The AGO has a new logo, and this ... is it. Done by Toronto design overlord Bruce Mau, the new logo is -- well, to be honest, looking at it on the computer monitor like this is kind of giving me a headache. Or making me feel like I'm wearing those red and blue 3D glasses. I'm curious to see how it'll look when it's 100x this size.

Other than the cross-eyed feeling though, I kind of like this -- I think it's simple, but still interesting. Plus, in a year it's going to be so ubiquitous that we won't even remember what the old logo looked like. (Though if you're interested, here's a kind of neat logo retrospective that the AGO put together. I'm really liking the classiness of the 70s. (There's a sentence I never thought I'd type.))

Montreal electro/crunk duo Megasoid are attracting a lot of attention online and on the streets (literally) of Toronto, Montreal and beyond. Speakerbruiser (aka Spkrbruzr of Sixtoo fame) and Robert Downey DJ (aka Hadji Bakara of Wolf Parade) perform live bass-infused remixes using a wide-variety of top-notch, booze-soaked gear. Their shows get messy and some have notoriously ended prematurely as a result.

On the strength of a couple great mp3 mixtapes and a very helpful mention in The New Yorker, Megasoid have been fielding numerous remix and show requests, while playing gigs under bridges, on top of their van (see above photo), on the Drake rooftop at Nuit Blanche last Fall, and at their own Turbo Crunk monthlies at Montreal's Coda and the Drake here in town. On top of all of this, rumour has it they are working on a "real record".

I chatted with Speakerbruiser and Robert Downey DJ about record rumours, fictitious gear, and poor Becky.

Just about every neighbourhood has a Thai restaurant (or three) to choose from, making it no easy task to select the best Thai food in Toronto. That doesn't stop us from trying, though.

Of the many cuisines in Toronto, Thai is among the richest in terms of range of fare and quantity of restaurants. Most offer up your typical list of noodles, rice and curries, with favourite standbys like pad thai, green and red curries and assorted spring rolls. Many try to set themselves apart, perhaps offering more regional authentic fare, a wine program or chic decor.

But which restaurant's cuisine reigns supreme?

Over the past year or so I've become a regular at Hanoi Bistro on Baldwin Street. Having spent a fair bit of time at both U of T and OCAD, I've come to know Baldwin quite well over the past few years. It has a little bit of everything: some Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Indian. But until about a year ago, you couldn't even grab a decent bowl of pho along the popular restaurant strip. Well thank God Hanoi Bistro came along when it did, because it was just the hit of north Vietnam comfort food that the neighbourhood needed.

Read on about my new Vietnamese favourite, Hanoi Bistro, and see what's been missing on Baldwin for far too long.

We've been talking a bit about zoos this week, and we always love a good plastic bag discussion, and now here's something that combines both: a new art show at the Toronto Zoo that uses plastic bags to bring attention to the environmental issues facing the moon jellyfish.

Photo: "Camomile Ant" by sig11, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your abbreviated Toronto morning news roundup for Thursday May 15th, 2008:

The TTC is learning that the hybrid expensive diesel-electric buses they bought aren't coming close to saving the 20-30% in fuel consumption touted by the manufacturer. Records are showing closer to just 10% in fuel savings.

Four carjackers were caught in the act on video, and the police want the help of the public in identifying them. I watched the video, and have concluded that it's more an exercise in identifying shirts.

Night court is a great option for those not wanting to miss work to deal with their problems involving the Provincial Offences Act, but as of July 1st, night court will no longer be an option. Judge Harold T. Stone is happy to have more time to spend with his family.