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The many science fiction explanations for Santa Claus

The notion that an immortal toymaker circumnavigates the planet every December 24 using nothing but caribou defies all logic, but Anassa Rhenisch of Science In My Fiction is determined to make St. Nick make sense. Maybe he uses ion shields? Every December I get this one email. You know the one. It’s supposedly written by…

io9 Anassa Rhenisch -- Science In My Fiction Dec 25 '10

Didn’t Get Anything From Santa This Year? Here’s Why

Didn’t get any gifts from Santa this year? I think I know why. You see, last year a boy wanted to get some revenge on the old man in red and—well, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. At least now we know how to extort the Easter bunny for whatever we didn’t find under our…

Tech News Rosa Golijan Dec 25 '10

Watch a Video of Hawaii’s North Shore in 3D

The next best thing to surfing in Hawaii? Probably surfing somewhere else. The best thing after that? Watching people surf in Hawaii in 3D. The people are more beautiful, the waves are sicker and Hawaii makes 3D actually sorta cool. If you don’t have the classic red/blue glasses, be sure to learn how to make…

Tech News Casey Chan Dec 25 '10

How to Make 3D Glasses at Home Using a CD Case

Those classic red and blue 3D glasses are still useful! But where the heck can you find a pair in a pinch? Don’t worry, with an old CD case and a couple o’ sharpies, it’s ridiculously easy to make your own. It’s dead simple: you need a clear CD case (or any sheet of clear…

Tech News Casey Chan Dec 24 '10

The Top Christmas Web Comedy Videos

Merry Christmas! What better way to celebrate than a special holiday-themed edition of top web comedy videos. And what better excuse to rerun this instant-classic Tron holiday special. The rest of the best top comedy videos from this week can be found over at Splitsider, including Santa at the end of the bar, an adorable…

Tech News Splitsider Dec 24 '10

A Cabinet Possessed by… Rhythm

Simple, but great: Each drawer in Nick Yulman’s song cabinet plays music, with the rhythm changing as you pull the drawer out further. By mixing up various drawers and rhythms, you can create a bajillion permutations of music. [ITP]

Tech News Matt Buchanan Dec 24 '10

One Ring to Rule Them All and… Unlock Your iPhone

Don’t want to punch in a long password every time you unlock your phone, but wanna make sure nobody can get inside if you lose it at a…coffee shop? Michael Knuepel’s digital signet rings unlock iPhones like a key. [ITP]

Tech News Matt Buchanan Dec 24 '10

Frat Boys and Sorority Girls vs. Ancient Candy Vengeance in “Piñata: Survival Island”

When planning an island underwear scavenger hunt, make sure the island isn’t haunted by an ancient force of vengeance trapped inside a piñata. If not, enjoy the game! If so, this movie happens. 2002’s Piñata: Survival Island gathers a group of sorority and fraternity kids together for a scavenger hunt and Cinco de Mayo celebration.…

Movies John Siegel Dec 24 '10

Happy Holidays From Gizmodo

Happy holidays, dear all, and thank you for reading Gizmodo. While we didn’t send out cards to each of you, we did want to take a moment to remind you that we appreciate you and wish you happy holidays. Much love, The Gizmodo Crew Brian Lam Once upon a time, Brian Lam lurked around boxing…

Social Media The Gizmodo Crew Dec 24 '10

The island where dinosaur birds never died out

In the rainforests of Papua, New Guinea, there have been reports for decades of giant birds resembling the prehistoric Pterosaur – they’ve been seen by locals and by visiting scientists. According to Environmental Graffiti: Information regarding this pterosaur arose at the British Association’s Science Festival in Dublin. It was the first animal with a backbone…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 24 '10

Childhood Memories Recreated

Earlier this year, popular videoblogger Ze Frank asked readers to recreate, as adults, pictures of themselves as kids. The idea has caught on so well that people are now giving these pictures to family as Christmas gifts. http://gawker.com/5026601/videoblogger-ze-frank-lands-movie-deal Here’s the re-staged 21-year-old picture one Reddit user says she is giving to her mom as a…

Tech News Ryan Tate Dec 24 '10

If Christmas doesn’t kill you, New Year’s Eve just might

The intrepid researchers at NCBI ROFL report on a paper that deals with Christmas and New Year as risk factors for death. Here’s the abstract: This paper poses three questions: (1) Does mortality from natural causes spike around Christmas and New Year? (2) If so, does this spike exist for all major disease groups or…

io9 NCBI ROFL Dec 24 '10

Oh, the Guilt That Comes After Every Click of the ‘Unfollow’ Button on Twitter!

