Violence Information The Community Learning Network (CLN) has created theme pages with links to two different (but related) aspects of violence. "Violence in the Media" and "Youth Violence" are both issues of great concern to the educational community. The "Violence in the Media" theme page is a collection of websites intended to help students gain an awareness of how we are all influenced by violence on television, in the movies, etc. The links include lesson plans to encourage productive discussions and activities related to media violence, including thinking about ways that we can deal with it. Violence in the Media Theme Page http://www.etc.bc.ca/tdebhome/themes/media_violence.html Gangs and gang-related criminal activities are a focus of the links on the "Youth Violence" theme page. It's a bleak topic that can seem overwhelming, but some of the sites offer hope through models of prevention. For instance, strengthening family bonds and improving the self-esteem of young people can promote more cooperation and less gang-like behaviour. The links include pages that describe techniques of conflict management and ways to create a community atmosphere that addresses contributing factors such as poverty, child abuse and health. Youth Violence Theme Page: http://www.etc.bc.ca/tdebhome/themes/youth_violence.html http://www.etc.bc.ca/tdebhome/themes/media_violence.html ********************** School/Community Nature Trails I enjoy finding unusual educational sites on the web, so when I was asked to look for ideas related to building a woodland trail for elementary students, I was pleased to have a chance to explore a topic I had never considered. I discovered photos and descriptions of Nature Trails for kids that include gardens, picnic tables, bird study areas, fitness stations, ponds, bridges and more -- a wonderful way to learn while enjoying the outdoors. One of the most interesting aspects of this collection is that in most cases, students, teachers, parents and other members of the community all became involved. Designing and building a nature trail is a project that seems to really get people working together. It's also the type of project is never fully completed, and the groups continue working together to maintain and improve their trails, along with keeping ongoing records (sometimes online) of the plants, birds and animals that are discovered on the trails. Here are some examples of web pages that describe school- based nature trails: http://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/USR/Firgrove/brown/trail.htm http://www.lex1.k12.state.sc.us/rbe/trail.htm http://www.acorns.k12.tn.us/schools/grandoaks/nature.html http://www.ccsd15.k12.il.us/esc/mjmuseum.htm http://www.evergreen.ca/lgottawa95proceedings4.html To complement the trail information, here's a Grade 2 science unit from Saskatchewan on plant growth. Among many other ideas, this unit describes a walk through a nature trail wearing a big pair of heavy socks on the *outside* of your shoes. When the walk is completed, out come the magnifying glasses to examine everything that has stuck to the socks! I think this one would be a hit with kids of many ages. Primary Science Unit on Plant Growth http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/elemsci/gr2ucesc.html Finally, although I found some interesting sites, this search was a bit of a challenge. If you know of other "school trail" sites or if you've been involved in the planning or building of a fitness trail and would like to share information, please let me know. Thanks to Marjorie Jones of Saltspring Island for the idea! http://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/USR/Firgrove/brown/trail.htm ********************** Once a Month Cooking TUTIC looked in the mirror this morning and saw reflected back, a Mommy. Her once nearly-waistlength hair is now cropped in a perky bob at the chin; her clothes are equally practical and dare she say, spunky. As Lou Grant once said, "I hate spunk," but there it is. Perhaps reflecting this new consciousness in her life, several email lists of which she's a member have been talking about once-a-month cooking--where you basically spend two days cooking your brains out to have meals for the entire month. It allegedly saves a ton of money and gives you home-cooked food at a fraction of the time. Here's a good site to check it out if you want to give it a bash; TUTIC intends to since time and money are nearly the two things she is shortest on, the first being TUTIC Jr's patience. http://members.aol.com/OAMCLoop/index.html ********************** Bagpiper.com Ah, the "agony bag," as a friend whose mother is a practitioner calls it. Hot air abounds at Bagpiper.com, if only to inflate said bags. Classifieds for those looking to sell or buy, a calendar of events, articles on technique and history, profiles of individual pipers and whole bands, a Celtic history-of-the month feature and more links than you can shake a sporran at. (Can you get arrested for shaking your sporran at someone?) Thanks to Fishy TUTIC Friend Sandy Herring. http://www.bagpiper.com/ ********************** WAHM WAHM stands for Work At Home Moms--moms who have home-based businesses, or as this site puts it: "Is every day at your office Take Your Daughter to Work Day?" (It is here at TUTIC Central, where you trip over the stuffed animals to get to the computer.) This is a terrific site, full of advice, editorials, sympathy, humor and links. It gives WAHMs a chance to find each other, network, and trade tips on getting the absolute most work done during kids' naptimes. And that, take it from TUTIC, is an artform. http://www.wahm.com/ ********************** Dates From Hell This close to Valentine's Day gets people thinking either about how they've been through the thrill of love or the mill of love, as the song says. For those who want to share their experiences of the latter, there's this site, which is soliciting stories of horrid dates for a new book. Not much to read, but if you have an overwhelming urge to purge, here ya go. http://www.datesfromhell.com/dfh/index.htm ********************** Old Farmers Almanac TUTIC wishes she'd found this earlier in the year, but it's never too late for a good almanac. You'll find most of what you'd find in the print edition here, including planting guides, weather predictions for your part of the country, phases of the moon, horoscopes, important dates to remember and more. The site is semi-customizable. http://www.almanac.com/ ********************** Irish Step Dancing TUTIC Jr got a package from our friends in Ireland today. It had a Brigid's Cross in it and rushes the children had gathered for us to make our own. TUTIC has no idea whether they step dance, in fact she rather doubts it, but there's perhaps nothing so reminiscent of Ireland for the children of the Irish diaspora than step dancing and Irish music. This page, put together by the mom of two dancers, is a pretty complete resource for people interested in the subject. http://members.aol.com/KDrew43139/IrishStepDancing.html ********************** The Case Against Casey Two sports stories either emanating from or connected to TUTIC's home state of Oregon this week. Casey Martin has won the right from a Eugene, Oregon court to use a golf cart on the PGA Tour. This page at golf.com presents some intelligent pro and con looks at how the Americans with Disabilities Act should apply to professional sports, and some good background on Martin's particular situation. http://tour.golf.com/tour/nike/casey_martin/ ********************** Picabo Street Here at TUTIC Central, we're hardly the athletic types. Which is why we get so excited when a local girl makes good; gives us a chance to live vicariously. Skiier Picabo Street, from Portland, Oregon, won the gold medal in the Super Gee at Nagano this week. The Mountain Zone site has this pre-Olympics interview with the Rose City's snow queen. Today, Super Gee, tomorrow, the downhill! Go Picabo! http://www.mountainzone.com/olympics/nagano/street.html ********************** AMERICA'S MOST WANTED (tv) Didja hear the one about the suspected murderess who was found hiding out in a Florida nudist colony? These and other sordid tales are standard fare on America's Most Wanted, Fox's extremely popular (and extremely lurid) true-crime TV show. AMW specializes in dramatized crime stories, at the end of which viewers are duly deputized to be on the lookout for the associated criminals and/or missing persons. The official AMW Web site carries this TV-watching-as-crime-solving scheme into new, interactive territory. You'll find thumbnail sketches of each case, with all the pertinent deets (date of birth, eye color, identifying scars, etc.); a news ticker detailing recent case breaks; the Locator, which lets you search for miscreants by name, location, type of crime, or date of broadcast; and, last but by no means least, an e-mail tool for reporting sightings or tips. http://www.amw.com ********************** CHICAGO TRIBUNE: INTERNET EDITION When does a relaunch qualify as a "new" site? In the Chicago Tribune's case, it's when you swap a neat, frames-based, newspaper-like interface for a fancy new Java implementation that closely resembles a TV screen. The central console displays headlines and pictures, letting you click on stories that interest you. A side menu that lets you choose among news, sports, business, leisure, communities (coverage of the 'burbs), marketplaces (online classifieds), and "Interact" (message boards, staff e-mail). While Chicagoans are the obvious target, out of towners may want to check out the paper's heartland take on national and international events, not to mention its slavish coverage of Michael Jordan's every move on and off the court. http://chicago.tribune.com ********************** LOVINGYOU.COM (living) Cupid is creeping stealthily closer, bow drawn taut. Have you gotten your significant other a gift? Or are you romantically challenged? If you think an amorous night out is one where you stay in, e-mailing mushy love letters from across town, you'd best stop into this rosy spot pronto. Lovingyou.com is brimming with romantic poems, quotes, date ideas, advice, free postcards, and much more. Added bonus: You'll be able to say you got your ideas from the Web the next time your beloved complains that the Internet is ruining your relationship. http://www.lovingyou.com ********************** TALEMONGER'S EMPORIUM It's always a pleasure to read prose from an intelligent, literate, knowledgeable source; and that's what "computer game addict" Cindy Vanous offers at TE--all in a cool neo-Gaelic design. At Sierra On-Line, Cindy works as a game writer on the mysterious Un-Named Game project; but at her Web site, she posts links to articles and reviews she's written (including a fine retrospective on female computer game heroines) and hosts an Ask a Developer Q&A that emphasizes straight answers to outsiders' questions about the business. Good example: Al Lowe (of Leisure Suit Larry fame) answering the question, "Why don't more designers use humor in their games?" But you'll have to wait for Cindy's blow-by-blow account of her game's development until it's officially announced. http://www.speakeasy.org/~emporium ********************** TEMP 24-7 (books) The emergence of temporary workers has dramatically changed the way U.S. companies and individuals view labor. The phrase "Let's bring in a temp to do it" often masks the adjoining refrain: "And we won't need to pay health care!" Who are these interchangeable vertebrae in the corporate backbone? Temps have their own sarcastic voice online with the launch of this biting new weekly zine. Read gripes of the week; learn new temp terms (“glorified gopher," for example, means "any 'general office' position, all of which rank right above 'intern'"); play a hilarious Shockwave game; and forever change your nonchalant attitude when hiring a temp for the day. http://www.temp24-7.com ********************** NAGANO 1998 (sports) Most of us here in the States had our best shot at attending the Olympics in 1996, when they went down in Atlanta. Now we'd have to travel all the way to Nagano, Japan, to view the Winter Games. Or would we? If you'll accept a cyberview, you actually needn't leave your computer, thanks to this new official site. Watch RealVideo highlights of the events, find out who's winning the medal race, meet some of the athletes, and much more in this bilingual (English and Japanese) 30,000-page-strong arena. http://www.nagano.olympic.org ********************** CLAMEN'S MOVIE INFORMATION COLLECTION Add this one to your bookmark list: Mr. Clamen has put together one of the best collections of movie-related info you'll find on the Web. Cinema schedules, film facts, industry news, reviews, ratings, script archives, Usenet groups, world-wide box office totals, studio sites, film festivals, craft guilds, and lots more. This is an invaluable resource. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Unofficial/Movies/README.html ********************** SPREE FLOWERS Spree claims to be the "largest flower shop in the universe," and it may just be. The "pink ribbon bouquet" ($40) makes a very impressive Valentine's gift and promotes a good cause (25% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research). Spree offers all the standard categories, plus such specials as a boutonniere (the $13 red rose "makes a statement without saying a word"), silk flowers, and business congratulations. The site is easy to search and comes adorned with good descriptions and photos. Other features include same-day delivery on all items (if ordered by 10 a.m.), secure SSL online ordering, and a 30-day refund guarantee (which also covers the original shipping costs). http://www.spree.com/gifts/gf_flowers.asp ********************** HBO PRESENTS 4 LITTLE GIRLS (film) Spike Lee has a thing for timing. His latest effort, 4 Little Girls, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature on February 10, the same day HBO launched this new site. Most of us have heard the story of that Sunday morning in Birmingham, Alabama nearly 35 years ago, when a bomb tore through the basement of a black Baptist church, killing four innocent girls. Lee's film explores the origins and aftermath of that event through archival film footage, home photographs, and interviews with those whose lives were affected. Visitors to this official site can read bios of the victims, follow a civil rights timeline from 1600 to 1969, and enter their thoughts about racism in a site-sponsored contest. Promised upcoming features include a photo museum, chat room, and documentary video and audio clips. --EH http://www.4littlegirls.com ********************** BEATS "PSYCHIC FRIENDS" WITH A STICK Want to know what the future REALLY holds for you? Visit the Internet Fortune Cookie at http://www.enternet.com/cgi-bin/fortune There you can find an instant assessment of your prospects for wealth, health, love--and if you don't like it, you can just click your Refresh button to display a whole new fortune! Be warned: Many of the fortunes are weak jokes, and several are computer oriented. If you're looking for a somewhat more spiritual and reflective (but equally disposable) outlook, first meditate on your troubles/hopes/desires and then visit The Random I Ching Reading at http://www.enternet.com/cgi-bin/ching In the event that you don't like the first reading you get, you can also refresh it to change it. In the more likely event that you don't understand the reading, a link on the page provides a semi-informative explanation. http://www.enternet.com/cgi-bin/fortune ********************** BRING NEW MEANING TO THE PHRASE "BLOODTHIRSTY SHUT-IN" You've finished reading the police blotter, and all the "real-crime" shows are repeats. Looks like another boring day, right? Wrong again, ambulance-chaser breath: If you've got a sound-equipped PC, you can hear real-live police-car talk all day long on PoliceScanner.com: http://www.policescanner.com Pick one of the four urban crime centers currently