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The latest in a series providing rare film of great musicians from the early 20th century, Bruno Monsaingeon’s exploration of the violinistic giants is full of fabulous footage, although the context in which they are placed sometimes leaves a question or two unanswered. The film is in two parts, The Devil’s Instrument focuses on technique, the physical individuality of players and the dangers of being a child prodigy. Transcending the Violin looks at (literally) fine-tuned issues such as tone colour, the instruments themselves and differences of style. Oddly, The Devil’s Instrument as a title is never explained; the reference to Paganini is brief, and you could be forgiven for thinking that ‘the devil’ in question is Heifetz, who astonished every subsequent violinist into wanting to be him and consequently may be responsible for reduced individuality among modern fiddlers. But the individuality of playing in the golden age is proved in a brilliant montage of the Mendelssohn Concerto moving seamlessly through nine very, very different great violinists.

The sequence on prodigies is moving. Some extraordinary film of the child Ricci performing with all the flair of an adult is balanced by footage of Boris Goldstein and Michael Rabin, teenagers playing perfectly, but with body and facial language betraying their broken spirits. After his nauseating introduction by a showbiz host, Rabin’s eyes scarcely lift, except once, when he glances surreptitiously at the conductor: a dark, frightening, tragic slip of a gaze, hard to forget.

Between excerpts come commentaries by Itzhak Perlman, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel and Hilary Hahn. Perlman is entertaining, Haendel Insightful and Gitlis enthusiastic, but Hahn’s contributions sometimes seem ill chosen. Her remark that Kogan looks ‘panicked’ is mystifying (he doesn’t — he just has a rather strange face — and he merits deeper discussion). And she expected Ginette Neveu to look ‘graceful and feminine’ but found she wasn’t — is this helpful? That isn’t to detract from the all-too-brief film of the phenomenally Intense Neveu herself. It would have been better to include some film of Hahn playing the violin, as she could certainly prove that the golden age of the violin isn’t over yet.

Never mind — the wealth of historical film is staggering: Szigeti, Elman, Milstein, Francescatti, Thibaud and many more. Yet Monsaingeon appears to hold up Yehudi Menuhin as the peak of violinistic greatness: the film both begins and ends with him and the commentators sing his praises unreservedly. On the basis of all the extracts that have gone before, it isn’t easy to accept this implied judgement: my own feeling is that he is totally eclipsed by Oistrakh.

Finally, do try to see this on DVD. The improvement in quality of both picture and sound quality is certainly worth the increase in price.

There’s something mildly poetic about “25 Years Of No. 1 Hits: Arista Records’ 25th Anniversary Celebration.” For the basic civilian in search of voyeuristic footage of superstars like Whitney Houston, Puff Daddy, Aretha Franklin, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Carlos Santana, the package works quite well on DVD Video. We get a spree of fine performances, supplemented here by backstage chatter and previously unaired celebrity arrivals. You could eat the glitter, glitz, and “candid” goodies with a spoon.

For the industry insider, though, the package has a bittersweet undertow. While the show’s overt parameters were to encapsulate the remarkable output of Arista, it also serves as a visual coda to the reign of the label’s recently departed maestro, Clive Davis. The show was a fitting tribute to the enduring industry figure, yet it might have been doubly festive if Davis were not leaving the company under such contentious circumstances. So a subtle thread of sadness runs through the proceedings, as they offer a hint of where Davis might have directed the label toward its next 25-year phase.

That noted, “25 Years Of No. 1 Hits” is a smorgasbord of fine music. Patti Smith nearly steals the show in her duet with Sarah McLachlan on “Because The Night,” while Annie Lennox performs her classic “Why” with an intoxicating emotional honesty.

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The Periodic Table is an instructional DVD that contains guided activities and instruction on the history and function of The Periodic Table. It includes a 20-page user’s guide with presentation ideas, vocabulary and activities. The program will enliven the study of chemical elements for students.

Students will discover the logic used to organize chemicals by scientists worldwide. They will also learn how to predict the physical and chemical properties of the elements.

Full of examples and experiments, this program will help students see that The Periodic Table is a great tool that can help them further their study of chemistry.

Students will especially like the video-based instruction format and many of the activities. The DVD content is thorough and interesting. The activities and guide will prove to be helpful to instructors. Great content material with complimentary backup activities and lesson ideas are a real benefit.

The Periodic Table DVD is an excellent introduction to the importance of elements and their classifications. This is a fine modern interpretation worthy of inclusion in any high school science course.

This video was created to help students in grades 7-12 examine bullying behavior and teenage suicide. This is the true story of a girl named Sara. She is quiet, doesn’t make friends easily and is viewed by her fellow classmates as different. She is the subject of persistent teasing and bullying and one day attempts suicide.

Ironically enough, Mark, her primary tormentor, finds her diary and gets to know her beliefs, wishes and dreams and is suddenly confronted with the knowledge that Sara is no different than anyone else.

Teen Suicide: Sara’s Diary is designed to give students the opportunity to experience the feelings of others, while giving important information on depression and suicide prevention. If including this topic in the curriculum will help to reduce tragedies in any way, then educators should show a video such as this one. A facilitator’s guide is included to spur discussion and problem solving.

I still agree with Jeff’s initial sentiment at CGlVs relaunch: It’s the ease of use and connectivity in Vista that will really push PC gaming, and it’s just not there yet. The hardcore will always snub their noses at the idea that improved ease of use constitutes innovation, but everything from the iPod to WOW proves the contrary; let’s hope Microsoft at least makes good on rectifying the embarrassment that the current ideal online environment is a console one.

Personally I’m one of the traitorous legions on a MacBook Pro, but I still love getting GFW on a monthly basis. I do have a copy of XP that’s been sitting on my shelf for a month, yearning for dualboot, but the day that I need more gaming than the combined forces of WOW and Civilization 4 can provide will be…what’s Heilgate’s launch date again?

Considering how great you claim BioShock, your elliptical review doesn’t make it clear why. Having few choices and being blatantly manipulated by situations, characters, and level design is hardly new - and usually frowned upon. The strength of reviewer Sean Molloy’s emotional reactions may say more about him than the game, for all I know. Two “surprisingly similar paths” with two endings, one ‘ unfulfilling?”

This is gaming greatness? What makes this so artistic?

Your BioShock review also assumes I’m already familiar with the game. Mostly, I’m not: I don’t have time to pore over previews and discussion boards, and I know from experience that what’s discussed in a preview often doesn’t match up with the final product. The review’s tiny pictures, obscure captions, and undefined references (”plasmids”?) leave me wondering just what BioShock is about and what it’s like to play it. It sounds like you’re preaching to the converted instead of helping a potential buyer decide whether to purchase the game.

“For the first time researchers have created a working prototype of a radical new chip design based on magnetism instead of electrical transistors. As transistor-based microchips hit the limits of Moore’s Law, a group of electrical engineers at the University of Notre Dame has fabricated a chip that uses nanoscale magnetic “islands” to juggle the ones and zeroes of binary code. Wolfgang Perod and his colleagues turned to the process of magnetic patterning to produce a new chip that uses arrays of separate magnetic domains. Each island maintains its own magnetic field. Because the chip has no wires, its device density and processing power may eventually be much higher than transistor-based devices. And it won’t be nearly as power-hungry, which will translate to less heat emission and a cooler future for portable hardware like laptops.”