The Great Geek Manual

Art

• Three words: Dalek Christmas Tree.

Comics

• io9 has posted an Exclusive First Look At Neil Gaiman’s Batman.

Film

• John Scalzi names The Best Movies of 2008.
• Locus Online argues that 1958 the most important year in the history of science fiction film ever.
• Spout recommends Eight Free Classic SciFi Movies To Ring Out The Old Year, including two of my favorites, The Last Man On Earth and The Thing.

Literature

• Free Fiction: Listen to the classic short story “The Goblins and the Gravedigger” by Charles Dickens at The Classic Tales Podcast.
• Free Fiction: Listen to the fantasy novel “The Last Devil” by Sarah L. Edwards at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Free Fiction: Read “Firstborn” by Brandon Sanderson over at Tor.com.
• Zen Habits shares 20 Amazing Philosophy Books with which to start your New Year.

Television

• Jezebel looks back at the 10 Best Judge Judy Moments of 2008.
• SyFy Portal names The Best Genre Episodes Of 2008, with Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog heading up the list.
• Winter is Coming reviews the script for the pilot episode of HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones series.

Today is the traditional date for the celebration of Festivus, a fictional holiday introduced by the sitcom Seinfeld. It is also HumanLight, the winter holiday celebrated by American secular humanists.

1672
Astronomer Giovanni Cassini discovers the fifth major satellite of Saturn, Rhea.

1750
Benjamin Franklin is severely shocked while electrocuting a turkey.

1823
The poem A Visit From St. Nicholas, otherwise known as The Night Before Christmas is first published in the Sentinel newspaper in the Troy, New York.

1834
Charles Babbage announces his Analytical Engine, which he had begun work on in 1821.

1900
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden successively transmitted speech approximately 1.6 kilometers, the very first audio radio transmission.
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Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.

- “Peace on Earth, but No Parking” by Dave Barry, 1989.

The moment when one first meets a great work of art
has an impact that can never again be recaptured.

- Jupiter Five by Arthur C. Clarke, 1953.

1845
The first voice synthesizer, later known as P.T. Barnum’s Euphonium, is demonstrated to the public.

1882
The first string of Christmas tree lights is created by Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, to decorate his home Christmas tree. Traditionally, trees are traditionally decorated with wax candles. The first commercially produced Christmas tree lamps will be manufactured in strings of nine sockets by the Edison General Electric Co. of Harrison, New Jersey, and they will be advertised in the December 1901 issue of the Ladies’ Home Journal. Each socket will take a miniature two candlepower carbon-filament lamp operating on thirty-two volts. Electric Christmas tree lights will quickly become popular among wealthy Americans, but the average citizen won’t use them until the twenties or later. Character light bulbs will become popular in the twenties, bubble lights will become popular in the forties, twinkle bulbs will become popular in the fifties, and plastic bulbs will become popular by 1955.

1932
Universal Pictures releases the horror film The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, and Edward van Sloan, to US theaters. In it, a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. The Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life, is also found in the tomb. One night a young member of the expedition reads the Scroll out loud, bring Im-Ho-Tep back to life. Ten years later, disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy attempts to reunite with his lost love, an ancient princess who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman. IMDB listing Running time: 1 hr 13 mins

1944
Universal Pictures releases the horror film The Mummy’s Curse, directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Lon Chaney Jr., Peter Coe, and Virginia Christine, to US theaters. In it, an irrigation project in the rural bayous of Louisiana unearths Kharis the living mummy (Lon Chaney Jr.), who was buried in quicksand 25 years earlier. IMDB listing Running time: 1 hr 2 mins
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Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought.
It always defeats order, because it is better organized.

- Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett, 1995.