A coupon for free frogurt. [tnx mjmc]

Almost every country has at least one special food that is eaten on New Year's Eve or in the first days of the New Year that is believed to bring luck, wealth or success in the year to come. -Lucky New Year's food.

Two kids and a very large watermelon. Also, a video on how to choose a watermelon.

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A few weird and wacky hangover treatments. More.

In 2004, thanks to a kind wife and my son's semi-regular napping schedule, I rode just under 2,800 miles on my 13 year old bicycle. Hooray for me and happy New Year to you!

Fun facts about sunflowers.

A collection of nearly 700 old labels from Florida citrus products.

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The risks here are lower than they seem. Even the costliest natural disaster is rendered minuscule by the global capital market - currently $30 trillion and rising. -BBC article on natural disasters and their effects on stock markets.

Panoramic movies of the ocean's floor. I think.

American flag rules and regulations.

Solly the Sword Swallower - From a large collection of sword swallowing photos.

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Alligator Bob's premium meat snacks. Yum.

A lot of people don't realize that change is a two-way street. You can come in with sixteen quarters, eight dimes, and four nickels - we can give you a five-dollar bill. Or we can give you five singles. Or two singles, eight quarters, and ten dimes. You'd be amazed at the variety of the options you have. -First Citiwide Change Bank, a SNL spoof ad.

Iguana X-ray images. More iguana stuff.

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That car in your front yard isn’t on blocks -- it's levitating by itself. -One of the signs that your mobile home is haunted.

Turtles versus humans bone challenge. Good luck.

2004 sports pictures of the year from Getty Images.

Knots on the web.

Very large collection of cargo ship photographs. [via growabrain]

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The Office's Ricky Gervais to write a Simpsons episode next season.

Food products that aren't made anymore. [via memepool]

Fireworks-related injuries. Be careful out there.

How to belly dance.

Ketchup Armageddon - Part of a very interesting food art gallery.

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New Year traditions from around the world. [tnx mjmc]

Countdown to the year 2000. The end is near.

What happens when a tsunami encounters land?

Some photos from the Phil Lesh & Friends shows earlier this month.

The Syd Barrett Archives. Also, a Syd Barrett FAQ.

A collection of talking boards.

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Charlie's top ten sneakers. Part of his huge sneaker site.

Vintage motorcycle sounds.

French illustrations of helmetdivers.

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Dictionary of obscure sexual terms. Yikes!

Silly Putty physics experiment.

"The slippers — yes, the slippers!"

Looking up at the shopping mall.

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Start out Fresh. Shower, use deodorant, and brush your teeth. Avoid eating strong smelling foods like garlic right before dancing. This may sound corny, but it can make a big difference to your fellow dancers. -From a guide to square dancing etiquette. Also, square dance terminology.

A tribute to cowboy boots.

Neat photos of an old KLM 747 jet being transported through Amsterdam's canals on its way to an aviation museum. [via burp]

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Interview with USPS/Discovery cycling team manager Johan Bruyneel.

Happy Meal toys in Japan.

As I entered onto the motorway, my car was dragged along in the slip-stream of a truck. My brakes aren't very good, so I had to keep pace with it. -From some excuses given for speeding in Wales. [via a welsh view]

Incredibly large and complex bongs. Wow. [via memepool]

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How does marijuana cause the munchies? Also, top 10 potato chips ever.

I'm new at the resort — could you give me directions to your room? -From the top 10 Scuba-diving pickup lines.

No updates until Monday as we anxiously await Santa's arrival. As always, thanks for reading and happy holidays!

Slightly used Santa suit - $199.99.

A day out on the water with a Maine lobsterman. Also, a lobster quiz. Good luck.

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Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth. -Food science humor. Funny because it's true.

Unusual ski masks. [via !]

Every holiday party is really a 'festive office meeting;' an opportunity to network and gain face time with those who might influence your career. Make decisions based on that - what to wear, what to say, how to act, and what's on the agenda. -Damn. I just spent another office holiday party not advancing my career.

Many photos of wildlife damage to aircraft.

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Awesome set of surfing photos from the huge waves currently hitting Hawaii.

Illustrated guide to making yogurt.

How the Internet destroys jambands.

Charity auction of various Italian pro cyclist's bikes.

Possibly solar-powered Yamaha hybrid pedal taxi. Looks very heavy.

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Testers loved the soft, cushioned ride and bouncy trampoline effect. "The bumps don’t hurt your bottom!" said Samantha. But the steering was stiff and slow to respond. The novelty wore off soon after testers lugged the 15-pound snow raft up hill. -Sleds, as reviewed by kids. [via B&Es]

Card trick terminology.

Certified chimney sweep locator. Also, gift wrapping alternatives.

