Say ‘hello’ to Avocado, the bear. During the previous week, I cobbled him together from scrap leather. That’s right, Avocado is a leather bear. (Okay, that was just plain weird to write.) He came from an inside joke between friends. Avocado was supposed to be a massage voodoo doll (the inside joke). However, no matter how I tried to move the project that direction, Avocado insisted on being a bear. I kind of worry that he will come to life while I sleep. Then Avocado will stalk the cats and attempt to stuff dirty socks in my mouth. I’m glad that the stitches at his joints suck. They really limit the beady-eyed little varmint’s mobility.

The Weekly Web feature is my attempt to keep me involved in my own blog. I’ll open a new Weekly Web post on Sundays. Then each day I’ll add new links. Mostly, these sites are going to be typically goofy and stupid. Hopefully, the net result is that you will have more to enjoy when you visit my pages, and I’ll have more incentive to keep adding to the site.

Dave Barry weighs in on 2009 » » link

Give me the funny when wrapping up the year.

Wired’s list of Best iPhone Apps – 2009 » » link

Love my iPhone. I wonder what little doo-dads I’ll add to the toolkit.

FFFFound.com – Image Bookmarking site » » link

Tumblr blogs are great, but they often don’t credit sources. FFFFound.com does a much better job of tracking links and attracting great examples of design.

BBC – Secret mobile phone codes cracked » » link

Karsten Nohl, a digital securtiy expert, lead a team that cracked the GSM security algorithm that encrypts cellphone conversations. I am basically very scared.

Mag+ – A design and function focus redux for magazines in the digital age » » link

Bonnier R&D and BERG associates developed an elegant solution for magazines looking to transition into digital distribution. It harness both available technology and solid design fundementals.

The small town of Leavenworth is tucked in the Cascades of central Washington. A couple decades back, the town recast a small part of itself as a Bavarian village. Each year, Leavenworth becomes a Christmas holiday destination complete with trimmings. The store fronts may look Bavarian, and some of the stores even have a few German goods (mostly beers and sausage); but most of the shops are gift and chotchke shops.

What attracts visitors are the events. Every Saturday and Sunday night during December, Leavenworth holds a tree lighting ceremony host by city dignitaries and three Santa Clauses (St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus). My friend Doug and I drove up from Seattle to partake. Below are pics from our visit.