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Reddit Secret Santa Breaks Guinness World Record

By Leslie Meredith, Senior Writer TechNewsDaily

From the Reddit marketplace: Legend of Zelda eyeshadow set (left) and Reddit alien dictionary page art (right). Credit: Reddit marketplace

Reddit's annual Secret Santa gift-giving program has set a record with 58,504 participants, earning the title of "Largest Online Secret Santa Game" in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Redditors spent more than $1.4 million on gifts for fellow members, or about $25 per gift.

Reddit matched up members who signed up for the exchange. Redditors were encouraged to do some "non-creepy" stalking to find out about their matches so they could give an appropriate gift. However, participants were cautioned not to troll -- the practice of goading other users.

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"Being matched with a lurker or new member may be difficult but does not give you a pass to troll," Reddit rules read. Rulebreakers would be banned.

Participants had until Dec. 14 to ship their gifts. Shipping accounted for more than $400,000, bringing the total spent on the program to $1.8 million.

While the majority of gifters were located in the United States, 126 countries were represented in the gift exchange, including a Redditor in the southernmost tip of Argentina, one on the island of Fiji and several in ice-clad northern Russia. (Reddit has plotted all participants on a Google map that zooms in to the gifter's block.)

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So what did Redditors get for Christmas? Their photo posts to the page r/subreddit showed that many members received geeky gifts like a Star Trek doorbell, edible gifts ranging from South African candy to Idaho potatoes, books and plenty of meme-themed things like sparkly cats, plastic unicorns and ponies for the bronies.

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Most were thrilled with their gifts. "Every time I participate I am reminded how awesome complete strangers are," a Reddit Secret Santa participant said in a post.

Secret Santa is now over this year, but Reddit hosts several ongoing exchanges, including one for vinyl album collectors, fans of Dr. Who and yarn enthusiasts (yes, the kind you use to knit). And Reddit now has a marketplace of its own where users can purchase gifts year-round.

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Math Makes for a Perfect Tree: DNews Nugget

Makes Makes for a Perfect Tree: This is truly for the meticulous, most fastidiuos Christmas tree decorator, who really must have just the right mix of lights, ornaments and tinsel distributed perfectly on the ole Tannenbaum.

It is a mathematical formula that one can use to design the most perfect tree. It was created students Nicole Wrightman and Alex Craig of the University of Sheffield in the U.K. Their "treegonometry" takes into the account the height of a tree in order to calculate the ideal number of ornaments, length of tinsel, length of lights and location of the star on top.

Get out your calculator, folks. Here it is:

• Number of baubles = √17 / 20 x (tree height in cms)
• Length of tinsel (cms) = 13 x Π / 8 x (tree height in cms)
• Length of lights (cms) = Π x (tree height in cms)
• Height of star/fairy/angel (cms) = height of tree in cms /10

Happy decorating!

via Gizmag

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House-sized Angry Birds Lights Up Holiday

Before signing off to enjoy the holiday season, it seemed appropriate to leave you all with a festive piece about a very angry holiday lights display. The Angry Birds craze is still going strong, so much so that Ric Turner, a former Disney Imagineer, created a playable version of the game on his house using Christmas lights. This isn’t the first time Turner has created an interactive light show; two years ago he made a similar Guitar Hero display.

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This year’s show runs on two computers and 10 Light-o-rama 16-channel controllers. Audio for the game is broadcast on a radio station, 99.1FM, and even includes a game controller whose cord is long enough for visitors to play in their cars when driving up for a peek. This house-sized version of the game uses 20,000 lights, but it's more energy efficient than one would think. It uses less than 1 cent of electricity per game. Check out the video below for the full experience.

 

Via: DVICE

Credit: YouTube

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For the Spy on Your List: Gift Guide 2011

If you know someone who's trying to stop an evil genius or evade capture from a group of well-organized, poorly trained criminals, and you have NO idea what buy them for the holidays, look no farther. Discovery's 2011 Gift Guide for the Wannabe Secret Agent offers suggestions that will please even the best secret-agent-wannabe on your list.

All good spies know how to capture video or pictures of the enemy. Without evidence, how will they escape the frame up? Luckily, the gift guide includes several options to secretly acquiring images.

Consider the worlds smallest camera by Hammacher Schlemmer, which is the size of a marble, weighs only half an ounce and can take 2-megapixel photos and video at 30 frames-per-second. It has automatic focus and only one button for simple operation in the field. Hopefully, it doesn't get too dangerous, because the camera comes with a lifetime guarantee. It's priced at $99.95.

