Local tech news in a compact, digital format. NASA Plans TV Coverage Space Station Holiday Delivery NASA Television is planning to provide live coverage on Wednesday, December 26th when the International Space Station will receive a post Christmas gift, a new shipment of food, fuel and supplies as well as holiday gifts. Check your local listings for coverage of this event. Grand Stream Dreams Grand Stream Dreams has been busy this week. He's got......

You read that headline right, folks. The year is 2006 and The Medicine Show is playing at Helios again. Sort of. Rekindle those lovely memories of finishing a long day's work and partying at Helios on Monday night to the rousingly rambunctious Medicine Show. Instead the place is technically called AvantGarden, it'll actually be a Friday and the band changed its name to the Sideshow Tramps. Not to worry, though. You still get to listen......

Several more venues are celebrating the holidays this week with showcases. The Meridian is hosting the annual Holiday Babes Christmas Party tomorrow night with our favorite local musical babe, Katie Stuckey. Verizon Wireless will be a haven for country singer/songwriter lovers tomorrow night (includes Roger Creager and Bruce Robinson). Warehouse Live celebrates twice with the Jingle Balls Friday night, showcasing local favorites Paris Green and Glass Intrepid, and their annual Eve of Christmas Eve......

Okay, okay - this is a no-bake, not from a "box", as creative as you want to be, addition to your holiday party, goody swap or gift. After all, it's not about buying up all the gift cards at the convenience store on the corner - it's the thought that really counts. Also, these are great additions to little treat bag/thank you gifts for your holiday guests. What is it? Chocolate Bark creations!!! Very......

One of Houstonist favorites (which really means very little, because we are hard pressed to find a cookie we DON'T like) is the simple, honest, and slightly gussied-up sugar cookie - the Snickerdoodle! In a very lame homage to that "Stewart" lady, we get festive this time of year, rolling our holiday version of the cookies in red and green sanding sugars. It's all in the presentation, you know. Snickerdoodles 1 1/2 cups sugar......

If you're anything like Houstonist, you haven't finished all your holiday shopping yet. In fact, if you're anything like Houstonist, you've barely even started. But don't worry: We're putting our gift lists together and pulling out some of our more inspired ideas to share with y'all. From music to DVDs to T-shirts to wet wipes, we've got you covered — but seriously, you probably won't want to give the wipes as someone's primary gift.......

::Social Media & Web 2.0 Happy Hour:: Do you spend more time on Facebook than you do reading a book? Do your sentences end with, "I'm SO Twittering that."? Do you scour the internet begging for invites to Beta testing of new sites? You're not alone. And there is help and support for people like you. Join your kind tonight at Sonoma Wine Bar as Houston's Social Media Community celebrates the season at the Houston......

Champagne Bubble Bath The Tasting Room - River Oaks Saturday, December 8th 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. 2409 W. Alabama 713.526.2242 Taste some "sparkling wines", (hey, it's not Champagne, unless it is actually made in Champagne, France, just saying) and try some appetizers. The cost is $50/ per person, but, you get a $5 discount if you donate a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots! Holiday Farmer's Market and Wine Tasting The Tasting......

Candlelight Open House at Bayou Bend Dec 7, 2007 5:00 PM at the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been hosting Candlelight Open House nights at their Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens on Friday nights. This Friday night is your last chance to go to the open house and tour the property in all of its holiday season glory. The central figure in Yuletide´s Holiday Heroines is......

Wassail, both a noun and a verb, manages to come up in at least one conversation (or carol) each December holiday season. And yet, what the heck is it? The drink is from medieval northern Europe and used to resemble something like mulled beer. It's now more like mulled cider, wine or dry sherry. The word means "Be thou hale!" and was used as a non-Christian greeting or goodbye. Houstonist wonders if Shalom or Aloha......

Looking for a little green space to stretch out those overworked holiday shopping legs? Check out Mosaic on Hermann Park's one acre, 7th floor amenity deck, as they host Hermann Park Conservatory's Urban Green for a Holiday Al Fresco event. Tonight's party will feature cocktails and canapes poolside, and all proceeds will benefit the Hermann Park Conservatory. Tickets at $30 and can be purchased at the door. We were bummed to learn this week that......

So, if Thanksgiving is all about pie, pie and more pie, Christmas is all about cookies, for us, for Santa, for everyone we can pawn them off on give them to. Here at Houstonist, we love food, cooking it, eating it, telling you how to make it and where to find it. We'll even let you know if it's all "meh" not so much. Holiday desserts are the best and the calories do not count......

::You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid:: A Christmas Story Back by popular demand for a second season at Texas Repertory, this wonderfully warm and wildly funny memoir of growing up in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his undying quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB Gun under the tree for Christmas. Join us for the first time, or all over again, as Ralphie pleads his case – only to hear the consistent......

Since our first cool blast of December has rolled into town, we're even getting into the over-commercialized holiday mode. So, we thought we would share with you some of our favorite Christmas and holiday songs, both past and present, with you. Throw out the $5.99 CD compilation you bought at Wal-Mart -- this is all you need. The standards (Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Elvis) and more modern-day standards (John Lennon) are here. The 80's......

Here you go Houston, more food and wine events for you to peruse. We are going to work to get you more than one Culinary Events posting per week, as the holidays can increase the number of events, dinners, fund-raising food and beverage activities and festivals. Also, we strive to give you some advance notice - as you can't always get your reservations or tickets, which ever the case may be, on the day......

