The sexy cats over at ValleyWag have the fresh MySpace office shots that you want. Or not. Formerly the home of LookSmart, the new space will be able to call other fresh, hip, cutting edge, perpetually hungover, youth-oriented spots like Current TV, SF Weekly, Wired, Chronicle Books, Sammy Hagar's place to do body shots, that abnormally chic pet store, Happy Donut, Nova, and even the flophouse that also known as SFist as their neighbors.......

Yowza, Chronicle Books! All you need to know about this book is right there in the graphic. Didn't we promise this book to you guys last month too? Crafting meets, uh.... crafting in today's giveaway, which has instructions not only for a variety of tube-shaped objects, but also how to make certain electric accessories, a knitting pattern for a sensitive male organ, crocheted restraints, chocolate body paints, and much, much more (50 projects in all).......

Oooh, we love giving stuff away -- and this one's for the dedicated craftster/stoner crowd -- the good folks at the hip DIY local publisher Chronicle Books want to teach you how to build your own bong. Duuuuuuuude! Namely, we've got a copy of the book Build This Bong to give to one lucky winner, randomly selected by the '-ist contest machine -- you can learn how to build a bong or hookah out of......

Number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 55. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 2 -- Charlotte Maillard Shultz and a way-too-skinny-looking Vanessa Getty. Minority count: 6 (10.9%). Getty v. Traina: 1-7. Big ups to C.Big for the comparison of the Steel-Traina family to the von Trapps! So long, farewell, auf wiedersein, good night. Number of hot dog hats pictured: 1, and it rocks. Days until the Barneys SF opens: 107......

SFist Jenna has your low-cost Friday and weekend covered! Whether you're expecting a tax refund or if you had to cough up a pocket-full of dough to the IRS, we've compiled a list of things to do in the city on a budget, all for the cost of a movie – or less! Tonight: Jeffrey Brown at GRSF. Eager to get an early-bird preview of the Alternate Press Expo? Head over to 618 Shrader, where......

Tartine Bakery is the perfect illustration of the Yogi Berra aphorism: nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded. We live walking distance from the 18th and guerrero shop, yet we shun the place many a week-end morning, not feeling up to standing in that long line, no matter how good the frangipane croissant or the banana cream pie. (Also, we slightly resent them for creating a smaller portion of the yummy bread pudding topped with seasonal fruits, instead of the earlier one-size-fits-all. We know have pang of guilts ordering the large one, the only one we ever want, but now made unreasonable by the smaller one). ...

We're sure you're familiar with the brooding dark haired girl known as Emily the Strange. Clothing, shoes, comic books, calendars, CD's, you name it, Emily's done it. And Sfist is proud to call Emily a native to the Bay Area. Rob Reger and an illustrator for Emily, Buzz Parker, will be signing books at Things From Another World this Saturday at their Metreon location in San Francisco, be sure to go and get something signed. In case you don't already have an Emily book to bring, Chronicle Books has offered free books and journals to three lucky SFist readers. ...

Our new weekend column on the Chron's society page! Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells: 58 Pictures of people whose names we recognize: 7. Two pictures of Willie Brown, two pictures of Gavin Newsom, Dede Wilsey, Stefanie Coyote, and we're counting Chronicle Books publisher Nion McEvoy as a person whose name we recognize, even though we didn't realize until reading the column that he's not a she. Minority count: 12 (about 20%).......

Have you heard of Patrick Roddie? Such a talented photographer, (you can see his work at the Chronicle Books kiosk in the Metreon), and a really nice guy. Tonight at 7 p.m., Patrick's speaking at the downtown Apple Store: Photographing people shouldn't be intimidating for the photographer -- or the model. San Francisco based photographer Patrick Roddie explains how to put your subjects at ease, find the best light and come away with non-posed, expressive......

SFist interviews artist Jill Bliss, founder of blissen.com...

And a Gong xi fa cai and/or Gong hay fat choi, depending on your dialect, to you! It's Chinese New Year's! Lunch is on your Asian-American friends, who should be flush with red envelope cash today. It's the year of the rooster on the 12-year Chinese lunar calendar, and people born either this year or who are turning multiples of 12 are supposedly independent, hardworking, and aren't afraid to tell you about it (roosters crow in all languages, we suppose). Along with the ringing-in of lunar calendar year 4027 comes the usual spate of well-meaning celebration of cultural difference yet sometimes vaguely-Orientalist news coverage has begun as well -- those of you trying to do business in Asia may have some wacky hijinks trying to get in touch with folks who've gone home for the holidays! For those of you who are less inclined to set off firecrackers or shake down the elderly for oranges, Jeff Yang gives some practical suggestions on celebrating Chinese New Year in a more modern way. The annual Chinatown parade not this weekend but next, on the 19th. This weekend, though, is the also-beloved Miss Chinatown USA Pageant, at the Palace of Fine Arts. ...