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, "Bună 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 world. http://www.geekcode.com/ ********************** Mascot Conspiracy Ever wonder what life is like for a cereal mascot? One Web site developer did. And he aims to "show the world how terrible the cereal mascot world is." See if you agree. http://users.mboard.com/~needle/galleria/cereal/prologue.htm ********************** 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 ********************** What's on the Menu 'Teacherzone.com' has been featured in Network Nuggets in the past and is a great site for educators who want to explore a number of educational technology issues. This update is to let you know that a special report entitled "What's on the Menu" is now available from the teacherzone site. Its topic is School Web Pages. For the report, hundreds of school web pages (randomly selected) were reviewed to determine how the web is being used to communicate information to the surrounding community. General conclusions are presented (some are pretty negative) with ideas about how to improve the situation. Ideas are provided to help create school web pages that will accomplish some real, educational objectives and meet the needs of the range of people who might visit the sites. What's on the Menu: Special Report on School Web Pages http://www.teacherzone.com/specialreports/onmenu/onmenuinto.html A related resource at teacherzone is Marjan Glavac's publication "The Busy Educator's Guide to the World Wide Web". This document includes a section describing "twenty-five reasons why every school should have a Web site." You'll also find ways to develop and publicize your site (that often-forgotten, important step). As Glavac says, "No one knows what you've done until you've told them." The Busy Educator's Guide to the World Wide Web: http://www.teacherzone.com/kb/glavac/ "When carefully planned and managed, the school Web site is yet another tool to aid schools in positive communication with the community." (from What's on the Menu) http://www.teacherzone.com/specialreports/onmenu/onmenuinto.html ********************** CLN's Resume Theme Page During Spring Break, some students might begin thinking about possible employment options for the summer. Preparing a resume is the first step. It's a task that can be made easier with a little help from the web. Pointers about resume formats, along with plenty of examples of great (and not so great) resumes are available via the Community Learning Network (CLN) theme page on the topic of Writing Resumes and Cover Letters. Writing Resumes and Cover Letters: http://www.cln.org/themes/writing_resumes.html Note that some of these links, such as Career City, also include information about successful interview strategies, salary negotiation, and long term career survival. Career City: http://www.careercity.com/ http://www.cln.org/themes/writing_resumes.html ********************** Yo Yo Tricks It's really getting close to spring break! This year the familiar Yo Yo seems to be the most desirable item for outdoor play. Even my five-year-old is begging for a "Bumble Bee" (the deluxe model with a price ticket approximately equal to what I paid per month when I rented my first apartment.) Fortunately, he can have a great time with a more modest version of this popular toy. It's non-violent and I've noticed that many of the small folks are developing some real skills. Here are websites that will be of interest to all Yo Yo enthusiasts. Yotopia (tricks illustrated with cute diagrams): http://www.sonic.net/~yotopia/HTML/tricks.html Tomer's page of exotic Yo Yo (more tricks, not so many illustrations): http://pages.nyu.edu/~tqm3413/yoyo/tricks.html Cosmic's Yo Yo Tricks (huge range of tricks, text only): http://www.iwc.com/cosmicyo/trickindex.html American Yo Yo association (information and links) http://www.pd.net/yoyo/ A Brief History of the Pro Yo: http://www.playmaxx.com/proyo.htm (some yo yo history) The Mining Company -- History of the Yo Yo: http://inventors.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa120297.htm "The Yo Yo is considered the second oldest toy in history, the oldest being the doll." (from The Mining Company). Of course, the physics of the Yo Yo could be the basis of a science lesson as well.... maybe *after* Spring Break. http://www.sonic.net/~yotopia/HTML/tricks.html ********************** NewsHub When it comes to getting news from the Internet, CNN's Web site is hard to beat. But NewsHub gives it a run for its money. It's not as sophisticated as CNN, and not nearly as extensive. It's NewsHub's simplicity that makes it a winner in our book. With news items being received from a number of different sources, they are all integrated into a fast-loading "show-me-what-you-got" headline format that makes it easy to scan the entire list of articles in the matter of a few seconds. Another plus is that the news is always timely -- NewsHub is updated every 15 minutes. http://www.newshub.com/ ********************** High-Tech Kids TechKnow bills itself as the "cool cyberliteracy site for kids." Cyber-savvy youngsters get to judge other sites on the Web and may even win a trip to computer camp. http://www.pbs.org/kids/techknow/ ********************** Internet Searching Mecklermedia has launched a "search engine for Internet Professionals." It locates information suited especially for Webmasters and system administrators. http://netsearcher.com/ ********************** Art Appreciation More than 65 of renowned painter Gretchen Dow Simpson's works have graced the cover of The New Yorker. Take a tour through her virtual gallery. http://www.gretchendowsimpson.com/index.html ********************** Workplace Humor Are you a disgruntled worker? This e-zine for "people who work for a living" addresses work-related complaints with a touch of humor, while offering employees advice on keeping their cool. http://www.disgruntled.com/cover.html ********************** Remembering Lloyd Hollywood great Lloyd Bridges appeared in such memorable movies as Airplane! and High Noon. Browse a list of his other film and television credits, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database. http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bridges,+Lloyd ********************** The Aerodrome It seems strange that a war that was fought over 70 years ago actually had dogfighting airplanes. The aces of World War I, including the "Red Baron" himself, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen of Germany, have been immortalized at the Aerodrome. This is an extremely well-designed site that has a great deal of information -- history buffs and aviation fans will love it. http://www.theaerodrome.com/ ********************** Take Wellness To Heart Women face a greater risk of death from heart disease and stroke than men do. So take care of yourself or someone you love with a visit to the American Heart Association's new Take Wellness to Heart. Raising awareness and providing solutions, this is a site you shouldn't pass up. http://www.women.americanheart.org/ ********************** Financial Planning FinPlandotCom is dedicated to educating individuals and professionals about all aspects of personal finance and financial planning. Features range from retirement and insurance to investment and estate matters. With a staff that boasts loads of credentials. http://www.finplan.com/ ********************** Word Place A Word With You has a very direct introductory message: "Enjoy language and word play? You've come to the right place." Truer words were never spoken. A daily feature that offers little-known facts about well-known words and phrases. http://www.accessone.com/~lparos/index.html ********************** Harmony Central If you're a musician, or thinking of becoming one, check out Harmony Central. Links to instructors, auctions, classifieds, newsgroups and software. Useful info whether you're looking to buy or repair an instrument. Departments range from guitar to synths to keyboards to drums. And there's even industry news. http://www.harmony-central.com/ ********************** Tax Info Let's suppose -- just suppose -- that you want to get acquainted with tax requirements but don't have a degree in Quantum Mechanics. The very aptly named 1040.com is ready to come to the rescue. Includes a new section entitled, "Tax Information for Ordinary People." http://www.1040.com/ ********************** CGI Scripts I have found http://www.scriptsearch.com/ to be one of the more useful places to look for CGI scripts for a web page. Currently there are over 5000 of them listed there. They come in all different programming languages and for almost any use you would want. http://www.scriptsearch.com/ ********************** Send Your Name To Mars! NASA is going to be sending a Polar Lander to Mars in 1999, and it wants your kid's name to be on it. No, really. It is attempting to get the names of a million kids to put on a CD-ROM that will be included in the Lander's payload. We're not really sure why -- perhaps NASA believes that the Martians have PCs with CD-ROM players. In any case, it's a neat thing to do for your kid, and you get to print out a nifty little certificate that states your child's involvement in the project. And, of course, it's free. http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/mars/details.html ********************** MOTHER NATURE'S GENERAL STORE Exclusive vitamin vendor to the Ask Dr. Weil site (the good doctor's books strongly advocate dietary supplements), Mother Nature cooks up a robust shopping experience, with more than 350 