I'm sick. About as sick as I've ever been. Come to think of it, I haven't really been well since I came down with the flu at CES. I've been fighting something ever since. And today, it knocked me out. Fever, chills, pain all throughout my body, an excruciating headache.

Here's a chapter from Tufte's upcoming <I>Beautiful Evidence</I>. Some of the graphics are pretty blurry on the computer screen, but they look great if you print this out.

No, not our intrepid correspondent from Sin City, but the anti-iPod&mdash;a cheap ambient sound generator with a line out for hi-fi connection. Rumor has it that Brian Eno bought 8.

Yeah, <I>Brokeback Mountain</I> mashups are a dime a dozen, but this one is delightful. Go to the external link and scroll down to "Brokeback Mouse."

Scientists turn to information theory to analyze the complexity, redundency, and predictability of the songs of the Humpback whale. Their conclusion? Well, we need more research&mdash;but our lack of knowledge is now so much better informed.

Kevin Hulsey offers a fascinating tutorial on how to do cut-away illustrations. I have so much respect for folks who can clearly conceptualize complex devices, much less portray them for the rest of us.

Today I received an e-mail from one of my favorite hi-fi sales managers. These are the guys who help me collect pricing and dealer data, images to accompany our reviews, and other behind-the-scenes stuff.