BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as they hate being Sagittarians, click here.

ION USB portable turntable and Zumreed headphones If your pal has lots of records, the USB turntable will help with backing them up and making digital copies, which can be transferred easily to a Mac or PC. And of course, they'll be needing stylish 'phones, too. [ION $140 and Zumreed $60, both at Urban Outfitters]

Griffin AirCurve and iTrip Autopilot Any iPhone or iPod owner is bound to be happy with a couple of accessories from Griffin. Take the AirCurve clear acoustic amplifier, which acts as a speaker with no batteries required. Combine it with a car accessory for Christmas, such as the iTrip Autopilot, and you're onto a winning match. [AirCurve $19.95 and iTrip Autopilot $99.95, both at Apple]

Optoma PK-101 and Samsung N310 Give the gift of film this birthday/Christmas, with the Optoma pico projector connecting to the Samsung netbook with ease. The netbook may not have an optical drive so DVDs aren't playable, but there's no stopping your recipient from downloading or live-streaming some films, to beam onto a wall in 480 x 320 resolution. [Optoma $229.99 and Samsung N310 $349.99]

Diana F+, 38mm super wide lens, and instant back+ Lomography is the recent revival of a '60s photography craze that results in the most brilliant photos. The Diana F+ is the most classic model, and pick up a few accessories while you're at Lomo's online store, including a super wide lens and instant back+, which produces instant photos a la Polaroid. [Diana F+ $95, super wide lens $40 and instant back+ $95]

Red Square superyacht and Bell-Boeing 430 helicopter What, your friend doesn't mean enough to you that you'd splurge $930m on their birthday present? And then another $2m on their Christmas present? Shame on you. [Red Square €630m, Bell-Boeing 430, around $2m]

Star Wars DVD boxset and Tauntaun sleeping bag Yes, we love Star Wars as much as the next person, but with the trilogy expected on Blu-ray anytime soon, we wouldn't go suggesting you buy a DVD boxset that's been around for years, would we? Nor would we recommend a Tauntaun sleeping bag as being conducive to a love life. [Star Wars DVDs $25.99 and Tauntaun bag $99.99]

PSPgo and $50 PlayStation Network gift card Giving a gift card isn't the most thoughtful present, true—but how else would you give digital downloads to someone, hmm? They should be so happy with the latest generation of PSP, they won't even notice that $50 only gets them a couple of games. [PSPgo $249.99 and PlayStation Network card $50]

Sony BDP-BX2 Blu-ray player and Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray boxset I've just finished watching BSG on Blu-ray, so can vouch for how incredible it looks in HD. Coupled with a Sony Blu-ray player, you're giving any sci-fi nut the perfect viewing experience—provided they have an HDTV, of course.

Don't forget to recommend your own favorite gift ideas for people with birthdays in December in the comments—include pic and pricing if possible.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

Helping Sega pioneer disc-based gaming, the original PlayStation went on to sell over 100 million consoles until it was discontinued in 2006. Check out the official birthday site for PlayStation here for a trip down memory lane—when PlayStations were much smaller and lighter than they are today, and didn't need to install patches every 20 minutes. [PlayStation via Kotaku]

The Guardian has put together a fantastic year-by year slideshow, including video clips and factoids, about how the Internet we know and adore came to be. Check it out and be sure to share your favorite parts. Mine is in 1971 in the form of the first computer virus, the Creeper. That and the fact that there's some disagreement about which day should actually be celebrated as the Internet's birthday.

But before you run off to explore history, how about a nice and loud "Happy Birthday!" for our darling? [Guardian]

The image above shows the log entry of the first meaningful connection between two computer nodes. It happened on October 29, 1969. However, the very first heart beat, the first actual connection in which bits were exchanged between two hosts happened 40 years ago today.

Later those two nodes evolved into this:

That's the first logical map of ARPANET, the world's first operational packet switching network created by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. It's objective was to provide data connectivity at all times for the U.S. government, who wanted a way to keep communications in the case Ivan emptied its ICBM silos all over the United States and its allies. Years later, ARPANET became the Internet.