brands (including Mom Nature's own label) of vitamins, minerals, and other supposedly healthful products. The product search engine is supplemented by subject-specific sections (acne, sexual healing, etc.) and an Alternative Practitioner's Directory Search. Online ordering is secure and confidential. Free UPS shipping on orders that exceed $50; full refunds on unopened items. http://www.mothernature.com ********************** THE INDEPENDENT FILM CHANNEL If you scour the art houses and airwaves for flicks such as Scanners and Passion Fish, or if you're a fan of auteur directors like John Sayles and David Cronenberg, then visit the IFC site. Touting itself as "a real Web site for real film fans," IFC goes deep into the heart of the indie filmmaker's darkness, with program schedules that read like a straight outta Sundance lineup, online seminars on concepts and techniques, classified ads, and links to everything from film schools to film preservation sites. http://www.ifctv.com ********************** ALL E-COMMERCE (money) Thanks largely to the Internet, the financial world never sleeps. And what's keeping bankers, investors, politicians, and retailers awake at night? E-Commerce. You can never be too informed about this growing industry, and this new daily site just made keeping up-to-date a great deal easier. Blending link-based news items with stories, polls, and reports gathered in-house, All E-Commerce presents an impressive blend of policy, banking, privacy, and corporate items. If you do business on the Web or are considering it, this site is worth consulting. --EH http://www.allEC.com ********************** NOVA We've come a long,long way since the Mister Wizard era of TV science, and nothing proves this more conclusively than the grace with which Nova, the popular PBS program, has gone digital. Past, present, and future programming on topics like "Cracking the Ice Age," "Avalanche!," "Einstein Revealed," and the "Curse of T. Rex" gets spun off into visually rich reports loaded with text, photographs, illustrations, links to topically related sites, and teacher's guides for the classroom. Like the show, the site is a quantum leap ahead of the rest. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/nova ********************** AERARIUM RARE COINS (shopping) Fittingly named after the ancient Roman treasury building, the Aerarium sells ancient Roman and medieval coins and medals, most at surprisingly affordable prices. Peruse the site's online galleries (the bargain gallery features a slew of coins at only $5 each), complete with photographs of most choices. If you see something you like, print out the order form and dispatch it via snail-mail, or enter scheduled live chats and meet fellow collectors. A pocketful of links to coin-collecting groups nationwide rounds out this unique offering. --EH http://www.cybrinc.com/coins ********************** SEA MONKEY WORSHIP PAGE How many of us can trace the dawn of our cynicism to the moment we realized our brine shrimp were not going to sprout crowns and frolic for us? Nevertheless, our planktonic friends have stepped off the back pages of comic books and into the realm of Web worship. Dive into this cool blue undersea odyssey of pet tricks, shared stories, and helpful hints for raising the world's only "add-water-and-stir" pets. Beautiful, bizarre, and fathoms deeper than your average aquarium. http://users.uniserve.com/~sbarclay/seamonk.htm ********************** SEARCH ENGINE WATCH (computers) Wow. To think of all the times we've nearly bashed in our PCs after getting a kazillion returns from search engines on a simple search. This new site can prevent such catastrophes, even as it educates and entertains. Webmasters will like its technical tips; the rest of us can consult its tutorials on how to refine our searches, consult its glossary for words we don't understand, read articles rating various search engines, and put our newfound knowledge to the test. This is a tremendous resource for all Web wanderers. --EH http://www.searchenginewatch.com ********************** MAINTENANCE WEB A lushly surreal digital travelog, MW is what happens when The X-Files collides with high-concept art. An ambient soundscape washes over you as you wander through the site's many portals. As in the game Myst, nothing really happens, but it sure looks pretty. Read the various log entries, check the inventory that the "crew" brought along on this "journey," or just get lost (it's easy to do) in this stunningly designed enclave. http://www.thing.net/~m/maintenance.html ********************** RICHARD NIXON OR OLIVER STONE--NOW THERE'S A CHOICE Apparently, the 1996 movie Nixon created quite a stir at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace (RNLB) in Yorba Linda, California: At the RNLB's Web site, http://www.chapman.edu/nixon/ you can read a statement by the Nixon family condemning the movie, an apology to the family from Walt Disney's daughter (expressing her shame that her deceased father's company produced the movie), and a page with excerpts from just about every critical pan of the movie. Nobody's contesting the claim that Oliver Stone revises history to suit his ends; still, even a master memory manipulator like Stone could learn a revisionist technique or two from Tricky Dick. (Before he died he actually created something called The Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom--guess The Nixon Center for Obstruction of Justice just didn't have the right ring.) Our advice: Skip the RNLB and the movie, and make your own decisions by picking through the links at The Nixon Links: Now More than Ever: http://www.tezcat.com/~nrn/nixon/nixon.shtml http://www.chapman.edu/nixon/ ********************** AND NOW, REEMERGING FROM BENEATH THE WORLD'S LARGEST PILE OF PING-PONG BALLS. . . Captain Kangaroo is back! No, not the military marsupial of our youth, but a new one, portrayed by John McDonough, about whom you can learn at http://www.newstimes.com/archive96/mar1196/tvg.htm And for an excellent account of the old show--including information on its cartoons, such as "Tom Terrific, with Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog!"--visit the always reliable TV Party site: http://www.tvparty.com/terrytoons.html http://www.newstimes.com/archive96/mar1196/tvg.htm ********************** WATCH ME MAKE THIS 1 CUBE INTO 27 SMALLER ONES In the mid-seventies, the world could have been easily divided into three groups of people: People who could solve the Rubik's Cube ("get-a-lifers"), people who could NOT solve the Rubik's Cube after three or four tries (normal, well-adjusted folk), and people who either never saw--or never bothered to try--the Rubik's Cube (fortunate geniuses). At http://www.rubiks.com Mr. Erno Rubik himself will tell you that had there been a World Wide Web, his pestiferous puzzle might have been even more popular. (I don't understand this, unless there's some unknown connection between the existence of a global network and willingness to TEAR OUT ONE'S OWN HAIR.) True fanatics will want to try Mr. Rubik's online cube, which you can manipulate on screen and which offers all kinds of tips to help you along. The rest of you (us) will probably prefer the Virtual Rubik's Cube, which actually solves itself while you watch. http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~sli2/cube/cube.html http://www.rubiks.com ********************** WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME? Remember the old television show, Lost in Space? If you do, permit us to make you feel really old: The futuristic launch date of the Jupiter 2 was LAST October--October 16, 1997, to be precise. If that makes you feel nostalgic rather than old, why not hyperdrive yourself over to New Line Television's Lost in Space Web site? http://www.lostinspacetv.com There you can find all kinds of information about the ill-fated crew--if you're patient enough to wait for all the "space junk" graphics to load. (For example, when you go to the biography section, you need to wait for a blinking, beeping "Bio-Data Generator" to appear.) If you were a Dr. Smith fan (and who couldn't love a guy who responded to every threat with "Take the boy, not me!"), check out an interview with his portrayer Jonathan Harris and learn the story behind the story of the character's origin. http://www.tvgen.com/sci-fi/qa/q082097a.htm If it's sarcasm and not nostalgia you're after, The Irreverent Guide to Lost in Space, http://web2.airmail.net/pokeys/lis.htm includes episode reviews, a Fly the Jupiter 2 game, and a Lost in Space drinking game--all of which emphasize the show's lack of originality. And for an entirely too-complex Web experience related to the upcoming cinematic spin-off, visit http://www.dangerwillrobinson.com/ http://www.lostinspacetv.com ********************** 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/ ********************** South Asian Cultural Festival Call for Submissions http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/306.html ********************** Investor Sentiment Survey http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/308.html ********************** Free Links Exchange Newsletter http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/319.html ********************** Berklee College of Music http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/312.html ********************** Summer Sessions, University of Pittsburgh http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/318.html ********************** The Daily Freebie - 1000's of Freebies Just for the Asking ! ! ! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/314.html ********************** The Starwars Info Net http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/317.html ********************** Dollar Stretcher: Kitchen Appliance Face-Off http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/303.html ********************** Small business discussion list http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/310.html ********************** Images "dma" now online http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/307.html ********************** Woody's Office Watch finds another Excel bug! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/320.html ********************** Engineering E-journal Search Engine now available http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/311.html ********************** Interact Inn All India Mailing List http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/321.html ********************** Motivational Quote Archive updated http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/304.html ********************** Fraternity Rituals http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/305.html ********************** PageAid http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/309.html ********************** FreeLinks - Web Site Traffic Building Resource http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/313.html ********************** New page on Plasma Physics and much more http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/315.html ********************** 1998 Hewlett-Packard International Women's Challenge http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/316.html ********************** Help For Your Homepage http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/285.html ********************** PrinterSpace http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/295.html ********************** Nonprofit Organization Classifieds http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/301.html ********************** Sunshine Coast Australia - In Brief http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/288.html ********************** Nana Ellen's Stories for Children http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/291.html ********************** The Leonardo DiCaprio Connection http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/293.html ********************** Random House 10-Week Children's Author Chat Series http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/297.html ********************** New Web site helps merchants build effective Web storefronts http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/298.html ********************** Award Winning Business2Business Online Newsletter http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/300.html ********************** Libtery Activist March Edition http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/292.html ********************** March ZineNote http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/296.html ********************** Total Man's Top 100 Websites http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/299.html ********************** Creating an Interactive Index Card Stack with DHTML http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/286.html ********************** Death and Dying Resources http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/290.html ********************** The Nerd Intelligence Agency http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/294.html ********************** BAD GOLF Monthly New URL http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/272.html ********************** Flick Filosopher wins Totally Killer Site Award http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/270.html ********************** USS Octavious Is Looking For New Crew Members! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/273.html ********************** Star Trek: Farseeker http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/278.html ********************** DOLLAR STRETCHER: Time for First Home? http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/279.html ********************** Collaborative Services Web Site http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/271.html ********************** New Virtual Checkup Program Puts the Doctor in Your Inbox http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/283.html ********************** Comprehensive reference of Science Fiction & Fantasy books. http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/275.html ********************** St George's News Waterlooville-March issue http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/281.html ********************** Illinois Employment & Training Center - Chicago http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/282.html ********************** daily site with games, humor, and general interest. http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/274.html ********************** St Ives, Cambridgeshire http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/276.html ********************** Awesome Earthwalk http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/277.html ********************** Announce - Virtual Postcards of Hong Kong, Japan and Australia http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/280.html ********************** Community Learning Network (CLN) During the Spring Break here in BC, your Nugget Lady will be working on some other projects. Nugget messages will start up again on March 23. Now, or at any time, feel free to let me know if there are topics you'd like to see covered. Remember that the Nugget service is at its best when it deals with your real, day-to-day questions about educational web sites. Also, don't forget that Network Nuggets is part of the Community Learning Network (CLN), which is an excellent place to explore a huge range of exemplary educational Internet resources. CLN has a new address: http://www.cln.org/ Bookmarks to the old address will continue to work, but you'll get to CLN slightly faster with the new address. For those of you who are unfamiliar with CLN, its primary focus is to help K-12 teachers integrate information technology into their classrooms. CLN has 200 menu pages with 4,000 annotated links to educational sites. Have a great Spring Break! http://www.cln.org/ ********************** National Trust for Historic Preservation TUTIC Central is about 110 years old, but doesn't look a day over 60. It was remodeled so much before she got it you'd never know; all the old charm's been drained away in the name of "progress." The last owners who had the house for 30 years proudly told her how they'd stripped out all that awful old Victorian molding and woodwork, and got rid of that horrid clawfoot bathtub (in favor of cheap mahogany stripping and a 2" deep prefab bathtub--how progressive). Argh. So it's too late for TUTIC Central unless any of you have a few hundred thousand dollars you'd like to give us to restore it. But it may not be too late for you, or for the many historic buildings and neighborhoods sprinkled around the country. This site contains information on endangered buildings, the Trust's magazine, travel tips for historic architecture fans, booklets on historic restoration and more. http://nationaltrust.org/ ********************** The Ultimate Taxi Maybe you've seen this; TUTIC hadn't until alerted by Faithful TUTIC Reader Jeffery Scharn. It is a taxi in Aspen, Colorado with Internet access. Also a disco ball, recording studio, planetarium, toy shop and theater. It's connected via a wireless network, which allows you to see who if anyone is riding in the taxi at the moment, to send email to the people riding in the taxi, and more. Really silly stuff. http://www.ultimatetaxi.com/ ********************** AdLaw Online Anyone working in advertising, marketing or media will get something out of this site, the online version of a print newsletter put out by the law firm of Hall Dickler Kent Friedman & Wood. All kinds of goodies, including contract forms, case law, an Internet-specific area, and more. http://www.adlaw.com/adlawindex.html ********************** Filled Pause Research Center Faithful TUTIC Reader (and swingin' a-go-go reporter guy) Mike Francis sends in this one. In the words of the site, "If you have ever given a second thought as to why human speech is filled with uhs and ums, then there is definitely something in this site for you." These little hems and haws were the bane of TUTIC's existence in her radio days, when every one of them ricocheted off the mic exposing her for the tonguetied knothead she feared she was. http://www.cisnet.or.jp/home/rlrose/pause/Default.htm ********************** Edo Japan, a Virtual Tour Edo was the capital city of Japan for hundreds of years; in the words of this site, "For the Japanese, Edo has a romantic image that one could compare to the Italian's image of Renaissance Venice, the British image of Victorian London and the American image of the Wild West, all rolled into one." Here you can tour the streets of 18th century Edo, check out the sights, learn about city life and Japanese history. Run, do not walk, and go see this. It is visually beautiful, it is very well crafted (they even used frames correctly), it is informative and it is fun. Highly recommended. Is this a rave? Yes, TUTIC thinks so. http://www.us-japan.org/EdoMatsu/ ********************** Kowloon Traders Sticking with what appears to be a theme today, these folks sell Chinese (and some Japanese) artwork and antique curios. TUTIC even spied some miniature tea sets for her would-be collection here. What makes