So if you've been following our easy, no-fuss no-muss primer on learning about art and local artists, etc. now is your chance to show off your new knowledge! This weekend brings us Spacetaker's 2007 Holiday Sale, featuring all kinds of work from local artists. They'll have everything from jewelry to paintings to sculpture for purchase AND 75% of the proceeds benefit the artist while 25% goes to Spacetaker, which helps nurture the Houston arts community!......

Houstonist has plans to provide you, constant reader, with our annual list of gift suggestions. However, if you are interested in getting a jump on shopping and are not one of those year 'round shoppers who locates the perfect gift in the clearance section, or at a craft show - we got the goods for you. Tonight from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. (and in conjunction with Bellaire's "Holiday in the Park"), you can......

::Touring Taste of Dance Salad Film at MFA:: Ok, so you're perplexed on what to watch now that Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance have both finished their seasons. We feel your pain. I mean, how else are you supposed to practice your movers for the company holiday party? Well, dance friends, you are in luck. If you missed the 2007 Dance Salad Festival, catch a special (read: free) screening......

There are so many freaking cool things happening this weekend -- here's just a list of what Houstonist has on hand. Please send us the rest. Thursday November 29th HOUSTON. IT'S WORTH IT. Book Launch Party At the Lawndale Parking Lot, 4912 Main Street 6:30PM-9PM Images from the book will be projected on North wall of Lawndale art center. DJ Pooks spins the tunes and there will be refreshments. Proceeds from sales of the......

The tryptophan has worn off, we all trudge back to work, and sit down to surf the web. Between another crushing Texans loss, the Aggies poaching one of the Texans' coaches, and the Rockets finally getting their act together, it was a busy holiday season for Houston sports. Let Houstonist do the surfing for you and bring you up to speed on what the web is saying about our teams: - Ok, this is just......

Finding new homes for old homes While these were listed as demolitions, it may only be partial - both 2506 Morse in Montrose (picture) and 347 W 27th in the Heights had steel beams outside waiting to lift and carry them away. While house moving isn't unheard of in Houston, we are (pleasantly) surprised, and also curious about where these smaller homes will end up since we all know the current trend is "build big"......

The pumpkin is underestimated. It is underestimated and under-utilized like a trophy wife and a kept man. There is so much more that can be done than just gutting, carving and displaying (the pumpkin, that is). There's nothing that rings in the holidays better than the pumpkin. Since Thanksgiving is Houstonist's favorite holiday (all's to do is eat, drink, watch football and take naps...what's not to love?), we wanted to share with you all the......

We've already told about the concerts we're most excited about this week: Peter Bjorn and John at Warehouse Live and local artist Ethan Durelle at Fitzgerald's, both this Friday night. We also told you about Tori Amos' visit to Jones Hall this Sunday. If that's not enough for you, a lot of local acts are leaving their parent's dinner table early and playing some great shows all throughout the holiday weekend. Maybe you should......

The Day After Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday) has got to be one of the most stressful days of the year, with pent-up aggression and lingering turkey hangovers spilling into the crowded aisles of retail centers all over the city. After a day of fighting the unwashed hordes, you'll need a place to unwind and release some of that stress. If a cup of oolong and a Bach concerto isn't the antitode you're searching for,......

It’s a slow week. So slow in fact, that the big release of the day just might be the Spice Girls' Greatest Hits CD. We'll be rooting for Scary Spice on Dancing with the Stars tonight, but we've decided to highlight some other musical imports for now. Might we suggest the perfect holiday gift for the music nerd in your life? The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit Pop Gems of the Last Millennium......

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Thanksgiving Thriftsters are sexy. Happy Turkey Week! Monday: You're going to have a long week of family time, ambrosia salad and tryptophan sluggishness, so pace yourself with a free Monday night movie at Domy Bookstore (1709 Westheimer). While not completely seasonally appropriate (or is......

Worried that you'll show up to the company holiday party in the same boring black dress as the boring payroll chick who sits next to you? Don't fret. Old is new again at Cheeky Vintage. Show up with a one of a kind. Tonight from 6-9pm, join the (relatively) new vintage clothing boutique, located on Richmond near Greenbriar, as they highlight some of their most recent finds for you to show off for your holiday......

Henry Dittman and Joan (justjoan) are the hosts of the Internet-based travelogue called The Smart Show sponsored by Holiday Inn Express. By now you're probably familiar with the H.I.E. ads that purports to convey savant-like intellect on its patrons. "I'm not a vascular surgeon, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night," says a broke writer after requesting a scalpel from the O.R. nurse. Despite having a title sponsor, The Smart Show does......

For about 40 years, Houstonians have known where buy the best pies. Founded in 1967 The Flying Saucer Pie Company has been baking up a wide variety of pies daily, using the freshest available ingredients. Other than HoustonistMama, who is getting tired of baking for us, these are the bestest pies ever. We are partial to their line of cream pies! Whether you are ordering your meal pre-cooked, or popping your turkey or turducken in......

By now, it should come as no surprise that Houstonist is lazy always on the look out for an easy way to get things done. Anyone want to write this column for us? At any rate, you probably won't find it hard to believe that we have not tested the following booze recipe. But, we thought it best to bring concoction to the attention of those of you who have more patience when it......