Wes Phillips

Furinkan High School Kendo Club posts a spirited two-part attack on science fiction clichés. Erik Even's right that most of these are tired—but Joss Whedon has proven time and time again that a new spin can make even the lamest plot devices come alive. So add a codicil to all of these rules: "unless you are a genius."

Jeff Wong sends along this smokin' version of "Perdido" by the Duke Ellington band. About midway through, after some great solos by band stalwarts Jimmy Hamilton and Ray Nance, the camera pans back and we see Paul Gonsalves sound asleep on the bandstand, forcing Hamilton to cover Gonsalves' tenor sax solo.

On our daily rides, Jeff Wong and I have watched a few of these abandoned bikes disassembled part by part as they serve as donor bikes for urban scavengers. Ultimately, all that's left is a lock and a frame—or, sometimes, just part of a frame.

Check out the wild parrots of Brooklyn. Stop laughing—we have everything in this borough.

Here's some classic hi-fi literature. Be sure to read "Mad Goes Hi-Fi." Same as it ever was.

Art or magic? I suspect both, having been fascinated by them ever since attending an exhibition of meticulously rendered reproductions about 20 years ago, Dang, but they're powerful and specific.

Are Bose-Einstein Coordinates really a fifth state of matter? Are these really BECs?