The Great Geek Manual

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

According to Russian folklore, people born on this day of the year are believed to become Werewolves.

1818
The classic Christmas carol, “Silent Night” is composed by Franz Joseph Gruber and Josef Mohr. It will be performed for the first time the next day.

1877
Thomas Edison applies for a patent for a Phonograph that uses tin foil cylinders to write and playback music. (US Patent No. 200,521)

1893
Henry Ford completes the construction of his first usable gas motor, and he and his wife test the small one-cylinder engine in their kitchen. Ford is the chief steam engineer at the main Detroit Edison Company plant with responsibility for maintaining electric service in the city. Because he was on call with no regular hours, he had time to experiment to his heart’s content. His wages barely paid his living expenses, but his wife was very supportive. A later two cylinder version of the engine powers Ford’s first completed automobile when on its inaugural drive on June 4, 1896.
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Art

• Inspire 76 has a gallery of Charis Tsevis’s digital art.
• MintLife has posted a gallery of their Best Financial Infographics of 2009.
• Wired UK has posted a very artistic gallery of The Poignant Photography of Google Street View.

Film

• Interview: Terry Gilliam discusses Heath Ledger’s last film, Imaginarium, and how Johnny Depp saved his movie.
• News: Cameron Plans Avatar Trilogy.
• The debate is on! Is Avatar this generation’s Star Wars? Is Avatar BETTER than Star Wars? Will Cameron whore his vision out like Lucas?
• Listverse recalls the Top 10 Strangest Moments of Movie Monster Science.

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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 unveils his Analytical Engine, on which he had begun work on in 1821.

1900
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden successively transmits speech over a distance of approximately 1.6 kilometers, marking the very first radio transmission of an audio signal.
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Here’s to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy.

- Charlaine Harris

Art

• Check out the new line of Doctor Who Classic action figures.
• Gearfuse has a photo of the Disney Princesses as zombies.
• Want to add a little flair to your cell phone or iPod? Coveroo has you covered.

Film

• Interview: Empire talks with Sigourney Weaver about Avatar.
• Interview: Exclusive sources at Pajiba report that Hawkman will be the next DC Comics character to get the big screen treatment from Warner Brothers.
• Interview: Heat Vision asks Bryan Singer about X-Men: First Class and Avatar.
• SciFi Scanner picks the The Ten Best Comic Book Movies of the Decade.
• TorrentFreak tallies up the Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of 2009 and ChartsBin has charted out the data on a bar graph.

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Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing unquestionable answers. Most of us, most of the time, have a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. We want to reduce the cognitive dissonance of not knowing by filling the gaps with answers. Traditionally, religious myths have served that role, but today — the age of science — science fiction is our mythology.

- Michael Shermer