Wes Phillips

On September 25, Amazon <A HREF="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&I…; that its <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/163856011">Amazon MP3 download store</A> was open as a "public beta" test. Amazon claims it has "more than two million songs by more than 180,000 artists from over 20,000 major and independent labels," which makes it somewhat less diverse than Apple's iTunes Store, which claims six million songs. However, Amazon MP3 has a few advantages in its corner: its MP3s are higher-resolution, variable bit-rate 256kpbs with no digital rights management&mdash;and they are cheaper, 89&ndash;99&#162; per track, as opposed to iTunes' 99&#162; for its 128kbps AAC files (or $1.29 for iTunes+ files, which are DRM-free and 256kbps AAC files).

Bagheera is a past mistress at the art of <I>cat fu</I>, the ability to comfortably inhabit spaces too small for her to fit into.

Huckleberry, on the other hand, practices his <I>cat fu</I> mind-tricks out in the open&mdash;where they aren't at all effective.

Making <I>Blonde on Blonde</I>.

Sometimes it is. "In theory, the planet has 24 time zones. Actually, there are about 39, and they are still hotly debated. Within the past month, President Hugo Chavez has talked of moving Venezuela’s clocks forward half an hour, and Indian scientists have urged their government to do the same."

<I>The Guardian</I> has published some of the greatest interviews of the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century on its site. Do <I>not</I> miss Frost/Nixon&mdash;and see the play, as well, if you get a chance. I saw it on Broadway with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen and it was one of those moments of theatrical greatness you'll remember in your dotage.

<A HREF="http://blog.hometheatermag.com/markfleischmann/">Mark Fleischmann</A>, knowing my fascination with Harry Beck's London Tube Map, sends along this tasty variation.