LATEST ADDITIONS

It may surprise some readers to learn that all of the contributors to <I>Stereophile</I> do not get the chance to hear, at our leisure and in familiar circumstances, everything that passes through the magazine's portals. Not that we wouldn't like to, but there just isn't time. Nor are the logistics always right. I was therefore probably as intrigued as the average reader by LA's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/689mirage">glowing report</A> on the $5000/pair Mirage M-1 in the June 1989 issue. The M-1s had been on the market long enough for me to have heard them on several occasions, of course, but generally at shows and not under the best of conditions. I did get to hear them briefly at LA's later that same summer, but the hustle and bustle of a <I>Stereophile</I> Writers' Conference party isn't the optimum place for value judgments.

Going from being an audio hobbyist to a professional reviewer is like passing kidney stones in an emergency room staffed with <I>Playboy</I> bunnies: Not only can you <I>not</I> have what you want, but you don't even want it anymore. In fact, you begin to consciously associate desire with a blinding pain in your crotch.

Martin Wattenberg, an artist "whose work centers on the theme of mapping information," has posted a website that "draws musical patterns in the shape of transparent arches." Kind of interesting, but it reminds me of Robert Persig's comment that data without generalizations is just gossip. Wattenberg's maps show the repetitive nature of musical composition without informing us of anything. I look forward to his taking his technique to a deeper level.

Pretending he wasn't affected by this week's events, Huckleberry curls up in the comfy chair with a few good books. As a rule, he prefers to stay on top of contemporary literature, but he doesn't mind lying <I>next</I> to it in a pinch.

Regular readers will be aware that the semidetached brownstone next door caught fire this week and the Brooklyn FD battered down our door to make sure we were safe. One of the next door kitties is MIA, presumed dead.

Call me an elitist but I fail to see the attraction&#151for viewers&#151in the whole <I>American Idol</I> phenomena. Of course, television has made millions from televising talent shows over the years so I guess it's just me that's out of step.

"Stevie!"