My article on the best bets for Blu-ray disc players ran today at Forbes.com. The market seems to be separating into three camps: budget, streaming-capable, and home theater component.

The budget camp is being led by Vizio’s sub-$200 BD player, as they seek to dominate yet another vertical with their bargain-basement prices and clever retail placement. Mid-range runs from $299 to $399 and is starting to include fun features like Internet streaming from Netflix and Wi-Fi capabilities. The high-end ($400+) is geared toward audiophiles and videophiles looking for a fancy piece of equipment (like the Samsung BD-P4600 or Oppo BDP-83, seen above) to complement their surround sound, home theater setup.

My article on the best laptops for business travelers ran today at Forbes.com.

In it, I talk about striking a balance between portability, performance, durability, battery life, security, and price. The laptops detailed in the piece are all excellent choices for business travelers, however each one has a particular strength which will make it better for some than for others.

Update 6.23.09: There seems to be some concern (read: whining) from Mac fans in the comments at Forbes.com that my article overlooks Apple’s MacBook laptops. This is not the case; an Apple MacBook Air is featured in the accompanying slideshow.

I think part of the problem rests in the article’s title, which implies that it is some sort of comprehensive list. It was intended to be a how-to guide, and the laptops mentioned within are merely examples that fulfill the individual criteria (performance, portability, security, longevity, etc) being discussed. Were it my decision, I would have probably named the piece “How To Find the Best Laptop for Business Travelers.” The absence of the MacBook in the body of the text is not intended as a slight.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of the MacBook line, owing to a few negative personal experiences that included multiple fatal malfunctions which required significant repairs. While they are attractive and capable laptops, I’m not sold on their durability or reliability, and I find their price tags exorbitant.

My review of Meriwether Lewis by Thomas Danisi and John Jackson ran today at PopMatters.

The book might be more accurately titled Meriwether Lewis: The Boring Years as it completely avoids the story of his famous, fascinating expedition into Louisiana Territory with William Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Instead, it covers his youth as a protege of Thomas Jefferson and his later years as a government bureaucrat, ending with his contentious suicide. Danisi and Jackson are reverent of Lewis, and their research is meticulous, but they had an uphill battle ahead of them thanks to their selective scope and did little to make the story as entertaining, readable, or complete as it could have been.

I’d definitely suggest checking out Ken Burns’ documentary, Lewis & Clark – The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, which is an excellent chronicle of the adventure.

My review of Of The Cathmawr Yards by the Horse’s Ha ran today at the Boston Phoenix.

This one didn’t do much for me. It’s well crafted and pleasant, but strangely lacking in spirit or energy. After the first two tracks, it all tends to blend into a sleek, unremarkable blur. Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm appears on this album; I’m a huge fan of his, he’s a tremendous improviser and really innovative with his instrument. While it was nice to hear him, it definitely wasn’t enough to push this record out of its sleepy malaise. His strengths were never fully visible.

My review of Judas: A Biography by Susan Gubar ran today at PopMatters.

Gubar follows in the footsteps of Jack Miles, whose extraordinary books (God: A Biography; Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God) took a literary eye to the biblical characters in an effort to understand their motivations and development. With Judas, there’s not as much to go on: only 22 references in the New Testament. Gubar instead uses those references as a starting point and goes on to evaluate the portrayals of Judas in art, politics, and culture throughout history as a means to understand how his characterization relates to the attitudes of those behind them. It’s an excellent, revealing book that touches on the foundations of Christian faith and explores the roots of antisemitism.

My review of Sonic Youth’s The Eternal ran today in the Boston Phoenix.

I was a little disappointed in this record. It’s not bad, per se, but it’s a departure from the very fruitful, mature musical thread the band has been following since Murray Street. The Eternal feels like a throwback to the 90s sound of Dirty, another record I enjoy but don’t really hold up as prime example of what Sonic Youth should sound like. Lee Ranaldo has always been the band’s most consistent songwriter, and his two tracks “Walkin Blues” and “What We Know” are strong.

My latest Forbes.com article, detailing the best summer vacation cameras, ran today.

I mostly talk about the different varieties of tough, durable cameras, ones with waterproof, shockproof, and dust/sandproof bodies that can withstand a lot of abuse. There’s a lot of variance between models, not just aesthetically, but with their limits. Some can handle more than others, and it takes a little looking to find out exactly what each is capable of. The Panasonic TS1 (pictured) is probably my favorite of the bunch, blending a tough, attractive case with great photo quality and HD video.

My review of Christopher Potter’s You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe ran today at PopMatters.

In stark contrast to what I said about Paris From The Ground Up, sometimes it is possible to take a subject of massive scale and fit it into a compelling, comprehensive book. Potter has written an extraordinary narrative explicating the origins (and destination) of our universe and humanity’s place within it. He covers everything from the size and age of the universe, the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, the origins of life on Earth, and the maturation of science out of its roots in ancient philosophy. It’s a crash course in the workings of the world and beyond, crafted with attention to the right details.

Potter is not a scientist, and I think that helps him communicate these complex matters better to the average reader. You Are Here is an incredible, mind-blowing book full of satisfying answers, but more importantly full of questions that will leave readers to ponder their own perception of existence.

My article on great GPS gifts for this summer ran today at Forbes.com.

I like GPS receivers, but ultimately, I think they’re probably an intermediate technology. With navigation capabilities coming to cell phones and other devices (even cameras and camcorders), it seems like the standalone GPS receiver is probably not going to be viable entity for much longer. They’ll most likely suffer a fate similar to that of the Palm Pilot.

My review of Paris From The Ground Up, by James McGregor ran today at PopMatters.

I’m about to take my first trip to Paris this coming May, and was excited to dig into this book. While it is full of excellent trivia and tidbits, I think McGregor’s attempt to fit six thousand years of history, culture, and art into a slim, hardcover book was a bit overambitious. Entire books could be written about topics that McGregor only addresses in passing; obviously he cannot expand upon every single aspect of Parisian culture, and I don’t fault him for that. However, the stray observances pique the interest, and knowing that those tangents are not going to delve deeper or resolve is frustrating.

Paris is so rich and full of stories that a complete account of its existence may be beyond the scope of what can be accomplished in such limited dimensions.

My review of Akron/Family’s Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free ran today in the Boston Phoenix.

The band has largely moved away from its noisy, psych-driven songs toward placid folk, and in this case, it has really paid off. This album has the feeling of parting clouds, like the band has emerged from a dismal and depressed state into a full-blown manic episode. Their voices sound so full and confident, especially on “The River,” where the three members trade vocals back and forth. It’s the sound of happy people making happy music without sounding cheesy or affected.