The redesign of Tourism & Hospitality Management goes live.

Yes, little Beyonce gets her “Single Ladies” groove on too.

Here are the top 10 moments you’ll likely to remember about Bush.

Microsoft Research introduces Songsmith, a program that would create the arrangement for your singing. All you have to do is sing your heart out into the microphone and let Songsmith worries about the music production. The demo video looks pretty cool.

New Yorker has a great piece from Jill Lepore on breast-feeding. The history of breast-pumping is also very informative. Read it if you’re about to become a parent like me. Here is an excerpt:

In 1997, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement on “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk,” declaring human milk to be “species-specific” and recommending it as the exclusive food for the first six months of a baby’s life, to be followed by a mixed diet of solid foods and human milk until at least the end of the first year. In that statement, and in a subsequent revision, the A.A.P. cited research linking breast-feeding to the reduced incidence and severity of, among other things, bacterial meningitis, diarrhea, respiratory-tract infection, ear infection, urinary-tract infection, sudden-infant-death syndrome, diabetes mellitus, lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, obesity, and asthma. The benefits of breast-feeding are unrivalled; breast-feeding rates in the United States are low; the combination makes for a public-health dilemma.

A technique of overtones “invented by Bernard Dubreuil in 1987 and developed by Tran Quang Hai in the field of music therapy to solve married couples’ psychological problems.” Watch the demonstration of Harmonic Kiss performed by Bach Yen and Tran Quang Hai. I want to try the technique with Dana, but she thinks I have a psychological problem for even proposing it.

Unlike the complexity of jazz, a pop record is either a hit or a miss. If the productions are tight, you win half of the battle. If the hooks and the lyrics are right, you will be on your way to victory. Of course, it’s easier said than done. These days Vietnamese pop albums are being released like baby diapers. You hear it once and you throw it out. The major issue is that most young pop singers do not put their investment into the productions and they rely too much on cheap lyrics to feed their hungry fans. Someone once said that why do I even bother listening to these rubbishes. My hope is to come across something decent. I’ve found it.

Ha Anh Tuan’s Sai Gon Radio is an enjoyable pop record just because he understands the rules of pop. He knows that the productions have to be pleasurable even when his voice fails him. What makes Sai Gon Radio work is that it doesn’t sound like a hip-hop/R&B imitation and the lyrics aren’t as banal as those Chinese-inflected junk. Although the album opens with a tune called “Radio,” it is more suitable to be spin in the club than on the airwave. The beat is groovy and the hook is catchy as hell. “Ganh Hang Rau” is another dance-driven production, but the words behind the beat are even more inspiring—something about selling vegetables to buy big house. Hey, who said you can’t dream?

Although Anh Tuan’s nasal voice is persuasive even on slow jams like “Loi Nhac So 4,” the album has its share of snoring moments. Still, the record is surprisingly good. What surprises me even more though is the producer behind the tracks. Nhat Trung has certainly stepped up his pop game.

“Being poor means there’s potential for becoming rich.” From True to Love, a Korean TV series I am addicting to.

A gorgeous jazz tune from Jazzy Da Lam gets dressed in string orchestration. Ngoc Anh’s slightly raucous timbre sounds intoxicating on the low register. On the climax, however, her voice gets too operatic.

“Yes,” Weezy’s flow is mad wicked.