Reading While Eating for December 22: Spaced Out

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Winter swimmers wearing Santa Claus hats, play with a ball on a snow-covered river in Shenyang, Liaoning province December 20, 2010. Picture taken December 20, 2010.

REUTERS/China Daily

Wednesday’s links think deep thoughts.

Intelligent Ideas: Despite the perception that the world is getting dumber, there are still great intellectuals around. See the top 100 global thinkers of the year. (Foreign Policy)

Loathsome Lists: Sick of all the year-end roundup lists? This will either infuriate or delight you. See the top 10 worst top 10 lists of the year. (Vanity Fair)

Orbit Outfits: You ought to be content with your Christmas gifts of socks and scarves. Why? Check out what astronauts have had to wear over the years. (New York Times)

Small Science: A group of elementary schoolers got a scholarly article published in a legitimate journal. What did you do at eight years old? (Discover)

Chubby Christmas: Kids say the darndest things — especially when they’re scrawled in crayon on Christmas cards. (The Hairpin)

Scary Santa: Even Nazis had Christmas parties. See photos of Hitler’s ornate, eerie celebration. (LIFE)

Tiny Tech: Admit it — you’ve always wanted to know where the smallest periodic table on earth was. Well, guess what? It’s on a single human hair. (The Daily What)

Elsewhere on TIME.com: Hitting the road — or the sky — for Christmas? Take these apps with you.

Must See: Check out what happens every 60 seconds on Facebook.