Our weekly update, where we share what’s inspiring us:

The Great Secret Santa on Twitter and Facebook

A few New Yorkers got into the spirit of giving this month by building a social media experiment around the well-known “Secret Santa” gift exchange. Those who signed up for The Great Twitter Secret Santa by December 13th will be matched up with the people they routinely exchange links with in a real-life gift exchange. The Facebook version of the experiment pairs “friends” up as Secret Santas, but this time all gifts are given in the form of donations to one of four pre-designated charities. The deadline to sign up for The Great Secret Santa on Facebook is December 21^st.

Major milestone: The Internet is now as popular as TV in the US

Recent Forrester research has revealed that, as Americans, we’ve reached a crucial pivoting point in the way we consume information and seek out entertainment. We now officially spend as much time online as we do watching television: 13 hours per week. TV isn’t dying off, but rather the Internet is catching up, with usage increasing 121% in five years. This is interesting fodder for those debating the relevance of web-connected TV and its future.

How Two Outcast Rappers Built an Insane Clown Empire

Smart marketing can be found in the most unexpected places and behind the strangest of faces. Remember the infamous “Miracles” music video? Bruce and Utsler, the two rappers who together make up the Insane Clown Posse, may have created what some call “the most hated band in the world,” but that band also happens to be at the center of a ripe, niche empire, with communication— not barriers— filling in the space between the performers and their hyper-engaged fans. Psychopathic Records may have been ahead of its time with ICP’s transparency-based, crowd-powered strategy.

Guillermo del Toro Partners On Transmedia Studio

Guillermo del Toro has teamed up with three others to open brand new transmedia storytelling engine, Mirada. The studio, which has been open for a week now, takes a multidisciplinary approach to telling stories digitally. The idea is for filmmakers to partner with Mirada in order to develop project content to span film, television, advertising, interactive and other media. Del Toro expects to bring some of his own projects into the mix as well.

Foursquare Hack Unlocks Building’s Front Door

Why unlock a badge when you can unlock an actual, physical door instead? Developers Erin Sparling and Nicholas Hall have utilized Foursquare’s local push notification service, Alpha 2.0 API and some speaker wire to add new functionality to the location-based service. After successfully unlocking their apartment building’s door by checking in online, the pair decided to open the hack to the public for their New Year’s Eve party. We’re guessing there will be a swarm that night at Apartm.net!

Retail and Digital Technology: What the Future Holds for Shopping

Shopping is on the brink of a technological and UX revolution, which is sure to brighten everyday experiences for consumers and retailers alike. Imagine digital signage taking the place of age-old paper price tags, updating prices, reviews and current promotions in real time, all while a system with a built-in camera collects demographic information about us in order to cater to our wants and needs. Even wilder, a full 3D immersive environment might even enable a shopper to preview what an item looks like in different rooms of his or her home.