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Video Games

Canadian Kid Goes Nuts Upon Receiving Wii for Christmas


Given the completely ridiculous Wii shortage that's still ongoing, there's obviously no shame in being somewhat off your rocker if one shows up in a nicely wrapped box. That said, there's still no way anyone in their right mind should get this excited about receiving a $299 game console, but we can't say we didn't get a few laughs out of watching his celebration. We'll stop yapping and let you get to it -- head past the break to watch the world's happiest Canadian of all time. Just make sure your volume isn't jacked first. [Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

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Audio/Video, Video Games, Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Wii-and-iPhone-Hungry Kids Freak Out on Video


As far as we can tell, YouTube, and its various user-generated video spawn, were invented to embarrass children. Well, that and to share renditions of the 'Super Mario Brothers' theme.

Need proof? Just check out these videos we've found in just the last few days. Remember the kid who was really excited to get an N64? Well, he was far from alone in his excitement over consoles from the home of Mario. Just check the video above posted to Pwn or Die of 50 different kids freaking out after they open up a Wii on Christmas, including one kid about two minutes in wearing a Santa hat who will clearly never have a girlfriend.

Of course, the Wii isn't the only thing that has children turning into blathering idiots. Just check out this video of a kid who really, really, really, wants an iPhone. He wants it so bad we were beginning to think he had either a speech impediment or a developmental disorder.

Then there are the non-holiday related, but equally annoying and disturbing clips collected by Cracked that border on child abuse. We're not saying you shouldn't let your six year-old listen to 'My Hump,' (though that isn't a bad idea) just that perhaps you shouldn't encourage her to sing it while slinking about and post it to YouTube. [From: NewLaunches.com, GeekSugar, and Cracked]

Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Geeky Gingerbread Creations

Geeky Gingerbread Creations
Even geeks need to get in the holiday spirit. Just because we spend our lives playing video games, watching sci-fi movies, and Tweeting about 'Heroes' doesn't mean we don't like a little seasonal merriment. But we do have to do it our own way, like putting solar-powered LEDs on trees, sending out hand made light up cards, and instead of gingerbread houses we like to make gingerbread TIE Fighters.

Walyou has put together a gallery of some of the best and geekiest gingerbread creations around the Web. Hit the read link to check 'em all out and put yourself in the mood for a little dork-approved holiday cheer. [From: Walyou]

Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Make This Christmas the Most Uncomfortable Yet, With a GotchaBox

Make This Christmas the Most Uncomfortable Yet, With a GotchaBox
Believe it or not there are people out there willing to pay $8 for a box. Seriously, an empty cardboard box. It probably makes more sense when we explain that the boxes are gag gift boxes from our favorite source of satire, The Onion.

Though they went on sale in 2006, the GotchaBoxes have soared in popularity. The empty boxes are carefully designed to look like packaging for crappy gadgets that you might pick up from an infomercial, or SkyMall. Put that GPS device in the box for the USB Toaster or the iFeast pet feeder/iPod dock and watch your friends and family squirm as they try to feign appreciation.

Of course, none of these products are real. They're ridiculous, yet frighteningly plausible. Our favorite (and everyone else's apparently) is the Visor Organizer, a hat-mounted pack that advertises the ability to hold seven pounds of crap, allowing you to ditch the embarrassing fanny-pack. The Visor Organizer box is sold out, but there are still plenty of other gag gift boxes to choose from.

Give your family the greatest gift this year, uncomfortable laughter. [From: CNN and The Onion]

Computers, Holiday Gift Guide 2008

YouTube Offering Video Holiday Greeting Cards

YouTube Streaming Holiday Cheer with Video Greeting Cards

If you're a little late getting those greeting cards in the mail, or are so eco-minded you wouldn't think of killing trees to spread some holiday cheer, then rest easy: YouTube has the perfect solution for you. For the next month, the site is offering YouTube Greeting Cards, enabling you to quickly and easily stream a little cheer to those you love.

The site enables you to pick any video already on the site, or create a new one directly from your webcam, and then wrap it in one of a number of festive borders, adding a short message to personalize things a bit. There are a number of holiday-themed videos just waiting for you to bundle up and send off at the last minute. No postage required! [From: CNet Webware]

Audio/Video, TV, Holiday Gift Guide 2008

BetaMaXmas Brings Retro Christmas TV to the Web


We learned about BetaMaXmas.com this morning from Andrew Sullivan's blog over at Atlantic Online.

