EVENT: In the book Love & Sex With Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships David Levy goes where no man has gone before. Hopefully. From the book's description: "Love, marriage, and sex with robots? Not in a million years? Maybe a whole lot sooner.From a leading expert in artificial intelligence comes an eye-opening, superbly argued book that explores a new level of human intimacy and relationships—with robots." We're not even ready to see Lars and......

EVENT: Berlin takes over New York this month with the Berlin in Lights Festival. Through the 18th you can soak up the German city through film, music, art, architecture and more. This evening you can check out a couple of Berlin-esque events. First up is the "Urban Design and Memorials" dialogue. A panel discussion which will touch on the "challenges of integrating memorials into the urban fabric, and how Berlin and New York address issues......

FILM: Ease in to Halloween with classic horror flick The Innocents, based on Henry James' novella The Turn Of The Screw. Evil and innocence, the strange and the everday, will mingle as you...enjoy complimentary vodka an tapas! 6pm // Mantra Lounge [986 2nd Ave] // Free, RSVP here EVENT: Neurologist Oliver Sacks explores "the complexities of human response to music and its powerful ability to move us physically and emotionally" tonight as he shares experiences......

MUSIC: It's CMJ, check out one of the zillions of bands playing. Since trying to pick just one show is tough, we'll suggest one for you. Head over to Brooklyn tonight for Dirty on Purpose, A Place to Bury Strangers, Sisters, Coin Under Tongue and Indian Scout. They'll be taking the stage at Death by Audio. Listen: Mind Blindness.mp3 - Dirty on Purpose 8pm // Death by Audio [49 South 2nd St, Williamsburg] And come......

THEATER: The National Asian American Theatre Company is known for creating adventurous theater with an all-Asian American performing plays that often have little to do with Asian Americans. Their newest production is Blind Mouth Singing by Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas; it uses a watery set and live music to tell a story of an “overly strict matriarch; her young son Reiderico who sneaks out of the house to visit his best friend who lives at the......

MOVIE: The 2006 Clark Kent hit the big screen in Superman Returns. Tonight catch the superhero do his thing all over again at the River Flicks outdoor film series. Free popcorn, free film and a nice cold summer breeze. Bring a blanket! Sunset // Hudson River Park, Pier 54 // Free MUSIC:The XYZ Affair has pretty much pounded their new song into our heads via a video starring old Nickelodeon "stars" we don't recognize. Tonight,......

COMEDY: This weekend marks the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon. Del Close, if you don't know by now, "was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few." The annual weekend began after Del's passing in 1999. All Weekend // Various Times // UCB Theater [307 W 26th St] // $10 shows,......

DANCE: Since the Copacabana is closed for now, get your dance on under the night sky. WhatsUpNYC tells us that every Monday through July 23rd (though the NYC Parks site says through August 13th), the Parks and Rec department will conduct Dancing Under the Stars. Get dance lessons from the experts at American Ballroom Theater, then grab a partner and tear up the dancefloor. 6 to 7:30pm // Directions here // Free MOVIES: It's a......

Yesterday afternoon, the midtown walls outside the Museum of Modern Art and surrounding buildings were bathed in a beautiful, expansive new video installation from artist Doug Aitken. The work, Doug Aitken: sleepwalkers, was commissioned by both the MoMA and Creative Time, and it turns the museum into public art space. A total of eight screens (outside the MoMA on West 53rd Street, in an empty lot onto Museum of Folk Art's exterior wall, and......

"Socially, there is very little difference between a multitude of people all having their own private aural experiences and a multitude of people stoned out of their gourds." That's NYU's Mark Crispin Miller on the idea of the proliferation of directional speakers, speakers which send sound in a focused column (imagine the light beam of a Maglight but instead of sending out light it sent sound). There are currently two companies that produce directional......

The fact is, nothing much is going on. Just a lot of people trudging to work, and the whole city waiting for the announcement that the strike is over. That hasn't stopped New York's intrepid community of photographers from trying to find some interesting shots, though. So far, we've seen three or four classic types emerge: the train station entrance with police tape, tpeople walking on the Brooklyn Bridge, empty avenues closed to all......

I'm back with this week's show rundown. We realize it's frustrating to find out about a show and then find out it's sold out. This week we start the post with FIVE (actually SIX) recommended shows that are not yet sold out (some even free). Caribou (formerly Dan Snaith's Manitoba) plus Four Tet with the Junior Boys and Russian Futurists are playing Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, and Northsix in Brooklyn on Thursday. The Junior Boys......

With no resolution to the Time Warner/Cablevision dispute over programming fees, the Mets season opener will not be aired locally for those with Time Warner Cable. For those at work, that's okay since you can't watch TV anyway, so it's time to get ancient and break out those radios. Of course, there's that whole "Internets" thingy too. And just because it says the game is on ESPN, it won't be due to local blackout. Radio......

It's no real news that there are fools on radio in the morning, but this is a little much. Gothamist read the story in the Post on Saturday, but thanks to hiphopmusic.com's investigation, we were able to hear the actual MP3 of the controversial Hot 97 Tsunami song that was played last week on Miss Jones in the Morning. The song mocks "chinks" and "Chinamen" (and "Africans") dying in the tsunami, and makes light of......

Today, Mayor Bloomberg will give his "State of the City" address at 1PM. You can listen to with via NY1's Live Audio Stream. This speech is a big deal, as it will mark his vision for New York City for the rest of his term, making this, as the NY Times does, " New York Region > For Bloomberg, This Speech Is an Election-Year Speech" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/11/nyregion/11mayor.html?adxnnl=1&oref=login&adxnnlx=1105448365-E317V4CpP N9QZeRoNQMPg">an Election-Year Speech." The speech is supposed to focus......

Scott Lapatine, Stereogum.com...

We've had a chance to listen to the band Audio Fiction recently and thought they'd be perfect to tell you about this week. Why? Because the RNC is in town, and this band is most likely doing everything in its creative power to counter the Republican agenda. Stop. Pause. And thank them now. Not to pigeon-hole them as only a politically driven band they are catchy pop rock with a message. Check them out......

Oh, the joys of eBay and number portability: Someone is auctioning off the phone number, 212-867-5309, as in the 212 number of Tommy Tutone's 867-5309/Jenny (lyrics). You, too, can have 212-867-5309 and get at least five calls asking for Jenny, Tommy, or incomprehensible giggles a week. [Via reader Daniel] Jenny, Jenny You're the girl for me You don't know me but you make me so happy. I tried to call you before, but I lost......

Yet another wrinkle in that new dimension of the office friendship - the personal technology conundrum (do you give your cellphone number to a coworker? what about personal email?)- is revealed. New York magazine's Help Desk answers a very important question: What to do when someone wants to "borrow" your carefully compiled and cataloged collection of music for your iPod. It boils down to: "Unless you’re looking to sleep with this co-worker—or owe her some......