Monitor picks

Smart move

ShopSmart, a breezy new magazine geared toward women by the publisher of "Consumer Reports" hits newsstands Aug. 1, offering all the authority of its elder sibling in a format that's much easier on the eyes. The first issue spills the dirt on vacuum cleaners (the Dyson isn't all it claims to be), picks the best in digital cameras, and weighs in on which organic foods you should bother to buy.

In the spirit of "Freakonomics" and "The Tipping Point," Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson peers into the future of business with The Long Tail, explaining how consumers with ever-expanding niche interests will wag the dog of the new economy. Also illustrated: Why so many entertainment hits are mutts.

HGTV's Junk Brothers (Wednesdays, 11 p.m. EDT) takes the old trash-treasure adage literally. Siblings Jim and Steve Kelley scour curbsides for cast-offs (a busted bike becomes a ceiling fan), and return them to where they found them, to the wonder of the original owners.

Back in 2000, the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival introduced the Truly Moving Picture award to bestow on cinematic "stories that display courage, integrity and hope," To see whether your values align with theirs, check out the newly revamped trulymovingpictures.org, which offers lists, interviews, message boards, and trailers.

With the paperback release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, readers will find it easier to tote the 672-page book for heated discussions about clues regarding the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort, where Professor Snape's loyalties lie, and who won't ever be coming back to Hogwarts. (J.K. Rowling, hard at work on Book 7, says two more characters aren't long for her fictional world.)