Ho

Just in case you missed China's Ice Santa.

The frugalistas are here

From the New York Times, the buzzwords of 2008.

Starman

They're making a star in California.

Here he is

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas on John's blog without the irresistible Santa and the reindeer (with the Drifters in support).

The blog will be back at the weekend, if the fates allow. Happy Christmas.

Lateral excitation

So just why did the Millenium footbridge over the Thames wobble when it was first opened? Was it because everyone was walking in step? No. It was, um, it was all quite technical... Energy transfer and stuff... Over to the people at Bristol University. They're very clever there.

Armed with pizza

You're a pizza delivery guy and you come under attack from assailants.

What do you do?

Pretty straightforward, I guess. You use the pizza.

It's a pickle

Eight of the strangest Christmas customs.

Properly fermented nectar

Two paragraphs in praise of ginger beer.

Christmas is coming for webbies too

24ways.org is in full swing - it's an advent calendar for web designers, with "design and development articles" for the festive season. 

On Sunday, for instance, it took me to colourlovers.com, a website devoted to colour, tracking trends and offering inspiration.

There's still time (just) if you want to do your online Christmas shopping at the top end of the market. Here's inspiration from the Harrods Christmas Gift Guide, and their main online store is here.

Art

Made in Italy - photoblog.

Christmas - white, grey or green

Netweather's Christmas Forecast is live and regularly updated. Try the Santa Shaker on the right of the screen - tell it where you are, and it'll predict the chances of snow on the big day.

Accuracy improves as the date draws closer. (But then it's a weather forecast, so you'd expect that.)

Technology, growth and government

With Google wielding so much web power, should we care about their priorities for 2009?

Maybe we should at least show an interest. Here's their "agenda" (i.e. their lobbying call).

Email incoming

From Engadget, the Christmas Gift Guide - for him, or if you prefer, for her. My favourite is the USB Webmail Notifier. Fetching shades of light, and a robotic "You've got mail", whenever your webmail arrives. $17 well spent.

Chromosones from Maryland

We've got the DNA pattern for humans (that's it, on the left). Now all we need is a nice bit of yeast to create artificial life. Easy.

Keeping an eye on the little one

The wi-fi video baby monitor. Now that's what I call clever.

It'll be nutty this Christmas

Breaking Christmas news: chestnut sales are up, and it's partly thanks to the log burner.

Podding paint

Ah, now, here's that Christmas gift idea you've been looking for. The Dulux paint pod. Makes emulsion perfection. Allegedly.

Earthrise

The story of Apollo 8.

Cook(ie)

These are, undoubtedly, cookie recipes. There is no other description for them, and no other information is required. Cookies and their recipes. That's it.

Dream dream dream

Can you make your dreams better - and if you can, will that improve your days?

A scientific experiment takes us closer to knowing.

Forever's going to start tonight

Just in case you've missed the chimp playing the drums, if the magic of Flash treats you right, you'll find him here. It's the details that make it special - he's even got an earpiece.

(The truck video after it is pretty cool too.)

Funk

From 5ives, here are Five Terrible Fake Jane Austen Novels.

Classic

Inspired by reading Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie for the first time, the Vintage Classics section of the Random House website.

Words of wisdom

From (of all people) John Sergeant's dancing partner come these pearls:

"Love as if you've never been hurt, work as if you don't need the money, and dance as if there's no-one watching."

Storm

The Blackberry with the touch screen is here.

Top toys

Vote for your gadget of the year here (or just browse through their list of desirable items).

Buzz

Bees aren't so busy.

It's all about the fur

Mark Lawson's interviews on BBC4 are always revealing. In a week's time he'll be talking to Rolf Harris, but for now, this from Michael Parkinson:

"Do you remember those furry sets I used to have? They were like a brothel for a womble."

Change

Here's Barack Obama's transitional website, including a link to his weekly address (also on YouTube).

Espresso another way

I'm not quite sure why you'd want this, but here's the way to have a nice espresso in a proper mug, but looking like it's a crumpled plastic cup.

Blogging politics

From the Newsnight website, here's the blog of the excellent Michael Crick.

In your lug-holes

They're £120, so you may choose not to purchase, but here are the latest goodies from Sennheiser.

At the end of the war

Eleven months ago, John's blog found the story of a soldier in World War I, told online through his letters home.

Now, on Armistice Day, we know whether or not Harry made it through the war.

Is it me or is it cold in here?

It's you.

