<I>The Lord of the Rings</I> would have ended quite differently if Tolkien's drinking buddies hadn't talked him out of it.

Graphic representations of every object in our solar system with a diameter greater than 200 miles: One star, four gas giant planets, four terrestrial planets, three dwarf planets, 21 moons, four asteroids, and 51 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).

There's a new drive-unit manufacturing company on the block, but it's really just the same old guys who brought you VIFA, ScanSpeak, and DST&mdash;the original pros from Dover, in other words.

I reviewed Sonny Rollins’ <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/arts/music/20roll.html">Carnegie Hall concert</A> last Tuesday for the <I>New York Times</I>. Short version: The first half, when Rollins played in trio with drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Christian McBride, was wondrous; the second half, with his usual sextet, had its moments but was comparatively a drag. I only hinted at this in the review, but the concert typified the puzzle that is Rollins’ career: why, in the past 40 of its 50-plus years, has this titan of the tenor saxophone—the most inventive living improviser in jazz—chosen to play so often with musicians so clearly beneath him?

Philip O'Hanlon, formerly US marketing director for Halcro, has a new project. His distribution company, <A HREF="http://www.onahighernote.com">On a Higher Note</A>, is bringing Japanese high-end company Luxman back to the United States.

The Goldman Sachs Capital Partners/Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/news/043007harman/">$8 billion buyout of Harman International Industries, Inc.</A> announced last April may not go through, according to "two people familiar with the matter," <I>Bloomberg.com</I> reported September 21.