to next year's fireworks
I'll miss the oohing and ahhing, but not the traditional race to the car after the show.
Did you know? There was once a bathhouse on the shores of Bde Maka Ska
The original bathhouse had one interesting characteristic: no roof.
Lileks: Remembering the useless screwdriver on Father's Day
Skip the wallet. Think of something for the wallet.
Lileks: You can't negotiate with ants
I am absolutely serious: if you guys can figure out a way to go after mosquitoes, you can have all the patio sand you…
Virginia Mae 'Ginny' Anderson, a longtime bank teller and editorial librarian, dies of COVID-19 at 91
For almost 40 years with the Second Northwestern Bank of Minneapolis on University Avenue, Virginia Mae “Ginny” Anderson was the smiling face at the teller’s…
Lileks: Scenes from a post-lockdown meal
To some, the phrase “going out to eat” is akin to a World War I soldier announcing he’s going to stick his head over the…
A Minneapolis pet food shelf is there when times get rough
Pet food shelves allow owners to stock up on food and supplies they might not be able to afford.
Lileks: What we'll lose if we lose movie theaters
The AMC movie chain says it might not survive these Unprecedented Times. I have lots of memories of the Southdale AMC complex. Dropping Daughter off…
Lileks: How not to unstop a stopped drain
Q: Can someone shove a tennis ball down a shower drain? A: Apparently so. Let me back up. One of the more popular boasts on…
Minneapolis' skyways are getting little use now, but they'll eventually be popular again
While they're getting little use now, these essential downtown connectors will eventually come back to life.
Lileks: Google has a list of words each state can't spell. It's wierd (stet)
You'd think we'd know that word by now.
Lileks: What was the matter with ordinary sprinklers? No app
The spring rains have been nice, but you know that eventually we'll see a fortnight of hot sun that will turn the lawn to straw.…
Lileks: What's open? The tie department
The lockdown has been modified, and no doubt you have questions. I don’t know why you’re ignoring sections of the newspaper with actual facts in…
Lileks: We're too cowed by COVID to beef about the meat shortage
Let's try an experiment to see how we really feel.
My dog swallowed a bunny and I ended up learning a lesson in gratitude
My rabbit-devouring dog ended up at the vet and I learned a lesson about being thankful.