it worth a look is that the objects d'art are pretty and the maintainers keep up an amusing patter throughout the site. For instance, "Ask Mr. Ping," in which the resident sage answers questions about Chinese culture. There's also a monthly raffle. http://www.kowloontraders.com/ ********************** 1-800-FREEBIE Time to clutter up your snail mail box with some free stuff! As a web site, this thing is pretty much a mess. TUTIC can't be terribly critical; after all, the maintainer isn't a pro, just a netizen trying to get information out there. She just wishes people would keep things a little simpler until they get the hang of it. Kvetching aside, this is a list of dozens of free samples you can get by calling various 800 numbers, everything from Columbian coffee to powdered buttermilk. Should keep your dialing finger busy. http://members.aol.com/SGibbs7696/tollfree.html ********************** Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? Michael Feldman is an instant polarizer of public radio listeners. They either love him or hate him. TUTIC adores him; he brought back the quiz show to national radio, and more than once she has laughed so hard she's had to put her Saturday morning coffee down for fear of burning herself. He is a welcome antidote to the pompousness that occasionally is public radio. Here at the show's website you can yak with other show fans, send postcards, take a quiz or a poll, read about the Town of the Week, listen to excerpts from the last week's show, look up where the show is broadcast near you, and buy stuff. If you hate Michael Feldman, just don't go there. http://www.notmuch.com/ ********************** Information Please If you're looking for information, this is a good place to start. Created by the people who publish the "Information Please" almanacs, this Web site provides access to their impressive database of facts and data. The site is fully searchable, which makes it a lot easier to find the information you're after. It's a great reference that you'll no doubt want to bookmark. http://www.infoplease.com/ ********************** Fund Spot Do you invest in mutual funds? Are you thinking about getting into them? Either way, you'll want to check out Fund Spot. This site contains a wealth of information for mutual fund investors, including profiles of hundreds of available funds. Other features include resources for investors and a discussion area. http://www.fundspot.com/ ********************** No Walls Museum The Smithsonian invites you to take a totally different type of museum tour. One "without walls." This prototype of Revealing Things employs common, everyday objects to tell stories about people and their cultures. Since it's experimental, the site stretches the Web envelope somewhat and may not function well on all computers. Bring along a Java-equipped browser and audio capabilities. A fast modem helps, too. http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/ripley/eap/rt/ ********************** Saving Earth? Maybe the latest news that an asteroid will have a too-close-for-comfort encounter with the Earth in the not-so-distant future has left you a little nervous. Check out the folks who check out scary asteroids (or what they call "interesting" objects) at the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking Home Page. Lots of "interesting" images. http://huey.jpl.nasa.gov/~spravdo/neat.html ********************** Foreign Wire The Web helps make the world more of a community. So you might as well learn more about your neighbors. Which is where the aptly named ForeignWire comes in. A free service that includes headlines, features and analysis. Written by professional journalists, the site claims visitors from every continent. An extensive archive is categorized by country. http://www.foreignwire.com/ ********************** Women's History The Encyclopedia of Women's History began as a classroom assignment to write research papers on notable figures in Women's History in March of 1995. With submissions from students in grades 1 through 12 -- and entries ranging from Abigail Adams to Kristi Yamaguchi -- the "encyclopedia" isn't edited for grammar or content. So you get to see it just the way the kids did it. http://www.teleport.com/~megaines/women.html ********************** Your Books YourBoooks.com thinks the time is right for another kind of online book transactions -- that is, your kind. The site offers to let you buy/sell/trade new or used books. It asks for a little patience with the number of titles available so far, however, since it's a start-up. http://yourbooks.com/ ********************** Millennium Countdown Like to know how many seconds we have to go until the Millennium? Let the White House do the counting. This special site is devoted to "honoring the past and imagining the future." A multi-year initiative to mark the end of the 20th century and help usher in the new millennium, this site invites everyone to participate in a wide range of events and functions. Includes coverage of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking's recent Millennium Evening Lecture. http://www.whitehouse.gov/Initiatives/Millennium/main.html ********************** Online Puzzles Take a break from the office tedium when the boss isn't looking. With a little refreshing puzzle play. Or maybe you are the boss -- in which case you've got 36 of these addicting things to waste time on. (Challenging hint: the fewer the moves the better.) http://imagiware.com/puzzle/ ********************** Online MTV MTV isn't just a TV thing anymore, dude. Musicheads can get reviews, concert info and bios. Fans can preview shows, like watching Roni help a mama pig deliver piglets even! And other stuff you can't do with the tube. Such as read transcripts or chat with "online buds." http://www.mtv.com/ ********************** Fashion Update The tres cool firstVIEW boasts tens of thousands of photos of the latest fashion collections. Top models from top shows in Milan, Paris, London and New York. Browse many for free; pay for the rest. http://www.firstview.com/ ********************** Alexa It's not often that we feature a single piece of software as our Dynamite Site, but Alexa ranked so high on the "neat-o" scale that we had to give it a nod. In brief, Alexa is a program that works with your Web browser (though it is not a plug-in), providing information about whichever Web site you happen to be looking at. It will tell you the name and address the domain was registered under, approximately how many hits it gets, and how many other sites link to it. It also gives you a list of other sites that you may find interesting based on the content of the current site. Not impressed yet? Well, Alexa will also avoid some 404 (Page Not Found) errors by referring back to it's huge (8 terrabyte) archive of Web pages and displaying the last copy of the page it happens to have. Alexa is totally free, so go to this Web site and find out more about it. http://www.alexa.com/ ********************** Skirt Magazine If you couldn't tell by the title, this online magazine is strictly for women. It contains short articles and features on just about everything, from travel to political rants. In a nutshell, we'd say that it's kind of like Cosmopolitan with an attitude. This kind of gritty female perspective is pretty popular on the Internet for some reason. Funny thing is, you don't see too many online 'zines for men with the same kind of approach. Don't ask us why not. http://www.skirtmag.com/ ********************** Film Indie The Oscars are not the only awards worth winning in the movie scene. As you'll see by checking out the Independent Spirit Awards. The aim is to support quality independent films and filmmakers -- and thereby preserve creative control, moderate budgets and diversity of themes. You'll find full coverage of the nominees, interviews, even QuickTime videos. And there's a webcast coming up. http://www.ifctv.com/events/98isa/main.html ********************** E-mail Directory Is e-mail becoming a way of life for you? The Free Email Address Directory may make that part of your life more efficient. Info on Web-based e-mail, mail forwarding and address finders. With links to new e-mail services that "seem to be sprouting up faster than weeds." http://www.emailaddresses.com/ ********************** Mutual Funds No promises that you'll get rich quick, but you may invest smarter after checking out the Ultimate 1998 Guide to Mutual Funds at Money.com. You'll find 7,500 stock and bond funds to scour -- based on such factors as performance, risk, expenses. A Mutual Funds IQ Test could help you learn from others' mistakes. http://www.pathfinder.com/money/funds/index.html ********************** Federal Budget Don't just complain about federal spending -- learn about it. Straight from the government's mouth. Docs are available for direct download, including 200 spreadsheet tables for the truly masochistic. You can search for specific topics. And it includes a citizen's guide so you can try to make sense out of it. Remember, we said, try. http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/budget/index.html ********************** Dancing Baby Some of the world's top scientific brains labored long and hard to bring us the Web. Which in turn has brought us the Incredible Dancing Baby. Now in more file formats. http://www3.cd-music.com/~bobh/huggie.html ********************** CollegeStudent.com When you're attending a college away from home, there's often a lot of information that can come in handy. For example, if you're looking for a roommate or trying to find a tutor, you'd