So may God bless the military, for without them we wouldn't be writing, and reading Gizmodo every day. Happy birthday, ARPANET! Or internet! Or arpaternet! Or whatever the hell you call yourself these days, you old promiscuous data whore you. [Wikipedia and LA Times via Boing Boing]

Click on the image above to access the full timeline in 2800 x 1188 pixels.

I look back in time and I can't help but wonder what the hell is wrong with Sony. Sure, they have had they share of disasters, like Betamax, but overall they always were a company breaking new ground and opening new product categories.

Some of their products, like the Sony Trinitron or the Sony Walkman, changed the way we understood TV and music. Their professional U-Matic and Beta video series did the same, democratizing movie and video production. The Playstation introduced 3D graphics in the gaming world in a big way, destroying the status quo, which at the time had Nintendo as its king. Even their transistor radios were groundbreaking, not to talk about their stunning designs in the past.

Today, their product designs are bland. And their technology, except for a few exceptions that have their replica from other manufacturers, is just me-too. No spark, no true revolutionary innovation. Just a giant, surviving in a world where other brands now carry the torch they had for decades.

Look at the timeline and marvel at all the "world's firsts" these people had. I'm sure you will have the same feeling.

[Odelia Lee and Andrea Wang collaborated in the creation of this timeline]

Next person is complimenting company for beautiful products. Wishes Steve well. Singing happy birthday to Steve... EVERYONE singing.

That happened after someone said that the people asking for universal health care for employees are "socialists." Funny, because the last time I heard people singing "happy birthday" to their leader in a shareholders meeting was in the Soviet Parlament—I think the leader was Stalin back then.

Not much else was discussed. Some people asked for Steve's health—"no comment" was the answer—and others asked why there wasn't more diversity in the executive team—damn socialists.

Tim Cook insisted on why they got out of MacWorld, arguing that Apple's retail presence "blows MacWorld out of the water." [Apple 2.0]

Gates wasn't at all shy when promoting his debut Windows OS at New York's Helmsley Palace Hotel that day, claiming that it, powered by a unique graphical interface, would be running 90% of IBM systems by 1984 (before missing the launch date by a year, of course). To his credit, that ridiculously lofty number is just about identical to the Windows marketshare of today.

Windows 1 wouldn't be around for long, with its Windows 2 predecessor following just two years later. But if you have a fond memory of the old OS, now would be a good time to share it with the class in the comments. [Wired and image]

Now all I need to do is remind my wife of this posting when my birthday comes a little nearer... [LaughingSquid]

Photo by Michael Biven

- A reinvention of the TiVo box that doesn't associate so strongly with cable and broadcast TV.
- BlackBerry to know we mean them no harm and to actually work with blogs.
- For writers around the world and at Giz to stop picking on Motorola and Microsoft without due cause. I mean, the RAZR is a decent phone, even it's not in style anymore. And Bill Gates is curing the malaria epidemic! I guess OLPC needs a reprieve, too. But not as much as Microsoft.
- Apple iPhone, three fricking words for you: Cut, Copy, Paste. And reception. And Video. (That's 7, I guess.)
- True unlimited plans for international data roaming from cellphone carriers. They could just trade credit instead of gouging each other and passing the price rape onto travelers.
- Cable to go a la carte or die. Glad all the really good TV is available on IP anyhow.
- The new 3G iPhone's power management to be smart enough to turn off HSDPA during simple email DLs.
- I like the Apple TV's ability to transfer purchases and rentals to my iPhone and laptop; wish it played DivX.
- Really, really, really kick-ass Android implementations that have major differences in software. And not just stores to sell apps/ringtones/games/wallpapers, you greedy carrier son of a bitches.
- Mac support for the really well-made Zune hardware/firmware/software.
- Waterproof/rugged/outdoor cameras with appropriately beefy straps.
- Firefly Season 2?
- Microsoft's E&D culture and process spreading through the company!
- To be cast as an extra in some nerdy movie or show. I'll be an ensign, or one of the Others! Or a guest appearance in a Pogue video. They're so good!
- Wired blogs to get their own URLs.
- Palm to do a really cool consumer OS they can brag about.
- Windows Vista: XP Edition. (Made with not more code, but with a Machete)
- Engadget links to Giz.
- Psystar to magically get their shit together (technically and legally) and make a good run at the alternative Mac market.
- For the winter: A bountiful snow season come next winter and a 2009 bi-turbo Audi S4 with the 4 wheel vector Quattro system. Snow plow! And a lib tech Banana snowboard.
- Wii Fit to acknowledge that I am not overweight, I just have big legs.
- Apple Keynote secrets that stay secret until their proper unveiling.
- For peace between Giz and CEA. (Lots of entertaining questions about the prank coming from the Brazilian press on this trip.)
- Proper swimming lessons.