available (New York, Los Angeles, Houston and--surprisingly--Plano, Texas), and listen in on all the 10-4s, APBs, and indecipherable bursts of static you could ever want to hear. And if it's a slow day on the streets, you can chat about the New York and Los Angeles police departments with others of your apparently growing ilk. Plus, you can find links to various police departments and support groups, the COPS TV show, and, of course, a multimedia download of the original OJ verdict--because true crime, after all, knows no shame. http://www.policescanner.com ********************** Visual Thesaurus ***Warning*** Do not go to this web site unless you have at least an hour to spend. I review thousands of web sites. This one was the most fascinating presentations in a website that I have seen. A thesaurus is a resource and treasury of the use of words. The authors describe "The Plumbdesign Visual Thesaurus is an exploration of sense relationships within the English language. By clicking on words, you follow a thread of meaning, creating a spatial map of linguistic associations". This product demonstrates well just what the web can offer. One can explore verbs, adjectives and other forms of words and their related alternatives visually as a sort of mathematical model. Best of all, this useful tool is free.Kudos to Plumbdesign for offering an entertaining application for word usage and giving the Internet public an invaluable tool. http://www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus/ ********************** Top Ten Links My web philosophy has always been: "I can find anything in 3 clicks". TTL is the web page that supports this axiom. Once you are on the page, your searching becomes logical and easy. They divide the web into 16 categories with thousands of valuable resources. This is a "run don't walk site". http://www.toptenlinks.com/ ********************** Cool 404 Sometimes you just need a creative site which is fun. COOL 404 is just what Doctor Geek ordered. A "404" is usually a cryptic message saying that the link no longer exists. Cool 404 collects these messages and makes them art. http://www.cool404.com/ ********************** Memories of a Hitch-Hiker This site contains an Australian man's many stories of hitch-hiking throughout Europe, Asia, and New Zealand. We didn't think people still hitch-hiked, perhaps because we seldom see anyone hitching rides here in the States. In other countries, it may be more commonplace since your chances of getting picked up by a lunatic are no doubt far less than they would be in the U.S. Anyway, we found these stories to be interesting, especially since they only happened a few years ago instead of in the 60's, which is when most of the hitch-hiking stories always seem to have happened. We give this one a thumbs up! http://www.aitec.edu.au/~bwechner/Documents/Hitch/Memories/contents.html ********************** Destination Guides Planning a trip to New York soon? How about Paris, Anchorage, Jerusalem, Phoenix, or Tokyo? Destination Guides has in-depth info on just about every major tourist city in the world from Acapulco to Zurich. You can find out about attractions and activities, restaurants, hotels, how to get around, how to get there (and get out), and a lot more info for the saavy traveler. Sponsored by Preview Travel and in association with Fodor's, Destination Guides was created by people who really know about travel. http://destinations.previewtravel.com/ ********************** Interactive Asia When the Asia Society made the leap into cyberspace, it not only brought us the writings and images that go with Asia's art, culture, politics and economics: Roundtable discussion areas add an important interactive element. http://www.asiasociety.org/ ********************** Free Clips Artist Karen Shader has an offer that anyone who likes clipart shouldn't refuse. An unusual watercolor look, and it's free. Another cool netizen. http://members.xoom.com/Artshop/index.htm ********************** Nicely Useless Some people spend their online lives scouring the Web for valuable information. Not these folks at the aptly named Useless Information site. http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/ ********************** Developing World Sharing information and insights about the world is one of the Web's greatest capacities. And Talking about Development takes advantage of it with a series of interviews on issues of human rights and international development. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~fiatlux/td/ ********************** British Zone British humor gets center stage at the Comedy Zone. Backgrounders on the Monty Python gang and various other zannities. http://www.comedyzone.beeb.com/ ********************** Scriptorama Movies can be the inspiration for learning activities in a variety of areas. I was surprised to find that dozens of scripts from some of the most memorable movies are on the web. These are a great resource for students who want to perform segments from favourite films, write 'sequels' or alternative endings, or discuss/analyze style, character motivation, plot, historical and cultural issues, etc. Here are some of the direct links: Titanic (the Cameron movie): http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/3827/rickyroma.htm Raiders of the Lost Ark: http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~indiana/mv/scrpls/raiders.html The Princess Bride: http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/princess.shtml Dr. Strangelove: http://mach.me.queensu.ca/~bakhtiar/kubrick/strangescript.html Many other movies, including "Star Wars", "Star Trek", "Wizard of Oz", "Shine", "Men in Black", "2001", "The Abyss", "Casablanca", and more are available at the "Scriptorama" site. Note that some of these are in zip or pdf format. Scriptorama: http://www.script-o-rama.com/table.shtml None of the above can be guaranteed as definitive versions. The sources are not particularly official, but they *are* lots of fun. I found a very interesting variation between the online script of 'Titanic' and what really happened in the movie. If you read through to the ending, and take note of the scene where Rose throws something overboard, you'll see what I mean. Having students try out both options to see which is more effective might be a valuable lesson to compare evocative versus explicit conclusions! http://www.script-o-rama.com/table.shtml ********************** National Space Society The NSS "promotes change in social, technical, economic, and political conditions to advance the day when people will live and work in space." Its nifty site includes the latest space exploration news, educational resources for teachers, Ask an Astronaut, a huge collection of links to sites that promote the society's values, and articles from the society's magazine Ad Astra. (As for living and working in space, you couldn't get TUTIC up there for a zillion bucks; she'll telecommute from Earth, thank you.) http://www.nss.org/home.html ********************** Patron Saints Index Need a little spiritual help but don't know where to turn? Try your patron saint. This site is an exhaustive (but still incomplete according to the maintainer) list of saints and their various "specialties," from Acacius (patron saint of headache sufferers) to Zita (patron saint of both lost keys and rape victims, strangely). Cross-linked to hagiographies, the list is browsable by nationality, name and "specialty," with the "Saint(s) of the Day" available as well. Fascinating, whether you're Catholic or not. ttp://members.xoom.com/sjs/indexsnt.htm ********************** GAP ONLINE STORE It's the time of year when our snail-mailboxes suffer from holiday catalog overload. If you shop at The Gap--the default clothier of young urban hipsters everywhere--you can save a few trees by checking out its catalog online. Wander the men's or women's departments, or go for jeans, khakis, or "essentials." Secure online ordering is available; and if you register with the site, you get access to the Organizer option, which lets you permanently store your billing vitals and even reminds you about upcoming gift-giving days via e-mail. http://www.gap.com/onlinestore ********************** Eon Magazine Are you a sci-fi fan? Wouldn't miss a single episode of the X-Files? Know every Star Trek episode by heart? Stood in line the first day that Star Wars was re-released in movie theaters? If so, then you and Eon Magazine are a match made in heaven. This is cutting edge sci-fi talk and babble, with a slick interface to boot. Heck, they'll even tell you why the Tony Danza Show was the best sci-fi show on the tube. What we want to know is, will he ever get a role where the character's name isn't Tony? http://www.eonmagazine.com/ ********************** Fuller's Web The thoughts of R. Buckminster Fuller and the Web make for a natural combination. So it seems fitting that his magnum opus Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking should become available online. http://www.servtech.com/public/rwgray/synergetics/synergetics.html ********************** Saddam-O-Meter News about Iraq got you down? Lighten up with the Saddam-O-Meter, a supposed view into Israel's national psyche. Courtesy of Virtual Jerusalem. http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/ ********************** Web Radio You can dump that old transistor if you want. Web Radio boasts 1,100 online radio stations. With links to a variety of players. http://www.web-radio.com/ ********************** Online Games Spot quiz: What do you do when the boss isn't looking. Take a hint from the KIDZ Online Games & Activities site. http://204.96.11.210/kidz/games/games.htm ********************** The Bullytin English bulldogs may not be that pretty. But they sure can build a cool Web site. The aptly named Bullytin is a model for what you can do online to show your affection for a particular breed. http://www.englishbulldog.com/ ********************** Net Detours Since we update the Dynamite Site page every day, we're constantly on the lookout for good sources of Web links. We recently stumbled on Net Detours, which serves weekly columns in which the topic changes for week to week. The columns are rife with links, so there's always a fresh batch of sites to check out. The formula is nothing new, but we kind of liked Net Detours' presentation. Another perk is that you are given the option of having the column delivered to you via e-mail, which is handy for those of us who seldom visit a site more than once. http://netdetours.com/ ********************** Real 3-D Remember 3-D movies? On the Web, 3-D's much better than you remember. Get your free glasses here and add a new dimension to your screen. http://www.webbyawards.com/glasses.html ********************** Online School Improve your grades with a visit to the OnlineSchoolyard. Packed with learning activities, the site includes subjects ranging from art and computers to math and science. http://www.onlineschoolyard.com/default.asp ********************** Swimming In Money? Everybody wonders about how to make money on the Web. Sports Illustrated may have found the secret: Sell exclusive online photos from its Swimsuit Edition. Free teasers. http://swimsuit.cnnsi.com/features/1998/swimsuit/cover.html ********************** Geek Group And the winner in our way-obscure-techie-site is the South Alabama Linux Users Group. Fair warning: Don't go here unless you're not offended by a little geek humor. http://www.salug.org/ ********************** Movie Mistakes If you love movies, you love to find mistakes in them. To see what you've missed, check out the aptly named Biggest and Best List of Movie Mistakes. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/E_Sandys/homepage.htm ********************** Behind the Viewfinder Behind the Viewfinder presents the daily journals of a group of photojournalists, appropriately in both words and pictures. If you've ever wondered what the day-to-day life of a photojournalist is like, then this is the perfect place to find out. Learn the stories behind the pictures they shoot, and how they sometimes happen to be in just the right place at just the right time. http://www.digitalstoryteller.com/YITL/ ********************** Marriage Planner If you think the most important part of getting married is the planning, plan to visit Modern Bride. Figure out your wedding "style," get beauty tips and gain advice from real people in the site's message boards. http://www.modernbride.com ********************** New Sound More evidence that the Web is the best thing to happen to music: Get to sample Van Halen's upcoming album -- now. And "Without You" is free, too. http://wbr.com/vanhalen/ ********************** Estate Tour There's a new way to take a tour of a historic place, as the new Biltmore Estate site shows. A real visual treat, from rooms to gardens. http://www.biltmore.com ********************** Web Savvy School Bellevue-Santa Fe is a charter school in San Luis Obispo, Calif., that's found a way to turn the Web into a great local educational resource. An especially nice touch, the student-created home pages. http://www.bsfcs.org/ ********************** "Dumb" Admission Not many people will admit that their Web site is "dumb." Andrew does. He calls it the "BearGallery." http://www.benicetobears.com/gallery/ ********************** OTAKU WORLD The average American may view cartoons as Saturday morning kids' stuff, but Japanese of all ages consider cartoon manga and anime an authentic and serious literary form. Otaku World (the word otaku is used in Japanese to designate both a geek and a manga/anime enthusiast) sets itself apart from other manga appreciation sites, thanks to a search engine that scours the Web for pages on favorite characters and series, an encyclopedic assortment of links, and a great collection of desktop themes for Windows. http://otakuworld.com ********************** WebShopper Check out the Hottest Products! WebShopper lists the Top 50 award-winning software and hardware products introduced in the last year. Before you decide on the latest notebook, modem, or graphics card, take a peek at WebShopper's Annual Year-End Round-Up. http://www.tipworld.com/arts.cgi?webshopper-tw01 ********************** THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY Ambrose Bierce formulated the final version of this biting dictionary more than 80 years ago, but it still packs a painfully funny one-two punch. To wit: "BRIDE, n. A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her," and "PRAY, v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy." You can find other sites with more background on Bierce--and even other e-texts of the Dictionary--but this one is our favorite. http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils ********************** THE INTERNET INDUSTRY STANDARD (computers) With beaucoup ballyhoo, IDG (the Web Magazine Online's parent company) recently launched the Internet Industry Standard, a weekly newsmagazine covering the Internet economy--a cross, the founders hope, between Variety and the Economist. The publication boasts some impressive founders, including its president and publisher John Batelle (a seasoned management exec with Wired Ventures) and editor-in-chief Jonathan Weber (former technology editor for the Los Angeles Times). The Standard will launch this spring, but its companion Web site is offering a sneak peek. Wade through the prominent subscription and ad pitches, and you'll find high-quality sample articles covering e-commerce, e-cash, and new media executive recruiting, all of it rendered in an accessible editorial voice and clean design. No telling how the magazine will develop over time, or how it will fare in a crowded market. But for now, it's the newcomer to watch. http://www.thestandard.net ********************** FABRIC 8 What do you get when you cross a Web design firm with an interest in funky fashion? Answer: Fabric 8. Redesigned to great effect since last month, when we first looked at it, this mall for the new millennium hosts a handful