The John Oliver Show

With the two Steves (Colbert and Carell), The Daily Show proved to be Saturday Night Live for the new millennium — a launching pad for funny folk destined for (mostly) great things. (Sorry, Mo Rocca.) Now add Daily Show correspondent John Oliver to the you-knew-him-when list. A veteran stand-up comic imported from the UK in 2006, Oliver is hosting a six-part series showcasing comedy’s freshest talent — picked by Oliver himself. Trust him: He’s British.

Photo: Jason Campbell/Vistalux

The Preservation of Favoured Traces

How did On the Origin of Species evolve? Gradually. Charles Darwin revised his tome five times in the 12 years after it was first published. So data nerd Ben Fry created a Web site to visualize the edits (benfry.com/traces). Mouse over color-coded dots for a pop-up describing what was added or altered.

BioShock 2

Once more into the abyss. The underwater dystopia of the original BioShock was among the creepiest game worlds ever, and the sequel takes you back. This time, you play as a Big Daddy, the metal-suited monsters that tormented you in the first volume. Politically tinged plot developments class up the fact that you’re mostly putting your giant drill-arm through people’s torsos.

Beach House: Teen Dream

The Baltimore-based duo Beach House has hit the indie-rock big leagues. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally inject feel-good exuberance into their elegant guitar and synthesizer ballads. But if you’re aching for a cry, listen closely: Legrand’s morose vocals will trigger the waterworks.

Photo: Jason Nocito

Await Your Reply

A father lures his son into the shady world of identity theft. An Ohio teenager runs off with her high school history teacher. A man hunts for his schizophrenic twin. In a world where so much of who we are can be lifted and duplicated, Dan Chaon‘s book is less of a crime novel about identity theft and more of a literary tour de force about identity itself.

SearchTabs

Your bookmarks are curated — and so are everyone else’s. Put all that brainpower to work with SearchTabs. Built on data drawn from folks who use Xmarks, a bookmark-syncing app, this Firefox add-on supercharges your Google results with the collective wisdom of millions of saved sources.

Hot Chip: One Life Stand

As we face limitless war and limited jobs, everyone could use an outlet, and Hot Chip’s fourth album offers plenty of great getaways. The combination of exquisite synth-rock, steel drums, and Alexis Taylor’s falsetto will keep you from losing your mind by encouraging it to wander.

TokyoFlash Kisai Escape C

Bluetooth headsets are ear mullets: Use this personal wireless hub to lower your dork quotient. Hang the locket around your neck, plug in call-enabled earphones, and pair it with your phone, computer, and MP3 player. Judging from the Escape C’s Dark Knight aesthetics and crowdsourced design, this Japanese watchmaker clearly knows what time it is.

Put This On

This style blog aims to wean hipsters from their ironic T-shirts and transform them into dapper Don Drapers. Putthison.com features links to wearable objets d’art, videos showing how to achieve classic style, and shopping tips on everything from denim to clothes for the “differently bodied man.”

Texts From Last Night

The cell phone: by day, trusted communication facilitator; by night, handheld confessional. The drunken texts in this compendium, distilled from the Web site run by Lauren Leto and Ben Bator, are categorized by area code and degree of hellishness. One fave: “My mouth tastes like poor choices.”