I think my list was a lot longer last year, but I think that after almost drowning today, I'm just glad to be breathing, glad to have great readers like you all, smart and entertaining writers and a job I like enough to engage in on my day off. And hey, I'm on a beach in Brazil, so it's hard to think about tech. Life ain't bad.

According to at least one analyst, the LAN may die an early death thanks to what he is calling "de-perimeterization." As firms move more towards wireless, the day may soon come where each computer has its own internet connection "with appropriate security technology"—skipping the LAN completely. Performance and reliability hurdles must be overcome, but it is entirely plausible that one day, average computers will have a wireless gigabit connection directly to the internet. Eventually, the LAN will give way to an all-encompassing WAN. Whether that will happen—much less in as little as 10 years is anyone's guess. [ComputerWorld via Slashdot]

Jeremy agrees:

cookie gadgets for my birthday!! only thing that would have made them better is if the phone was an iphone and not some 90's version flip phone.

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

[Flickr]

[Wiki, RetroThing and TUAW. Image of the Apple I adopted for use from The Joy of Tech]

So what do I want for a present? Oh, so nice of you to ask! You don't have to get me anything. I have what I need. Buuuut....since you asked, there are some things I'd really, really like:

I'd like an interview with Steve Jobs, where...

all we do is talk shit about Windows, play Breakout, and smoke weed. Let me convince you, while you're high as a kite, that the iPhone should be open for for apps/widgets, 3g, and should have an iTunes store on the handset. And HD on iTunes. And no more AAC DRM, ever. Man, Steve must have some really, really good weed stashed in his cupboards.

I'd also like a Pony. Specifically, a Ferrari.

I'd also like an Interview with Bill Gates that is actually a wrestling match. And if I win, he has to build an operating system that doesn't crash more than once a month, or have annoying security pop-ups. I'll be Ricky the Steamboat Dragon, and he can be Macho man Randy Savage. To be fair, we'll play Xbox after. PGR like he likes, and we'll make fun of Apple's "spearhead" into the living room. El-oh-El. (Thank you Charlie White for the reenactment above.)

I'd like the first iPhone review, ahead of Mossberg, ahead of everyone. By 10 days. Nah, 30. One for each year of my life. A nerd can dream, can't he?

I'd like Sony to put all their engineers on a bus, knock 'em out with sleeping gas, and ship them to an island to fight, like in that crazy Japanese flick, Battle Royale. The strongest, smartest and most creative engineers that are still alive should go on to form a spin-off company dedicated to making a true iPod competitor under the Walkman moniker.

I'd like it if someone made a goddamn smartphone operating system that you can install stuff on, but isn't for douchebags in suits. I mean, have you used Windows Mobile 6 yet? It's like they took the turd that is Windows Mobile 5 and polished it.

I'd like all the tech publications I know to band together to boycott craplets on PCs. I only want them to provide us with a chance to opt out for a clean build. And Linux, for God's sake. Offer it!

I'd like it if Engadget would link to us. Come on, guys. Just one link!

I'd like it if TiVo would make up with Netflix and allow high-def downloads to the Series 3. And Netflix, while you're hedging your bets, offer a plug-in for Media Center downloads, too.

TiVo, please make a cheap HD Series 3.5 Junior Edition? And do me a favor and add a YouTube GUI.