Large collection of mazes.

Sure, there were moments he seemed hopelessly stuck in the past, stiffly executing karate kicks and going bug-eyed every time a pair of cherry-red thongs landed near his feet. His musicians, meanwhile, looked like the house band at the Flamingo. -From a glowing review of Tom Jones' show at the Fillmore last week.

Backyard Artillery. Wow.

Upper West Side Manhattan Chinese restaurant name generator!

A library musical. [via swt]

Diodon liturosus -From the best of FishBase 2004.

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Names you never knew existed. [via B&Es]

Route and stages of the 2005 Vuelta a España cycling race.

Everything you ever wanted to know about pro cycling.

Glossary of Christmas tree terms. Also, origins and history of Christmas foods.

A visual history of cans. [via incoming signals]

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Sound files of Harley-Davidson engines. Also, cake decorating supplies.

A guide to the business of babysitting.

Thanks to our own trusty babysitter connection, we'll be enjoying tonight's Phil Lesh & Friends show down at the Warfield.

James Brown picture gallery.

The Lois Lane Index.

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A bunch of New Zealand postcards.

Peter Sellers Appreciation Society.

Having nothing better to do, I unpacked my entire herd of inflatable reindeer and blew them all up. Then I thought it would be fun to stuff them all in the hallway of my apartment. -The Inflatable Reindeer Puzzle Page.

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Cincinnati area airports.

Virtual tour - South Pole.

Snow under an electron microscope. Also, Antarctic iceberg photos.

Abandoned autobahns of Poland. Also, driving in Germany.

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I heard about this guy who went to a party, and woke up the next morning in a bathtub full of ice. His kidneys were stolen for sale on the black market! -Top 10 myths about organ donation and transportation.

A patient's guide to liver transplant surgery.

Property prices tend to be higher in areas with a selection of pubs and wine bars. Having as many as ten pubs or wine bars per square kilometre can boost property prices by 2.8%. However, living too close to a pub can be bad for the price of your property. -Pubs and the value of British real estate.

Ceramic Santa as a dentist. Thanks for the nightmares.

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Famous New Zealanders.

The enemy, this time, is not al-Qaida. The axis of evil is "Hollywood, the music industry". We have an obligation to "save society from moral destruction". We have to prevent liberal librarians and trendy teachers from "re-engineering society's fabric in the minds of our children". -Banning books in Alabama. [via making light]

More news on the Simpsons movie.

Alcatraz at dusk.

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Grateful Dead lyric quiz.

Robin Whirlybird on her rotorcraft adventures.

Whale tales.

"This is an early indication that the thirst the fans had was not quenched by the World Series, the passion lives on." -Tickets to next season's Red Sox games went on sale Saturday.

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People who bought a Torpedo Blaster Snow Sled also bought Steelers' shirts and Dora the Explorer costumes. Coincidence?

Bob Marley is a hero.

Quotes from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The international Jewish conspiracy. Also, you may be a Jew.

Wherever he goes, GOLEO VI is accompanied by Pille the erudite ball. Together they make an unbeatable team: after all, it was Pille who spent days badgering his friend to apply to FIFA for the position of mascot. No sooner said than done: he travelled to Zurich and in the twinkling of an eye, his positive outlook landed him the job. -The 2006 World Cup mascots.

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The artwork of Billy Dee Williams.

How to change a tire. Also, how to siphon gas.

A guide to basic pond construction.

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Did a small but significant part of your rebellious antiestablishment anticorporate soul get slapped like a drunk Hilton sister when you first heard The Who's "Tommy" used to hawk Clarinex or Sweet's '70s glam-rock masterpiece "Ballroom Blitz" used to sell Nissans? -Rock & Roll sells out. Again.

Virtual seasickness.

Accordion Beatles.

Boy and Banana - from a nice collection of images at the Banana Museum.

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Paris Hilton wearing some sort of Grateful Dead dress. [via goldenfiddle]

Plants need to spread and implant their seeds. To achieve this many of them produce fruits. The fruit is there for the taking. It contains all we need - fiber, vitamins, minerals, and a natural balance of solid and liquids. A selection of fruits will nourish the system, cleaning and purifying at the same time. And it will leave no damaging or clogging residue or deposits. -How to become a fruitarian.

A worldwide history of the pan flute.

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Sushi pillows. [via j-walk]

This winter, at least 25 towns in Massachusetts, as well as some colleges and hospitals, are spreading their roads with Magic Salt, concocted in upstate New York from the leftover mash of alcohol distilleries. -Using liquored-up salt to de-ice roads.

Building a Hurdy Gurdy at home.

