The BlueTower is filled with the intoxicating smell of spicy beef, as I've had a batch of my Texas-style Chili on the stove all night, and it is nearing completion. This time out I was shooting for less fire than usual, because some of this is to be shared with friends who are not spicy food freaks like MrsBlue and I, but I think I have failed miserably in this regard. I used just seven peppers for six-plus pounds of meat, but three of them were yellow habaneros, and one was a red hot chili pepper to go along with three large jalapenos, and at this point it seems as hot as it ever turns out, even though I would usually use more than twice as many peppers for just a little more meat. We'll see how this turns out, but I may just need to end up making another batch with even more capsicum restraint.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
Play:	Monster Trucks 2. Santa Rockstar 3.
Links:	$11 Million Christmas Tree.
Stories:	Solstice-eclipse overlap first in 456 years. BaQa'—or Is It Humbug? Klingons Attack a Holiday Classic. Thanks Neutronbeam.
Science:	Swarm satellite mission to try to sense ocean magnetism. Drug helps clear lung mucus in cystic fibrosis patients.
Images:	Holiday Bounty Hunter. Lovely Star Wars posters.
Media:	Dick Figures - Flame War. HAWP - PuzzleQuest (color blindness) NSFW. Why you shouldn't deep-fry a gnocchi.
The Funnies:	FoxTrot.