Do you know that on midnight Feb 18th television as we know it will cease to exist?  Now don't panic. For most of you that won't be a problem because you have cable TV, satellite TV or a TV set that receives digital TV signals.  However for the rest of you---several million households---you're going to have to take action to make sure your weekly fix of "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," or "CSI" isn't interrupted. That's because the government has mandated that as of midnight February 18th all television stations must stop broadcasting analog signals and broadcast digital signals only.  

I recently ran across an article about the Japanese cell phone novel. Have you heard of this? Five or six years ago people in Japan started writing stories on their cell phones, dropping colorful phrases that painted some kind of angsty story of the life of a (usually) a young female narrator. Heartbreak, disappointments, incest, and many other juicy topics spewed forth from the phones of young people who wanted to tell a story.

There is a long and glorious history of getting tattooed to proclaim your profession or status. Probably the most classic tattoo that comes to mind is the noble anchor, proclaiming your status as a sailor.  Nowadays it probably means the bearer has asymmetrical bangs and a collection of odd scarves.

You know how when you learn a new word, you suddenly hear it all the time? Well, that's what it's been like lately with the word Pandora. I didn't just learn the word, but I just learned about the internet radio site called Pandora. Now that I know about it, I find all sorts of people talking about it. The latest comment was from a friend who said she turned her mom on to Pandora so they could listen to holiday music around the house for the holidays. Seems her mom took off with the idea and set up all sorts of playlists.

I like year end lists as much as the next person but when it comes to television, this year I'd like to look forward. That's because in a couple of weeks, the cream of the television crop will arrive. Shows like "Lost," "24," and "Damages" will finally be back and I for one will be thrilled. Let's check out some of what's coming up in the next few weeks...wait, what's that you say? You insist that I take a quick look back at the fall season? Oh, all right. First let's spare a brief moment for:

For many seasons of television, my husband and I have whittled away our time by watching the antics of various Americans who attempt to "out-wit, out-play and out-last" several dozen others in some remote area of the world. Yes, we are Survivor fans. (And I don't know why, but as I wrote that, Eye of the Tiger began playing in my mind, as if watching a tv show is some sort of challenge that I need to build up to.) Having watched many full moons of this contrived set up that somehow manages to provide me with fine entertainment, I can honestly say that I have never been more horrified by a contestant than I was by Corinne.

It's that time of year again that many parents dread. What will crazy Aunt Irene grace us with this year? A singing trout? Lead-dipped whistles? What is the hot toy that will cause parents to storm toy store aisles and spend way too much on eBay?

With Christmas a week away I thought it was a good time to reflect on some of my favorite TV/movie Christmas moments, and being the generous blogger I am, I decided to share those moments with you.  The traditional elements required of any good Christmas story are love, family, friendship, a heartwarming lesson and a tree that looks like it was decorated by Martha Stewart.  Several of my picks epitomize those solid Christmas traditions, but some of my choices are more, shall we say...offbeat.  Here they are in alphabetical order.

At BlogHer 08 in San Francisco last summer, a Roomba automatic cleaner ran constantly in the bookstore/coffee kiosk area. That hard working little orb kept its bit of carpet spotless every moment of the day! It attracted the attention of everyone who went into the room.

Ardent fans of lolcats and I Can Has Cheezburger? will be happeh to know that the founders of the site, Eric Nakagawa and Kari Unebusami, have released the I Can Has Cheezburger? book, penned (pawed?) by Professor Happycat.

Okay BlogHer readers, I need your input for a podcast interview I'm doing on December 22nd with comedians Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen. You might remember Tim Reid as the oh, so fly, Venus Flytrap on television in "WKRP in Cincinnati" or the star and executive producer of the critically acclaimed show "Frank's Place."  You might remember Tom Dreesen as the comic who opened for Frank Sinatra for years or as the standup comedian who was a fixture on "The Tonight Show." But do you remember that Tim and Tom did an interracial standup act for years in the late sixties and early seventies? 

In 2003, Author Damali Ayo created Rent-a-Negro.com, a satirical website that offered a service to people who wanted to rent a black 'friend' for social gatherings, etc.