Christmas came early for the people of North Korea.

North Korean state television announced today that Kim Jong il, whom the Korean people and the world held in “high esteem,” died Saturday during a glorious train trip. He was aged 69. The television presenter said he died of physical and mental exhaustion.

As a side note, today is the birthday of Lee Myung-bak, the President of South Korea. Best birthday present he’ll ever receive!

The video below shows the (forced) reactions of people in Pyongyang (N. Korea’s capital city) after hearing the message about Kim Jong il’s death. Warning: it’s seriously disturbing.

Now, does Kim Jong il’s death mean things will finally change in North Korea? Nobody understands North Korea well enough to make any kind of meaningful prediction about this. The only certain thing Jong il’s death has created is the chance for change. Whether or not this chance will be used remains to be seen.

Have you ever wondered what kind of chemistry The Simpsons and Breaking Bad would have if they accidentally ended up in the same bed at a cheap motel? Me neither. But what I did always wonder is what Ned Flanders does in his spare time. You know, other than diddly doodlin’ his neighborino.

Now I know…

According to Google’s analysis of its search data for the past 12 months, these 10 topics represent the things that mattered the most in 2011. It’s quite depressing that other than Japan’s Fukushima disaster we’ve only been interested in celebrities and gadgets/entertainment.

Thankfully, Google’s own take on the biggest moments of the year offers a better picture of what really mattered.

So the motherboard of my workstation decided to die on me yesterday. At the same time, I noticed a bright pixel on my main display and had to send it back for replacement. I now have to try and get things done on a 4-year-old laptop that can barely deal with four Google Chrome windows before joining the fail whale olympic team. Fun times!

Because of these issues I probably won’t be able to post too often for the next couple of weeks, until I get the main system fixed and restore everything to its former glory.