Watching football, I noticed that Crucial.com has its own bowl game. I've been buying memory from them for the past couple of years, and they've always given me good service. I'm glad they're doing well enough to sponsor a bowl.

Google: The year according to searches.

Dexter Filkins: The Legacy of the Taliban Is a Sad and Broken Land. No doubt. I hope the new regime will do better (it almost has to, really), but unfortunately, failure won't surprise me. It's not just the legacy of the Taliban that is at issue, but the legacy of the Soviet invasion, the civil war afterwards, and everything else in this country's tragic history. It's easy to point fingers at the Taliban, but they were only the latest incarnation of Afghanistan in crisis.

Rob Pegararo: 2 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back In 2001. The good: MacOS X and digital devices. The bad: Windows XP and high-speed internet access.

The Nature Conservancy needs to de-dupe its mailing list. I've recieved three copies of the same direct mail appeal. Of course, each address is slightly different (5 digit vs. 9 digit zip, for example), but a little hygiene should fix that and save them some money in the long run. I'm hesitant to give to any organization that can't manage their lists well.

Washington Post: Redistricting Rattles In-House Hopes.

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!