Perhaps the most interesting thing on satellite radio has been Bob Dylan’s <I>Theme Time</I> radio show on XM, where he uses big themes like “baseball” or “eyes,” and builds shows around music that somehow connects to the theme. The idea for this show, which is worth listening to if only for Dylan’s raspy&#150;voiced patter, may have come from a previous Forties&#150;era radio program hosted by one of Dylan’s heroes, Woody Guthrie.

My favorite audio product of 2008 isn't precisely an audio product&#151;it's a home theater in a box. I'm referring to Polk's lovely SurroundBar 360, which sells for $1200 and gives you a low-profile 48" "sound bar" and a base station, which includes an optical disc player, DSP processing, and an AM/FM tuner. The base station, of course, contains all the amplification the sound bar requires. Also included is a special umbilical to connect the two pieces&#151;and, in a savvy little detail that tells you a great deal about how much thought has gone into the SurroundBar 360, the connectors on that cable cannot be connected "wrong."

Remember <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/cold_weather_usb_phono_preamp… I wrote last week</a> about my dream listening room? Some nice furniture, DeVore Fidelity loudspeakers, Shindo amplifiers, walls lined in vinyl LPs, all that?

It's not all-audio all-the-time in the <i>Stereophile</i> forums. Every once in awhile, a fellow likes to turn down the stereo and reach for <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>, <i>Mother Jones</i>, <i>The Economist</i>, <i>Sports Illustrated</i>, <i>King</i>, whatever.