From his online chat today:

New York City: Hank, congratulations you on another fantastic year of The List. It’s daring, as always, as well as dead-on.

My question, a technical one: Does “In” mean more of “What’s In, As Of Right Now” or “What The Public Will Be Into This Year”? That is, is The List reportage… or prognostication? I suppose one answer is that it can vary depending on the trendiness of each reader — but I’d like to know -your- intent behind it. Thanks.

Hank Stuever: That’s a good question. I would say it breaks down a little like this:

40 percent of items I want to reflect the Right Now, This Minute

25 percent I want to look ahead

20 percent I want to just try to be weird or funny

10 percent I hope make people spittin’ mad

5 percent come from Len Downie