Other Tech

Samsung YP-Z5 flash-memory MP3 player

You will be surprised to hear that there weren't any new MP3 players at CES. Just kidding - checking to make sure you were paying attention. There were a few players on display - like maybe ten zillion. And they were all pretty desirable, naturally with the higher-priced models sporting the highest capacities.

For years, "whole-house" music meant either a pair of speakers in the living room blaring loud enough to be heard everywhere or bad-sounding radio playing through intercom panels. Most people confined their listening to a single room and used table radios and portable music systems in other rooms.

Blue Man Group founders Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink (shown sans face paint at right) have been busy little performance artists since we talked to them for last April's "Blue Men Exposed," opening a spectacular surround sound-fil

We had a saying back when I worked in the golf business: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." For a while, I felt like I was getting into the rut of teaching and not doing. While my Custom Installer column strives to help you get the most out of your system, I allowed technology to pass my system by.

With all the buzz about the revival of interest in vinyl, you might be surprised to learn that record sales are still little more than a tiny blip on the radar screen when compared to either CDs or digital downloads. But there's no denying that lots of people are getting into vinyl either for the first time or following a lengthy CD-fed hiatus.