of independent San Francisco­based clothing and jewelry designers under one digital roof, providing an information-packed, graphically fresh showcase for unique designs. You can also read reviews of CDs, hear RealAudio samples, and purchase music immediately; or check out the multimedia artist of the month. The "linky dink" section transports you to other hot spots for window shopping on the Web. http://www.fabric8.com ********************** ROLLING STONE NETWORK (music) Fans who applauded Rolling Stone's groundbreaking, nonlinear online iteration will bemoan the site's relaunch. Those who found it sprawling and unintuitive, however, will rejoice at the pub's new well-organized, clean design. Gone is the peripheral "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll" section, as well as the critic's picks. In their place are extensive A-to-Z artist bios, and new RealAudio and RealVideo news and interviews. RSO has teamed up with the Canadian uber music site JamTV to create the RS Network. The result is clear proof that two heads are indeed better than one. http://www.rollingstone.com ********************** Innovation TUTIC Jr is finally getting some actual hair (as opposed to baby fuzz). To her parents' astonishment, it's red (well, strawberry blondish, but definitely trending red). We're both brunettes, towheads as children, and no one in either immediate family has red hair--though, it turns out there are redheads in our (very) extended families. This got TUTIC to thinking about genetics, which led her here. This website is a companion to the PBS program of the same name; it gives a good civilian overview of genetics and current innovations in gene therapies. Doesn't explain where TUTIC Jr gets the hair, but it's interesting. http://www.wnet.org/innovation/index.html ********************** Redheads International And as long as we're on the subject, Redheads International is a club for the ruddy-tressed. Started by a guy who was tired of being derided for his hair, RI has 30,000 members, all either redheads or admirers of same. There are excerpts from the club's Redhead Encyclopedia, and if you're a member, celebrity interviews, pictures of natural redheads (which, we are assured, are "at the most PG-rated") and access to a bulletin board for redheads. http://www.redheadclub.com/ ********************** Coretta Scott King Book Awards If you're always on the lookout for interesting books for your kids, here's a good resource. From the site: "The Coretta Scott King Award honors African American authors and illustrators for outstanding contributions to children's and young adult literature that promote understanding and appreciation of the culture and contribution of all people to the realization of the American Dream." The award has been presented since 1995; you can read about all the books it has gone to here at the American Library Association's site. http://www.ala.org/srrt/csking/ ********************** Reel Top 40 Radio Repository This may be the site of the month if not the year for TUTIC. It is just too boss for words. Here many of you will find your childhood and adolescence encapsulated in RealAudio files of old Top 40 DJs' airchecks. The Real Don Steele, Charlie Tuna, Robert W. Morgan--anyone who was around in the 60s knows those names. You can listen to bits of American Forces Vietnam Network from 1969, the Morning Zoo from 1985, Alan Freed from 1955--just amazing stuff, collected from all over the country from DJs and fans. An aircheck, by the way, is recorded whenever the DJ opens his/her mic; most of the songs don't get on the tape, but most of the weird jingles and commercials do. Tina Delgado Is Alive! Courtesy Faithful TUTIC Friend Bill Cooper (from KEX Radio here in Portland). http://www.reelradio.com/ ********************** The Gallup Organization Feel like sampling the temperature of the body politic? Head on over to the Gallup Organization, takers of the famed poll, and see if you can figure out why, with all this fuss about alleged corruption, politicians' approval ratings keep going up. Archives of past polls to March 1996 are available, as well as special reports (in-depth analyses--current one's on consumer attitudes in mainland China) and the obligatory All About the company pages. http://www.gallup.com/ ********************** Economists with Home Pages This is as many economists' home pages as this guy at MIT could round up. Along with departmental pages for various universities, there must be at least a hundred personal pages here, all by economists, with material as varied as "The Asset Market Approach to Exchange Rate Determination: An Empirical Reassessment" (Victor Gastanaga of USC) and tips on buying new homes (from economist Steve Salant's columnist wife Katherine). TUTIC loves subcultures, and if you browse around these pages for any length of time you'll learn some really long words and get a glimpse into the rarefied world of the folks who think they can predict what we do and why we do it. http://www.mit.edu/people/irons/ecgeek.html ********************** Twin Capes Review http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/215.html ********************** Media Studies Program Online OpenHouse http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/211.html ********************** Weird Wide Web: Finding Out About the Paranormal Online http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/209.html ********************** Find Out Who You Are with Online IQ and Personality Tests http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/214.html ********************** An Adventure to Seattle http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/216.html ********************** Tales of Time Travel http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/218.html ********************** Doing It Doggy Style - weekly humor columns http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/221.html ********************** Dollar Stretcher: Finding $285 in Your Grocery Store http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/199.html ********************** Dollar Stretcher: Watch for Falling Prices http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/220.html ********************** Barter discussion list http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/203.html ********************** Smelly HVAC? http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/217.html ********************** Talking Food http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/205.html ********************** The Lumber Cartel (TINLC) -:) http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/219.html ********************** The Welfare Reform Beat http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/213.html ********************** Announcing: FileDudes! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/222.html ********************** Going Online to Find a Healthy, Mindful Community http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/223.html ********************** A Haven for Genre Junkies & Media Geeks http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/224.html ********************** The February Kansas City infoZine ZineNote http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/202.html ********************** Altered Images http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/206.html ********************** World-Wide-Web WebDev - User Driven Web Development Resource ********************** Thyroid Conditions http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/201.html ********************** Unknown http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/204.html ********************** Gratis - What's free on the Internet http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/204.html ********************** Yellowstone Wolves http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/207.html ********************** DIY Webmasters http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/210.html ********************** Building wealth one day at a time http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/212.html ********************** Canada's National Gallery Tour Any art gallery on the web is going to necessarily require a graphical browser. To get the full effect of Canada's National Gallery online tour, it's nice to also have the "RealAudio" Player plug-in so that you can hear what the tour guides have to say. If you do have the right set-up, this will be an engaging way to see and hear about Canadian art and learn some fascinating history along the way. Canada's National Gallery Virtual Tour: http://national.gallery.ca/virtual_tour/index.html Note that the tour guides speak both English and French! Art does not reproduce the visible, but makes visible that which is not easily seen. Simon Nikolaides, Art Educator http://national.gallery.ca/virtual_tour/index.html ********************** Circles of Light, the Mathematics of Rainbows "How are rainbows formed? Why do they only occur when the sun is behind the observer? If the sun is low on the horizon, at what angle in the sky should we expect to see a rainbow?"

The Curriculum Initiative Project (University of Minnesota) offers an online lab where students can find answers to these and other questions by examining a mathematical model of light passing through a water droplet.

Rainbow Lab:
http://www.geom.umn.edu/education/calc-init/rainbow/

Along with a mathematical exploration of rainbows, you might want to consider their poetic and aesthetic aspects. Randy Wang's beautiful photographs are annotated with verse that describes what seems to be an almost inborn fascination with rainbows.

Randy Wang's Rainbow photos:
http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~rywang/magic_small/rainbows.html

Note that there are more rainbow-related links on the Network Nuggets Science Archive page.

Network Nuggets - Science:
http://www.etc.bc.ca/lists/nuggets/science.html

" My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky. " -Wordsworth http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~rywang/magic_small/rainbows.html ********************** EarningsNet If you're going to dabble in the stock market, it pays to be informed. You need to know what's going on with the companies in which you invest (duh). EarningsNet brings you daily reports on both American and international businesses in a large number of different industries. If you keep on top of the news with EarningsNet, you should do okay. Oh, and one other tip: buy low and sell high. http://205.185.55.31/index.asp ********************** Black History To say that Gale's Black History Month site is a Wow would be an understatement. A quiz, timeline and activities section, not to mention biographies of 60 men and women. http://www.gale.com/gale/bhm/blackhm.html ********************** Real Photojournalism "Real news, real people, real life." That's how behind the viewfinder bills its collection of shots from photojournalists from around the world. A photo feast. http://www.digitalstoryteller.com/YITL/ ********************** The Presidents George Washington's Birthday may be the perfect time to learn a little something about the nation's presidents. No finer way to do that than at the PBS Presidents site, including a virtual tour of the Reagan Library and even a screensaver. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/amex/presidents/indexjs.html ********************** Kids Mystery Week Ahead One thing all great mystery writers had in common: They were all kids once. Here's a cool way to get a kid acquainted with the mystery genre online and -- who knows?-- become a great writer, too. http://www.kidsloveamystery.com/ ********************** Online Gyn The new gyn101 site wants to take the guess work out of gynecological exams. Modeled as an "Online Gynecologist," the site was developed by Pfizer Inc. http://www.gyn101.com/ ********************** Web Business Anyone interested in online commerce can find a great resource in the new CIO WebBusiness. Whether you're trying to figure out cyber-behavior or find out what your rivals are up to. The site not only includes full-length feature articles but a variety of valuable research centers. http://webbusiness.cio.com/ ********************** Online Tibetan Book The University of Virginia Library has of one of the world's most extensive collections of Tibetan literature. And they've decided to share one of the great Tibetan religious works online, "The Book of the Dead." http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/dead/ ********************** Get Happy Got that Shockwave plug-in installed and working but wondering what to do with it? Happy Smackett is about as fine a time-waster as you'll find. http://www.o-matic.com/happy/index.html ********************** National Climate Data Center TUTIC got a letter from a couple in Ohio recently who were considering a move to TUTIC's home state. They wanted to know if there were more or fewer cloudy days in Salem, Oregon as opposed to Columbus. TUTIC had no idea, figured they were probably pretty close, and said well, heck, you don't have to shovel rain, end of discussion. They repaid her "helpfulness" with the above Useful URL, which shows the number of clear and cloudy days for various cities around the country. The answer to the question: They're about the same. That's what TUTIC said! Call Dionne Warwick! Thanks to the Saboleys of Columbus, possibly soon of Salem. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/online/ccd/cldy.html ********************** Shaw's Restaurant Reviews TUTIC has never been to New York City. She'd be surprised if she ever goes, because she hates hates hates planes and no, you can't reason with her about it. But if she ever finds herself there, she'll be taking along a copy of Steven Shaw's recommendations. An amateur food critic, Shaw took his pet peeves about the Zagat guides and righted them in his own. His reviews are well-written and entertaining. For instance, he describes a particular chef as being akin to a mysterious lover: "Brilliant and skilled but somehow I am not confident that he will be there for me when I need him." Even if you never eat at the places in question, you'll have fun reading about the meals you'll never have. http://www.shaw-review.com/index.html ********************** AUCTION INSIDER (money) With the Internet rife with scams, it's natural to approach auction sites with caution. While we won't deny that snake-oil salespeople exist, legitimate sites offer tremendous bargains on everything from notebook computers to refrigerators, and this new site will point you to many of them. Select from Auction Insider's categories, choose the specific item you wish to purchase, and you're led to the right locale. AI also lists its top ten auction sites (each with a pithy review), plus tips for bidding and for evaluating a site's legitimacy. http://www.auctioninsider.com ********************** Growing in Love is a great place to learn about kids' gardening http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/227.html ********************** Announcement of "Collaboration Online" Forum http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/233.html ********************** The DesignLab Journal http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/234.html ********************** Preschool Teacher http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/237.html ********************** An Adventure to Victoria http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/241.html ********************** RedHeart's Native American Page / Petition for Lumbee Indians http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/225.html ********************** Usable Web: Guide to Web usability resources http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/242.html ********************** Net Detours: Excursions Off the Info Superhighway http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/243.html ********************** Unforgettable Letters http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/244.html ********************** Behind the Viewfinder -- A Year in the LIfe of Photojournalism http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/232.html ********************** Your one-stop-shop for the very latest in Internet gossip http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/238.html ********************** World Wildlife Fund's New Site: Year for the Tiger http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/239.html ********************** SubmitShack.com: a free service http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/240.html ********************** Free Monthly Newsletter on Bots & Intelligent Agents http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/226.html ********************** Building My Resume Thing - Multimedia Website http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/229.html ********************** Security Issues When Installing and Customizing http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/230.html ********************** Annie Reviews Everything: Bad Movie List, various reviews http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/231.html ********************** Equine Advocates Reveal The Cruelty Behind The Premarin Industry http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/235.html ********************** Irish Times parody site http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/236.html ********************** News, Images and Culture of Iraq There should be no need to explain why Iraq is the topic of today's Network Nugget. Here are some links that might help us gain an understanding of the background to the impending war. The 'Conflict in Iraq' web page has links to a wide range of viewpoints about the current situation. CNN, ABC, the UN, The Nonviolence Web, the US State Department, US Defenselink, and others are represented via this page and many of the links are updated frequently. There is also a link to the CIA Iraq World Factbook, with information about geography, demographics, politics and more. Conflict in Iraq: http://www.poynter.org/research/hr/hr_110497.htm A different view of Iraq, with a focus on the people, art, architecture and landscape, is available via Sam Ruff's photographic journal from the 1950's. Mesopotamia seen through his lens is a collection of historical treasures. Sam Ruff's photographs: http://www.erols.com/jpeters/sam/ "In ancient times the land area now known as modern Iraq was almost equivalent to Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers (Tigris and Euphrates). This region is known as the Cradle of Civilization, for it was here in about 4000 BC that the Sumerian culture flourished. Land was cultivated for the first time, early calendars were used and the first written alphabet was invented here." The above quotation is from the Arabnet 'history of Iraq' page. Arabnet -- Iraq: http://www.arab.net/iraq/iraq_contents.html http://www.poynter.org/research/hr/hr_110497.htm ********************** HEY, I'M AS NOSY AS THE NEXT PERSON, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS Who can you trust? If your answer is "absolutely no one," slither on over to Spy Stuff, at http://www.spystuff.com Here you'll find a collection of surveillance gadgetry that would make even Agent Q's jaw drop to his laboratory floor: wrist-watch video cameras, ties that take snapshots, devices that sweep your apartment for bugs, stun guns, and just about anything else you thought didn't exist outside the frames of a Dick Tracy strip. Shop here for five minutes, and next thing you know you'll be out on the street, tackling people and asking them, "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" (Note: We didn't see any anti-Tamagotchi equipment at the site, but we assume it's only a matter of time.) http://www.spystuff.com ********************** A LESSON IN THE DANGERS OF SUCCUMBING TO PEER PRESSURE When the author of this tip was a young lad, his mom went out and bought him a Munsters lunchbox--for which he absorbed constant ridicule from his trendier first-grade friends, who themselves toted their daily PB&Js in boxes and Thermos adorned with more popular TV and cartoon characters like Superman, Batman, Barbie, the Cartwrights, and so on. Tired of the abuse and a tad peeved at Mom (from whom he had requested a Major League Baseball lunchbox with a built-in baseball game), the author spent entire bus rides to and from school kicking Herman, Lily, Grandpa and Eddie's bas-relief faces (not Marilyn's, though--it didn't seem right to kick the only human in the family) until the lunchbox that bore them was so dented and disfigured that even Mom decided it was time for a paper bag. Fast forward to this week, when the same author learned that that same Munsters lunchbox today goes for around $200 (probably because they're so rare, probably because most kids who had them destroyed them for the same reason). All this to say that you can see what other favorite lunchboxes looked like--and what some of them are worth--at Angel's, Apes and Dirk Benedict: A pictorial of some cool lunchboxes from our youth: http://www.tumyeto.com/tydu/features/lunch/lunch.html http://www.tumyeto.com/tydu/features/lunch/lunch.html ********************** JUST IN CASE THREE CONCERTS A WEEK AND A MILLION CDS AREN'T ENOUGH You can fill whatever music void remains in your life by visiting L.A. Live: www.lalive.com If you have RealPlayer software installed you can listen to--and sometimes even watch--everything from the latest Porno for Pyros concert to a "coffee break" interview with Joey Ramone. If you don't have RealPlayer, you can take a link directly from the site and download it for free. While the technology is impressive to rubes like us--and as good a music experience as we've seen on the Web--we must file two complaints: - We didn't get stereo sound over our 33.3-kbps connection, as advertised. - Any concert video footage was extremely choppy. Of course, we were probably doing something wrong. http://www.lalive.com ********************** "FIGHTING IGNORANCE SINCE 1973 ... (It's taking longer than we expected)." Such is the motto of The Straight Dope--the weekly newspaper column begun by serial wise-cracker Cecil Adams in Chicago in 1973, syndicated all over the country not long after that, and now on the Web: http://www.straightdope.com Go straight to the index to skip the marketing stuff and get Cecil's inimitable answers to questions like, "How come when men get old, hair starts growing in their ears and nose?" and "Does eating rice at weddings cause birds to explode?" Not only do you get the real answers to these important questions, but you also you get them in Mr. Adams' always surly and usually funny style. The only way to do him justice is to quote him, and we don't have room to do that. http://www.straightdope.com ********************** Norway - Opera - A web browser At first blush ( before loading the software) I thought this Norwegian company had two chances (Slim and None) of gaining market share from Netscape or Microsoft --. That idea vaporized as soon as I started using the software. Firstly, it is less than a megabyte to download ( Hooray). Second, this software is lightning fast. Third, it comes with great bookmarks, and the bookmarks are intuitive. I could go on forever singing the praises of this software, but for those of you who have heard me sing in the past know that it's not a pretty sight. Seriously, "run don't walk to OPERA". http://www.operasoftware.com ********************** Africa - Africa Online This site has everything a great site needs. Quick downloadable graphics. Easy navigation. Superb content. It even has a currency converter. You can find weather reports, travel information and music. My favorite was the "Narobi Beat". http://www.africaonline.com/ ********************** South America- Latin World Actually, it is technically not South America since the Caribbean and Central America are represented. If you want to know anything, and I mean anything about the Latin countries, then this is the place. It has both Spanish and English - side by side. Excellent content and easy navigation make this a "run don't walk site". http://www.latinworld.com/ ********************** Mardi Gras Madness Next Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, and that means there's going to be one hell of a party in New Orleans. While we wish we could be there, unfortunately that will not be the case. At least we have tonite's site, which is all about the Mardi Gras celebration. They'll even be having RealVideo broadcasts of the festivities, but we have to warn you -- some of it is adults only. Things get pretty wild on Bourbon Street, after all. Oh, baby! http://www.mardigrasday.com/ ********************** New Scientist This site has won every "cool site" award under the sun, but it's so good that we had to feature it here, too. The online companion to the popular print magazine of the same name, New Scientist always has an interesting collection of scientific articles that are written so the average person can understand them. It doesn't have everything that the print version has, but it's more than enough to keep you busy for a while. http://newscientist.com/ ********************** New York Books This is actually a combination of three separate Web sites, so we'll talk about them individually. The first is the New York Review of Books, which provides essays and reviews of books and the arts. Next, n.b. (New Books) is a monthly magazine about -- you guessed it -- new books. Finally, Granta is yet another monthly that contains various articles, but the online version is pretty thin material-wise. Oh well, two out of three isn't bad. http://nybooks.com/ ********************** RealPlanet Give your RealAudio a real workout at RealPlanet. Quick links to audio offerings from 18 foreign countries. http://www.realplanet.com ********************** Making Noize Whether you're looking for news on digital content protection schemes or the buzz on Celine Dion's silver screen success, webnoize is a sound choice for a visit. A clean layout makes browsing easy on your mouse. http://www.webnoize.com/ ********************** Iraq Perspective Get some perspective on the crisis in Iraq direct from the United Nations. This special site includes a chronology, documents and press releases. http://www.un.org/Depts/dha/iraq986/index.htm ********************** Online Love So you've survived another Valentine's Day! Mr. Showbiz says it's therefore OK to fantasize about the perfect celebrity for you. With an interactive matchmaker. Dream on... http://www.mrshowbiz.com/features/celebritylovematch/index.html ********************** Punk Cards And the absolute winner in our continuing series of is-this-taking-Web-specialization-too-far category: An electronic postcard service for punk rockers. And there's even three cards to choose from! http://www.punkbiatch.com/punkcard/ ********************** HEY, THE SQUAREBACK SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD IDEA.. What with the secret code most barbers seem to speak, it's no wonder you have trouble getting a decent haircut. Next time, before you sit in the chair, visit The Buzztown Barber Shop Web site: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/3696/ This site is dedicated to information about, and appreciation of, short haircuts for men. Here you can see actual pictures of the haircuts that go with the names and even print those pictures for your barber. For those who think deeper thoughts of barbering, the site also includes two ongoing chat sessions: "In The Chair," which seems to be more targeted at barbers (or barber wannabes), and "The Buzz," where users weigh in with their opinions on haircuts, barbershops, and whatever. What we really wanted to see was a database of popular barbershop discussion topics. Maybe next time. http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/3696/ ********************** IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT...LEARN TO LAUGH ABOUT IT? This would appear to be the Webmaster's motto at Digicrime, at http://www.digicrime.com a spoof site that essentially makes fun of everyone's worst fears about the Web. From the moment you enter, this site plays on your worst fears of cyberpiracy, first by displaying Windows 95-like error messages on your screen and then by pretending to hand your computer a "virus cookie" while your computer speakers gasp. Once you get over this, you can settle down and enjoy the joke--especially if you take the "comically" link before going anyplace else. But be careful: Despite all the claims that this is just in fun, several links off the site take you, unannounced, to sites that have been "hacked" to include nudity and pornography. http://www.digicrime.com ********************** Pet Loss Grief Support When Frank died, I shared my grief on a local mailing list. A couple of my friends wrote me expressing relief that it was okay to grieve a pet, since they were or would soon be in similar situations. Anyone who's spent any significant time with an animal companion knows that when they die you experience real loss, but so many times people feel foolish that these deaths affect them so deeply. It is perfectly all right to grieve an animal as deeply (sometimes more so) as you would a person. At the Pet Loss site you can get some resources for helping you deal with your loss, and you can participate in a weekly candle lighting ceremony in which people grieving their animal buddies gather at the same time around the world and pray for each other. It's tonight, in fact, and Frank and I will be on that prayer list. http://www.petloss.com/ ********************** Year of the Tiger And in honor of my tiger-striped kitty, here is the World Wildlife Federation's site honoring the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Tigers are one of the world's most endangered species; their habitat is rapidly shrinking, and in fact wild tigers could be wiped out within a decade. This very well-designed site contains lots of tiger facts, tigers in history and culture, what actions we can take to help save them, and fun activity ideas for children. Recommended. http://www.worldwildlife.org/tiger/index.shtml ********************** THE CREOLE AND CAJUN RECIPE PAGE Chuck Taggart is a New Orleans native, transplanted in body but not in soul to L.A. His Gumbo Pages are a "musical, culinary and cultural information source" for all things Nawlins; and in this subsection he serves up recipes for gumbos, jambalayas, and home-made sausages, along with such standards as Crawfish big difference between this and many other amateur recipe collections online: Chuck knows what he's talking about. http://www.gumbopages.com/recipe-page.html ********************** STARCHEFS Take one of the country's top chefs; do an interview; give us the bio; and tell us about the guy/gal's restaurant, just so we know where he/she's coming from; then give us the recipes. That's the simple formula for Starchefs, where (at last count) you'll find 40+ culinary celebrities telling us how they do that foodoo that they do so well. Special sections on soups, holiday cooking, and aphrodisiacs(!), plus some yummy links, round out the menu. http://www.starchefs.com ********************** COUNCIL OF EUROPE PUBLISHING (books) Founded just after World War II, the Council of Europe is an international organization, the main goal of which is "to strengthen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law" in its 40 member states. The council's new Web site offers an online catalog of some 400 self-published books, covering topics such as international and European law, human rights, education, culture, health, the environment, and COE activities. Sounds dull as dirt, right? Think again, mon ami. If you have any interest in the history of the past 50 years, check out Voices of Europe, 1949-96, a collection of speeches (from Victor Hugo through Churchill, Havel, and Gorbachev) tracing the idea of Europe as megastate. An added (and unexpected) bonus is an incredible collection