PLAY
Watson and DNA: Making a Scientific Revolution
Victor K. McElheny
Since unlocking DNA's structure in 1953, James Watson has remained a force in genetics, cancer research, and molecular biology. He's also made a few enemies in the process. The author, who has known Watson for 40 years, gained unprecedented access to his papers and friends. This penetrating biography pulls few punches and delivers serious dish. Looking to understand the politics of 21st-century science? This is a must-read.
- Simson Garfinkel
A Shortcut Through Time: The Path to the Quantum Computer
George Johnson
Those in the know tell me the next high tech revolution is quantum computing. But concepts like qubits - bits that are both on and off - seem too bizarre to believe. How does this weirdness make computers faster, smaller, and better? Johnson, a New York Times science writer, holds your hand and drops step by step down the rabbit hole of superposition. Four hours later, you'll get it. He makes you smart and quantum computing real.
- Kevin Kelly
games
cube
The Legend of Zelda
This game could suck and everyone would still buy it. But it doesn't. It's got all the usual Zelda zaniness, plus a new cartoon look and story line. Take control of boy-hero Link and explore trap-filled dungeons and mazelike forests in search of your sister. Along the way, take to the sea in a sailing minigame that demands mastery of both water and wind. Link's facial expressions and wide eyes bring the character alive - and offer clues. Follow his gaze to find hidden paths and tools.
- Chris Kohler
PS2
Dark Cloud 2
Wage a battle, watch a movie, repeat. That's about all there was to Dark Cloud. Sony's sequel sim improves upon the existing building system and lets players use the in-game camera to take pictures of their surroundings for inspiration, then construct new weapons and even entire towns from scratch. Wander the massive world (twice the original's size) and take down hideous hidden baddies as you go. When the work is done, there's time to fish, race, and shoot a round of golf.
- C.K.
screen
DVD
Gigantor Volumes I and II
Gigantor was the first mecha to conquer America. The three-story Japanese robot and his 12-year-old sidekick stomped into syndication in 1966 and gave young boomers a taste of anime-style whoop-ass. Now you can revisit all the crime-fighting antics of the disproportional duo with this mammoth eight-disc set. Alas, it's a sanitized and reedited English version, but the crisp new transfer shows off the dynamic compositions and surreal humor of Mitsutero Yokoyama's animation.
- Chris Baker
DVD
Signs
Who cares that the latest Jane Austen film had better f/x - director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) plates up thrills the old-fashioned way, by creating a world in which what you don't see is far scarier than what you do. In the extra footage, Hollywood's new Hitchcock shows his prankster side with Crop Circles 101 and a childhood home movie. In the latter, the auteur cum actor delivers a scream that puts Tippi Hedren (and any self-respecting Girl Scout) to shame.
- Todd Wagner
music
Rainer Maria
Long Knives Drawn
Throw this disc in your player and crank up the volume. The Wisconsin emo outfit's doleful noise is meant to be heard at full blast. Rainer Maria's latest effort has all the bittersweet angst of a love poem scrawled on notebook paper. Smart and achingly sincere, the group is at its best when it lets the guitars whine and vocalist Caithlin De Marrais soar, as on "Ears Ring."
- Alison Willmore
Funki Porcini
Fast Asleep
Inspired by a life of bouncing around the globe, James Bradell has laced his fourth album with ephemeral samples of British weather reports and 1950s Japanese recordings. Beyond laid-back tracks of broad synths, fluttery percussion, and muted keys, the release comes with an "uninteractive DVD," which holds eight abstract films produced by Bradell and Team Alcohol. The nonlinear visuals, set to several of Fast Asleep's songs, make perfect fodder for a drowsy night in front of the TV.
- Stacy Osbaum
PLAY
Bastard Pop
What's on your iPod?
Come In, Iceland!
Techno Bloom
Heroine Addictions
The Cheat Stops Here
Jurassic Wi-Fi
18-Second Fotomat
Logomancer
reviews
fetish
Say It With Pictures
Traction in Action
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