Ants That Swim
Just in time for picnic season. Do they wear Speedos or board shorts?
Wes Phillips
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Brain Swapping
<I>Bwah ha ha haa!</I> What? Oh, "But don't cue the maniacal laughter just yet."
Strangely Disturbing
The paintings of Amy Crehore. What would you call these—innocently malevolent? Sweetly creepy? I wonder if she's the next poster craze a la Balthus?
Terry Teachout on the Beatles
And popular songs and why only "Yesterday" became a "standard in the old fashioned sense."
Edna O'Brien on Beckett
What a great writer she is—this is like prose crack.
The Price of Entry
B. S. Prakash muses on what it takes to get into the American labor force. The last line's a kicker.
OK, I'm Glad We Cleared That Up
Cecil Adams says he knows what OK stands for. Now if only somebody would clear up that "whole nine yards" mess.
St. Elmo's Fire
Cooking up plasma in the kitchen. But remember kids, don't try this at home.
Industry Update
<I>Audica MPS-1:</I> <A HREF="http://www.audica.co.uk/">Audica</A>, the Cambridge, UK–based manufacturer founded by Kieron Dunk (formerly of Mission, Denon, Cyrus, Infinity, and Klipsch, to name but a few) is finally shipping its stylish MPS-1 desktop audio system ($400). The MPS-1 consists of two diminutive extruded aluminum loudspeakers and a 25Wpc amplifier/control center with three 3.5mm inputs (one high sensitivity for portables and other low-output sources; the others with lower sensitivity and higher input impedence). The MPS-1 control center also has USB and FireWire connections to facilitate recharging portable players' batteries.
On the Fair Use Frontlines
<I>As anyone who reads this website is all too aware, these days legislative matters increasingly encroach upon audiophiles' ability to experience uncompromised high fidelity. Like it or not, political decisions </I>can<I> and </I>do<I> have an impact on what we listen to and how we are able to manipulate our music after we have purchased it.