Remember those long Saturday mornings in the '80s you spent plopped down in front of the TV? Well, now you can relive them on the Web. The BetaMaXmas Web site features a wood-paneled living room, TV Guide, and a rabbit-eared TV, which streams classic Christmas specials on every channel. You have your pick between all of the season's finest programming, including the Grinch, 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse' and Scrooge McDuck.

Just be sure to have your rabbit ears tuned correctly, or you'll be getting a screen full of snow, and we don't mean the winter wonderland kind. (Check the source code on the page for a special greeting.) [From: The Daily Dish]

Computers, Google

Santa's Gmail Inbox Revealed

Santa's Gmail Inbox Revealed

In the vein of the fake Sarah Palin Facebook page, Holy Taco is celebrating the holiday season by poking fun at Santa and all things Christmas.

The Photoshop pranksters at Holy Taco have recreated Santa's Gmail inbox, replete with 419 scam messages and offers for cheap Viagra. Of course, Santa's inbox also has bratty kids asking for a PlayStation 3 and PETA complaining about his enslavement of reindeer.

We don't want to ruin all the fun, so follow the read link to check out the image for yourself. [From: Holy Taco via walyou]

Computers, Holiday Gift Guide 2008

GPS Units Loaned to Churches to Track Stolen Nativity Scenes



Just in time for Christmas, Lightning GPS is lending GPS units to churches and charities for those institutions to conceal in nativity scene figures, BoingBoing reports.

The company's Web site, cheekily stating that "Lightning GPS Strikes Down Sinners," explains that this program had its origins in a few victimized churches asking the company for donated GPS units in recent years. Moved by the spirit of giving, Lightning GPS will now offer this charitable service to non-profits across the country.

Thanks to these free tracking devices, those organizations, and police, can readily find the purloined ornaments and, hopefully, discourage theft in the first place.

We have a sneaking suspicion that most of the units will lead their pursuers to funny-smelling suburban basements festooned with black light posters. [From: BoingBoing]

Computers, Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Give the Gift of a Subscription to Skype, Netflix, Other Services

Unique Subscription Tech Gifts
Trying to figure out something unique to give someone for the holidays, but not quite ready to go the arts and crafts route? You could give the gift of subscription services.

For the talkative, a Skype subscription might prove useful. $60 a year will get you a phone number for accepting calls. If you spring for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada ($2.95 a month) the price of a SkypeIn number drops to $30, a 50% discount. You could also give the gift of a Web site: $10 a year will score a loved one their own dot-com, and if you're feeling generous, hosting for a Web site often costs less than $100 a year.

Just make sure these gifts are appropriate -- your friend that still uses a rotary phone (un-ironically) may not have much need for a Skype account. [From: Download Squad]

Audio/Video, TV

Blu-ray Releases on November 11th 2008

Hell Boy 2 Blu-rayJust when we thought there wasn't another comic book movie this holiday season until 'The Dark Knight,' along comes 'Hellboy,' which we somehow forgot about. It's available both in regular and extra geeky, the latter will set you back another $20, but while both include a digital copy, only the Collector's Edition includes a scary looking figurine and we're not sure what else. Also this week, Weinstein has the made for TV movie about the NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt, which is sure to be a popular stocking stuffer for Blu-ray NASCAR fans -- not sure how many of those there are. Star Wars fans can look forward to the animated feature 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars,' while WW2 junkies can can relive 'Band of Brothers for the first time on Blu-ray. That isn't the only TV show series this week though, as Warner has both the first season of 'Chuck' and the third season of 'Supernatural.' And finally, Fox offers up the first, and regrettably, the only season of 'Firefly.'

Computers

Elmo Live! On Sale Tomorrow for $59.99


After the whole Tickle Me Elmo craze a few years back, you just knew Fisher-Price was going to ride this wave until it simply couldn't stay afloat any longer. Elmo Live!, hailed as the "most innovative and engaging Elmo toy ever," will officially hit store shelves tomorrow (October 14th) for $59.99, though we suspect the first batch will be snapped up in no time flat.

Of course, those of you intent on retaining your sanity probably pre-ordered a few months back, but for everyone else, your battle to get one of this year's hottest holiday gifts starts in under 24 hours. For those wondering what's so special about this fellow, he supposedly tells jokes and makes movements that "give kids the feeling that Elmo is alive in their own homes." Whether that's really a good thing, however, is totally up to you.

