Volunteers At Peterson Air Force Base Track Santa Claus’ Travels

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Volunteers at a Colorado Air Force base monitoring maps showing Santa Claus’ progress are only about three hours into their goodwill mission but have already answered more than 7,000 phone calls from people asking about the jolly old elf.

Phones are ringing nonstop at Peterson Air Force Base, headquarters of the North American Aerospace Command’s annual Santa-tracking operation.

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Geeky Christmas Trees Through the Ages

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of fun and inspired Christmas trees based on video games, science fiction and other pop culture memes. So I figured that this holiday season, I’d put together a compilation of some of my favorites of all time.

pac man christmas tree 2

Pac Man Christmas Tree – Madrid, Spain – Wocka, Wocka, Wocka!

godzilla christmas tree

Godzilla Christmas Tree – Tokyo, Japan: Shoppers, run for your lives!

cthulhu christmas tree

Cthulhu Christmas Tree: I’m H.P. Lovecrafting it!

portal christmas tree

Portal Christmas Tree: Fruitcake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test.

robot built christmas tree

Robots Build a Christmas Tree – Only Nieman Marcus could afford this rig.

dalek christmas tree

Dalek Christmas Tree: Your presents have been exterminated.

minecraft christmas tree

Minecraft Christmas Tree: Unfortunately, the boxes are filled with creepers.

tesla christmas tree

Tesla Coil Christmas Tree: Santa in his jolly red Faraday suit.

super mario 2 christmas tree

Super Mario Bros. 2 Christmas Tree: What ever happened to King Wart anyhow?

katamari christmas tree

Katamari Christmas Tree: Deck the Balls!

Pretty great, eh? Can you guys think of other geeky Christmas trees you’ve seen? If so, post them in the comments below and spread the joy this holiday season.

A visit to NORAD’s Santa-tracking facility (video)

A visit to NORAD's Santa Tracking facility

Few things in this world will reaffirm your holiday spirit faster than watching a dozen or so uniformed service people cover a room in Christmas wrapping. Also on that short list, it so happens, is spotting one of the aforementioned troops hand-feed an overzealous and noticeably plump squirrel who’s anxiously scratching on the door to get in. It’s a strangely Snow White-esque moment that unfolds minutes after we set up our gear in the conference room of the Leadership Development Center — a drab, unassuming office space in the middle of Colorado Springs’ Peterson Air Force Base that serves as a training facility for 11 months out of the year. But now, in early December, there’s a transformation occurring, as men and women in various shades of camouflage paper the space with Christmas spirit in record time.

For one month a year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) converts this area into holiday central for NORAD’s Santa Tracker, a half-century-old program that has become a thing of legend — a curious juxtaposition of warfare preparedness and storybook magic. It’s one that, somehow fittingly, is rooted in a mistake — a phone number misprinted in a 1955 Sears catalog, prompting local children to call Santa’s “private number.” Those calls from excited boys and girls were routed, the legend goes, to the big red phone in the war room of NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), where quick-thinking Col. Harry Shoup asked his troops to play along. Now, 57 years later, it’s a massive undertaking, as volunteers in military garb and Santa hats answer calls from children in hundreds of countries.

Continue reading A visit to NORAD’s Santa-tracking facility (video)

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How Third-Party Apps Are Taking Over iOS

Third-party apps have started to become the best-in-class in iOS. This is good for third-party developers, users, and in the short-term, Apple. It gives third-parties, like Google, additional exposure and revenue. It provides better apps for users on iOS devices. And it helps sell more iOS devices for Apple. In the long-term, however, it may not work out so well for Apple. More »

San Francisco Holiday Cheer: Six Ways To Give Back This Season (PHOTOS)

Last Christmas, we climbed atop our soapbox to remind readers that there’s more to the holiday season than bright lights, wrapping paper and holiday-themed Pandora stations.

That sentiment may seem obvious, especially as many settle in for a cozy 24 hours eating delicious food and exchanging tokens of affection with family members and loved ones. The holidays, of course, are about spending time with the most important people in our lives and taking a few extra moments to show them we care.

But as the dust settles and the Christmas trees collect on the side of the road, let’s not forget that the true meaning of the season is to spread the love beyond our loved ones. On a selfish level, nothing alleviates a post-holiday slump like the joy that comes from helping others. On an altruistic level, San Francisco is brimming with causes and organizations that need our help.

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Chuck Pagano Returns: Colts’ Recovering Coach Back At Team Facility

INDIANAPOLIS — Chuck Pagano was back at work Monday morning.

Three months after taking an indefinite leave to battle leukemia, the Colts’ coach was scheduled to meet with players, coaches and reporters as he retook the reins from interim coach Bruce Arians.

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Salon’s David Sirota To Don Lemon: If Majority Of Mass Shooters Wasn’t White, ‘Conversation Would Be Much Uglier’ (VIDEO)

Salon writer David Sirota appeared on Don Lemon’s CNN show on Saturday to discuss that the majority of mass shooters in the United States have been white.

In Sirota’s recent article titled “Time To Profile White Men?” the Salon writer argued that nuanced conversations that grew out of the tragic Newtown shootings on mental health and gun control is due to the race of the shooter.

He wrote, “But the point here is that those tempered and nuanced conversations are only able to happen because the demographic at the center of it all is white guys.”

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A Dispatch From A Caribbean Cruise Full Of GOP Operatives After A Disappointing 2012 Election Cycle

The whole thing was white, and broken, that much was clear. A week after the presidential election, when the dreams of Republicans were dashed with President Barack Obama’s victory over Mitt Romney, we were snorkeling in the blue waters of the Caribbean. In the distance was a shipwreck. “You could make out the pieces of it,” said Ralph Reed, the right-wing political operator who had bolstered the Evangelical Christian vote for Romney. “It was deep and murky.”

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Tech Deals of the Day: 12/24/2012

Our friends over at TechBargains.com compiled a list of daily deals and we wanted to share them to help you save money.

Keep in mind that as with any true deal, the products are limited quantity and can sell out quickly – so don’t hesitate to check them out now. If you’re looking to buy a product from a specific store, save money with updated and verified coupon codes here.

Computers & Peripherals:

Home Entertainment:

Personal Electronics:

Game Of Thrones Was 2012’s Most Pirated Show

If you spend any time on the internet at all, this shouldn’t shock you: Game of Thrones was the most pirated show of the year. More »