of annotated links to all sorts of pan-European organizations. —DM http://book.coe.fr ********************** Personal Bookshelf Macmillan Computer Publishers, the world's largest publisher of computer-related books, has come up with something pretty interesting. They are allowing users to view any of their current titles online. This is the whole book, not just sample chapters. You can select any five books for your Personal Bookshelf, and access them whenever you want. You can put books back and take out other books, so the five-book limit is not a problem. The number of titles is impressive, and topics range from how to use graphics applications to how to program Java. Bravo to MCP for letting people look at a book online before they plunk down their dough. http://www.mcp.com/personal/ ********************** Political Stalker Print and TV news heavyweights move over. The online publication Salon Magazine scores a direct hit on the media establishment with an exclusive, thought-provoking investigative piece entitled "The Stalker -- The deep and twisted roots of Kenneth Starr's Clinton obsession." http://www.salonmagazine.com/ ********************** Get Crypto Strong, easy to use encryption technologies are already available to any American citizen who wants to be sure his or her privacy and security are protected online, says the aptly named Encryption Privacy and Security Resources Page. Here's how... http://www.crypto.com/ ********************** Tram Tours Tramline comes up with a new way to surf the Web: Virtual tours. Everything from city tours and volcanoes to online commerce and investing. A refreshing, educational approach. http://www.tramline.com/tours.htm ********************** Creative Creators Whether you're looking for advice from Ann Landers or horoscopes from Joyce Jillson or the cartoon antics of the likes of B.C, Creators.com is the place to look. And there's a quick and easy menu, too. http://www.creators.com ********************** Lyrics Challenge Think you know lyrics? Take the Lyrics Challenge. A fun way to kill some time and test the musical side of your brain when the boss has his back turned. But bring along a Java-capable browser. http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/9943/ ********************** pricewatch.com I am in the process of upgrading my computer. Since I have been around computers for sometime, I have no plans of actually buying a totally new computer, but instead, I just plan on getting parts for it. I have found http://www.pricewatch.com a great help. Not old does it have a nice listing of things that I am looking for, it gives me an idea of what is "cheap" as compared to what I can get locally. It has (and is) a great help. If you are looking to upgrade your computer (or get a new one). A good place to start is www.pricewatch.com http://wwww.pricewatch.com ********************** Grad Schools Don't even think about grad school without checking out the latest rankings from U.S. News Online. Quick, easy and comprehensive -- you don't need a high-tech degree to use it. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/beyond/bcrank.htm ********************** Tech Companies CorpTech bills itself as the premier site for research on America's technology manufacturers and developers. Boasts a searchable database of 45,000 companies. http://www.corptech.com/ ********************** Inter Active You don't have to be an interactive media developer to find a reason to visit InterActivity. The latest info on things digital. http://www.interactivitymag.com/ ********************** Baseball Links John Skilton's Baseball Links site now includes 3,418 unique links to everything from the majors and minors to high school and fantasy. The site doesn't seem to be kidding about offering the most comprehensive collection online. http://www.baseball-links.com/main.shtml ********************** Hot Resumes Hot Jobs adds password protection to applicant home pages. As the company says, masking a resume can be a critical feature for an applicant who wants potential new employers -- but not an existing employer -- to see it. http://www.hotjobs.com/ ********************** THE TRUTH ABOUT SONNY BONO No, we're not going to direct you to some Web-based scandal sheet about Sonny Bono, who, as everyone knows, died last month in a ski accident. But we do think that after a days-long media requiem that included John Waters on NightLine and Newt Gingrich's self-centered reminiscences, you deserve some actual facts to remember Sonny by. For a history of "The Sonny and Cher Show" (and the various ventures that spun off of it), see http://www.tvclassics.com/sc.htm For Sonny's "filmography" (not surprisingly, he played himself a lot), see http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?Sonny%20Bono (http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?Sonny%20Bono) And for an accurate and exhaustive detailing of Rep. Bono's voting record as a member of congress, try http://www.vote-smart.org/congress/104/ca/ca-44-a/index.html http://www.tvclassics.com/sc.htm ********************** THE REAL MONTY Need a random laugh? We can't think of a better place to go than the Random Monty Python Skit Generator: http://ugweb.cs.ualberta.ca/~stuart/monty/ When you arrive, you see the entire, unabridged text of a popular Python skit; click your Refresh button, and you see another selected at random. Rather go directly to the skit you want? There are direct, though sometimes cryptically named, skits at the bottom of each page (HINT: BRUCE.PYT contains the University of Wallabaloo philosopher song lyrics.) For official Python Web stuff, go to the official site, at http://www.pythonline.com which is actually run by Eric Idle and contributed to by the entire gang. While you're there, be sure to join the PythOnline Abuse forum, at http://www.pythonline.com/spamclub/content/sendabuse/ where the world's experts in the comic use of Spam can help you abuse a friend--or yourself--via the electronic post. http://ugweb.cs.ualberta.ca/~stuart/monty/ ********************** Wikberg's RecycleBin Collection If you're a Windows or Mac user, you're probably familiar with that little recycle bin on your desktop to which you drag files that you want to delete. In Windows, it looks like a trash can. Well, you can customize your recycle bin and change it to whatever icons you want. Different icons are displayed depending on whether the bin is empty or full. For a large collection of recycle bin icons from which to choose, this is the Web site for you. http://www.recyclebins.com/ ********************** Tibetan Escape The Web makes everybody in the world a neighbor. Including someone as remote as a Tibetan refugee. "Escape into Exile" is a rich and inviting interactive experience. http://www.savetibet.org/exile/index.htm ********************** Online U Learning On Line University offers a cyber-variation to education. Web-based courses, including lectures, chats and self-scoring tests. Includes a listing of upcoming 10-week courses. http://www.lolu.org/ ********************** Ginkgo's Journal Dreaming Among the Jade Clouds isn't some flashy corporate site. Just a personal journal with a lot of inner flash. Thoughts and images, courtesy of Ginkgo. http://www.ies.lafayette.in.us/~ginkgo/journal/journal_index.shtml ********************** DejaNews All Over Again Web site changes aren't always just cosmetic. DejaNews, the search engine for newsgroups, adds a power search feature for more flexibility and faster page loading. Of course, the navigation is improved, too. http://www.dejanews.com/ ********************** New Women The Women's Legal Defense Fund takes on a new name and Web site. Now dubbed the National Partnership for Women & Families, the site intends to promote things like workplace fairness and quality health care. The site tells you how to get involved. http://www.nationalpartnership.org/ ********************** What's His Problem? Is Saddam Hussein's basic problem that he's living in the wrong time zone? Here's a site that tries to make the case that he may think he's actually Nebuchadnezzar. http://www.photoad.com/biblemysteries/lectures/saddam/ ********************** Nine Something Here's a way-strange kind of thing that happens when a Canadian publisher of e-books decides to build a parody entertainment site. You'll find various "experts" at The Nine Authoritative Answers to the Profound Questions of Life. At least the site has the profound good sense to warn: "This area is not a substitute for therapy." http://www.ebookcentral.com/files/ninemain.mhtml ********************** NetPet The creative little suckers at Disney have jumped on the "virtual pet" bandwagon and now offer Web surfers a free NetPet, which in this case happens to be a fish. As might be expected, Disney has done an exceptional job of putting the whole thing together, making even a boring pet like a fish fun. Ah, but this site comes with three -- count 'em, three -- caveats: 1) You have to register with Disney.com to get your pet (it's free); 2) You have to have the Shockwave 6.0 (or higher) plug-in installed (also free); and 3) The Disney site is a popular one, so it may be slow at times. But don't let all that discourage you. Go get that fish (go fish?)! Just don't feed it too much or you'll find it floating belly-up at the top of your monitor. http://www.disney.com/DisneyInteractive/NetPet/index.html ********************** The Satellite Site According to the USSC (United States Space Command), there are currently more than 8,000 objects larger than a softball in orbit around the Earth. Many of these are manmade satellites, those wonders of science that are so often taken for granted. If it wasn't for satellites, we wouldn't have 300 channels on the tube and the CIA wouldn't be able to find out what Saddam Hussein was doing every minute of the day. To find out more about these little bundles of fun, check out the Satellite Site, which was created with help from Lockheed Martin. http://www.thetech.org/hyper/satellite/ ********************** Big East Followers of The Big East Conference can follow the 1998 Men's and Women's Basketball Championships online at the aptly named Big East site. News and background in an easy-to-follow format. http://www.bigeast.org/ ********************** Happier Life Tools for a Happier Life offers a refreshing break from the break-neck pace of everyday life. Free wallpaper, quotes and advice. Even some feel good midi music for your computer. http://www.lollie.com/ ********************** Seuss Birthday Help your kids celebrate the birthday of the late, great Dr. Seuss. With a visit to Suessville, of course. Includes a bunch of new Shockwave games. http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/ ********************** For Racing Fans Find out how a good auto race gets covered online. The Las Vegas 400 comes to virtual life with great photos and stories. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sports/racing/ ********************** Fabulous Foods Although this site's main attraction is its archive of tasty recipes, there's a lot more to it. For example, there's an online cooking school for those (like us) who don't know the difference between a "pinch" and a "dash". For those who enjoy a glass of the grape with their meals, there's also a section where wines are reviewed. A bunch of other stuff, such as "Celebrity Chefs" would appeal mostly to someone who really loves to cook. http://www.fabulousfoods.com/ ********************** GOOD MATT DAMON (film) The kid is hot. Everywhere you turn, it seems, you'll find the Good Will Hunting star's handsome mug plastered across billboard and tabloid covers. The same goes for the Web, and this new fan tribute site gives exhaustive face, especially considering that Damon is relatively new on the scene. Read a bio on the ex-Harvard student, peruse the site's extensive links section, and comb the archived articles for the one that matches your "gush" level. Female surfers will find photographs aplenty and message boards for communal drooling. --EH http://www.goodmattdamon.com ********************** BABY CENTER Got a bun in the oven? Know someone who does? Parenting may be one of life's richest experiences, but it also represents one of its biggest responsibilities--a role for which "being too ready" simply isn't possible. Baby Center makes an excellent resource, from the moment your EPT tests positive to labor and beyond. Laid out to look as clean as you know your son will keep his room, Baby Center features informative articles, glossaries, links, shopping resources, and personalization options. http://www.babycenter.com ********************** 1001 DESKTOP THEMES (computers) Tired of staring at the same boring hourglass and slanted arrow as you whittle away precious minutes waiting for a page to load? We can't promise that these desktop themes will make you enjoy your life more than, say, a vacation would, but a little diversion and personalization never hurts. If you're new to desktop downloads, first read the site's comprehensive tutorial. Then browse the dozens of themes available here free of charge, select the one you like, download, and voila! It's Kenny from South Park! No, wait, it's Bogey! Hey, this is fun! Geez, we're geeks. Our only gripe? No thumbnails are available to preview before the download is complete. --EH http://www.1001themes.com ********************** SHOCKRAVE (computers) A minor miracle of efficient programming, Macromedia's new online playground, ShockRave, features a constantly updating roster of interactive games and cartoon clips as well as several streaming audio music channels. The Toons section--which features exclusive miniepisodes of South Park, Dilbert, and Peanuts--is particularly entertaining. What's more, these clips download fast, thanks to economical animation and several different Macromedia streaming technologies. The games are just as quick (check out the addictive King Putt) and you can crank tunes from a dozen or so different music channels, organized by genre. But the real story here is the site's speed. The programmers have taken care to deliver everything in small, digestible chunks, and it pays off. --GM http://www.shockrave.com ********************** ANSWERS FROM THE COLOGNE GUY As one whiff of deodorant or aftershave will prove, even fellows who don't drench their bikini briefs in Obsession for Men use fragrance products. Todd, a chatty Certified Fragrance Sales Specialist, explains why and how fragrances work and keeps tabs on new and discontinued products. His Fragrance List rates leading brands, advises when and where to wear the scent, estimates how long it will last, objectively enumerates its components, and subjectively describes its effects. The ultimate insult: "Smells like a dentist's office." Todd supplies links to select smelly sites, from The Fragrance Foundation to Cigar World. All AFTCG lacks is a scratch-and-sniff component. http://www.cologneguy.com ********************** MAJOR LEAGUE MARKET (money) Fantasy baseball leagues have sprung up across the country like lemonade stands on a hot Saturday afternoon. But no one makes any money off of those leagues. In the newly launched Major League Market, no one makes any real money either, though each player gets $2 million in cybercash to wager. It works like this: Choose your portfolio any way you'd like. Invest in a team, a player, a series of players, you name it. Buy, sell, place orders, and haggle prices with fellow networked raiders. The game is free, and who knows; maybe MLM will sharpen your chops for the Stock Exchange. --EH http://www.majorleaguemarket.com ********************** DINNER AND A MOVIE.COM (living) So you finally asked the woman at the bus stop out, and she even said yes. Now you've got to figure out where to take her. At a loss? Hop online. This new evening planner doesn't dispense Altoids or offer conversation topics, but if you need to find the best eats as well as the closest theater, Dinner and a Movie.com is your ticket to a successful night out. Enter your zip