As if an office full of guitar-controlled lights weren't enough to get you in the holiday spirit, along comes a self-proclaimed geek to play Jingle Bells on his graphics card. We know, it's hard to really grasp what we mean, so jump on past the break to catch a video that will undoubtedly do our explaining for us.

[Via TheInquirer]

While we already knew Sony's mysterious Rolly got down to holiday tunes, this installation managed to capture our attention just a wee bit more. Rivaled only by the famed TSO project from 2005, this guitar-controlled setup transforms a traditional office into a holiday funhouse by enabling rockers to control the light patterns within the building. Open source software, dubbed Frets on Fire, was modified to generate controls for dozens of light strings around the cubicles, with the corner plant being used to "keep the beat" and the trash can fittingly being lit only when someone missed a note. Click on through to catch this madness in action -- and yeah, it's pretty evident the boss left weeks ago to enjoy the rest of '07 from afar.

Really, what would the week before the new year be without a half-hour of Charlie Brown in all of its grainy glory? Right on cue, Epson has unveiled a Peanuts-themed laptop that should fit the bill if you weren't really feelin' its Hello Kitty variants. The machine checks in with a 15-inch display, a 1.73GHz Intel Celeron M430 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB hard drive, four USB ports and a DVD combo drive. As if those partial specs weren't enough to satisfy, you can also count on a number of Snoopy themes being bundled in to clog up your system resources. 'Course, you'll be paying an absolutely insane amount for the privilege of owning one -- and just think, your $2,799.99 still can't get it here any quicker than January.

[Via ChipChick]

The kids can never have it too good these days, right? If you absolutely, positively must have the best possible sled for your angelic child, you can do no better than the Porsche "Kinderbob" (or as we like to say, pricey sled). With metal runners, a working horn, and enigmatic Porsche styling, your child will be the talk of the town -- and the focus of the neighborhood bully's hatred -- all winter long. You can't pick these up from the US Porsche stores, but if you motor to the German site, you can plunk down an affordable €65 (or about $95) and probably get it in time for the holidays.

[Via OhGizmo!]

Although it didn't seem like our European readership was too broken up over reports that the Zune wouldn't hit their shores until as late as 2008 ("I didn't want to buy one of those crappy things anyway, the Americans can keep them," declared one disinterested commenter), we're sure there are at least a couple less vocal readers out there who will be stoked to learn that Microsoft may be inviting them to "the social" as early as the end of this year. According to Marketing Director Jason Reindorp, "The industry moves in this sort of Christmas to Christmas cycle [gee, really? - ed.]...[therefore] our next round of introductions will probably be in time for the holiday of this year." Speaking to attendees at the annual Midem Net music industry conference in France, Reindorp went on to say that Microsoft execs "feel really good about the first steps that we've taken," and that rather than target the iPod immediately, Zune is on a three-year plan to "firmly and solidly get on the radar." Foolish aspiration, you say? Maybe, but just remember how several years ago some people thought that it was silly for Microsoft to try and break into console gaming -- now we can barely pull enough Engadget editors away from multiplayer Gears of War to run the damn site.

Far from being the harmless displays of holiday cheer and good will towards men that their manufacturers would like us to believe, Christmas decorations are now being accused of hitting us where it hurts the most: our WiFi connections. According to a study done in a simulated office environment by Sunnyvale-based wireless network assurance firm AirMagnet Inc., all of those shiny ornaments, blinking lights, and inflatable monstrosities that people like to keep out for the entire Halloween through Easter time frame can actually decrease WiFi signal strength by up to 25% and increase signal deterioration over distances by one-third. It should be noted, however, that many other common objects can also interfere with wireless signals, so this study seems to be more about PR and less about a grand atheist conspiracy to cripple internet connectivity for the pious. It should also be noted that AirMagnet makes its money from selling products and services that analyze and troubleshoot your WLAN, which -- surprise, surprise -- are exactly what you'd need to combat this curse of the holiday decorations. Still, even if this study is completely self-serving, we're not taking any chances: from now on, the only holiday-related swag to grace the Engadget mansion will be a ratty, unadorned tree and a small menorah made out of marshmallows and peanut butter.

[Via textually]