You feel a little lost and alone in this great big web world. I know you do. Don’t fear. Don’t fret. It’s OK. The Weekly Town Crier is here to guide you, to keep you from those dark corners you had no business being in in the first place. Stay calm, take my hand (figuratively speaking of course. Perhaps you can grip your mouse a bit tighter and just breathe in, breathe out) and let me guide you through some of the things that caught my eye this past week. But, please remember, linking does not equal endorsing. Come on, let’s see what’s out there, together. You’re not alone in this journey.

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Read as Reuters examines the renewed interest in many “indie” acts from the ’90’s.

Browse this list of recommendations to learn about music while you listen.

Read about gays and lesbians urging Pope Benedict XVI “to see their lives and hear their testimonies.”

Read about the continuing (and growing) trend of younger evangelicals distancing themselves from the GOP.

Read the latest report from Barna considering recent trends in donating and tithing.

Read as The Guardian profiles Pitchfork.

Read as Christianity Today tackles the top of college tuition and finds that some schools are actually lowering rates.

Read as USA Today considers the trend of many “religious figures” utilizing podcasts.

Read about the recent study that found that “The New International Version of the Bible is by far the most preferred translation of the Scripture, according to a new survey of U.S. evangelical leaders.”

Read this piece which notes that in “a study published Sunday in Nature Neuroscience, researchers using brain scanners could predict people’s decisions seven seconds before the test subjects were even aware of making them.”

Read as Books & Culture considers charismatic Christians in Venezuela and Ghana.

Read as Christianity Today considers the “multifaceted” Gospel and suggests why Evangelicals should not worry about “new tellings” of that old, old story.

Read this piece which notes that all three presidential candidates “have voted to fund embryonic stem-cell research.”

Read as Al Mohler considers recent comments from Barack Obama “in which he told a group in San Francisco that hard economic times explain why some people cling to religion, guns, and certain political convictions.”

See the new computer known as “OpenMac,” “which claims to be a Leopard compatible Mac built from standard PC-parts.”

Read Pitchfork’s review of the new album from Colour Revolt.

Read this profile of this year’s “big” U.S. music festivals.

Read Christianity Today’s review of the new album from Alli Rogers.

Read this piece which argues that “People who don’t go to church may be turned off by a recent trend toward more utilitarian church buildings.”

Read Al Mohler’s thoughts on the Pope’s visit to the U.S.

Read as The Economist examines the way technology is changing how we relate, both to our surroundings and people.

Read as Christianity Today wonders “Where Jim Wallis Stands.”