Ravens and Intelligence
Devising tests that distinguish whether ravens solve problems through logic or instinct ain't easy.
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Turning Sound Into Electricity
Although I'm normally dealing with stuff that turns electricity into sound, I am fascinated that Zhong Lin Wang seems to have invented a nanotech power source.
Clearly This Blog's Kind of Crook
"Police said the busted driver first shoplifted pepperoni and string cheese from the store after he couldn't find Hot Pockets for his pregnant girlfriend, who was waiting in the GMC. Then he stole the stereo and brought it back because 'it was not of high quality.'"
Kitchen Anthropology
Ed Hitchcock writes: "As both a paleontologist and home brewer, I could not help but be attracted by the media coverage of the reproduction of an ancient Sumarian beer. The beer, called Ninkasi after the Sumarian goddess of beer, was produced by the Anchor Brewing Company (San Francisco, California), based on a hymn inscribed on a clay tablet (1). Dr. Solomon Katz of the University of Pennsylvania and Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing worked to decipher the brewing clues contained within the hymn to reproduce the beverage so revered by the ancient Sumarians."
Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
I'll soon be heading off to the Second Annual International Head-Fi Meet in San Jose on April 21 and 22. I went to the NY Meet <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/042406heaven/">last year</A> and I had a ball. This year's event is going to be bigger and, I'm betting, better.
Rings Like a Bell
As I transfer from the R line to the west side IRT, I'm frequently frustrated or surprised by the size of the crowds attending to subway musicians. What I almost never am is impressed by the performances. But that would be different, surely, if, say, an internationally known musician was playing on his Gibson ex Huberman Strad—wouldn't it? A performance like that would be guaranteed to have music lovers swooning with pleasure.
Cal Schenkel's Moving Sale
A must for Zappa fans. Studio Ralf is moving—and everything must go! At these prices, it will.
Einstein On the Beach—In Lego
Via wonkosane.
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How much money do you spend on music each year?
An owner of an audiophile record label recently asked us how much we figured audiophiles spent on music purchases each year. We reckoned it would be smart to simply ask you directly. How much money do you spend on recorded music each year?
Denon AVR-4800 THX Ultra digital surround receiver
July came in this year like September: cool, crisp night air and bright, clear days. The humidity and temperature remained low throughout the week I spent setting up the Denon AVR-4800 surround A/V receiver. So, crouched down behind its crowded rear panel, wiring up eight loudspeakers and multiple inputs, I wasn't sweating from the temperature. Launching the new multichannel Denon AVR-4800's surround audio-visual system required hard work, trial and error, and an emergency trip to the UPS terminal in the Bronx. While there were great musical pleasures ahead, the path to music-surround knowledge was rougher than I ever imagined it might be.