code, choose your food fare (considering her tastes, of course), and the site returns restaurant suggestions, the nearest theaters, and what's playing. Unfortunately, the option to buy your tickets online hasn't yet hit this big screen. --EH http://www.dinnerandamovie.com ********************** FIRST AUCTION Mouse clicks may not register with the same authority as the pounding of an auctioneer's gavel. But thanks to encrypted credit card transactions, virtual bidding has won a growing audience on the Internet. The Internet Shopping Network (online arm of the Home Shopping Network) enters the fray with First Auction. Focusing on computers and consumer electronics, the site presents each item with a start/stop bid date as well as bidding increments. Starting bids can be ridiculously low--a Pentium-120 Compaq Presario for $299, for example. http://www.firstauction.com ********************** ONLINE JOURNALISM REVIEW (books) While Hillary Clinton bemoans the lack of "editors" on the Internet (note to Hil: We're here. --Ed.), some notable journalism purists have beat her to the punch. Run by the Annenberg School for Communication (at the University of Southern California), the OJR takes a hard look at the state of Web reporting. Its numerous news stories, features, and interviews call out wrongdoings, regardless of the source. A tremendous resource for journalists (online or no), and anyone who cares about words on the Net. --EH http://www.ojr.org ********************** DM Life One of the best things mailing lists can be used for are support groups. TUTIC is still part of a terrific email support group for women who all gave birth around the same time last fall; we've been together for about a year. But mailing lists like this can be very high volume, to the point that some people are forced to unsubscribe. Faithful TUTIC Reader Kelly French is a diabetic, and recommends DM Life to other diabetics who need support but can't wade through the tons of off-topic posts these lists usually generate. It's moderated, meaning that a moderator goes through each post and only lets on-topic ones get mailed out, and its goal is "providing diabetes information and support for active people who are dealing with work, family, and the stresses of a busy life." To subscribe, write to majordomo@shore.net and put in the message area subscribe dmlife ********************** Lavarand You know, the geeks over at Silicon Graphics apparently need more to do. This site is proof. Lavarand is a random stuff generator powered by digital pictures taken every few minutes of lava lamps in their computer room. Really. Get random lottery numbers picked for you, random blocks of data, and most awesomely, really bad random haiku. To wit: Somebody get these guys a job or something. Thanks to Faithful TUTIC Friend Matt Hickey! (the exclamation point seems to be part of the name). http://lavarand.sgi.com/ ********************** The Million Volt Page This was a close one: Useful or Cool? It's got a Cool picture of maintainer Robert Krampf with sparks coming out his head and fingers. But its value as an educational resource for teachers and parents won it over to the Useful side. Krampf runs the Science Education Company. At this site you can find out about his training and science education services, but what makes this Useful for most folks is Experiment of the Week. Each week he sends out an email with a science experiment that he says will be "unusual, safe, dramatic, cheap, and fun." Homeschoolers of TUTIC's acquaintance claim this is the email they most look forward to all week. http://members.aol.com/krampf/home.html ********************** IQ Test TUTIC likes puzzles and tests like this; they're like scratching an itchy brain. This test is the first part of an attempt to sell you a whole personality profile, but the questions are fun to take and the results are rather interesting. TUTIC knows her IQ and the score was lower by 15 points, so this either isn't flattery or she's gotten dumber since 6th grade. http://www.iqtest.com/welcometest.html ********************** Universal Life Church Useful? Well, yeah. You never know when being an ordained minister will come in handy (seriously). You've seen em in the back of the National Enquirer for years, now here they are in glorious pixels. You can get ordained right on the spot for free here at the ULC. Print out the certificate on your computer or pay $10 and they'll send you a fancy certificate. http://www.ulc.org/ulc/ ********************** Film Festival Server OK, jetsetters, here's your page to keep up on the always hopping and glamorous world of international film festivals. Going? Great, here's a list of the movies, information about the towns the festivals are in such as where to eat and stay, and more. Not going? Great, here are reviews, photos, interviews and other coverage to make you feel as if you were there. http://www.FilmFestivals.com/ ********************** Oscar.com By request of Faithful TUTIC Reader Lauren Lowe, an all-Oscars column. Oscar.com is the official site for everything Oscar leading up to the big day on the 23rd of this month. The current top story on award night fashion features a pic of actress Jennifer Lopez and her bosom. You can also win a trip to the "red carpet" area to see all the stars traipsing in. http://www.oscar.com/ ********************** The Golden Raspberry Awards And what would Oscar be without the Anti-Oscars, the Razzies? They go out to the most wretched films of the year. While "Titanic" swept the Oscar nominations, "Batman and Robin" is its Razzie counterpart, with 11, er, nods. To everyone's shock, Sylvester Stallone is NOT up for a Razzie this year, after countless years of leading the nomination pack. http://www.razzies.com/ ********************** WASN'T HE THE OBSCENE COMEDIAN WHO MARRIED A STRIPPER AND GOT ARRESTED A LOT? If you were born after 1960, this is probably all you know about Lenny Bruce, the comedian who indeed did get arrested a lot for obscenity as a result of adding uncompromising and offbeat commentary to his comedy routines. As it does for most cult figures, the Web provides a lot of information on Bruce, but the most informative we found was Ladies and Gentlemen, Lenny Bruce: http://member.aol.com/dcspohr/lenny/lenny1.htm If you're willing to endure a sometimes slow and (thanks to its background, sometimes hard-to-read) Web site, you can read a full biography, learn what others had to say about him, scan a list of his albums, and more. PLEASE NOTE: This site includes offensive language. http://member.aol.com/dcspohr/lenny/lenny1.htm ********************** HE'S NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED... How did a one-time yokel like Abraham Lincoln rise to become president of the United States? Well, some might attribute it to his hard work and innate political sense, but it's more likely that he impressed the voters with his legendary dry and ironic country wit (this was the man who said that a man's legs should be long enough to reach the ground, after all). One way you can cultivate this wit in yourself is to visit Canonical Fulldeckisms, at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/humor/canon/fulldeckisms.html This is as complete a list as we can imagine of any joke ever created in the "not playing with a full deck" format or variations thereof. >From "a few beads short in her rosary" to "two sheep short of a sweater," you can build an arsenal of curmudgeonly mutterings that will make you a bigger hit than ever at office meetings, parties, town assemblies--and just maybe, the Oval Office. http://www.visi.com/~nathan/humor/canon/fulldeckisms.html ********************** Bio Bytes Let your computer provide some video entertainment. Courtesy of BioBytes, original, 1-minute programs produced exclusively for the Web. http://www.biography.com/watch/ ********************** Be A Mentor Here's an offer that anyone who's Web savvy shouldn't refuse: The National Association of Webmasters is looking to connect willing mentors with students. And you don't even have to be a webmaster -- being cool in design, hosting, content creation, production and marketing works, too. http://www.naw.org/mentor.html ********************** Aesop's Fables Aesop was born around the year 620 B.C. The Web was born a few years ago. But they make good company. A whopping 654 of Aesop's Fables, including RealAudio narrations. http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/ ********************** Most Wanted You don't have to turn on the TV to find out who's 'Most Wanted" in America. The show that made mug shots a household item comes to the Web. http://www.amw.com ********************** Flat Earth The Earth may be round -- but maps are flat. Or are they? National Geographic gives us an interactive look at the world of maps. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/2000/exploration/projections/index.html ********************** Foreign Languages for Travelers Imagine this scene: You find yourself in Romania (God only knows why), and someone comes up to you and says, "Bunã dimineata!". What do you do? Do you give him a smile or do you kick him in the crotch and run like hell? If you had boned up on your Romanian, you would know -- some traveler you are! For a great place to learn some choice phrases and words for over 60 languages, try tonite's site. Each phrase has sound files that can help you with your pronunciation. And as for your friend on the street, you should give him a smile and perhaps a "Mult'umesc" -- he said "Good morning!". http://www.travlang.com/languages/ ********************** Mission Invisible The B-2 Stealth bomber is, without a doubt, one of the baddest planes every made. The "flying wing" is virtually undetectable by radar and can cruise along at subsonic speeds. For more information (and lots of cool photos) of this extraordinary aircraft, including an explanation of how its designers were able to take an airplane with a wing span larger than half a football field and reduce its radar signature to the size of a bird's, check out this site created by the Discovery Channel. http://www.discovery.com/area/technology/b2/b2.html ********************** Be The Judge You, too, can be a beauty pageant judge, sort of. The new Miss USA site lets you cast your vote for this year's "Photogenic Award." http://www.missusa.com/usa/default.htm ********************** Nolo Encyclopedia When it comes to self-help legal stuff, nobody does a better job than Nolo Press. And the organization now offers a legal encyclopedia on everything from small business and employment to real estate and domestic issues. http://www.nolo.com/briefs.html ********************** Trivia Awards Think you know trivia? KFC offers to send five randomly selected winners to the 70th Annual Acadamy Awards. But you have to answer seven out of 10 Web-based trivia questions correctly to qualify. http://www.kfc.com/ ********************** Fingertip Information The Information Please Almanac product line has a long tradition of publishing reference materials comprising millions of useful and interesting facts. Now all it takes to look something up is a mouse click. http://www.infoplease.com/ ********************** Rent-A-Krazy Somebody named KrazyKerth is willing to act as a living statue, do "whacked out stuff that your local clown wouldn't do," or even let you stuff peanut butter in his ear. For a price. http://members.aol.com/krazykerth/krazykerth.htm ********************** TV WEB A few months ago, one of our nation's larger electronics behemoths was advertising something called "Web TV" and making a big deal about how it would let you surf the Web "right from your TV set." If you don't see those ads much anymore, it's probably because the folks at that company probably realized what the rest of us already know: When people turn on their TVs, they'd rather watch TV than surf the Web, because TV programming is still roughly a thousand times more entertaining than most Web content. The folks at KCTU in Wichita, Kansas, have a firm enough grasp of this reality to offer the exact opposite: They let you watch TV, right from their Web site! That's right, KCTU's site, at http://www.audionet.com/television/kctu/ is the first Web site to broadcast (or is it Webcast?) its programming all day long; what you see on the site (provided you've installed RealPlayer 3.0 or higher) is what you'd see from your couch, were you living in Wichita. The display quality isn't great--you'll probably want to switch to your real TV for shows that, like Baywatch, demand high resolution--but KCTU is perfect for viewing old black-and-white movies while you surf. http://www.audionet.com/television/kctu/ ********************** THIS TIME, A FAIR FIGHT We caught a bit of flack for writing up the "Slap a Spice Girl" game some months ago; some folks actually accused us of fostering violence against women. So we're out to make amends--by directing you to Celebrity Slugfest, a site where the celebrities, both male and female, can actually punch back: http://www.slugfest.com First, make sure you've installed Macromedia ShockWave (if you haven't, you can download it from this site). Next, choose your celebrity opponent from a truly representative sampling of genders and psychological extremes, ranging from Mike Tyson (male expulsive) to Martha Stewart (female retentive) to Marilyn Manson (all of the above and more). Wait for the game to load, click a button, listen to your opponent taunt you (Ms. Stewart mutters something absolutely incendiary about an apricot glaze), and swing from your heels. Be warned: These folks can weave, bob, and punch--Pamela Anderson smacked us silly. http://www.slugfest.com ********************** HERE ARE THREE OR FOUR MINUTES YOU'LL NEVER GET BACK If you, like we, are constantly looking for that elusive, even-more-useless-than-the-last Web site, visit Stare Down Sally, at

http://www.stairwell.com/stare/

