LATEST ADDITIONS

Iowa State university has a happening scanning electron microscopy website. Amazing stuff that surrounds us everyday.

Robert has asked me to review the new Sonic Youth album, <i>Rather Ripped</i>. You'd think I'd be thrilled about this. I would be, normally. But, so far, I find the new Sonic Youth album to be disappointing, an underachievement. Having to review the new Sonic Youth album is beginning to stress me out. Thus: this, therapy.

Maybe even a little more.

No, I don't mean that we mens move our lips. Language warning: This articles contains stuff like, "We have an 'evolved cognitive predisposition to attribute states of mind to ourselves and others' that is also known as 'mind-reading.'"

I do believe in copyright and I do believe that creators deserve to benefit from their creations. However, very few works of literature remain popular even 20 years after their creation&ndash;and the current standard, recently extended by another 20 years, merely prevents legitimate uses, such as this case, where James Joyce's grandson is being pompous little pimple about who is "worthy" to write about his uncle.

Today is a special Monday in <i>Stereophile</i> land. <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/wesphillips/061206ja/">Today is JA's birthday</a>. Happy birthday, JA. Today is also Kristina Roman's first day with us.

James Brown at B.B. Kings in New York on Friday night. Big semi-crazed shows, what they used to call <I>revues</I>, like the one Brown brought to town are fast becoming a lost art. The band featured three horns, three drummers, four female backup singers called Bittersweet (two black, two white) and four guitar players all of whom were killer and all of whom played in widely diverse styles.