Learn to Let Go: How Success Killed Duke Nukem
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/fail_duke_nukem/all/1

Phantom Menace Review
The best (and longest) movie review I’ve ever encountered.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/12/17/watch-this-70-minute-video-review-of-star-wars-the-phantom-menace/

Star Wars quotes in Japanese
http://nihonshock.com/2009/12/star-wars-quotes-in-japanese/

Can tongue surgery improve English-speaking ability?
http://www.japanprobe.com/2009/12/21/can-tongue-surgery-improve-english-speaking-ability/

Richard K Morgan on the Pointlessness of Arguing About Genres
http://www.richardkmorgan.com/article_soundfury.htm

Satan Takes Pokemon Seriously

Kim Peek, the original Rain Man, dies
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6964730.ece

Using Menu Psychology to Entice Diners
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/dining/23menus.html?pagewanted=all

Robot Invasion YouTube Video from Uruguay leads to Hollywood contract
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8417789.stm

HP Computers Are Racist

Trained-up ninja monkeys ‘turn on master’
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/984812/trained-up-ninja-monkeys-turn-on-trainer

Chinese opera face-changing
http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSTRE5BA0I720091211?videoId=12268497

Coconut Collecting Octopus

The Inexplicable Adventures Of “Zombie vs. Ninja”
http://io9.com/5429240/the-inexplicable-adventures-of-zombie-vs-ninja

Creepy Japanese Baby Simulator
http://gizmodo.com/5429651/japanese-baby-simulator-is-1000-times-creepier-than-a-normal-baby

Your Chance to buy a Japanese island previously used by the Imperial Navy as a disinfection station.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/6811348/Japan-auctions-Hiroshima-island-to-help-balance-books.html

Economist “Did you know?” on Social Media & Technology

R.I.P. Alien Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon
http://io9.com/5429739/rip-alien-screenwriter-dan-obannon

John Scalzi – The Winners and Losers of ’00s SciFi Movies
http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2009/12/scifi-winners-and-losers-of-the-decade.php

John Scalzi – The Ten Worst SciFi Blockbusters of the ’00s
http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2009/12/worst-scifi-movies-of-the-00s.php#more

Peter Watts, Canadian science fiction writer, beaten and arrested at US border
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/12/11/dr-peter-watts-canad.html

Ten Ways Space Travel Isn’t Like Television or the Movies
http://www.satelliteinternet.com/news/ten-ways-space-travel-isnt-like-television-or-the-movies/

The Funniest Reasons Customers Reject Books
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/660000266/post/210048821.html
“I don’t do books about elephants set during the Depression.”
If you look in the comments, you’ll also find this gem:
“You know books that expand your mind, make you want to think, make you question the nature of humanity and wonder why and how we do the things we do? Yeah, I hate that s**t. Gimme something with dinosaurs or a war.”

Hospital study shows full moons werewolf effect
http://www.theage.com.au/national/hospital-study-shows-full-moons-werewolf-effect-20091213-kpwl.html

Che: the graphic biography
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/12/10/che-the-graphic-biog.html

A Day in the Internet

http://www.onlineeducation.net/internet/

Monkey calls give clues to language origins
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8405806.stm

The Language of Avatar (Creating an Alien Language)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8408245.stm

The Link Between the Transgender Community & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
http://andy-social.blogspot.com/2009/12/huff.html

50 Beautiful Watercolor Paintings
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/12/09/50-beautiful-watercolor-paintings/

20 Best SF Books of the Decade
http://io9.com/5423847/20-best-science-fiction-books-of-the-decade

Japanese ladies long for date with brutal men of history
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6954029.ece

The Longest Way: Walking Across China
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1945171_1945161,00.html

Deadline: Stop Motion

A useful roundup of the best online genre magazines.

http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2009/10/online-genre-magazines.html

The World SF News Blog has an interesting interview with Ashok Banker, an Indian author who has a lot of controversial things to say about the state of science fiction publishing.

http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/exclusive-interview-with-ashok-banker/