Another cold day, we had frost last night, and woke up to the view of a white golf course (I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...)  It was so cold in fact that when I tried to ride I discovered my fingers were numb, and couldn't shift; one of the few times I've started a ride and came back home immediately.  Brrr. 

In other news Shirley and I got in some great Christmas shopping (and I can report, the Topanga Mall is *still* not very crowded), and tonight Megan and the Oaks Christian Advanced Band gave a wonderful Holiday Concert.  'Tis the Season, fa la la la la, la la, la la...

Want to know what really happened to cause the present economic meltdown?  Then read this from Reason: Anatomy of a Breakdown.  Bottom line, bad government policy which led FNMA and FDMC to run amuck, and a poor overreaction to the crisis once it surfaced.  And now we have this ridiculous "bailout" environment. 

The incomparable Onion summarizes perfectly: $700 Billion Bailout Celebrated With Lavish $800 Billion Executive Party.  All too true, I'm afraid... 

An interesting retrospective from an Economist correspondent: Auf Wiedersehen.  (I must tell you, I am a big time fan of garden gnomes; we have one ourselves :) 

This article about sexual selection is pretty interesting on merit, but the real reason to link it is the punch line: Riskier but worth it when older.  "The reproductive risk to a female increases as she gets older, merely because she is more likely to give birth to a male.  In the evolutionary game of life, this strategy is giving them more bang for their bucks."  I love it :) 

An interesting diary entry from cyclist Michael Barry of Team Columbia: Back in the Saddle Again.  I'm always struck by the fact that cycling is such a physical sport, yet performance is so mental.  The atmosphere and preparation of a team is crucial. 

This is pretty cool; ThinkGeek is featuring Giant Plush Microbes.  "Most folks never realize how cute microbes can be when expanded 1,000,000 times and then fashioned into cuddly plush. Until now, that is. Keep one on your desktop to remind yourself that there is an "invisible" universe out there filled with very small things that can do incredible damage to much bigger things. Then go and wash your hands. Lather, rinse, repeat."  I love it, and I want one! 

Huh, this is interesting; Palm launches Palm Software Store.  An obvious precursor to the rumored announcement of their new OS at CES, we can now guess that third-party applications will be a part of it.  An open API has always been a strength for Palm...  (I hope the apps will be backward compatible with Centro!) 

Be careful!  Truffles Lead to Food Abuse.  A public service announcement :)