Even smaller is the digital video pen-camera from The Sharper Image while infiltrating the embassy. Record your target's next meeting and get it on YouTube before he releases the poison gas. Piece of mind for $99.99.

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If it's a document hoard your spy has uncovered, he will need The Sharper Image's portable scanning wand, too. Much less bulky than the average scanner/printer/fax machine at the office, the wand is only six inches long and, with a wave, can scan documents or photos, saving up to 16 GB worth of documentation. It's also $99.99.

Once the covert data is stored on a safe-house computer, your agent will want to keep the digital data from being compromised. The Eikon Solo Fingerprint Reader from AuthenTec goes beyond password protection, providing access to computer files only to the person whose fingerprint has been stored in its memory. Get it for $19.99.

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A good secret agent knows that while going under cover is essential, so is looking good. A bulletproof jacket by Miguel Caballero (alias: "Armani of bulletproof clothing") will keep your spy looking suave -- and free of holes. This bit of sexy protection is available as a vest, jacket, button-down and even a t-shirt.

Being prepared for that last-minute trip to Berlin is crucial for the aspiring cloak-and-dagger. What better place to store small pieces of equipment than in a ThinkGeek book vault? No one will ever expect that the dogeared copy of How To Win Friend's and Influence People contains valuables. Available from ThinkGeek for $34.99.

For the DIY MacGyver, the Discovery gift guide even includes Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 2. If Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction wasn't enough, why not grab the sequel? With blowguns, periscopes, catapults and bugging equipment your agent never be without the right tool for the job. Perk: everything in these hallowed pages can be constructed with household items and office supplies. The guide is only $16.95.

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Once a mission is complete, every secret agent needs to make a hasty getaway. Few getaways could be more hasty than one in a Corvette Speed Boat. Marine Technology Incorporated might sound like a front company, but they're legit. The speed boat was inspired by a Corvette and looks the part. For only $1.7 million, the ZR1 sports 2,700 horsepower and an 8,000-watt audio system complete with Wi-Fi and AppleTV. In case you're balking at the price, it comes with a trailer. You supply the water.

The only thing the gift guide doesn't provide is a good pun for the moment when your agent triumphs over his or her worthy adversary.

Image: ThinkGeek, AuthenTec, ThinkGeek, Pier57

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Want more like this? See all our end of year stories for 2011. Gift guides, top 10 lists and some of the best of will be 2011 chosen by you!

Have Yourself a Solar-Powered Christmas

A Christmas tree lot in San Diego claims to be the first in the world to get its energy from solar power. Using a Mobile Solar Station provided by Stellar Solar, Purdy Tree Farms' Christmas tree lot officially runs off renewable energy.

The Christmas tree lot is also trying to conserve energy by using compact fluorescent light bulbs on all of their trees, according to Treehugger.

Michael Purdy, the owner of Purdy Tree Farms, says his tree lot has always tried to be environmentally friendly. In a press release, he says, "We use sustainable farming practices on our farms in Oregon and have moved towards making our lots even more environmentally friendly with CFL lights and electric chainsaws. Having the lot powered with solar panels just takes that even further."

Environmentalists like myself still haven't ended the debate over whether it is greener to use a real Christmas tree, or reuse a fake Christmas tree every year. But it is definitely good news to see at least one Christmas tree lot switching over from fossil fuels to solar power.

This might be the only solar-powered Christmas tree lot in the world, but a Christmas tree in an aquarium near Tokyo is powered by an electric eel. Talk about alternative energy!

Energy-saving Christmas tree lights are getting more popular this year, too. LED Christmas lights are supposed to last longer and save even more energy than traditional bulbs.

Stellar Solar released this video to show how the solar-powered Christmas tree lot actually works:

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Rocking Out With Christmas Lights

Tired of the same old Christmas lights displays? Bored by animatronic Santas waving listlessly? Not impressed with the giant inflated snowman on the lawn? Maybe you should take a musical cue from Ric Turner. 

Turner, a contract worker with Disney Imagineering, decided to take on a cool hacking project. He coupled his love of the holidays with his interest in engineering to create a new twist on the Christmas light display. 

Christmas light displays coupled with music aren't a new fad. There have been many impressive displays designed over the last several years. Some of them required thousands of dollars worth of equipment to construct. To avoid annoying the neighbors (and inviting visits from the local constabulary), many of these displays use a weak FM transmitter to broadcast a radio signal. People who drive by can tune their radios to the proper frequency to get the full effect of the display.