5 popular activities used by caricaturists

1. Driving a dune buggy
2. Skateboarding
3. Fishing
4. Reading a good book
5. Corning beer

German Expressionist films worth checking out

1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
2. The Golem
3. Metropolis
4. M
5. Nosferatu

World flags which suggest that Santa may live there

1. Bangledesh









2. Belarus








3. Burundi










4. Grenada









5. Norfolk Island








6. Turkmenistan

People who have played Sherlock Holmes

1. Robert Downey Jr.
2. Basil Rathbone
3. Matt Frewer
4. Nicolas Rowe
5. Peter O'Toole (ok, they were cartoons but come on, Peter O'Toole!)
6. Peter Cushing
7. Eille Norwood (47 times in silent movies which is three times as many movies as Rathbone.)

Things December could do without

1. Candy canes
2. Exchanging gifts with co-workers
3. Holiday specials starring former American Idols
4. People whining about Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc not embracing Christmas
5. Egg nog

Excellent Christmas season commericials

1. Ronco Bottle and Jar Cutter
2. Santa Riding a Norelco Electric Shaver
3. Various K-Tel music collections
4. Coca Cola - I'd like to teach the world to sing
5. Biz Markie - Oh snap, guess what I saw

5 indications that I have an iPhone problem

1. Life is structured around charging stations.

2. New pet name for the wife: 32 gigs.

3. Unwilling to participate in any future time-travel opportunities unless I can remain linked to the iTunes store and Internet.

4. Human interactions tend to revolve around me showing people my new apps.

5. People avoid asking me about this weather since I have to show them doppler radar animations.

iPhone apps worth a look

1. IMDB - Movie Genie kept us going but it's about time they gave us movie nerds what we need.
2. iAssociate - it's a little clunky but a good idea for a word game.
3. Pocket Sitcom - if you need applause, hoots, or the right musical interlude to make your real life as interesting as TV.
4. Durak - I'd never heard of this card game before but now that I know how to play I can certainly adapt it to gambling.
5. Dragon Diction - free for now but something worth paying for if you need diction converted to text in the blink of an eye.
6. Pixo - it will need regular updates to make it a keeper but it's a great idea for a photo based game.
7. Gold Dust - free and useless but sparkly.
8. Yearbook Yourself - yes, it's old news but it's still endlessly funny.
9. WhatsApp Messenger - iPhone to iPhone messaging with notification which now supports audio and photos.
10. Traffic Rush - maybe the next Flight Control?

Indications that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

1. Students are cramming for finals
2. Stores are making plans to discount the Christmas-themed Snickers to make room for the Valentines-themed Snickers.
3. Radio stations have abandoned Bruce Springsteen's labored attempt to sing Born to Run in favor of his labored attempt to sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
4. I've been invited to a half-dozen work related holiday parties all of which have the exact same guest list. (How have you been since I saw you 20 minutes ago?)
5. I've seen the 8 hour VHS copy of classic holiday animated specials - a family tradition that continues even though DVD versions have been purchased.

Things you might stir into your pancake batter

1. Chipotle and chocolate chips
2. Crushed peanut brittle
3. Lemon zest and ricotta cheese
4. Country sausage and pistachios
5. Orange zest and Liquor 43 (think Creamcicle)

The trouble with elves

1. The male and female elves look alike leading to some awkward moments at the holiday party.
2. Stupid bells on their shoes get tiresome after a while.
3. There's a quiet tension in the workshop since a group of trouble-makers unionized.
4. They're groin high.
5. They're always busy making toys whenever you ask them to get the sleigh and help you move a couch.

6 famous writers who slummed in Hollywood

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. William Faulkner

3. George Bernard Shaw

4. John Steinbeck

5. Graham Greene

6. P.G. Wodehouse

Potential names for the Mac tablet

1. iPhone Venti
2. iSmudges
3. Nerd Anchor
4. Appbook
5. $700 I don't have

5 scary ventriloquist dummies - can you name the source?

1. The Great Gabbo (nope, not from The Simpsons)

2. Fats

3. Willy

4. Hugo Fitch (just watched this and it was pretty good)

5. Hugo (an homage to Hugo Fitch)

5 reasons it might be worth inducing a chemical coma until January 2nd

1. Shopping for perfect gifts
2. Fulfilling unrealistic expectations
3. Satisfying everyone's need to host me
4. Egg nog
5. The total lack of effort on the part of television executives to pacify me

New Christmas specials in the age of uninteresting famous people

1. Sean Hannity's War On Christmas Variety Hour
2. Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Ego-Trip: Xmas Edition
3. Sarah Palin's 8 Days of Christmas (She signed on to do twelve days but quit after eight)
4. The Little Squawker Boy: Kenny G's Jewish Christmas
5. Barbara Walter's The Very First Christmas: An Eye-witness Account