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The dilemma, when technology is concerned, has always been whether to buy now or wait for a better, perhaps cheaper, and shinier gadget to come along. So where does that leave you, the consumer?

Michael Chabon's eighth novel, Telegraph Avenue, delves deeply into issues of art, race and sexuality. The book started with a "very tiny world," Chabon says, a vinyl record shop not unlike a Berkeley store that inspired him in the late '90s.

The debate over states' rights versus federal power is as old as our country, but this time the subject of controversy is relatively new. As Americans' views on homosexuality change, more states are stepping up to challenge the federal definition of marriage.

One overlooked part of the convention frenzy was the party platforms. They seemed to cause more embarrassment than excitement at the DNC, where party leaders fumbled at reinserting clauses about Jerusalem and God into their platform. And at the RNC, Rep. John Boehner admitted he'd never even read his party's platform. NPR senior Washington editor Ron Elving joins weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz to talk about the platforms and what — if anything — they mean in 2012.

In The Knockoff Economy, Kal Raustiala and Christopher Sprigman say that in the world of fashion, copycats make styles go in and out of vogue faster. Copying breeds competition, Raustiala says, and that makes clothes cheaper for consumers.

The notorious prison at Bagram Air Base outside Kabul has been officially handed over to Afghan officials by U.S. military officials. But questions remain about whether some of its prisoners — including "high value" Taliban operatives — will remain under U.S. control. Afghan President Hamid Karzai had demanded control of the prison known as the Parwan detention facility before he signs a status of forces agreement with the United States.

Del Mar, Calif., is one of the most popular surfing spots in Southern California. And Sunday it went to the dogs, with the seventh annual dog surfing competition. Hundreds of canines and their owners paddled out, and then the dogs rode the surfboards back to the shore.

Last month, a confrontation between the police and striking platinum miners turned deadly when police killed 34 people. The incident, and the fallout, have sent shock waves across South Africa, with people saying that the violence harks back to the bad old days of apartheid, repression and white minority rule.

Organizers of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., planned for it to be a massive organizing and registration opportunity for voters in the state, a key battleground. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

Top designers are showing off their spring 2013 collections in New York. Host Michel Martin gets a glimpse of what's hot and what's not with Isabel Wilkinson, editor of the fashion section for The Daily Beast. They also discuss Michelle Obama and Ann Romney's fashion picks at the conventions.