Stocking Stuffers
The Firefox Hacks You Must Have
With a new version of the open-source browser out, we offer our guide to the nifty, fun Firefox extensions that will change your life. By Quinn Norton.

Games Tackle Disaster Training
If bird flu becomes a pandemic, we're going to need more health-care workers fast. Luckily, we can beef up the ranks quickly -- training volunteers with video games. By Abby Christopher.

TV Writers Must Sell, Sell, Sell
Hollywood is trying to get to the ad-skipping TiVo viewers by making writers work product references into scripts. The scribes holler "script invasion" and want more pay if they have to do it. By David Cohn.

Cut Emissions and Pump More Oil
A new technique keeps greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and boosts petroleum production to boot. By Stephen Leahy.

Live From New York!
A DIY comedy troupe goes from online to big-time with nothing but a used Mac, free bandwidth and some gut-busting humor. By Xeni Jardin from Wired magazine.

How Safe Are Nanoparticles?
Lots of new products, from toothpaste to khakis, use nanotechnology. But some say we don't know enough about the health and environmental risks from the particles tiny enough to penetrate cells in lungs, brains and other organs.

Handhelds Go to School
School districts integrate PDAs, laptops and remote-control clickers into curriculums as they try to engage students used to instant messaging and interactive games. Some wonder if these "digital natives" will grasp the basics.

Congress Goes After Meth Trade
Limits on over-the-counter cold medicine are part of a deal connected to the Patriot Act reauthorization. The idea is to keep pseudoephedrine out of the hands of methamphetamine makers.

Nations Pledge Climate Talks
Although more than 150 nations agree at a U.N. conference to launch formal talks on mandatory greenhouse gas reductions, the United States still balks at participating. Exploring the issue might hurt the economy.

NEC Makes a Flexible Battery
An environmentally friendly, 0.3mm-thick flexible battery made from an organic radical polymer recharges in 30 seconds and contains no harmful metals. Plus: Creative's new gadget one-ups Apple's dream machine. From the Wired News blog Gear Factor.

Free B-Movies for IPod
More than 500 public-domain flicks -- including classics like Night of the Living Dead -- are just a click away. Plus: Video art lights up iPods. From Leander Kahney's Cult of Mac blog.

Lesbians Bikers Protect Turf
The San Francisco motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes have trademarked their name. Plus: Battery power gives a boost to Italian public transit. From the Wired News blog Autopia.

In Case You Missed It

Spend Money While You Earn It
Dec. 09, 2005 Online retailers anticipate record sales for the holidays, thanks, in large part, to people shopping from their office computers. Employers grudgingly accept the practice -- and track every click. By Joanna Glasner.
PLUS: Worker Privacy: You Have None

She's Only 83? Cradle Robber!
Dec. 08, 2005 Never say die. One of these days, that might be more than just another trite expression. Science is making it possible for people to live longer all the time. Is eternal life possible? Say it ain't so. Commentary by Tony Long.

Wrap Up a Holiday Hack
Dec. 08, 2005 'Tis the season for mixing and mashing. Don't settle for store-bought toys when you can use them as raw material for your own one-of-a-kind designs. By Rachel Metz.

Old Rips: May They Rest in Peace
Dec. 07, 2005 Members of the Napster generation, who blissfully piled up free tunes while they could, are realizing that the quality of low-bitrate MP3s sucks. Part one of a three-part series. By Dan Goodin.
Plus: The Digital Audiophile's Toolbox

Fido's First Cell Phone
Dec. 06, 2005 A bone-shaped, slobber-proof cell phone for dogs will hit the market next year. Has the world gone barking mad? You'd be surprised by the bone-fide applications. By Jenn Shreve.

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