Here, you can stare at a nonanimated picture of a woman with "piercing green eyes," hoping that you don't blink before she does--except that she never really does "blink." Instead, she simply disappears, to be replaced by a screen that TELLS you she blinked and then asks you if you blinked first. (If you lose this game, you are absolutely the most jumpy--and the most honest--person in the world.) Ironically, this bit of interactive genius is produced by a company called Stairwell Studios, which claims that its specialty is the "inventive, above-average, unforgettable i ********************** HERE ARE THREE OR FOUR MINUTES YOU'LL NEVER GET BACK If you, like we, are constantly looking for that elusive, even-more-useless-than-the-last Web site, visit Stare Down Sally, at http://www.stairwell.com/stare/ Here, you can stare at a nonanimated picture of a woman with "piercing green eyes," hoping that you don't blink before she does--except that she never really does "blink." Instead, she simply disappears, to be replaced by a screen that TELLS you she blinked and then asks you if you blinked first. (If you lose this game, you are absolutely the most jumpy--and the most honest--person in the world.) Ironically, this bit of interactive genius is produced by a company called Stairwell Studios, which claims that its specialty is the "inventive, above-average, unforgettable idea." Playing overtime to accumulate bonus "gall" points, Stairwell also offers you Stare Down Sally "stuff"--so you can keep home a souvenir of the past few seconds you spent staring at your computer screen. If you want to start a direct-mail business tomorrow, get your hands on the list of people who order this "stuff" today. http://www.stairwell.com/stare/ ********************** SongHits.com SongHits functions a lot like a virtual jukebox, except you don't have to put in a quarter to hear a song and the selection is much greater. Although they claim to have more than 1800 full-length songs that can be played on demand, the truth is that a fair percentage of them are not yet online. But there are still quite a few, with more being added every day. As far as rock and roll goes, everything from the 50s to the 90s is here. Country and Big Band tunes are also available. You'll need RealAudio and a Java-capable browser to access the songs, but that's minimum equipment these days. http://www.songhits.com/ ********************** The Webby More than 2,000 movers and shakers in cyberculture, entertainment, politics and media are expected to converge at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts and Exploratorium for the Webby Awards. And you're invited to join in -- virtually, at least. http://www.webbyawards.com/ ********************** Free Speech Teens Peacefire describes itself as a teen-run organization against censorship. In any guise, from self-rating Internet systems, to legislation to Internet filtering products. The questions is: How come some teens are so much more enlightened about free speech than so many adults, especially the congressperson variety? http://www.peacefire.org/ ********************** Great Pad Jan Felix Goyvaerts is a civil engineering student who lives in a faraway place called Heist-op-den-Berg, Flanders, Belgium. His claim to fame: What has to be one of the best Windows Notepad replacements anywhere. And it's almost free -- just send him a postcard saying, "Thank you." Is this cool or what? http://www.tornado.be/~johnfg/ ********************** Starr's Troubles Seen some news blurbs in the antique media (i.e., newspapers, TV, radio) about independent counsel Kenneth Starr's troubles in the GM case? You'll have to go online to get the full story. http://www.motherjones.com/news_wire/gm/starr.html ********************** Tax Tips Get tax-return tips from the American Express Small Business Exchange, including commonly overlooked deductions and 10 ways to pay less in taxes. There's also advice on how to avoid so-called audit triggers. And an ask-the-expert section offers additional help. http://www.americanexpress.com/smallbusiness/ ********************** Government Service The Florida Government Accountability Report lets citizens monitor the activities and performance of some 400 state agencies. A public service model. http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/government/ ********************** Don't Want To Know And now for the winner in our wish-I'd-never-even-heard-of-this category: Something called the California Cryobank offers a search engine for sperm donors. It's called -- what else? -- "Donor Power Search." http://www.cryobank.com/ps.html ********************** CityScenes We can't really decide whether this site is neat or creepy. It contains aerial images of 12 major U.S. cities, taken either from a high-flying aircraft or an orbiting satellite (we don't know which). That's the neat part. The creepy part is that the level of detail is incredible. You can even see cars in some of the photos. So what's creepy about that? Well, it makes you realize that there are times when a camera lens is pointed at you and you don't even know it. If you live in one of the cities that are detailed by these pictures and you see your house (and your car in the driveway), you'll know exactly what we mean. http://www.city-scenes.com/ ********************** justQuotes.com TUTIC is getting a nose bleed watching the Dow Jones rise. If she owned any stock, she might be more excited than just amused by the hubbub. If you are among those watching the market who are actually getting something out of all this, you might want to check in to justQuotes.com. Here you can customize your own search page of financial information, from stock quotes to news services and more. Pretty useful if you're a financial kinda person. http://www.justquotes.com/ ********************** Comedy Zone at the Beeb Where would American public television be without Britcoms, the UK imported situation comedies that have kept TUTIC from gnawing her leg off over the dullness of US TV fare for nigh-on 20 years or more. This site gives you information on some of the favorites that have shown over the years, including Monty Python and some odd bits you may not have heard of. What makes the page poignant for you readers out there in the UK and former far-flung dominions of same who get BBC shows before we do is the Dermot Morgan tribute page; Morgan was a very popular and fairly young comic actor who died unexpectedly a few days ago to the grief of several of TUTIC's overseas friends. The rest of us will have to make do with sending e-postcards of Zaphod Beeblebrox to each other. http://www.comedyzone.beeb.com/ ********************** Virtually Canadian What makes Canada's first Internet radio station Useful? Well, if you're Canadian, there's definitely an allure; if you're looking for French-speaking programming, there's also that. NAFTA aside, most Americans don't know much about the culture of the land up north. They just assume it's a more polite US, excepting hockey. This being Canadian Music Week, you might want to check out what's playing here. TUTIC especially likes the overnight Global Grooves show, playing tunes from around the world. http://www.virtuallycanadian.com/ ********************** Marci's Retro Hair Styles Next time TUTIC goes to see Brenda the Goddess of Hair she may be taking some pointers from this site along. Marci is a devotee to hairstyles of the past, the kind usually involving setting lotion and rollers. She says it's cheap fun, and it certainly looks that way as long as you don't have to do it every day--kinda like wearing heels and pantyhose, it stops being fun when you have to. At this site you can see a hairstyles gallery, learn how to wet set your hair and more. Silly slumber party stuff, the best kind. Tip o' the TUTIC hat to Web Doyenne Angela Gunn. (Hey Angela, you bring the Dippity Do, TUTIC'll make fudge, we'll have a sleepover!) http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2457/ ********************** Sea and Sky Nicely done little site that allows you to take an interactive journey on either a submarine or a spaceship to explore what the maintainer calls the "last two frontiers." For instance, if you choose the sea, you can learn about reef life, play some ocean-oriented games or get some tips on saltwater aquariums. If you choose the sky, you can take a tour of the solar system, play some space games, or learn about space exploration. Each section has a "lab" where you can conduct various fun experiments, too. http://www.seasky.org/ ********************** Circle F Ranch BBQ The page ain't fancy, but it gets the job done. A serious barbecue fan has set this up for fellow fans to share restaurant reviews (Campbell's here in Portland got 4 out of 5 from a Texan, believe it). You can also get tips on spicing up your barbecue with cooking techniques and various flavorings, and an enormous links page. http://users.the-link.net/circlef/bbq.htm ********************** Fast Company The website for the magazine of the same name, Fast Company is aiming to be the "handbook for the business revolution." What revolution? Well, the small firms (Iike TUTIC's) that are popping up all over in the wake of corporate layoffs and the increasing sense that the company you work for could not care less if you dropped dead in your cubicle. Fast Company is geared toward people looking to make changes in corporate life, especially by striking out on their own. From Friend O' TUTIC Bill Prentice. http://www.fastcompany.com/today/index.html ********************** Spinlolly TUTIC's never been to a rave in her life, but this site appeals for a strange reason. Spinlolly contains cool gear for ravers, like glowing, spinning alien lollipops and aromatherapy blowing bubbles. It's like Archie McPhee on acid, and that, friends, is saying something. The prices seem high, but so do the maintainers. http://www.spinlolly.com/ ********************** CYBERATLAS You'll find bushels of useful Web-related info here, whether it's the latest salary profiles for the digital job market (good ammo for that raise request you're preparing) or current statistics on Net usage. Sources range from industry think tanks to the mass media--and so, accordingly, does the quality of the information. But we appreciate the quirky nature of this site's half-scholarly, half-pop-cultural approach to Web math. http://www.cyberatlas.com ********************** MUSIC NEWSWIRE When it comes to getting news, many of us prefer just the facts, ma'am. If that's you, then bookmark Music Newswire, a resource of pop music news from various sources (all information resides on linked sites). It's not a new idea; I-Music's News Agent, for example, culls headlines from various online music sources, too. But Newswire's extended reach (Vibe, Rolling Stone, USA Today, NME, CNN, ATN, MTV, etc.) and its practical breakdown of information set it apart. You'll find industry and label news alongside artist happenings--all with full attribution. http://www.musicnewswire.com ********************** MUSIC NEWSWIRE When it comes to getting news, many of us prefer just the facts, ma'am. If that's you, then bookmark Music Newswire, a resource of pop music news from various sources (all information resides on linked sites). It's not a new idea; I-Music's News Agent, for example, culls headlines from various online music sources, too. But Newswire's extended reach (Vibe, Rolling Stone, USA Today, NME, CNN, ATN, MTV, etc.) and its practical breakdown of information set it apart. You'll find industry and label news alongside artist happenings--all with full attribution. http://www.musicnewswire.com ********************** THE COPYRIGHT WEB SITE Copyright command central for all "infonauts" and "appropriationists." This generically named but surprisingly attractive site from intellectual property lawyer Benedict O'Mahoney engagingly explains everything you need to know about copyright law. Check out Busted for a history of celebrity copyright infringement cases; or browse primers on fair use, public domain, and "bleeding edge" Internet copyright issues. Give it a visit and help O'Mahoney achieve his goal of "lubricating the machinations of information delivery." http://www.benedict.com ********************** RED ROCKET You're looking for a new toy that junior will enjoy--and that you feel good about giving. Get thee home and log onto Red Rocket. Sponsored by Simon & Schuster's Learning Products Group, this new service brings together the recommendations of leading toy experts, award-winning toy companies, and child psychologists. Start with the Personal Shopper section, which allows you to specify a type of toy and a price range, and returns the matching results with descriptions and photos. Discover the site's most popular toys, read helpful articles, and consult RR's recommendations on this jam-packed, parent-friendly hub. http://www.redrocket.com ********************** TRAVELOCITY A one-stop destination for travel booking, Travelocity puts you in touch with the lowest-priced flights, car rentals, cruises, hotels, and B&Bs. A special-interest section features listings for dining, nightlife, and cultural, recreational, and sporting events. Other value-added services: 85-country currency pricing, e-mail fare watcher, language translation guide, up-to-the-minute e-mail flight paging (so you don't have to call the airport), and links to MapQuest and event ticket brokers. http://www.travelocity.com ********************** High Touch in the Midst of High Tech http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/247.html ********************** a new e-zine on the Blue Ridge Mountains http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/251.html ********************** The Rose & Thorn Homepage http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/257.html ********************** zine list http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/259.html ********************** Korea Biz Tips - Doing Business in Korea http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/264.html ********************** Cecil's Irish Pages http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/253.html ********************** Game Crazed http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/258.html ********************** Karaoke best collection http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/260.html ********************** BuBBa &Wannita's World http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/263.html ********************** Oscar Game! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/265.html ********************** Dollar Stretcher: Mortgage Refinancing Simplified http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/256.html ********************** DMLife-- Moderated Diabetes e-mail list http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/248.html ********************** Garden Web http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/267.html ********************** AntiOnline is Back Online http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/252.html ********************** ISPcheck Search Engine For ISPs Launched http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/255.html ********************** National Partnership for Women & Families http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/262.html ********************** Live Coverage of Tibetan Refugee Exodus http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/266.html ********************** The Palace of Poetry http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/246.html ********************** PhotoForum Passion On-Line Exhibition http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/245.html ********************** Matt's Stock of the Week http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/249.html ********************** Love and Peace http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/250.html ********************** Adam's Website http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/254.html ********************** justQuotes.com - the stock search engine http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/261.html ********************** Suite 101 Suite 101 is an interactive on-line community free to anyone who wishes to join. Some exciting topics are covered with a staff that is primarily made up of every day surfers who can really write. "They do all the work do the web user does not have to" http://www.suite101.com ********************** Total News "All the news, all the time, on the Net". Great slogan and great site. Choose from some premier web sites and custom make your own web site http://www.totalnews.com ********************** Password Similar to Total News in that you can design your own page. Password relies completely on their staff to produce or link copy. Excellent material with a great interface. http://www.password.com ********************** US Crane&Hoist This site is going after a niche market place ---the bridge crane industry. USCH is an interesting site because it supplies packets of information on their site and more detailed information on their e-zine http://www.uscraneandhoist.com ********************** The Speech Doctor The net is great but more business is still consummated by face to face contact. Giving a public speech is still the #1 fear of humans. Marian Woodall, the webminder, is both a speech coach and best selling author who gives great tips in her e-zine on how to deliver better speeches. http://www.speechdoctor.com ********************** What Good Is It Anyway? Ever wonder what was said about the major inventions before they came famous? Here are some examples "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." Western Union internal memo, 1876. "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 "But what is it good for?" IBM Engineer on the microchip, 1968 http://home.eclipse.net/~amw/silly/predict.shtml ********************** Sign Language The web has many collections of excellent resources related to signed language. Sign languages are visual, linguistically complete natural languages-- not artificial renditions of a spoken language. Both American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des