Whiz of the Web: Thirsty Thursday

• Web Monkey lists the top ten reasons iTunes sucks. They are correct on every point. But we keep using it anyway! Sigh. Thankfully, Download Squad has found a way to make it at least a little bit better: it's a fun app that allows you to buy DRM-free mp3s on Amazon through iTunes. That's sticking it to Apple!
• Have you seen laser portraits? It's a catalog of hilarity and shame! (Via Stephanie)
• Wired posts a gallery of its readers' favorite portable music players.
• Wired is asking you to contribute a photo of flagrant cell phone use.
• Google is ending its proposed advertising search partnership with Yahoo! due to ongoing concerns from regulators and advertisers. This means Yahoo! almost certainly will not be buying AOL, and it also means that Microsoft might try to buy Yahoo! again.
• Wired unveils the winners of the Mars Phoenix Lander Twitter Epitaph contest. Our favorite is the third place in the popular vote: "It is enough for me. But for you, I plead: go farther, still." Kind of chokes us up a little, actually.
• Listening Post at Wired reports back after a hands-on experience with the Christian rock version of Guitar Hero, Guitar Praise.
• Quantum of Solace has already opened in theaters overseas (what?!? America first!!), and is doing mighty good business.
• Fox is really actually going to make a new big-screen adaptation of Gulliver's Travels starring Jack Black in the title role. Good lord.
• Luke Goss spilled some interesting beans on a couple of upcoming projects he's associated with: Tekken and Magdalena.
• According to a recent report, video games will trump music and movies as the U.K.'s most popular form of entertainment in 2008.
• Those of you who signed up for them should get your free Rock Band 2 songs pretty soon.
• Check out the Game Grip, a little contraption that gives your iPhone a video game controller look and feel so you can game on it easier.
• Rumor has it Russell Brand is close to inking a deal to appear in Pirates of the Caribbean 4. Which horrifies us, but we have to admit it makes perfect sense.
• Beware the Octopus of Space!!!
• To celebrate the release of the original Planet of the Apes on Blu-ray this week, 20th Century Fox sent Cornelius, Zira, Dr. Zaius, and their friends to Manhattan. Click through for pics!
• Prepare yourselves, collectors of geek-abilia! Thousands of props, costumes and set pieces from Battlestar Galactica will be auctioned off in January.
• The Dreamcast apparently makes a cameo in Sonic Unleashed.
• This just became this Phillyist's new desktop wallpaper.
• Super Punch asks: best action figure accessory ever? We answer, totally!
• Speaking of Super Punch, the site has a fun list of weird news links. First, Greg Packer, who was interviewed by the New York Times about the parade celebrating the Phillies' World Series victory, is apparently the perpetual "man on the street." Second, a fire at an unmanned US nuclear facility went unnoticed for five days and caused $1 million worth of damages. Finally, David Foster Wallace always wore a headband because he hoped it would prevent his head from exploding. (That explains so much.)
• Want to totally creep out any visitors to your home? Make yourself a portrait with moving eyes that are activated by motion sensors!
• Blizzard unleashed some figures the other day revealing that many of those who leave World of Warcraft for another MMO eventually come crawling back.

Image Credit: Flickr user KB35