like to know where to go. Look no further than CollegeStudent.com, which has tons of info of every kind -- including the really important stuff, such as where to go to get sloppy drunk. The information is tailored for specific colleges across the country, and about two dozen are currently available to choose from. http://www.collegestudent.com/ ********************** Free Stuff eep track of the latest giveaways at #1 Free Stuff. From musical greeting cards to coffee samples to nasal strips to toothpaste. You'll have to fill out a form or send an envelope for some products. A cool place to check in from time to time during your Web wanderings. http://members.xoom.com/emenhart/newest.htm ********************** Lost In Space Online promotions for new movies are becoming almost as much fun as the movies themselves. Case in point: the new Lost in Space site. Not only will you find a backgrounder on the story, stills and a QuickTime trailer -- you can create a planet for the Robinson family, adopt a downloadable Robot or learn a little science fact and fiction. Great graphics, and a 3-D virtual reality section is coming soon. http://www.dangerwillrobinson.com/movie.html ********************** Cooler Cam If you just don't have the time to leave your desk and hang out at the water cooler, don't despair. The "amazing" CoolerCam is just a mouse click away. Bring your own water. http://www.coolercam.com/ ********************** Shocked Science One of the age-old mysteries of science is how to make learning science fun. Now, ExploreScience has made a shocking discovery: Use Shockwave! From the venerable see-saw torque to the floating log problem to the orbit simulator. Of course, you'll need the free Shockwave plugin, but this is as good a reason as any to install it. http://www.explorescience.com/ ********************** Flight Insurance Can a Master of the Universe ever have enough insurance? Probably not. So how about a $10 million UFO Abduction policy? Their motto: "Don't leave Earth without it." (There's also asteroid insurance.) http://www.ufo2001.com/ ********************** Information Please This site is advertised as the Ultimate fact finder. Brought to you by the folks who publish the Almanac under the same name. http://www.infoplease.com/ ********************** Earthcam Tired of your surroundings. Surf over to Earthcam and see live shots of just about everything. My favorite is the WCBS metrocam in New York http://www.earthcam.com ********************** Task Force Clip Art The world's greatest graphic images are just a couple of clicks away. New Vision Technologies is a Canadian company that has been in the Clip Art business longer than most. Check out their free collection as well as their superb clip art software. http://www.nvtech.com/index.html ********************** IMAGINE RADIO (tv) The Kinks once sang "I've been around the dial so many times," lamenting their fruitless search for good music on the radio. Unless you live in a huge radio market or listen to nothing other than NPR, chances are your experiences are also less than sterling. So why settle when you can program your own radio station on the Internet for free? The recently launched Imagine Radio allows you to do just that. Download the player and choose from 20 different streaming channels, all available 24 hours a day. Sixteen music channels (genre or artist specific), AP news channels, and a variety of talk shows (from celebs to MacAddicts) should keep your soundcard busy for a long time to come. --EH http://www.imagineradio.com ********************** THE RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN ORGANIZATION Rodgers and Hammerstein, the musical geniuses behind such enduring classics as the Sound of Music and The King and I, also founded the RHO, a group that administers entertainment copyrights and promotes composers' work. Browse through information on hundreds of Broadway musicals, test your Broadway knowledge with the R&H quiz, or sift through the vast biographies section, which reads like a who's who of the performing arts, from Irving Berlin to Kurt Weill. We give it a standing ovation. http://www.rnh.com ********************** ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM A faux Roman villa in Boston serves as the showcase for this fine collection of renaissance paintings and other masterpieces of art history that were amassed by Ms. Gardner, a late-19th-century free thinker and impassioned art collector. On display are samples of exhibitions, art history notes, concert schedules, and a virtual tour of the museum's lovely gardens, all dressed up in small, slideshow-like graphics. Crime aficionados can pursue to articles on the continuing intrigue surrounding the museum's infamous 1990 art heist. http://www.boston.com/gardner ********************** RUPAUL.NET (tv) We would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the Queen Madre RuPaul gave her Web designer feedback: "Mmm, sugar, that does look fab, but I need it to throw a little more shade, you feel me?" And it looks like the Webmistress heeded her chiffon call, as this funky-fly enclave oozes Ru-mination and sports a Paul-ished flair. Check out the Diva's tips for lifestyle guidance, get the latest Ru news, buy some Ru merchandise, and read how RuPaul Andre Charles became the biggest, baddest drag queen ever to achieve mass-market appeal. Find out what mish-mash of porn stars, glamour queens, and simply hot celebs will be gracing her TV show as well. The Web will never be the same. --EH http://www.rupaul.net ********************** WEB SITE GARAGE You've slaved over your Web site for months. Now for some feedback from Web Site Garage. Enter your site's URL (nonframe sites only, for now). Moments later you'll be presented with a check list detailing how your site scored in load time, dead links, popularity (defined by the number of other sites with back to yours), HTML (prompting technical wrist-slaps such as, "end tag does not match any start tags"), and spelling. WSG provides some assistance gratis, but the more substantial overhauls will cost you bigger bucks. A fantastic resource. http://www.websitegarage.com ********************** NT WARE.COM (software) Most computer users' eyes will glaze over while surfing this site, but if you work in an IS department and have Windows NT running on your network (or are considering deploying it), you might want to bookmark this new resource and share it with your colleagues. Striving ultimately to cull "any software ever made for Windows NT that has been released for general download," NTWare.com organizes its freeware into categories such as Server Apps, Workstation, Drivers, and even Games. Most selections include detailed specs and brief descriptions. --EH http://www.ntware.com ********************** BEST INTERNET RECRUITER (BIR) (jobs_career) One of the hottest topics in Washington right now (well, aside from that other one) is the high-tech industry's push to increase the quota of foreign workers it can hire each year. Seems recruiters are having a hard time filling positions with qualified domestic workers. While this new site may not eradicate that problem, it might make hiring workers a little easier. Rather than registering with the handful of top online recruiting sites and managing multiple postings yourself, you can have BIR do the legwork for you. Simply fill in your job description and select your target job sites, and BIR will place your ad. Fill the position? No need to pull your ad from 15 sites: Simply tell BIR and it'll get pulled. --EH http://www.bestrecruit.com ********************** 4INTERNET.COM If you don't have time to look through the 1,983,052 returns that your search requests produce, check out this new online community of Web sites. 4Internet is a hub of 120 locations so far (expanding to 1,500, they say) all created by the 4Internet team. These specific subsites cover weather, health, parenting, cars, computer news, and just about anything else you can imagine. Find the topic that interests you from this central launch point--or the next time you want to conduct a Web search, put a 4 in your URL, as in www.4yourtopic.com. http://4internet.com ********************** WOMEN IN AMERICAN HISTORY (home) Encyclopedia Britannica must have launched this site to celebrate Women's History Month. But whatever the reason, we applaud this exquisite new study of women's roles in shaping American history. Starting roughly with Pocahontas and continuing through present times, WAH presents women's triumphs and failures, struggles and success in a gorgeous, exhaustive narrative. Walk the time line; read hundreds of biographical essays and portraits; listen to famous (and infamous) quotes in the Media Gallery; take a weekly quiz; and if that's not enough, enter Women's History on the Web for dozens of links to more online destinations. Top notch. --EH http://women.eb.com ********************** SOUL FOOD This Fox 2000 picture, starring Vivica Fox and Vanessa Williams, boasts a homepage as warm and down-home as the film itself. Aside from the usual array of cast info and credits, SF serves up some serious soul food recipes, restaurant recommendations, and a surprisingly good set of to sites like IBIS (an online directory specializing in the culture of the African diaspora), BET, Vibe Magazine, House of Blues, and the Afro-American Web Ring. It's a family thing. http://www.filmzone.com/soulfood ********************** TOP O' THE MORNING TO YA You may have your green beer brewing, your cabbage boiling, and your Irish eyes smiling--but your St. Patrick's Day preparations will not be complete until