There's a knock-knock at my door.

Actually, people knew it was there, they just didn't realize what it was. Be sure to check out the photo gallery.

Turns out that the 100 Acre Wood was a place "of disenchantment, where neurodevelopmental and psychosocial problems go unrecognized and untreated."

Scientists studying the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) think they've discovered the neurons responsible for making choices. Soon, they may tackle the <I>really</I> important issues, such as whether some audiophiles are genetically disposed towards choosing solid-state over tubes.

A short film by Ernest Cline. This monkey says yay! Or should that be "oook"?

A shockwave interactive analysis of Bach's dissertation on harmony&mdash;with an emphasis on the fugues.

April 24: On Saturday, April 22, the audio forum <A HREF="http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/index.php?">Head-Fi</A&gt; staged its first national meet at the Adria Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Bayside, NY. The meet, organized by Aaron Kovics (Head-Fi tag: immtbiker), occupied over 3300 square feet of floor space, most of which was divided into manufacturers' display tables and forum members' demonstration areas. Yep, you read that right&mdash;unlike ordinary hi-fi shows, the Head-Fi meets are opportunities for the attendees to show off their systems, sample and compare professionally manufactured components, and demonstrate their DIY projects. In fact, one of the biggest surprises I experienced when I attended a regional meet at the same venue last <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/111405headfi/">November</A&gt; was that some of the DIY projects not only sounded as good as the commercially available gear, they were built to standards of fit'n'finish that rival "real" products as well.

In this hobby, nothing's for nothing. To get that gorgeous midrange, with its harmonic depth and inner detail, tube-amp enthusiasts are willing to give up some things in the bass. Tube folks put up with heat and occasional maintenance&mdash;routine or otherwise. To get the ideal middle, fans of single-ended triodes are even willing to shave off considerable dynamic range and settle for ultra-efficient speakers that often have limited response at the frequency extremes. Those who say nothing is lost by preferring tubes are in denial.