Hello, Zune Phone team. I know you exist. I'm watching your every movement. In my mind. Please don't fuck this up. Don't let those Windows Mobile dweebs tell you what people want. Zune is pretty good. Fight back against their request for Microsoft PowerPoint compatibility.

I'd like a Gundam suit with live-blogging capabilities including a keyboard rest, a couple of EV-DO modems aggregated together, built-in video, photo capabilities, Slurpee machine, tissue box for nosebleeds I get from the stress of this job, plus the live video capabilities of Justin.tv.

Powerline Networking, you're awesome for streaming HD video across the house, but don't give me this shit about using power strips. Face it—I'm NOT giving you your own socket.

Wii, you're cute, and popular, but don't get cocky. You need games. And you need them fast.

Fuel-cell batteries for laptops today, and laptop bottoms that don't scorch our penises.

A Yamaha Surround Sound Panel that is short enough that it doesn't block the bottom part of a table mounted flat-panel.

I'd like it if Slingbox sold a little Sling chip to every video gadget maker. I want to Sling video from a Comcast box, and TiVo, directly from an Ethernet port, not from another box. The chip could have a remote control interface, so no more IR blaster, too.

I'd like the blank front page on phones to die. All phones should have that Nokia active rest screen chock-full of data and controls. A phone is not a digital picture frame with a reception icon in the top right corner.

Midnight embargo lifts are dumb for your level of exposure, and they ruin my social life. Peak news should hit at 8 or 9 a.m., EST.

Media Center PC with two CableCARDs under $1K. Come on, guys. Give yourself a fighting chance in the living-room DVR wars. You can win this!

CableCARD installs that users can do themselves.

That's all, really.

Have I missed anything? – Brian Lam

With Windows Vista on the horizon, it is important to look back at the life of Windows XP and commemorate it with a list of why we love that old workhorse of an operating system.

• The Right Mouse Button
Sure, the competitor has been supporting the right mouse button for quite some time now, but they still neglect to include it in their packaged mice or touchpads on the laptops. XP has always supported the beloved right mouse button and always will. How else can you quickly steal images from the internet without the right mouse button?

Jump for the rest of the <3.

• Application Support
Don't get me wrong, the competitors have some cool software suites, but if there is a program out there, then there is a good chance it was made for XP, or has a version available for XP.

• Gaming
Hands down, XP is a gaming machine. Gaming companies always make an XP version, and very few port their game over to the competitor's operating system. Where would we be as a society without Solitaire, Freecell and Minesweeper. And don't forget Pinball.

• Customizability
Sure prepackaged computers with Windows XP are great (and cheap, see next bullet-point). But what if you want to build your own? Windows makes it easy as hell. Feel like upgrading components? Still easy. Half the time XP already has the drivers. Boy, this new video card sure is swell! And don't even get me started on the awesome case mods that always accompany XP-powered machines.

• Machine Competition
There are hundreds of companies out there manufacturing machines to run XP. This drives the prices of machines down. Want a complete desktop unit for $300? It's possible with XP.

• Speed
The competition may think they are cool with the animated enlarging icons, but that shit eats the ram, hardcore. XP uses less ram and runs a lot faster.

• New Technology
What's that? Core 2 Duo? 64-bit processing? SLI graphics? Oh, XP has been doing that for ages now.

• Media Center
XP saw the addition of Windows Media Center edition. And hell, they have been doing it for years. The addition of MCE to the XP operating system saw the first steps of home entertainment and PC integration. What's that? iTV in a year? Oh, neat, if you like old ideas.

• Versions
Five years later, it is still Windows XP. Sure, they have had some service packs, but that is a hell of a lot better than buying a new update every year named after a silly animal.

• Piracy
Raise your hand if you have ever used a version of XP that wasn't exactly purchased. Windows Genuine Advantage has since hindered that possibility, somewhat, but still. XP helped kick start a generation of kids that do not pay for software with the help of P2P programs like BitTorrent, as of late. Free is always good.

Happy Birthday, XP. May you live long and prosper, and may Vista give us the same awesomeness that you did. – Travis Hudson