Happy New Year!

Let’s start off with a flowchart, shall we?

Make the Photo supplies this first entry of 2010 (or Two-Aught-One-Naught, as I’ve decided to call it). This one walks you through the process of selecting a digital camera.

It’s not quite as complicated as our guide to Choosing an HDTV, but that isn’t a bad thing–particularly if you’re having a little trouble getting your brain started this morning!

It is the time of cheer, the season of giving, the day you begin to seriously panic because you haven’t yet finished your holiday shopping.

Easy, there, tiger. Gliffy has you covered. We want all of your perfectly chosen presents to find their way under your tree, or beside your menorah, or <preposition> your <appropriate religious/cultural symbol> in time.

And, naturally, we’ll help out with a gift of our own: a flowchart plotting what we see as the simplest path to holiday shopping success.

click image to see full flowchart

Don’t you feel better now? That’s gotta make it all a bit easier, although even we can’t help you choose a gift for Aunt Maureen.

If you’re really stuck for present ideas, how about giving yourself a gift that clarifies everything? That’s right! Licenses for Gliffy Online are only $5/month!

Our online diagram editor makes it easier than ever to create great looking drawings like this Holiday Shopping flowchart. With Gliffy, you can easily create professional-quality flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, technical drawings, and more. Check it out for 30 days for free.

Talking Points Memo posted this insanely complicated flowchart illustrating the military’s plan for Afghanistan.

NBC’s Richard Engel reports that this flowchart from the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “lays out the counterinsurgency strategy to achieve three goals: “Influence insurgent-minded individuals to adopt a neutral disposition”; “Influence neutral-minded individuals to adopt a supportive disposition;” and “Retain supportive individuals.”

The double lines through certain connectors on the chart represent “significant delay.””

All clear?

Why yes, I do think Jeff Goldblum would be excellent in the role of the plucky flowchart blogger who looks super awesome working in his PJs.

This map to daughter-support brought to you by lunchbreath. His photostream on Flick’r has other flowcharts in this vein plus lots of other good design work if you want more good advice.

Did you think that there was some magical elf that wandered through the woods, harvesting iPhones? That’s not 100% correct. The magical elf floats mysteriously through the woods, harvesting iPhones.

Or maybe that’s not quite it either? There may be something I’m missing about engineers, decades of development, and, according to Fast Company, innovation. Staff writer Dan Macsai put together this flowchart that illuminates how your fancy new holiday gadget sprung forth from the primordial ooze.

You’ll want to click through to see the interactive flowchart at Fast Company — it’s much nicer than the static screenshot I’ve got posted here.

click image to see interactive flowchart

I’ll see you in the nebulous future.

As you regular readers will know, putting song lyrics in flowchart form is a bit of a meme.

John Cabrera — writer, director, Gilmore Girls superstar, and now flowchart impresario — created this beauty that propels us through David Bowie’s Space Oddity.

While this obviously isn’t the first song lyric flowchart, I have no problem whatsoever giving this my blue ribbon for “best.” In this one, Mr. Cabrera has managed to capture not only the surface level of the lyrics, but also the aesthetic of the song and the feel of the music.

Yeah. I pretty much love this.

Did you get enough to eat this Thanksgiving? I sure did. I was stuffed before the main course hit the table and that’s not even mentioning the two desserts my wife made.

But, I suppose you might still be hungry. And if you’re still hungry and you like flowcharts, then of course you’ll want to check out RecipeFlowCharts.

Yeah. I didn’t see that one coming either.

On this new (and perhaps already dead) blog, an unidentified author presents recipes in flowchart form. Two are currently posted; Chicken Tikka Masala and Cheddar Broccoli Lunch Muffins.

It’s an interesting idea. Having not yet tried out either recipe, it does look like this format may actually be easier to use. I’m the kind of cook who needs a recipe and who always needs to check and recheck it as I cook. I get lost. I can’t remember when I’m supposed to stir in the almonds or when I’m supposed to brown the onions.

What do you think?

While we’re talking about stuffing our faces, here’s another flowchart from Eating the Road, this one on which breakfast cereal is right for you.

This one is getting the big love over on Digg, but I’m still squarely in the not-impressed camp. If you think this is great, please share. I’m very curious.

Oooh look! It’s the elusive flowchart seen in its natural habitat! It isn’t often we get to see a flowchart out of it’s internet-burrow (they’re nocturnal), so let’s see what we can learn from this brave little fella.

This picture of a sign at Market Lane Coffee in Melbourne Australia is from Flick’r user MuteMonkey.

Market Lane in turn bounces credit for the inspiration for their sign to Volta Coffee in Florida. So hats doffed all around, gentlemen and ladies. Good idea. (Now, can you get Americans to learn how to make a flat white? Awesome.)

This flowchart isn’t complicated or anything, but it doesn’t need to be. It isn’t fancy; just chalk on board. It is, however, satisfyingly clear. It tells you what you want to know without any delay and that means you’re that much closer to a damn fine cup of coffee.

Make mine a double.

For those of you traveling, good luck with the lines. And for all y’all, happy Thanksgiving.

You may have seen this one already, as it’s covering the Internet like grease on a McNugget.

This flowchart from Eating the Road doesn’t do much for me. That may be because the only reason I’d eat fast food is if I’d been buried in a box under the highway for three days with nothing to eat. And even then, I’m thinking I could make it to a gas station for some peanuts or something.

But what do you think? Obviously this chart has sparked something in readers to warrant its being posted and reposted and Dugg and all that.

Tell me why you like it (if you do).

Personally, I don’t see the humor here. The background is pretty distracting. And, most importantly, I don’t really think anyone has any use whatsoever for a flowchart telling them what fast food to eat. If you’re hungry, and you consider fast food to be food, I think it’s reasonably safe to say that the time for high-level thinking has passed.

Hello flowchart aficionado!

Is this your first time on the Gliffy blog? I ask only because yesterday Gizmodo covered one of our original flowcharts and now, well, there are a lot of new faces around.

Welcome. What we’re trying to do here is collect the best flowcharts and diagrams that we can find — the funniest, the cleverest, the most interesting — and hold them up for adulation. (Or occasionally, criticism)

We also create original flowcharts to share, and we happily accept your submissions for consideration, whether or not they’re made using Gliffy’s flowchart software. (It’s free to try, though…)

Made something you think is worth posting? Found something on the web you want to share? Get me in the comments and I’ll get back to you.

Today’s example of flowchart excellence comes courtesy of Wired Magazine. Daniel Dumas posted this one on their website and I thought it might appeal to you.

It’s called:

Ask a Flowchart: Should I Delete My Tweet?

Not bad, Daniel. I think the Colombians might object to the depiction of their postal service, but otherwise funny.

I’m not sure how I feel about how the design, though. Is its old skool circuit diagram look a little hard to follow? What do you think?