you visit Everything You Wanted to Know about St. Patrick's Day, on the New Jersey Web. http://www.njweb.com/stpats.html Actually, you probably won't find EVERYTHING you wanted to know at this single-page site. But you can learn, once and for all, that St. Patrick was NOT Italian--he was Irish at a time when Ireland was part of the Holy Roman Empire. And most important, you'll find a link to a site called Irish Songs for Singing on St. Patrick's Day Or Whenever, which includes the lyrics to all the songs you'll find yourself singing loudly, between sips, at about 2 a.m. on March 18. http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~declaris/ballads/songs.html http://www.njweb.com/stpats.html ********************** QUACK-QUACK For millions of Americans, the only palatable portion of the morning commute is listening to the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, which originates from New York City but--as the I-Man is constantly reminding his listeners--is playing in a growing number of cities across the country. Well, if you arrive at work needing even more Imus, we recommend skipping the fan sites and jumping straight to the MSNBC Imus page: http://www.msnbc.com/news/IMUS_Front.asp Here you can find show content, including transcripts and excerpts from interviews with politicians and newspeople, music clips from Imus's favorites (Delbert McClinton, Kinky Friedman, Little Sammy Davis), and even some show gags (like the plight of Imus sycophant "Mark from Milwaukee"). Unfortunately, there are no transcripts from the "Cardinal O'Connor lottery number" routines. If, like many, you listen to Imus only in the hopes of hearing impersonator Rob Bartlett, why not visit HIS site? http://www.robshow.com http://www.msnbc.com/news/IMUS_Front.asp ********************** EQUAL TIME... Last time, we sent you to an "Imus in the Morning" site. Today, we thought in the interest of fairness, we'd send you to a site about Imus's chief morning-drive-time competitor, Howard Stern. Except that this isn't easy to do, because: (1) the show doesn't appear to have its own site, and (2) most of the fan sites include some rather graphic links--meaning that the links themselves may offend you before you even follow them. About the safest thing we could find was The Howard Stern Link page: http://members.aol.com/mackie27/index.html This site contains links to just about every Stern fan page, the home pages of every member of the Stern cadre (Captain Janks, Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, Ponce de la Phone), and yes, links (but text-only links) to some of Stern's favorite things. If you're a Stern fan, none of this will bother you. If you don't already know what you're getting into, you probably don't want to get into it. http://members.aol.com/mackie27/index.html ********************** GET READY, GET READY How did America's most durable popular music come to be? You can find out at the official Motown 40th anniversary site, where an online timeline takes you year by year through the evolution of record promoter Berry Gordy's brainchild. http://www.motown40.com/ You can also find a calendar that lets you know when and where these seemingly ageless performers will be playing throughout the year, monthly spotlights on Motown groups, and a Shockwave Jukebox that's supposed to play hits from the new Motown 40 Forever CD (it wasn't working when we visited, but maybe it will be running when you read this). Two disappointments: (1) The archives section, which looks like it will provide detailed information on each group, turns out to include only photos and "discographies"; and (2) there is no philosophical explanation for how a song whose first lyrics are "Sugar pie, honeybunch" could become such a timeless classic in this nation of cynics. For a more compact Motown experience, visit ABC's abbreviated Motown time line. http://www.abc.com/motown/ http://www.motown40.com/ ********************** ENJOY MY SITE, YOU MORON That's the irresistible welcome Don Rickles offers you at his relatively new World Wide Web site, The Hockey Puck: http://www.thehockeypuck.com/ Besides being treated with trademark Rickles hospitality, you can read Don's reviews of his own movies, a Rickles biography (in which we learn, among other things, that Don is a perennial winner of Best-Dressed Awards from the Customs Tailors Guild of America and the Tailors Council of America), and sound bites from Rickles's albums and performances. You won't find the Conan O'Brien "Rickles Commemorative Stamp" parodies (the link no longer works) or any semblance of political correctness. And unless you know something we don't about reloading Web pages, you'll have to listen to some announcer say, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Warmth himself, Don Rickles," every time you return to the home page. http://www.thehockeypuck.com/ ********************** Originalab This is a Swedish site that builds greeting cards, calendars and business cards for you on-the-fly online--and then delivers them to you as a downloadable Acrobat PDF file for you to print or to take to a printer. For FREE. Crazy Swedish designers. You need Javascript to take advantage of it, but it's pretty neat and Useful especially if you like having calendars lying about. TUTIC says check it out, it's quite nicely done. http://www.originalab.se ********************** The Daily Vault This would be a better site if they'd lose the dang frames and drop the background underneath the reviews--yes, it's a phonograph album, but it makes it hard to read. Nevertheless, The Daily Vault is a nice site for audiophiles; it reviews two recordings a day, not necessarily new ones, either, and from all kinds of genres. Probably the only site on the net where you're going to find a review of an old America album cheek-by-jowl with a review of Motorhead. http://www.dailyvault.com/ ********************** Armchair Millionaire This site is a joint venture between Quicken.com and iVillage; it`s devoted to what TUTIC`s heard called "Get Rich Slow": The sound financial techniques that are guaranteed to bring you a good return on your money and that hardly anyone wants to follow. Here you`ll find forums to exchange ideas with others, investment tips, a five-step plan to financial success, model portfolios and more. http://www.armchairmillionaire.com/ ********************** Ireland On-Line St. Patrick`s Day Yeah, yeah, okay, we have to do this. May as well make it an actual Irish site, no? Learn some short phrases in Gaelic, read about the Saint, read a nice article on Dublin, take a quiz--hey, take two, they`re small! Contributed by Faithful TUTIC Reader and Real Live Irish Lady Sheila Killian. Beannacht na Féile Pádraig ort! http://paddy.iol.ie/index1.html ********************** Writers Guidelines Freelance writers, here's a goldmine of a resource. The maintainer has collected dozens of article guidelines for publications of all kinds, all since December and up-to-date as far as she's aware. There`s also a Writers Guidelines mailing list you can join to get the latest updates to her database. http://mav.net/guidelines/ ********************** Barry`s Temple of Godzilla TUTIC was leaning against this site; after all, she`d already given a favorable review to Stomp Tokyo, its host site (great site, by the way). And it's got a few design problems. But boy, it`s also got heart, a big bad Godzilla-sized heart. What finally won her over was the BToG Quiz, which starts off with "Name That Monster." Play the monster sound, then Name That Monster! http://www.stomptokyo.com/godzillatemple/ ********************** E-Publication http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/324.html ********************** Global Marketing News http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/329.html ********************** The Groove Krickets http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/330.html ********************** Dollar Stretcher: Borrowing Your Way to Wealth? http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/331.html ********************** Worried About A Computer Virus? http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/325.html ********************** Useful Bookmarks Moves http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/326.html ********************** Media Professional March 98 Features http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/327.html ********************** New Things on Virtual Alcatraz http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/328.html ********************** The Party Line - Weekly Site Reviews http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/322.html ********************** Cauldron http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/323.html ********************** Countersurveillance When you think of bugs and microtransmitters, you probably think of James Bond and spies. But surveillance is actually a big business, and many of the customers are businesses that want to find out what their competitors are up to -- industrial espionage, as it were. For some basic facts about countersurveillance and what you can do to keep your secrets secret, take a look at this Web site produced by the folks from the Discovery Channel. Just don't get too paranoid about the whole thing. http://www.discovery.com/area/technology/countersurveillance/surveillance1.html ********************** Historic Mission Thanks to NASA, your child can become part of space history. When the Mars Polar Lander enters the Martian atmosphere in 1999, it will carry a CD-ROM with 1 million names of school children. Add your child's name