AvatarAang let us know that the latest Inside Halo is now online – Halo news, a Top 5 list, and top plays of the… however long it’s been. Go watch.(Louis Wu 16:56:32 UTC)

Hawty McBloggy let us know that although she missed Friday again this week, you can still go by and participate in the latest round of Friday Caption Fun – answers for the last round are up, along with a VERY odd screenshot for this round. Go see what you can come up with! (Louis Wu 16:49:37 UTC)

A10M1C let us know that the ‘Tis the Season’ Screenshot contest kicked off at the Mindless Distortion blog last week is now over – and the winner has been announced. Swing by to see the details!(Louis Wu 16:43:53 UTC)

The Bungie Weekly Update is up way earlier than normal, but hey, when your whole update consists of cool concept art, it’s pretty straightforward to get it online. Go look at the ODST goodies! You can, as usual, do so in our own Weekly Update Archive, if you so choose.(Louis Wu 19:37:45 UTC)

NOKYARD, of High Speed Halo, wrote to say that the Pacifist Speed Run table is now online. These runs do not allow pulling triggers, grenades or melee of any kind – you might wonder what folks are doing not shooting in a first person SHOOTER, but hey, it IS the season of peace. Go read about these runs on HSH, or just get to downloading.(Louis Wu 19:35:29 UTC)

FireDragon04 let us know that he’s got a new Halo 3 machinima short up on YouTube. His description to me suggested that the video “follows a very confusing un-linear story and doesn’t explain anything but lets everyone take away their own conclusion to the video” – pretty accurate. Go see if you like it.(Louis Wu 19:31:20 UTC)

Nabsuh stopped into our forum with a pretty obscure teaser for his upcoming project – there’s enough there to whet your appetite, but not enough to really let you know what’s going on. (Isn’t that what a teaser is all about?) Go watch.(Louis Wu 18:19:04 UTC)

urk stopped in this morning to highlight a Bungie Christmas Tribute from a couple of fans – a fun Rube Goldberg construction on Avalanche. Check it out! (Louis Wu 17:15:24 UTC)

Kral, from Halo.fr, wrote to tell us about a new montage he’s edited, showing off gameplay by UFG Ninja SI – 3:33 long, available in HD format on YouTube. The music is a bit abrasive, but the editing is pretty good. Go watch!(Louis Wu 17:13:46 UTC)

Ross Mills pointed out an article on Kotaku about the upcoming helmets from McFarlane, for their Spartan figures. Adorable! (Louis Wu 17:13:26 UTC)

FyreWulff is offering a copy of Halo 3: ODST (clearly not to be given away for a while) in a raffle that you enter by playing a game on a custom map/gametype of his. Swing by his post for full details – you won’t find an easier way to get hold of this game! (Louis Wu 17:10:10 UTC)

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Fan Fiction update – even if Christmas makes it feel like the beginning of the week. Six new stories today – go read!(Louis Wu 17:08:12 UTC)

Just before Christmas, B.net’s Yoozel posted a note about Forgecast #5, the latest podcast from the ForgeHub team. Looks like Scotty (interviewed on the ‘cast) let our forum know this morning. Swing by and grab a copy!(Louis Wu 17:06:08 UTC)

LoneRanger 2.5 and Hellhawk were discussing a deal you can find on Xbox LIVE Marketplace – if you buy a 12-month LIVE subscription between December 23 and January 5, and pay for it online (that is, without a prepaid card), you get a free copy of the Legendary Map Pack. Not bad!(Louis Wu 17:05:30 UTC)