Monitor picks

Gallery of your own

For the art lover who can't afford to buy, there's adoption. The Fine Art Adoption Network helps match artists and would-be collectors. In exchange for the price of shipping and the ability to provide an appreciative home (demonstrated in the form of a questionnaire), cash-strapped connoisseurs may choose from original paintings, photographs, and even sculptures. Take a look: www.fineartadoption.net

Weekend recently tried to buy the two new songs on U2's Best Of from iTunes, but the downloading service only makes the tunes available if you buy the entire album. Solution? We visited www.7digital.com where the songs can be individually purchased. (One downside: Some of 7digital's songs aren't iPod compatible.) We also discovered dozens of titles not on iTunes.

Crowded House, the antipodean band whose songs rival those of The Beatles for sheer melodiousness, just released a DVD and CD of their 1996 Farewell to the World staged in front of 120,000 people outside the Sydney Opera House. They may regret the title. This week they announced a reunion album and tour. Don't dream, it's not over!

Tired of knitting socks on double-pointed needles? Try the two-circular-needle-sock-knitting technique, sometimes called magic loop knitting. Textile designer Cat Bordi explains how in her book "Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles." Novices and experienced knitters alike purr over the book's easy patterns.

You may find the hulking rhino endearing after watching Nature's "Rhinoceros" scheduled to première Sunday, Jan. 28, on PBS (check local listings). A film team follows efforts in Africa and Indonesia to protect three species of the prehistoric animal targeted by poachers and now facing extinction. The one-hour program is complete with helicopter rescues, macho fights, cute babies, and a chase scene not to be missed.