to the list. http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/mars/ ********************** Financial Hodgepodge Financial resources are at your fingertips with the FinanceWise site. Billed as "the first search engine to focus specifically on financial-only content," you can get some good money-saving advice here. http://www.financewise.com/ ********************** Online Collections Collectors will love this site, with its focus on collectibles of a huge variety. Trading cards, comic books, figurines and stamps barely scratch the surface at the World Wide Collectors Digest. http://www.wwcd.com/index.html ********************** Joys Of Nature Now that spring's in the air, you may find yourself thinking more about the great outdoors. The Great Outdoor Recreation Pages help you find places to engage in such activities as horse riding, wind surfing, scuba diving and camping. http://www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/main.htm ********************** Reliving History Historical buffs will have a ball at this site, courtesy of The History Channel. Read the current day's news from years past, or travel back in history to other dates that are important to you. http://www.historychannel.com/thisday/ ********************** Feline Fancy If you're looking for information on a specific cat, chances are you'll find it here. From the American Lion to the domestic house cat, this site offers fun-filled facts and photos. http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats/ ********************** Cryptic Answers Do you ever find yourself contemplating the meaning of life? Maybe Voyager Tarot can help. Its "Card-a-Day" feature may provide the very answers you need. http://www.voyagertarot.com/ ********************** colorize.com http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/338.html ********************** Sports Ezine Announces Free Subscriptions http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/333.html ********************** Women who have served in the U.S. House of Representatives http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/341.html ********************** PC Games for FREE! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/339.html ********************** Compiled federal elections results, 1920 - 1996 http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/340.html ********************** Web Tools http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/343.html ********************** Preschool Teacher http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/344.html ********************** New directory going online http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/332.html ********************** Website Offering Free Automotive Screensavers Online http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/342.html ********************** Chat Software http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/337.html ********************** Science Site Grows http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/334.html ********************** Health & Medical Resources ...The Health Beat http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/335.html ********************** Search the Web by Domain Name http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/336.html ********************** Excursion Module Part of HBO`s "From the Earth to the Moon" website (accompanying the TV show of the same name), this almost became a Cool thing. At this site you can take extensive tours of historic moonshot locales, including some pretty neat QuickTime VR tours of things like Mission Control and the inside of the lunar module. Good way to learn about history and science at once. http://www.hbo.com/apollo/cmp/excursion1.html ********************** Public Access TV Webring While perusing the home page of Portland's own The Chess Show (whose page does not do justice to the fabulousness that is the Chess Show), TUTIC stumbled on this webring. If you're a fan of public access TV in your town, check out these pages of other shows around the country. TUTIC didn't think it was possible for web pages to so thoroughly reflect another medium, but these pages ooze that endearing public access feel. Some of the material may not be suitable for the delicate; be warned (especially since TUTIC did not visit every single page in the ring). http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=publicaccesstv&list ********************** The Arena Swimsuit season is coming, and while TUTIC has pretty much given up on the perennial quest to resemble a waif, she and Mr TUTIC have resolved to at least increase our fitness level. And so he`s dug up this site. While this is aimed at beginning bodybuilders, you might gain some insight by looking at the workouts shared here by visitors. Q&As, links, articles, and FAQs, including the immortal question, "How do I get my abs to look like giant ravioli?" http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/5782/main.html ********************** The Crafts Report This is the online version of the print magazine. It`s aimed primarily at artists and craftspeople, but those interested in collecting arts and crafts will find something here as well. The current issue, not all of which is available online, showcases "recycled" crafts, piece made of cast-offs. Show listings, a gallery, suppliers and more. http://www.craftsreport.com/ ********************** Xpeditions The National Geographic Society has put together a neat little Web site for those who want to learn a little more about this world of ours. In addition to hundreds of online maps that can be printed out free of charge, the site also has a virtual "Xpedition Hall" that contains some pretty cool exhibits that you can mess with. Other features include forums for discussing different topics, and a collection of activities and lesson plans for teaching kids (and adults) about geography and the like. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/xpeditions/ ********************** Internet Traffic Report If you have to commute to work, you probably listen to the radio on the way in to find out where the bottlenecks and traffic jams are, as reported by the "eye in the sky" helicopters. The Internet is a lot like a freeway system, and it gets jammed up all of the time. The result is that you either don't get to your destination (a Web site) at all, or it takes a lot longer than normal. The Internet Traffic Report can give you a quick rundown of where the Net is congested and how smooth things are running on the global network. You really can't do a lot with this information -- if things are clogged up, you're screwed anyway -- but it's kind of neat to see what's going on behind the scenes. http://www.internettrafficreport.com/ ********************** Amazing Freebies No need to be verbose. The title says it all. http://www.thefreesite.com ********************** My Deja News Now the most powerful search engine on newsgroups delivers a customized version. You can set your preferences and be alerted when interesting articles are posted. http://wmod.dejanews.com/ ********************** INTERMUTE (software) "Just the facts, ma'am," Joe Friday used to snap on Dragnet. Ol' Joe would probably go gaga over this new shareware utility. If the quality of your surfing has headed south recently because of omnipresent banner ads, JavaScript nightmares, animated .gifs and blinking text, you'll probably think Intermute's a savior. It gets rid of those and other common annoyances, delivering instead a much faster, cleaner page. Download the program and evaluate it, free, for seven days. If you like what you see (or don't see), you can get the full version for $19.95. --EH http://www.intermute.com ********************** The Titanic Files Titanic, Titanic... everything you hear about these days is in some way connected to the Titanic. Since public interest in the sunken ship is at an all-time high these days, perhaps you would be interested in seeing some real-life items pertaining to the tragedy. Tonite's site has digitized versions of actual documents such as the SOS message that was sent out when the ship was going down and claims for lost cargo and baggage (our favorite is the one for $800 worth of Roquefort cheese). If you want to see some other neat documents that are unrelated to the Titanic, make sure you go to the main page of "The Smoking Gun", which hosts this particular collection. Long-time Dynamite Site denizens might remember "The Smoking Gun" -- it was featured here about a year ago. