In the Loop

Musically speaking, Sly & the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin and Sam Sham & the Pharaohs don’t seem to have much in common. But they all made great use of the Farfisa organ.  Made in Italy and distributed by the Chicago Instrument Company starting in the mid-1960s, the Farfisa became popular with soul acts thanks to its range of sounds and compact design.  Ayana Contreras brings us examples of the Farfisa sound in soul and beyond in this week’s edition of Reclaimed Soul.

A TSA staffing shortfall and stricter security measures mean thousands of travelers are waiting hours and hours for their flights or missing them altogether. WBEZ’s Yolanda Perdomo explains the impact on O’Hare and Midway and describes how people waiting in line Monday afternoon were dealing with the stressful, mind-numbing wait times. We also touch on what the TSA is doing to rectify the problem.

No doubt plenty of laymen in lines at O’Hare and Midway are pointing out ways their lines could be moving faster. So, do they have a point? We ask an expert on “queuing theory” about the best ways to organize and manage lines in public places like airports. Dick Larson is a professor of engineering systems at MIT, but we like his superhero name much better: Dr. Queue.

For a while now, Facebook has been crunching the data about the faces of its billion-plus users. That’s how the company makes recommendations for who is in a particular photo even before a user decides whether to tag someone. (I guess we all should have seen this coming. After all, it is called Facebook.) To some, the recommendation to tag a friend or family member is a cool, gee-whiz feature, but to others it feels like a breach of privacy. Three Illinois residents are suing Facebook in a class action over the issue. They argue that the tech giant has run afoul of the state’s law regarding biometric data. Morning Shift breaks down the case with Northwestern law professor Jim Speta, an expert on telecommunications and internet policy.

Digital devices like laptops, tablet computers and smartphones have become staples in 21st century classrooms, but a new study from West Point concludes that laptops can actually impede learning for college students who use them during class time.

When a child or teen is shot and survives, the physical trauma often overshadows the psychological trauma. But victims of gun violence must live with both types of wounds.

Chico Tillmon grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago. After spending time in prison, he reformed his life and gave back to his community by becoming a violence interrupter and program manager for the group CeaseFire. In this latest installment in our series Working Shift, Tony Sarabia talks to Tillmon about how he works to mediate brewing conflicts before they spill over into violence.

Lee McCullum Jr. — a young man the nation got to know as the prom king in the CNN documentary series Chicagoland — was shot dead Thursday morning in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood. His former principal Liz Dozier remembers the popular student and talks about the challenges young black men face in South Side neighborhoods, and discusses her new organization Chicago Beyond, which aims to increase safety and educational opportunities for Chicago youth.

Let’s face it: Some commencement speeches are long and boring, the speaker droning on and offering up inspirational quotes that aren’t quite so inspirational. So we’re mining for solid pieces of advice for today’s grads. Morning Shift opens up the phones for listeners to weigh in with their recommendations and tips for a successful life and career.

Jane Lynch will be the commencement speaker at Columbia College Chicago’s graduation ceremony for audio arts and acoustics, creative arts therapies, dance, art and materials conservation, television and theatre majors. Jenn White talks to Lynch about her career and what advice she has for young people pursuing careers in the arts.