LATEST ADDITIONS

The DTV transition is now just one week away, scheduled for June 12, 2009. On that date, more than half of the nation's television broadcasters will make the final switch to digital signals, shutting off analog forever. The other half have already made the transition over the past several months.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/fod.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Iowa corn farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) questions his own sanity when he hears a voice whispering, "If you build it, he will come." Eventually, a vision of a baseball field appears in the distance, planting the seed of a most unusual idea. With the help of his supportive wife Annie (Amy Madigan), Ray tears up a portion of his crop and constructs a baseball diamond, leading to the appearance of Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) and seven other White Sox players from the disgraced 1919 team. Play ball!

You've no doubt heard of Audyssey technologies by now. Their auto calibration and room EQ circuitry are practically an industry standard. The masterminds behind all the Audyssey technologies are USC professors Tomlinson Holman and Chris Kyriakakis. I, and a few other journalists, had the rare opportunity to spend an afternoon with Tom and Chris to learn about their latest technology called DSX. The basic technology is centered around a concept that Tomlinson Holman has been talking about for the last 10 years.

Sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry, the 2009 New American Home demonstrates cutting-edge technology, energy efficiency, and jaw-dropping contemporary design. This annual event chooses a premier show home and uses it as a technology laboratory, providing real-world demonstrations of the latest concepts in architecture, construction techniques, new products, and lifestyle trends.