holiday

Not your average batch of Christmas cookies

This year in my holiday care package from my mom, I'm expecting to get a batch of her staple Christmas cookies. Free from fancy ingredients, these cookies have the potential to bore those with the taste for more exotic ingredients, but some of my fondest holiday memories are centered around the afternoons when we got to hang around the house in our pajamas and decorate sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles. Gadgets like this Christmas tree cookie kit allow for a new interpretation of this holiday standard.

The set isn't technologically complicated, but looking at it inspires … Read more

'Tis the season to Crave: Leslie Katz's picks

Editor's note: From now through the end of December, various Crave contributors will be sharing their top five (mostly) tech-related wishes for the holiday season. See what we crave, and maybe you'll get some ideas!

1. Implementation of cancer-killing light saber. Reports that scientists in Scotland were working on a promising light saber-like device to treat cancer couldn't have come at a more relevant time. My dear friend's husband has just been diagnosed with a hard-to-treat form of the disease, and everyone close to him is reeling from the news.

The technology would involve firing a laser beam accurate enough to pump chemotherapy drugs directly into cancer cells. The researchers believe hard-to-reach cancers, such as that of the pancreas--and hopefully, in my friend's case, the liver--would especially benefit. This holiday season, I wish this treatment were already widely in use, so that it could zap the life out of every last cancer cell in this amazing man's body.

2. Motherboard menorah. I love the idea of gathering around the table to sing Hanukkah songs and light the recycled motherboard. This innovative take on the traditional candelabrum also features nine LED lights, which would help me cut down on those 15 grams of carbon dioxide allegedly produced by every lit candle that burns completely. Plus, this menorah uniquely combines two aspects of my identity: my Jewish heritage and my job in technology.

3. Pininfarina BO electric car. One day, my trusty 1994 Integra hand-me-down will go to Acura heaven--and given the odd screeching sounds it's been emitting lately, that day is likely coming soon. When the old car does retire, I'd like to replace it with a sleeker, greener model.

The graceful little B0, a collaboration between Italian designer Pininfarina and Bollore, uses a lithium metal polymer battery pack on the undercarriage, with an electric motor driving the front wheels. Solar panels on the roof and hood help recharge the electrical power reserves. Yes, it takes 6.3 seconds to accelerate from zero to 37 mph (Bollore, a consortium of companies with expertise in batteries and capacitors, hasn't released a zero-to-60 time yet). But hopefully when and if this great-looking little auto goes into production in late 2009, it will pick up speed. And can I just say that I'm really ready for a built-in MP3 player to replace my current cassette/CD combo? … Read more

Serving pieces with style

Even in the midst of holiday chaos, you can fake a little serenity with a beautifully set table. With four kids underfoot and in the way spreading good cheer around the house, things can get a little hectic here. So I'm always looking for shortcuts, which is one reason I love WiltonArmetale pieces.

These platters and other pieces can go from fridge to oven to table. So I can arrange my salad, then serve it in a bowl that will keep it freshly chilled. Or I can set up my trays of hors d'oeuvres the night before, slide … Read more

'Tis the season to Crave: Matt Hickey's picks

Editor's note: From now through the end of December, various Crave contributors will be sharing their top five (mostly) tech-related wishes for the holiday season. Here's the latest in the series.

Even though I'm a "Bah, Humbug" kind of guy, I like the idea of coming up with five things I want as holiday presents from the technology world.

I could have picked five gadgets. Instead--in the interest of goodwill to all mankind--I've decided to pick personal-technology intangibles that I believe should be changed. I've selected things that would be simple to do, and hopefully the various powers that be will see this list and work with Santa to consider my ideas. I am, after all, a professional.

1. Zune client for OS X. There's nothing Apple's doing to prevent this; it's all Redmond. The Zune is a fantastic media player and is in many ways superior to the iPod. But, as a Mac user (sorry, I cannot with a straight face run Windows at home) I'm out in the cold.

Microsoft has made some great software for OS X (Office for Mac is still better than Office for Windows), so it's not a lack of talent. I'm really not sure what it is. You'd think this would be something Microsoft would do out of spite. Mac users using Zunes would give MS' consumer arm a boost out of irony and spite.

2. Adobe Flash and MMS capability for iPhone. Maybe it's some deal with YouTube. Maybe it's closed-mindedness on Apple's side. I don't care, I want Flash support integrated within the iPhone's version of Safari. There are too many online tools, games, and apps that use Flash to leave it out. To make the iPhone really capable of replacing a laptop for daily use it needs to have all the same capabilities, and that means being able to use these tools via Flash.

And really, why don't we have MMS yet? Apple? AT&T? Phones that are free have it. Windows Mobile phones have it. It's one of the things keeping the iPhone from being a perfect device. Work on it. … Read more

'Tis the season to Crave: Dan Ackerman's picks

Editor's note: From now through the end of December, various Crave contributors will be sharing their top five (mostly) tech-related wishes for the holiday season.