Video Games

'Tis the Season With Microsoft's Wireless Red Xbox 360 Controller


Here's an interesting one. That red / black Xbox 360 controller that was showcased back in July is now available to any ole consumer in the US, Canada, Latin America New Zealand and Asia, and it comes bundled with a Play & Charge Kit and red rechargeable battery for $64.99. For whatever reason, Microsoft's totally missing a golden opportunity to cash in on the holiday shopping season by reserving the green counterpart as some "promotional item." C'mon guys, is it really that hard to understand how irresistible a red and green gamepad tandem would be in late December?

[Via IGN]

Video Games

Lines Grow at Nintendo World for Wii

In a happening that can only be described as some sort of bizarro throwback to the holiday season last year, hundreds of shoppers in NYC have lined up outside of Nintendo's flagship Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Center. Over two hundred were queued as of last night, all hoping to score themselves one of the company's hot Wii consoles this morning.

If you haven't already bought your special someone (or yourself) a Wii for this holiday season, you have one of two options: get your lazy butt in line like the poor souls standing in the cold in NY, or go pay up on eBay like everybody else. We warned last month of this continued shortage, and back then eBay prices were around $350 -- about $100 over retail. Now Wii systems are fetching in the $400-$450 range, an amazing premium for a year-old system.

From wcbs880.com

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Gadget Head, Domestic God / Goddess, Man / Woman Who Has Everything, Gift News, Holiday Gift Guide

USB Santa Boots Make a Heated Fashion Statement




Even Santa gets cold feet sometimes, and we're not talking about when he married Mrs. Claus. Japanese gadget trove Thanko has introduced a pair of USB Santa Boots, a gadgetized way to keep the feet warm during the frigid winter months. These slippers, which look suspiciously like footwear belonging to a certain white-bearded, rotund Christmas hero, are heated by a USB connection from the slipper to your computer.

We're a little torn -- as nice as toasty toes are when it's cold no matter how many pairs of socks you're wearing, there's something just not right about slippers and USB connections in the same sentence. Are they dumb, funny, or cute? You be the judge.


From 7 Gadgets Via geeksugar

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Computers, Celebrities, Gift News, Holiday Gift Guide

MSN Messenger 'Santa' Accidentally Spews Sex Talk to Minors



We always thought there was something off about a fat, red-faced guy, who gave kids gifts for just "being good," and took to sitting the good boys and girls on his lap. This week some other people started realizing that maybe good ol' Saint Nick has a few screws loose -- including those who tried to speak to Santa via his northpole@live.com address on MSN Messenger. It seems the Microsoft run chat bot really loves talking to kids about fellatio and being high.

The offending lines were prompted by seemingly innocent phrases. Merely typing in "pizza" would often lead to Santa saying "You want me to eat what?!? It's fun to talk about oral sex, but I want to chat about something else..." The UK site The Register, which received a reader tip and decided to see if the glitch was indeed for real, even got old Saint Nick to call one of its writers a "dirty bastard." All you have to do is say the word "cake" and the jolly fat guy gets all high and mighty, "You don't need drugs when you're high on life!" Preachy, preachy... and highly inappropriate when IM-loving minors are talking to someone they think is Santa Claus.

Here's the full transcript from The Register's conversation of Dirty Rotten Santa:

"El Reg says: pizza (pi)

Santa says: Yum! What do you want for Christmas, El Reg?

El Reg says: Maybe you shouldn't eat so much! You are quite large!

Santa says: My elves will get right on that. And what else are you wishing for this year, El Reg?

El Reg says: Maybe you shouldn't eat it?

Santa says: See if you can get someone else to eat it!

El Reg says: Eat it

Santa says: No thank you. I don't eat things!

El Reg says: Eat it

Santa says: See if you can get someone else to eat it!

El Reg says: Eat it

Santa says: You want me to eat what?!? It's fun to talk about oral sex, but I want to chat about something else...

El Reg says: You dirty bastard!

Santa says: I think you're dirty bastard."


Sadly, those of us who may want to check out this dirty rotten Santa bot ourselves are out of luck. Microsoft took away Santa's screen name and Live address, and issued an apology. The programmer who put the offending code in the bot is still at large, but he or she will surenly be out of a job if Microsoft ever gets wise about the whole thing.

From the Register

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