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Audioengine enjoysa strong reputation for high-quality speakers at prices that won’t make you cry. TheHD3 desktop speakers retail at $400, which places them at the upperend of Audioengine’s desktop line of powered boxes, but below the top-endHD5 speakers. I held high expectations for the HD3s. AsI unpacked them, I felt pangs of nostalgia over the wires and cables. It’s been awhile since I plugged a pair of nice speakers into my computer. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

With each new Star Wars movie, fans wait to see how their favorite characters, new and old, will be styled. And, with some of the most iconic and influential hairstyles in pop-culture history, the franchise has a high bar to clear when it comes to its characters’ tresses. Because as Yoda says, “Hairdo. Or do not hairdo. There is no try. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Not everyone wants to—or can—spend the holidays next to a fire or gorging on fowl and carbs. Some people (read: us) see holidays as a chance to catch up on movies and gorge on popcorn and Starburst. Luckily for those folks, there are a lot of good movies in theaters right now—and even more ways to see them. But going to the movies can be stressful. There are lines, jockeying for good seats, and the high prices of concessions to worry about with every trip to the multiplex. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s that time of year again—the time when we all look back at the past 12 months and try to figure out what the hell just happened. Here on The Monitor, things are no different. In fact, that’s what this week’s entire episode is about. Yes, this week the WIRED Culture team started talking about 2016 and realized: Hey, you know what? This was a pretty good year for pop culture. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It was Valentine’s Day. I made a dinner reservation at Milano just in case, and the needles from the Christmas tree were everywhere. I even found some in the bathtub. I know, it doesn’t make any sense, but neither does the fact that I got a birthday card from President Bush in the mail. The guy hasn’t been in office for years, not to mention I’m a Democrat. Anyway, the box that flashes, the People Meter or whatever they call it, it stopped flashing, so I contacted Richard. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

My host’s expression went cool. He was a middle-aged man with a wide face and shoulders and pale stubble on his cheeks and chin that held the promise of a lush beard. In the four hours I’d spent in his home since the evacuated rail from Nové MÄ›sto had deposited me in Sagrado, he’d been nothing but jovial and expansive. His warmth and his pleasure in having a guest had lulled me into feeling safe. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Lately this feeling or maybe it's a thought what's the difference great another thing to think about add it to the list. Hard. To feel. Sure about anything it's in the CUPBOARD. NEXT TO THE MOUTHWASH. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

If you want to know what's coming next from Shinola, the hipster-chic brand of watches, bikes, and seemingly all things leather, walk into the company's store in midtown Detroit. Go through the minimalist cafe; around the table of branded footballs, briefcases, and ping-pong paddles; and past the jewelry case. Then look right, through the floor-to-ceiling panes of glass. That's where I findSteve Welbourn, a quiet guy with wispy facial hair and a navy hoodie. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

That five-inch phone in your pocket, the one you absolutely can't live without, does damn near anything these days.It is the Great Usurper, rendering everything from newspapers to music players to actual human interaction all but obsolete. People embraced smartphones faster than any other gadget in the history of the world, creating a trillion-dollar industry that is expected to reach more than six billion people in the next four years. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Do you love getting onto an airplane? Because, let’s be honest, nobody is their best self when trying to muscle an overstuffed rolling bag down a narrow aisle and then up into an overhead bin that’s exactly, precisely, slightly too small for it. Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore! Because starting in 2017, United Airlines is taking away your right to put a bag in the overhead altogether. OK, not exactly. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices