hanukkah

"Oh droidel, droidel, droidel, I bought you from a Jawa." Sorry, it's the first night of Hanukkah and we can't help but sing that to ourselves after spotting the Droidel and other Festival of Lights geekery.

The official Star Wars site has complete instructions on making the DIY R2-D2 version of the dreidel from paper. Hopefully, Darth Vader won't steal your chocolate gelt while the Droidel's got your eyes.

The first day of Hanukkah is always special, especially when you gather with family and friends to light the menorah with your...iPhone?

Yep, in yet another case of "there's an app for that," developer Matthew Parrott believes his iPhone app iMenorah is perfect "for the Jew far from home."

The app, which costs $2.99 (oy vey!) lets you virtually light eight candles with a digital shamash. A voice on the app sings blessings, including the Shehechiyanu, a prayer recited on special occasions. Unfortunately, the app vocals sound a little stale, but iMenorah appears to present about the most realistic-looking menorah in the App Store. … Read more

Happy Hanukkah! Tonight is the first of the eight-day holiday, so tune in to the first half of the show as Wilson and I try our best to explain to Jeff what that means.

On today's show we take a look at Dance Central for the Microsoft Kinect, and offer our sincerest opinions on the best printers, scary PC games, and books! Yes, we're actually learning how to read.

Verizon announced its 4G data plans, but it's not going to come cheap. The "Gs" refer to the speed a mobile device can receive and send data, so 4G will enable Web pages, videos, and e-mails to load faster. Carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile already have 4G data infrastructure in place, but don't expect the same speeds on every carrier.

Starting December 5, Verizon's 4G service will cost $50 for just 5GB a day, $80 nets you 10GB of data, and it's $10 per gigabyte if you go over the limit. The company claims that 70 percent of its 38 markets will gain access to 4G on Sunday, and users can connect with a laptop through a USB modem.

Microsoft's Kinect motion controller accessory is already boasting bigger sales than than the Sony PlayStation Move, having reached 4.1 million dollars in sales worldwide since launching three months ago.

Jeff and Wilson were skeptics when they first saw the controller in action, but Dance Central changed it around for the Bakalar house and now they're hooked. And if all goes right with a hack we're working on, keep a lookout for a YouTube video of that on the show. In the meantime, check out this Kinect joyride fail video and let us know what you think!

We have a diverse batch of goodies for you this year. New additions include a duet with Elvis Presley and Martina McBride; a New Kids on the Block reissue; Stephen Colbert's debut Christmas album; and a Hanukkah jam from Erran Baron Cohen. And the great thing about holiday tunes is that you can recycle them every year! So, get acquainted with the new stuff, and then dig into our archive to resurrect the classic favorites.

Holiday Music '08 feature page

"Oh Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the LED motherboard menorah..." How's that for a twist on an old classic?

In my travels through Hanukkah-land over the years, I've encountered menorahs in glass, plexiglass, gold, silver, and clay, but never microprocessor sockets and chipsets. Designer Roni Kabessa has definitely put a unique spin on an old dreidel for this creation, which is selling on the Museum of Modern Art's Web site for $25.

In addition to being constructed from recycled motherboards, the techy nine-branch candelabrum features nine LED lights, with a discrete panel on the back … Read more

Erran Baron Cohen, brother of Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen), has made a valiant effort to make Hanukkah a cool holiday, and he's done a great job. By combining klezmer, reggae, electronica, tango, and many other genres, Cohen reinterprets classic Jewish holiday songs as well as offering unique originals.

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If a holiday season free of wrapping paper and ribbons is on your wish list, there are many options for giving presents without touching anything but a computer and credit card. Services that can be ordered and received online also can be more eco-friendly than physical presents. Of course, you could always funnel funds directly into someone's PayPal account, but where's the fun (for you) in that?

That's entertainment

Netflix offers gift subscriptions from $9 for one month of movie rentals to $108 for one year. GreenCine's rental certificates for indie film buffs start at $44 … Read more

Holiday shopping season is upon us, and in the pell-mell rush to stuff those stockings, we sometimes forget the Hanukkah wing of the family. Don't sweat it, we've got you covered: Here are 10 unique Israeli Defense Force-themed dreidels with a do-it-yourself kit that includes a Merkava tank stand on which to spin them.

These octagon shaped tops feature not only the traditional Hebrew letters on four sides, but also renderings and insignias of different military units--i.e., Sayeret Matkal, Givaati, Golani, paras, etc., so even the goy can keep current on IDF order of battle.

For those … Read more