Audiobooks and the David Sedaris Effect

Matt Haughey wrote a useful post called How to enjoy audiobooks, where he recommended any audiobook by David Sedaris. I agree with this and want to add that if you have ever heard David Sedaris read any of his stories you will never be able to read any of his stories yourself. His fey, annoying whine (don't get me wrong, I like Sedaris) will be there in the back of your mind and you won't be able to shut him out.

On a related note, I tried to listen to a Robert B. Parker book-on-tape one time, but the narrator had such a strong lisp that it was unbearable: "Thpenther then thlugged the gathping man, while Hawk thlid away thilently." I couldn't understand how they could pick such a narrator until I read the box: the reader was Robert B. Parker's thon, er, son.

Toll Brothers and Dingaling Top Pickers

One of my favortie "technicians" called a top in TOL last December when it was in the mid-$60's. Self-styled gurus pick tops because they want to look smart; don't fall into that trap. As Toll Brothers closes in on the century mark ($100), you have to marvel at their earnings: they'll earn over $8 a share this year, and probably close to $10 a share in 2006.

10-Year Note Yield, TOL: Weekly Charts