CHRISTMAS EVE


THEN, ONE FOGGY CHRISTMAS EVE ...
Keep track of Saint Nick's travel tonight with NORAD's SANTA CLAUS TRACKER.

A fun way for your tax dollars to be spent. Sure beats this.


NO ROOM AT THE INN
iPOD sales are so furious, that demand is far outstripping the supply. Stores in the U.K. are sold out, taking post holiday orders in advance. And this story goes so far to conclude that Apple knew the onslaught was coming and couldn't do anything about it.

That's a happy problem for Christmas. But what isn't is the CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT being planned against Cupertino over the iPod Battery sitch.


MOST RIDICULOUS MOD OF THE SEASON:
A Gingerbread PC!


SPAM, WONDERFUL SPAM
THE FOLLOWING STORY IS TRUE, THE NAMES WERE CHANGED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT
Computer terminals in police patrol cars are starting to receive spam, and popups!

YOUR FIRST LOVE
Do you remember your first computer? Mine was an AMSTRAD PCW 8256 running CP/M with mono green monitor and two floppies, all in one chassy. And it came with a dot matrix printer. All for $450! In fact, it looked like this:

Kinda looks like an ole iMac, doesn't it?! Only not so colorful.


DOWN TO THE WIRE
With less than 24 hours to go, the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express is preparing for the "big burn" to place it in orbit around MARS, having already separated from the Beagle 2 lander, which will touch down on the surface of the Red Planet on Christmas Day.

WRITING IS ON THE WALL
And, apparently, so is the video image. Researchers have figured out how to "print" an LCD screen using semiconductor ink. Applications include really LARGE wall screens and unbreakable cell phone displays. YIKES.


HO HO HO
The Giz brings us this little ditty, just in time for the holidays!

That's a wrap for 2003! We'll be taking the rest of the year off.

So, from all of us at Electronica-Radio to all of you out there in cyberspace, we wish you HAPPY HOLIDAYS, and best wishes for 2004. Here's hoping it's a damn site better than this year!

IF IT'S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE CYBERSPACE:
(Year-end edition)


TECH TUESDAY - PC TUNEUP
With the end of the year, it's time to look at how to "tune up" your PC. Tech Tuesday has some tips.

Including, some must-have utilities to keep that PC humming.

GADGET TRENDS
I4U News lists their Top Ten Gadget trends of `03. Making the list:
Camera phones, pda game consoles, and handheld video players, amoungst others.


Mini-mI
Both Think Secret and Mac Rumours are breaking the news that Apple is going to be offering "mini-iPods" in `04. Size to be around 2 and 4 gigs. Wasn't the Gen 1 iPod 5 gigs?

MONDAY, MONDAY


FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON ... FOR CHRISTMAS
35 years ago this Christmas, APOLLO 8 became the first manned mission to slip the surley bonds of earth, perform Trans Lunar Injection, and successfully enter orbit around the moon on Christmas Eve.

You can watch video of their Christmas Eve broadcast here. (QT req'd)

31 years ago, the last lunar mission, APOLLO 17, completed the odyssey by spending 4 days on the moon and then returning safely to the earth.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS ...
TECH CENTRAL STATION has a fun treatise of what was the hot Christmas items 50 years ago.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
That flying saucer hovering over the skies of your home town may not be filled with little gray men, but may be an unmanned Russian drone developed with the help of the U.S. Navy.

Great, I feel so much better.

Y2K+4?
All the panic over Y2K may have been a few years too soon, as computers are in jeopardy of a new date-related glitch which may render them inoperable.

Come on, guys, you've tried that scam already.


viPOD RUMORS PERSIST
MACRUMOR has this blurb about a job listing for an iPod engineer with VIDEO experience. Hmmmmmm.



TODAY ON HOW STUFF WORKS - 3D!