1. Either a BlackBerry Storm, Samsung Omnia, or Apple iPhone: After getting laughed at one time too many when whipping out my chunky Treo 700P, it's finally time to give in and get a new smartphone. Initially, as a long-time Verizon customer, I was torn between the BlackBerry Storm and the Samsung Omnia. After playing around with both, I wasn't convinced--the Storm's click screen seems like it would get annoying real quick, and the Omnia, despite the rave reviews, just felt sluggish to use, and the low screen resolution made it hard to read text in the Web browser.

Now, I'm also considering making the switch to AT&T and joining the iPhone masses, just on the strength of the interface and general ease-of-use. I use my phone primarily for Web surfing and AIM, not so much for calls, but even so, Verizon's good reputation for service in NYC (and AT&T's less-than-stellar rep) gives me pause. I'm still undecided, so let me know what you think...

2. Flip Video MinoHD: As a one-time film student, I still have the folding chair and tilted beret of a big-screen director in the back of my mind. To help kick off my alternate career as a documentarian in the mold of the Maysles Brothers or Werner Herzog, I'll start with this handheld HD mini-cam.

3. M-Audio Keystation 88: If you're a part-time musician like myself, figuring out how to squeeze the most music-making power out of your gear is always an important topic. There are as many combos of hardware and software, digital and analog equipment out there as there are music styles, but my personal preference is a PC-based ProTools setup. I currently use a Digidesign Mbox and ProTools LE 7.4, with Propellerhead's Reason software ReWired into it for keyboards and sequencing.

If that's all Greek to you, the point is, I've used a variety of different 49-, 61-, and 32-key USB controllers (essentially dummy devices that look like piano keyboards but have no onboard sounds and are used to control music software) over the years, but have never had a full-size 88-key controller. Since they're basically just plastic keys wired to a USB port, they're usually moderately priced, such as this $249 model from M-Audio. … Read more

'Tis the season to Crave: Erica Ogg's picks

Editor's note: From now through the end of December, various Crave experts will be sharing their top five (mostly) tech-related wishes for the holiday season. See what we crave, and maybe you'll get some ideas!

1. Get Mom off of AOL. My mother is the best woman I know. She's hilarious, an amazing cook, and would go to the ends of the earth for her children. She's even fairly comfortable with technology, as evidenced by the complicated emoticons she tags onto her e-mails and text messages. But she has one major flaw: she can't seem to give up her AOL account. She's been a loyal customer since we first paid for usage by the minute.

Mom doesn't actually like AOL at all, but she looks past the annoying "You've got mail" greeting and circa-1999 design all because she doesn't want to lose her bookmarks. Mom, you deserve threaded e-mail conversations and easy filters. This Christmas, sign up for Gmail. Or Yahoo Mail, Live Mail, whatever: they're all free. There's no reason not to switch. Seriously, do it for me, Mom.

2. Kill voice mail. Can we please just get rid of voice mail? It's time consuming, eats up service plan minutes, and isn't the best solution for the problem of a missed call.

I'm a reporter, so a LOT of people call me. But if I'm not at my desk, and you leave a message, chances are I won't dial in to the phone system to listen to it. No offense, but I'm probably on deadline. Instead, I'll see a missed call and go directly to my e-mail. The really pro PR folks send e-mails to say they called, and consequently, this is how I now operate in life. If I miss a call on my mobile, I don't check messages. I look at the number and, if it's someone I know, return the call.

Voice mail is overrated and unnecessary. It's called e-mail, people. Or visual voice mail. I can compromise.

3. More content on Netflix Watch Instantly. Netflix Watch Instantly is awesome. So much so that I nominated it as my Gadget I'm Thankful For. But after catching up on 30 Rock, old episodes of childhood favorite MacGyver, and random '80s flicks, I'm left wanting more. And if I can be picky here, more current TV series, please. … Read more

Holiday ornaments decorate Google search results

While some are decorating Christmas trees, Google has ornamented its search results with holiday-theme graphics.

Google spruced up a search for "Christmas tree" with a column of holly leaves to separate the search results on the left with the search ads on the right. A search for "Christmas" gets candy canes, and Santa gets the holly treatment.

Christmas might be the largest-scale trigger for the seasonal economic frenzy, but other holidays get fancy dividers, too, including candles for Kwanzaa, and dreidels and menorahs for Hanukkah.

And, in what's probably inappropriate to call an Easter egg, … Read more

Sufjan Stevens, 'That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!': Free MP3 of the Day

The Brooklyn wunderkind's holiday record is a great window on his unique art. Who but the man behind "Come On, Feel the Illinoise" would rework a White Stripes song title into "Get Behind Me, Santa"? As usual, Stevens' banjo-driven indie-folk is darkly funny and spiritually deep.

Download free MP3 now!

 

iPod the 'best Christmas gift ever' (iPhone 3G comes in 38th)

What is it about the holiday season that makes retailers emit polls like burps at the company party?

I have just been assaulted by a profoundly scientific effort, stimulated by cashback.co.uk, the "site that pays you to shop." (which seems less of a point of difference now than in other holiday seasons, as every retailer seems only too delighted to pay you to shop this year.)

I have not been able to find out just who the respondents were, but can only assume they were among the folks who earn $10 every time they introduce a … Read more