Just a boomerang

I can't help thinking I'd never get the hang of it. But I might still be tempted. The Omega Boomerang from the excellent Manufactum.

Defending Bill

Now, this takes me back.

(Although not to 1884.)

1914-18

The Imperial War Museum cover the 90th anniversary of the Armistice.

Twittering

Catch up with Barack on the night, via his Twitter stream.

Or alternatively, see the regular status updates of Stephen Fry at the excellent and newly relaunched StephenFry.com website.

If the whole world could vote

So, tomorrow's only a day away. The Economist's coverage of the American election includes an interesting idea - they've crated a global electoral college, assigning a proportion of votes to each country of the world to come up with a weighting system not unlike the one in use for individual states in America.

Then, using votes from members of the public to contribute to the electoral college verdict for each country, a world-wide election result is produced - on the basis of over 50,000 votes (at the time of writing).

The results are here. And if the whole world were voting? It's Obama.

Monkeys and other primates

WTOP's Monkey News has had some updates.

Right at home

The Independent's 50 Best Home Entertainment Systems.

From me to you

Online e-cards and e-video-cards, from JibJab. (Check out Frankenstein for Haloween.)

Walk and talk

The Senneheiser VMX Office - roam around talking hands-free, not just on your mobile but through your PC, thanks to the integrated base-station.

Smurfs at fifty

So, the Smurfs are 50, and here they all are, bless them.

Play 'n' vote

The first in-video-game ads for a presidential candidate - Obama advertises via X-Box.

Coming soon

Wondering what's coming out for the Wii in the next few months?

Here's an enticing little list of pre-release Wii games on Amazon. Games like Magic Roundabout, Sonic Unleashed and Sonic and the Black Knight, Doctor Who Top Trumps and, can you believe, Mr Bean.

Tag me

The Guardian has started geo-tagging some of its stories. More on this here; the main advantage is to pinpoint a journalist (currently the reporters covering the American election) so you can see at a glance, on an embedded Google map, just where the story is coming from. As an accidental bit of fun, though, you can see an aggregated map showing where all the participating journalists are, on one screen.

Songs

Cheaper music downloads, 100% legal, from 7 Digital.

Power me up

What's that little beauty on the left? Power2Go from Philips. Recharge your portable devices, wherever you may be, with up to 60 hours of juice. Reviewed here.

Write it down

How to be happy. Turns out to be quite simple. Write down three things that went well today, and why.

Pimp your browser

The fifteen best add-ons for your internet browsing experience.

A new installation

Banksy says New Yorkers care more about pets than art. So pets it is.

Sling it

Watch the BBC's iPlayer not through your PC but in comfort on your TV, with SlingCatcher. It does other stuff too (which I don't really understand.)

Goggles

I do love this idea. Stop sending emails when you really shouldn't. Mail Goggles checks whether you're sober enough to email.

Kate, carved

John's blog is a tolerant place, but this really is quite odd, isn't it?

Forecasting

The excellent Netweather weather forecasting website now includes a map tracking lightning strikes in the UK, and an updated long-range weather forecast.

(Drier than normal till February, a little cooler than normal till December. France is going to cop a few showers come Advent, though.)

iPhone, we're coming at you

Now here's a lovely new phone from Nokia. Mmm. Yes please.

(There's an ad at the start of the video. Stick with it.)

Things

You know those clumsy days, or those DIY disaster days? Here's how they feel, as described by the late Patrick O'Brian in one of his novels of naval historical fiction.

Stephen is ship's surgeon, and the best friend of the captain. They and their crew are shipwrecked, and Stephen has found a role on their temporary island home as the food provider.

"Stephen was a deadly shot; and since there was so very little powder - far too little for a general blazing away with muskets - he was the camp's chief hunter.

"This was a relief for everybody. During the first fortnight he had worn himself raw, pulling on ropes, helping to saw wood, beating home treenails and wedges, and he had suffered much from the inherent malignity of things - no rope, pulled over the most innocent surface, that did not succeed in twisting itself or catching in some minute protrusion; no saw that did not deviate from its line; no mallet that did not strike his already bruised and purple-swollen hand - but his companions had suffered even more from having to re-tie his knots and rescue him from improbably dangers, perpetually keeping one eye on the Doctor and one on their work. Even when put to dig out the choked well, the softest job in hand, he contrived to send a pick through William Gorges' foot."

Go to the home of Stella

Here's an unusual place to go. (You're wondering just where it is? Near Brussells. Here, in fact.)