Signes Quebecois (LSQ) are used in Canada. Here are some links to help you learn (or learn about) these widely used languages (e.g. The "About ASL" site states that ASL is the fourth most commonly used language in the U.S. I would guess the statistics are similar for Canada.) ASL Dictionary: http://www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html About ASL: http://www.deaflibrary.org/asl.html Alphabet LSQ: http://www.surdite.org/alpha.htm French Sign Language: http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/guides/fsl.html Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf/Societe Culturelle Canadienne des Sourdes: http://www.connect.ab.ca/~ccsd/ http://www.deaflibrary.org/asl.html ********************** Ancient Stagecraft One way to really appreciate the people in ancient times is to examine the complexity of their theatre and staging. Didaskalia is a Greek and Roman stagecraft website, with information about actors, masks, costumes, sets (including 3-D views) and more. It's a very interesting way to learn about the dramatic productions of long ago. Didaskalia (Ancient Theatre Today): http://www.warwick.ac.uk/didaskalia/Didintro.html For meta-listings of Classical Sites with plenty of further information related to drama, try one of the following: Classical Drama Sites: http://www.webcom.com/shownet/medea/cldrama.html The Ancient/Classical History Home Page: http://ancienthistory.tqn.com/mlibrary.htm http://www.warwick.ac.uk/didaskalia/Didintro.html ********************** Evaluating Web Resources The ability to critically evaluate information is a required set of skills for anybody who surfs the Web. Technology can now provide us with access to more information than we've ever seen before, and it's our responsibility to ensure that it is used wisely. If you're looking for a place to begin (whether it's teacher or student evaluation skills that need to be addressed) I can recommend Kathy Schrock's "Critical Evaluation Surveys" page. You'll find links to a range of sites providing ideas and criteria for assessing information found on the Web. Kathy Schrock's own set of surveys for student use is also available here. With three separate tools (elemementary, middle and secondary school level), students of all levels are guided through a process that will enhance their critical thinking skills and encourage them to consider a variety of important aspects related to the online experience. Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators: Critical Evaluation Survey http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/evalelem.htm http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/evalelem.htm ********************** Solar Eclipse Yahoo's collection of links related to today's Solar Eclipse is as good a place as any to find sites that describe the event. For scientific and cultural interpretations, pictures, videos and more, these sites are worth a visit. Yahoo's Full Coverage -- Solar Eclipse: http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Tech/Solar_Eclipse/ Note that some of the sites might be so busy that loading could take a while. http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Tech/Solar_Eclipse/ ********************** 700+ Great Sites for Children When it's time to browse the web with children, you might want to start with a large collection of links selected especially for that purpose by people who know kids and really care about them. The American Library Associations's Children and Technology Committee has created such a collection, including sites that are "amazing, spectacular, mysterious and colorful." The suggested age range is preschool to age 14. Categories include arts and entertainment, science and technology, planet earth, literature and language, and more. ALA's 700+ Great Sites for Children: http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html At the "Famous Mistakes" link in the Science and Technology section, I learned that "Liquid Paper" (typewriter correction fluid) was invented by a bad typist who also happened to be the mother of a rather famous rock star (are you old enough to remember the Monkees?) http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html ********************** Children's Authors & Illustrators Imagine having a conversation with the writer of your favourite book. What questions would you ask? Imagine visiting the studios of artists who want to share their visions of whimsical worlds. Wouldn't it be interesting to find out what inspires them? Imagine a site with online lesson ideas and activities related to new books and old favourites. Would this be a useful resource? There are many children's authors and illustrators who want to communicate with their readers via the Internet. They've created beautiful websites offering a wide range of information. These pages often include email address because writers and artists love to get feedback about their work (I know this from personal experience!). Links to a great collection of such sites are available via the remarkable "Children's Literature Web Guide" at the University of Calgary. Children's Authors & Illustrators, and their Books: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html The Children's Literature Web Guide has been featured as a Network Nugget in the past. It's one of my favourite sites and is worth visiting on a regular basis because it's updated frequently. The focus is on literature for children and young adults and I recommend the site as a resource to support all grade levels. Children's Literature Web Guide (main index): http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/ http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/ ********************** Inside Art The "Inside Art" web site is an online adventure where students explore a painting from the inside out! An art history mystery game for 4th-graders and up, Inside Art (and the companion site A. Pintura, Art Detective) can be played independently, in small groups, or even projected on the wall as a full-class activity. The images are really beautiful, presenting concepts such as style, colour, subject, composition, brushstrokes and more, in a way that is very engaging for young learners. There's also a link to teacher resources related to each game, including assessment ideas and a guide for using the site. Inside Art: http://www.eduweb.com/insideart/index.html A. Pintura, Art Detective: http://www.eduweb.com/pintura/index.html Talk to Trish the Fish, the man in blue, or the mysterious Ms. Featherduster and learn some of the fascinating facts which surround the world of art history. http://www.eduweb.com/insideart/index.html ********************** Student-Created Web Pages The Internet is a publishing and communications environment that can be an ideal place for students to share their work. Building web pages can involve HTML coding, but you might also choose to try one of the many web editors which allow you to build web pages in an environment that is very similar to word processing. Here are some sites that can help students learn the skills required to create web pages and help teachers assess and provide meaningful critiques of the pages created. A Beginner's Guide to HTML: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimerAll.html Web Authoring Tools Page: http://www.workspace-resources.com/wrauth1.htm Find the Right Tool (HTML editors for serious users): http://www.cnet.com/Content/Builder/Authoring/Htmleditors/ Student Guide to Claris Home Page (great tips even if you use a different software tool): http://www.claris.com.au/education/solutions/clarispage/index.html Glossary of Internet terms: http://www.delphi.com/navnet/faq/glossary.htmlf Rubric for Assessing Student-created WWW Pages: http://edtech.sandi.net/rubric/ For examples of some real web-based assignments completed by students at the Northern Island Distance Education School (NIDES) check out the following URL: Northern Island Distance Education School student pages: http://www.nides.island.net/StudentWebPages/ST_WEBPG.htm http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimerAll.html ********************** Resources for the Blended Family TUTIC got out of a disastrous first marriage with nothing but cats (and issues) to bring to her second marriage. But many people find themselves in marriage number two with his children, her children and their children. How to blend the families together is the subject of this web site, which is mostly resource links to other sites. What makes it more than just a list are thoughtful annotations by the page maintainer. Also check out the Meeting Place section for advice from other step-parents/blenders. http://www.blendedfamily.com/blendedfamily/resources.html ********************** The Odd Couple Filmmaker John Waters says, "Life is nothing if you're not obsessed." TUTIC thinks about this a lot as she goes through potential Cool sites. Case in point: this page, devoted to Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, as played on TV by Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, respectively. Everything you have ever wanted to know about the show, including cast bios, character bios, where you can see reruns, movie sequel plans, parodiesŠwell, you get the picture. http://members.tripod.com/~odd_couple/ ********************** IF ONLY SPIRO AGNEW HAD THIS SITE HANDY What's in a name? Visit the Anagrams Genius site, at http://www.genius2000.com/anagram.html and you'll get an exhaustive answer. Just type in your full name and your e-mail address, and within a few hours you'll get a message containing as many possible grammatically correct--or nearly grammatically correct--phrases as can be constructed using all the letters in your name, PLUS a list of the longest words that can be made using some of the letters. Our test run (with a very long name) yielded 200--yes, 200-- phrases and 34 long (10-letter or more) words; although none of them was particularly funny or useful as an insult, it was still pretty impressive. If you don't know why Spiro Agnew could have used this service, we can't tell you; if you don't remember who Spiro Agnew was, good for you. http://www.genius2000.com/anagram.html ********************** JUST QUOTES (money) http://www.justquotes.com Money's important. It's not everything, but it's important. And carefully managing your money is vital to your financial health. But who's got time? Sure, information on the Web makes it easier, but you still have to search for dozens of sites to get the info you need--unless you turn to Just Quotes. This ingenious site houses links to financial news sources, stock quotes, and indicators from dozens of sources (such as Reuters, PR Newswire, Quicken.com, and Stock Point) onto one convenient page. But here's the real deal: Type in a company name you wish to track, and all those links are automatically calibrated to pull information on the company you specified. Bookmark the page and you can monitor your portfolio quicker and easier than ever before. --EH http://www.justquotes.com ********************** The Environmental Curriculum Two websites related to environmental education are the focus of this Network Nugget. The first is Ontario's "Towards an Ecozoic Curriculum." The infusion model is the central concept here, with lesson plans (online, or downloadable in PDF format) integrating environmental issues with a range of other curriculum subjects. Arts, Business, Geography, History, Math, Science, and others are represented. Towards an Ecozoic Curriculum: http://noisey.oise.utoronto.ca/osee/tec.html The second is a graduate web project in Environmental Education called the "Dragonfly Museum Tour". This project is a guided, online tour of the web's many environmental education sites. Created by Peggy Dunn at the University of Illinois, it's a webpage providing links for students to browse through topics relating to environmental issues. Dragonfly Museum Tour of Environmental Education: http://tess.uis.edu/www/environmentaled/ Both sites are suitable for intermediate students through to the senior secondary level. http://noisey.oise.utoronto.ca/osee/tec.html ********************** Land of Schlock: The 47s We're not real trekkies; that is, we don't watch Star Trek (and any of the related series) on a regular basis. But apparently, some people not only watch every single episode, they start to formulate theories about the show. A popular theory that's going on now is that for some reason the number 47 figures into Star Trek quite frequently. We have to admit, there is a substantial list of ST scenes in which the number is used. This site lists every known occurance of "47" in all of the Star Trek series so you can judge for yourself. As Spock would say, "Illogical!". http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~schlock/the47s.html ********************** MonicaVision If you're anything like us, you're getting pretty sick of Monica Lewinsky and her giant hair. So why would we possibly feature a Web site that had anything to do with Clinton's ex-sex toy? Probably because the real motive behind the site is to demonstrate a way of adding audio and video to Web pages without requiring a special browser plug-in. We find that kind of neat. Okay, and there are a few Monica songs and parodies that weren't half bad, either. http://www.monicavision.com/ ********************** New Crawler The old granddaddy of search engines takes on a whole new look and purpose. Aimed at consumers connecting to the Net using a modem from home, WebCrawler is designed to be a fast, simple daily read. http://webcrawler.com/ ********************** The Big Something Hey, dude. Wondering what a Big Lebowski is? Catch the QuickTime trailer to find out. Or you could go bowling instead. http://www.lebowski.com/ ********************** Vintage Flicks Then again, you could drop by the Library of Congress American Memory site to sample some vintage flicks. Really, really vintage -- like Early Motion Pictures, 1897-1916. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/papr/mpixhome.html ********************** Wired Towns Think you're wired? Yahoo! Internet Life offers us "America's 100 Most Wired Cities and Towns." http://www.zdnet.com/yil/content/mag/9803/citytoc.html ********************** Unanswered Questions Weird Theories and Unanswered Questions comes to us from "5 CRAZY teenage chicks from Australia." Things like: Who named everything? You can offer some answers if you like. And there's even a graphic of a lava lamp! http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/5577/ ********************** Mysteries of the Bible Quite some time ago, Isaac Asimov wrote a book about the Bible. In it, he tried to correlate Biblical events with scientific fact and reason. Some things seemed to be correct, but others just didn't seem to jive. Tonite's Web site is similar to what Asimov was trying to do, but instead it attempts to clear up certain mysteries in the good Book. If you're not the religious sort, you may find it to be, well, boring. But amateur theologians will undoubtedly enjoy the short lectures that are added to the site periodically. http://www.photoad.com/BibleMysteries/ ********************** Protecting The Net Worried about your kids' safety while surfing the Net? The Cyber Tipline is a place to report online predators and incidents of abuse. http://www.missingkids.com/cybertip/ ********************** Hackers Forum Get the latest details on the case of the Pentagon hackers, courtesy of AntiOnline. The site also boasts 24-hour coverage of the computer security scene. http://www.antionline.com/PentagonHacker/index.html ********************** Reference Web Can't find the right word? Maybe the Web of Online Dictionaries can help. It features links to more than 400 dictionaries in over 130 languages. http://www.bucknell.edu/~rbeard/diction.html ********************** Geek Creed Think you're a geek? Then stand up and be proud. The universal Code of the Geeks may be the best way to announce your geekiness to the