On Food
It's the new political issue. It's the new spectator sport. It's the new porn.
On Hallowed Ground
Yes, it's the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and the media coverage is relentless. However, despite all the hoopla, the solemnity of the day can still sneak up on you—it happened to Jeff Wong and me this morning as we completed out daily bike ride and came upon a memorial service for firemen and policemen from our neighborhood who died that day.
On Lateness and Meaning
Peter Williams ponders a recent spate of books on Johannes Brahms' "late" ouvre. What does "late" mean? What does music mean, for that matter?
On the Bass!
Just about every bass player in the world joined Spinal Tap for "Big Bottom" at Live Earth. How could I leave this behind?
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On The Beach
A family in Wales went to the beach last July and discovered an intact P-38 that went down in 1942.
On the Comfy Chair
"You don't understand," said Huckleberry. "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it."
On the Evolution of Style
I've been reading Chet Raymo's Walking Zero, a meditation on the history of science focussed through a walk along the prime meridian in the UK. It's a lovely book, one I tend to linger over, reading a chapter and then mulling over it for a few days. Highly recommended.
On the Factory Floor
Focal combines high-tech work stations with a phenomenal amount of hand labor. Metal drivers and inexpensive dome tweeters are heavily automated, but many drivers are assembled by hand, especially Focal's "W" composite cones.
On The Other Hand
A lot depends on how you define "diagnose." A new study in Nature reveals that relatives of the autistic exhibit many of the same brain abnormalities without having the disorder.
On the Other Hand
Don't you really wish the Bond girls are real?