No one blames you for unfollowing the guy who keeps making Justin Bieber jokes or the girl who keeps tweeting about her cat, but there’s no escaping the guilt that’ll hit you every time you unfollow someone on Twitter. Of course the real story is that you obviously unfollowed those people by accident and will…

Books & Comics Rosa Golijan Dec 24 '10

Why don’t people understand the urgency of colonizing other planets?

The human race could be wiped off the Earth’s surface at any moment — so why don’t people understand the urgency of colonizing space? In this excerpt from his book Reopening the Space Frontier, Professor John Hickman explains our foot-dragging. Whatever justification or combination of justifications is ultimately adopted for establishing an extraterrestrial human presence,…

io9 Professor John Hickman Dec 24 '10

The Santa Chronicles: A Look into the Shady Life of the Man in Red

You probably don’t give Santa a second look when you see him in a department store or on a street corner every December…but maybe you should. SANTA COPS By December 2001, Mafia fugitive Francesco Farina had been on the run from Sicilian police for more than five years. Holed up in what he thought was…

Tech News Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Dec 24 '10

How to Build a Compass Out of Lego—Without Using Any Magnets

Click to viewA compass that doesn’t need a magnetic needle? That might sound impossible, but the ancient Chinese worked out how to make one 4500 years ago. Now you can make one too—from Lego bricks. Watch the video above to find out more about the device and see New Scientist’s Sean O’Neill build one out…

Tech News New Scientist Dec 24 '10

The Greatest Knitting Patterns in the Universe

Winter is the perfect time to cozy up in front of a fire and knit. But there’s no reason those yarn projects can’t celebrate our love for all things science fiction and fantasy. Here are 20 awesome free knit/crochet patterns. 1) R2D2 Beanie This is the droid hat pattern you’re looking for. By Carissa from…

io9 Michael Ann Dobbs Dec 24 '10

Watch the Milky Way unfurl across the sky (and watch for constellations!)

Behold this gorgeous time-lapse video of the Milky Way rising in the night sky, captured by Justin Majeczsky at a gorgeous Lake Tahoe vantage point. Look closely and you can see Sagittarius! Lake Tahoe Milky Way Night Time Lapse from Justin Majeczky on Vimeo. As Bad Astronomy points out, the video really shows off the…

io9 Meredith Woerner Dec 24 '10

What the Hell do You Buy an Audiophile for Christmas?

Sound snobs are the easiest—and yet hardest—folks for whom to Christmas-shop. You know they want something audio-related, but you’re probably not qualified to choose something. No problem. We’ve got this. Go Mono Before he became famous for giant wigs and homicide trials, legendary producer Phil Spector used to proclaim, “back to mono!” An interesting retro-trend…

Tech News Audiogon.com Dec 24 '10

Deals of the Day

Short deals post before the holiday weekend. We’ve got deals on a 47″ 3D HDTV bundle, a 17″ Core i7 laptop, a free copy of Ashampoo Burning Studio, and more. Top Deals: • LG 47LX6500 47″ 240Hz 3D LED + BX580 3D WiFi Blu-ray Player + Fuji 3D Camera + 4x 3D Glasses + Wall…

Tech News Gizmodo Deals Dec 24 '10

The many science fiction explanations for Santa Claus

Didn’t Get Anything From Santa This Year? Here’s Why

Watch a Video of Hawaii’s North Shore in 3D

How to Make 3D Glasses at Home Using a CD Case

The Top Christmas Web Comedy Videos

A Cabinet Possessed by… Rhythm

One Ring to Rule Them All and… Unlock Your iPhone

Frat Boys and Sorority Girls vs. Ancient Candy Vengeance in “Piñata: Survival Island”

Happy Holidays From Gizmodo

The island where dinosaur birds never died out

Childhood Memories Recreated

If Christmas doesn’t kill you, New Year’s Eve just might

Oh, the Guilt That Comes After Every Click of the ‘Unfollow’ Button on Twitter!

Why don’t people understand the urgency of colonizing other planets?

The Santa Chronicles: A Look into the Shady Life of the Man in Red

How to Build a Compass Out of Lego—Without Using Any Magnets

The Greatest Knitting Patterns in the Universe

Watch the Milky Way unfurl across the sky (and watch for constellations!)

What the Hell do You Buy an Audiophile for Christmas?

Deals of the Day

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