The cosmology of P-Funk. [via memepool]

In the calm before the news, Fowles punches orders into a numeric keypad, but erases them instead of sending them out over the electronic network that links trading rooms around the globe. "It helps to have fingers like a Nintendo player," he quips. -Inside the world of currency trading.

The history of ASICS shoes.

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USPS suspicious mail alert. [via growabrain]

Causes of injuries in amusement parks. With graphs.

List of kosher slurpees.

21 days to Paris - A beautiful Tour de France photography exhibit by Caroline Yang.

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Sandgrains under a microscope. [via waving at myself]

Freshwater fishes of Russia.

50 fun things to do in an elevator.

"Just one day before I die, I'm going to see the Statue of Liberty, I'm going to get on a Greyhound bus, see the country. Go to school, get a job. I want to do normal things." -Interesting and depressing article about a homeless San Francisco couple. Part two of a Chronicle series.

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Cooking with 'possum. Also, 24 squirrel recipes and more.

"The Simple Life" is so unreal that people who produce the show refer to it as a "hybrid sitcom" or a "soft-scripted show" a fact Fox does not deny. -Reality shows are mostly not real. Surprise. [via obscure store]

Four pages of vintage cycling posters.

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Nice account of a father-son tandem bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Jennifer Gear, a mom in Woburn, Mass., concedes that her 9-year-old begged her for "one of those yellow bracelets that everybody has" without really knowing what they represent. But, she says, "My feeling is, 'What difference does it make if it's going to a good cause?"-Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG bracelets setting a trend.

Gang steals escalator from a subway station in China. [via a welsh view]

The chronological history of the Christmas tree.

Skeletal systems of cartoon characters. Excellent. [via everywhere]

Gang hand signs. [via gawker]

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Mayan folk tales.

International Snowmobile Hall of Fame.

The voices of NOAA's National Weather Radio. I like Donna.

Giant soap film art.

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There are currently 476 leaks in the Big Dig, most of them very small. But that number is changing all the time, as old leaks get plugged and new leaks spring up. In January, there were an estimated 1,000. -Informative article on Boston leaky Big Dig.

An awful lot of high quality beer logos. [via j-walk]

Geysers and the Earth's plumbing systems.

Bob Dylan interviewed on this Sunday's 60 minutes. [tnx mjmc]

Very short list of notable people who don't have an FBI file.

From Craigslist: Free used cooking oil.

Captain Dolan from the old NBC cop show Hunter. Part of an interesting collection of screen caps from the show. Categories include Love Interests, Cars and Captains and Cohorts. Lots more Hunter.

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Wreckage of Air New Zealand plane which crashed into Antarctica's Mt. Erebus 25 years ago emerges from the snow. [via diversionz].

Another of Jerry Garcia's old guitars to be auctioned off at Christie's.

Pulled into the tube at Burleigh Heads on a 5-footer, wiped out, and the nose of his board pierced his stomach on the left side. Six inches of the nose actually snapped off, and cut him deeply – intestines were literally coming out of the hole. -Surfing injuries. [via burp]

Large collection of nose art from C-130 military aircraft.

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There's usually some jerk on the road in a two-door coupe who has a deep-seated need to race everyone on the road. You can use these nimrods to your advantage. When you see one coming up fast behind you, accelerate a bit so that he has to work to get to you. Let him get side-by-side, you should be in the right lane. He's going to work up a little speed to pass you. Slow down a touch and let him shoot ahead. -From some tips on how to speed.

Models of offshore oil rigs. Photos too.

Awesome searchable database of photos appearing in Sports Illustrated.

Outrageously expensive dog houses. Because Fido's worth it. [via facvtovision]

Photo gallery of the early days of the US Air Mail Service.

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Bar contents and techniques.

WWW collection of string figures.

Drive as fast as possible. Weave around slower-moving vehicles and if possible, don't get stuck in a traffic jam. The next vehicle might be rigged to explode. Experienced drivers glance from side to side for telltale signs of trouble - muzzle flashes, smoke or groups of men who may be armed. -Navigating Iraqi highways.

Photos of armadillos. Also, how to get rid of armadillos.

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How to build a pit barbeque.

Cereal bars - the new salad bars. Good idea. [tnx mjmc]

The A-Z of camels. Also, a recipe for stuffed camels.

Printable signs for bicycle activists.

International pedestrian lexicon.

Pictorial instructions for shucking oysters. Also, pneumatic oyster opening knives.

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Bosom Buddies episode guide.

How to adjust your car's rearview mirror. Also, how to drive stick.

(2) 12 oz. Yak Steaks; (2) 10 oz. Kobe Steaks; (2) 8 oz. Lion Steaks. -A wild game holiday BBQ sampler. Also, horse meat from Uruguay.

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The Blue Öyster Cult recipe book.

Easy to follow diagram of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox fix.