I've known that lie detectors are far from reliable for years, but I never realized that our faith in them was a distinctly American trait.

No, it's full of holes: specifically quarks and gluons. The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in Upton, NY is "re-creating the opening microseconds of the universe's existence."

<I>Discover</I> magazine joins me in demanding one, <I>stat</I>!

Jeff Joseph always causes a stir at <I>Stereophile</I>'s annual Home Entertainment Shows. No matter which speakers he exhibits, he invariably gets wonderful sound in his room. He's fooled more than one <I>Stereophile</I> writer who thought he was listening to Joseph's flagship Pearls when, behind a curtain, it was actually two of his in-wall models that were playing. And his competitors seem to envy his hi-fi show sound more each year.

Jeff Joseph always causes a stir at <I>Stereophile</I>'s annual Home Entertainment Shows. No matter which speakers he exhibits, he invariably gets wonderful sound in his room. He's fooled more than one <I>Stereophile</I> writer who thought he was listening to Joseph's flagship Pearls when, behind a curtain, it was actually two of his in-wall models that were playing. And his competitors seem to envy his hi-fi show sound more each year.

Jeff Joseph always causes a stir at <I>Stereophile</I>'s annual Home Entertainment Shows. No matter which speakers he exhibits, he invariably gets wonderful sound in his room. He's fooled more than one <I>Stereophile</I> writer who thought he was listening to Joseph's flagship Pearls when, behind a curtain, it was actually two of his in-wall models that were playing. And his competitors seem to envy his hi-fi show sound more each year.

Jeff Joseph always causes a stir at <I>Stereophile</I>'s annual Home Entertainment Shows. No matter which speakers he exhibits, he invariably gets wonderful sound in his room. He's fooled more than one <I>Stereophile</I> writer who thought he was listening to Joseph's flagship Pearls when, behind a curtain, it was actually two of his in-wall models that were playing. And his competitors seem to envy his hi-fi show sound more each year.

When I unpacked the Rogue Audio Atlas, I didn't know how much it cost. After examining its chassis of high-grade steel, its silver-anodized aluminum faceplate, its sleek and slightly rounded edges, and, above all, its two chunk-o'brick transformers&mdash;for such a little thing (a foot-and-a-half square by half-a-foot high), it's heavy&mdash;I guessed around five grand. Then I called Rogue Audio and learned that it retails for $1395.