Irregular Linkdump, #13

I had loads of stuff for this one, but I’ve narrowed it down and made sure to include a few (questionably) seasonal items. Enjoy.

• A visit to London made even cooler by how it was recorded. A video may just be a collection of stills run past very quickly, but to actually do it with stills is impressive. And frighteningly dedicated.
• Collaborating robots — but who's idea was it to use the child in the demonstration?
• Jingle Bells arranged for 49 microwave ovens.
• A typographical snowman. Yes, he is just a single character of text. Try copying him and pasting him into different applications to see how different fonts render him.
• We've decided not to bring a real tree into the house this year, although we normally would. One of the nuisances of the real thing is getting in under it to keep it watered. A simple, elegant application of science will make it much easier next year.
• Finally, this little piece from John Scalzi is simply brilliant, but is rendered even more pointed and poignant when read alongside the coverage of life in an Amazon fulfillment centre.