• At least it hasn’t come to this for DISD boss Michael Hinojosa, despite all of his problems. The new Chicago schools superintendent was booed this week by a crowd of parents, teachers and community officials upset about plans to close and reorganize 22 schools. The Chicago Tribune reported that he looked on sheepishly as the crowd booed as his name was mentioned.
• Want to write a book? Get in line. The New York Times reports that more authors are forgoing traditional publishers to publish their books themselves – something that technology has made tremendously easy. In 2008, nearly 480,000 books were published or distributed in the United States, almost one-third more than in 2007. The reason for the growth? Much of it came from an increase in the number of self-published books. Frankly, as someone who has dealt with traditional publishers, this makes perfect sense. The author has a chance to make more money by doing it his or herself, given the Victorian royalty structures of most book publishers.
• Ed Bark offers a few thoughts on the update web site at Channel 5, a new station-run promotion, and a very odd looking statue. Channel 5, of course, is famous here at Back Talk for firing the great Rebecca Miller (who has since found a job at Channel 33.)
