Jun 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Reviews

Print Survival of the Fastest The Origin of Wealth Eric D. Beinhocker In this ambitious tome, Beinhocker jettisons the math-based canon of economic history and recasts it as a teeming evolutionary stew. To come up with his convention-shattering take on what some call “the dismal science,” the former McKinsey partner hung out with the eggheads at the Santa Fe Institute. His epiphany is that three classes of competitors fight for supremacy: physical technologies (flint axes, CPUs), social technologies (laws, corporations), and business models. Success lies not in divining the optimal tech or model and sticking to it but in adapting quickly to the changing landscape. Though the book’s explanation of economics via complexity theory – a blend of chaos theory, genetic algorithms, and AI – makes it less accessible than, say, The Tipping Point, its premise is novel and sweeping: Don’t grow your organization, evolve it. – Josh McHugh

Screen (Theaters) Who Killed the Electric Car? Documentarian Chris Paine’s Super Size Me-style attack on the auto industry deftly cuts through the smog of corruption to explain why GM’s EV-1, once poised to diminish dependence on oil and reduce CO2 emissions, never made it out of beta. – Tim Grierson

Screen (Theaters) District B13 This futuristic martial arts flick – from France of all places – blends insane acrobatics, Euro-flavored chop socky, and just enough plot (two good guys, countless baddies, a wayward nuke) to hold it together. It’s high-octane, slightly goofy fun. – Jason Silverman

Music The Walkmen A Hundred Miles Off NYC’s finest deliver superb performances, from country passing through Tijuana (“Louisiana”) to jangly hardcore ("Tenley Town"), all in their inimitable style – tight as hell yet threatening dissolution. Hamilton Leithauser’s raspy yelps recount jagged slices of an alienated life. – Jon J. Eilenberg

Music Peeping Tom Peeping Tom Avant-weirdo Mike Patton pays homage to the 1960 suspense flick of the same name with his own sinister collection of noir hop. Bebel Gilberto, Dan the Automator, and Massive Attack deliver stellar cameos. But Norah Jones steals the show as a foulmouthed femme fatale. – Roger Thomasson

Games (PC, PS2, XBox, XBox 360) Hitman: Blood Money Agent 47 – the hyperefficient assassin with the bald, barcoded noggin – is back, and he’s packing a fresh game engine. Money’s wide-open levels and think-before-you-shoot play are elegant counterpoints to the glut of mindless fragfests. Plus, planning and executing the perfect hit never gets old. – Scott Taves

Games (XBox 360) Table Tennis Rockstar Games, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series, has traded Uzis for paddles. This budget-priced title is pure fun, just like any tennis game, from Pong to Top Spin. But as gratifying as hi-res sweat glistening on your avatar’s forearm is, do we really need a next-gen Ping-Pong sim? – James Lee