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/titanic/titanic.html ********************** Fighting Cancer The Women's Cancer Network says that approximately every 64 minutes, a woman in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer of the reproductive organs. Education is key. This interactive, informational site will provide just that. http://www.wcn.org/ ********************** REEL TIME FILM FESTIVAL he folks behind the RTFF (who also happen to be the folks behind Pathfinder's Netly News) want to "encourage the work of independent and experimental filmmakers and to promote the Internet medium as a forum for the exhibition of films." Hence, this online festival of indie shorts, in which all the films are available for viewing in RealVideo format. Judges determined the winners in several categories (narrative, documentary, public service announcement, experimental, animation); early visitors voted for the "Best of Festival" winner. It's too late to cast your ballot now, but not too late to view some interesting films and check out this groundbreaking concept. http://www.reeltimefilm.com ********************** LAPTOP TRAVEL.COM (hardware) Nightmare Scenario #4523: You've just arrived in your hotel in Singapore and decide to log on to your company's intranet to pull up the most recent sales figures for tomorrow's presentation to the Pacific Rim partners. You reach down to connect your phone cord into the phone jack--and realize in horror that the jack doesn't fit your U.S. phone cord. Laptop Travel can help you prevent such knee-weakening episodes. This robust site sells all kinds of peripherals and adapters to guarantee you can get wired in locales where TCI means nothing. Search by country or region, read through the helpful travel tips, and rest easy on your next 20-hour flight. --EH http://www.laptoptravel.com ********************** AP-BIZ It`s another one of those "If you can`t promote your friends, what`s the point of having a column" times, kids. But this email list/website really is Useful; as a list member of AP-BIZ, TUTIC has to say she`s gotten valuable advice and feedback. AP-BIZ is a list for home and small businesses whose owners are also trying to practice attachment parenting; believe it or not, the two have plenty in common. At the website you can read about attachment parenting, subscribe to the list, browse a directory of businesses, get resources for starting your own business and more. Kudos to list owner Jay Cox for realizing a list like this was needed. http://www.kjsl.com/~lizard/apbiz.html ********************** Chicken Jokes TUTIC will never run out of material. Never. People are too darn goofy. What is says, chicken jokes. http://nyquist.ee.ualberta.ca/~dawe/chickenjoke.html ********************** YOU CAN'T CALL HIM LARRY "BUD" ANY MORE But the cackling idiot's creator, Calvert de Forrest, is alive, kicking, and documenting his improbable late-life comedy career on his Web site. http://www.calvertdeforest.com/index.html See him posing with Playboy playmates, read his "Cheap Advice" column (hilarious) and theater reviews (ridiculous), and--perhaps most important--see his Buddy Holly-at-90 mug on every page. The site's only drawback is, unfortunately, a big one: Clicking the link to a .wav file of Larry Bud's trademark cackle leads to what could be the most disappointing "File Not Found" message on the Web. http://www.calvertdeforest.com/index.html ********************** Substitute Teacher Homepage Even if you're not a substitute teacher (or "Teacher on Call"), you should visit this site just to learn what life is like for those who *do* take on this role. These poor folks regularly find themselves in charge of classrooms full of hostile strangers -- kids who were expecting somebody entirely different. Armed with bribes, extra pencils, band-aids and a desire to be more than just a glorified baby-sitter, subs deserve your respect. If you *are* a sub, here's a place to read about the strategies that others in your situtation use to cope with problems that range from inaccurate seating plans and lack of information about what the class is actually supposed to be doing -- to ambiguous coffee room rules and decisions about "what do I do at recess?" You can also contribute your own stories and suggestions. Substitute Teacher Homepage: http://www.netonecom.net/~garmar/subtips.htm Note that this page links to lots of other relevant webpages for teachers on call and other teachers as well. http://www.netonecom.net/~garmar/subtips.htm ********************** Set Game Homepage Here's a site where math concepts such as logic and attribute theory can be explored through online and free downloadable games (along with products you can order if you really become hooked). Back to "what's for free"... this site allows you to learn the rules of the 'Set Game', participate in a daily challenge, find out about the math and brain research related to this type of play and find other Set players to talk to. The game was developed from the coding system of a genetics researcher who was trying to find out whether German Sherpherd dogs with epilepsy had inherited the disorder or developed it in some other way. Apparently her playful nature crept into the project, and her file cards became a collection of shapes and colours representing various characteristics of the dogs. Ultimately, the shapes and colours took on a life of their own as a game which can challenge players from kindergarten to adult. Set Game Homepage: http://www.setgame.com/ Thanks to Margaret Holtschlag from Michigan for letting me know about the above site. You might also want to visit Margaret's Children's Calendar site at: http://my.voyager.net/holt/calendar/index.htm http://www.setgame.com/ ********************** Cracker Whacker Launch crackers into the air. Really far into the air. Good for long distance food fights, but remember -- it's only fun until someone loses an eye. http://www.crackerwhacker.com/ ********************** Chia Pet Terracotta figurines that grow sprouts. Take your pick: the pig, the hippo, or the dog. At last, gardening for impatient people who prefer to stay indoors. http://www.chiapet.com/ ********************** Cats: Plans for Perfection From the retractable claw to nocturnal vision, go behind the scenes in feline biology. "The cat is one animal nature pretty much got right the first time around...the story of the cat is ultimately a story about design." http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/cats/ ********************** Animal Olympics Vote for the gold in categories including "Night Warriors," "Competitive Instincts," "Field and Stream," and "Winged Victory." It's a jungle out there. http://discovery.com/area/nature/animalolympics/animalolympics.html ********************** Beware: Killer Asteroid Heading This Way! Full coverage of the recent news surrounding an announcement that an asteroid is heading straight towards Earth. NASA scientists now tell us the chunk of space rock will miss us by a healthy margin... Phew. http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Tech/Asteroid_on_Course_for_Earth/ ********************** Asteroid Insurance Then again, you never know. If you're the type to worry about universal debris smacking into our lovely blue planet, asteroid insurance just might be for you. Besides, it's cheap. Just $19.95 for a lifetime premium, with an additional two dollars for same day shipping. Be safe. http://www.ufo2001.com/asteroid.htm ********************** Maui Buy the Inch Own a piece of paradise, literally. Just $15.99 buys you a square inch of primo real estate in beautiful Hawaii. Think carefully about what this means. Yes, you'll be a landowner. No, you won't be able to throw a frisbee very far... http://aloha-mall.com/buy-maui ********************** Fly Power Fully functional model airplanes that harness the locomotive forces of common household flies. One satisfied customer testifies: "You will marvel at how agile these airplanes are and at their ability to zoom around obstacles." http://www.flypower.com/fp1.html ********************** Viewlogy For a couple of grand you can have a multimedia slideshow embedded in your tombstone. The nice folks at Leif have put together a system that preserve photos, text, and even family trees for future generations to appreciate. Now, if only each tombstone could be hooked up to the Internet... http://www.leif.com/ ********************** Yahoo! Visa No annual fee, 24-hour online statement access, risk-free online shopping guarantee, and email customer service -- go buy yourself some wacky stuff. http://card.yahoo.com/ ********************** National Women's Hall of Fame National Women's Hall of Fame - behind every great country... http://www.greatwomen.org/ ********************** PBS TechKnow helping children become cyberliterate. http://www.pbs.org/kids/techknow/ ********************** Cinescape provides news, rumors, and reviews of the fantastic. http://www.cinescape.com/ ********************** Anne Klein Factory Stores "look smart. Shop smarter." http://www.annekleinoutlets.com/ ********************** Avon Running more than just another pretty race. http://www.avonrunning.com/ ********************** Bayer Consumer Care take two URLs and call me in the morning. http://www.bayercare.com/ ********************** Christian Children's Fund helping more than 2.5 million children in 32 countries around the world. http://christianchildrensfund.org/ ********************** Dogs Walk Against Cancer help your best friend make a difference. http://www.dogswalk.com/ ********************** Doritos "fresh noize each week from the loudest band on earth." http://www.doritos.com/ ********************** Gretchen Dow Simpson her paintings have graced the covers of more than 65 editions of The New Yorker. http://www.gretchendowsimpson.com/ ********************** Hubbell Trading Post provides an introduction to various styles of Navajo rugs. http://navajorugs.spma.org/ ********************** Imagine Radio tune in for 20 original news, talk, and music radio stations. http://www.imagineradio.com/ ********************** International Race of Champions pull in for the only scheduled pit stop of the series. http://www.irocracing.com/ ********************** Lisa Loeb includes tour information, photos, and audio clips from her latest album. http://www.lisaloeb.com/ ********************** Magic Tree House lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my. http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/ ********************** Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Shockwave games and fish facts make this a tasty catch. http://www.pfgoldfish.com/ ********************** Progresso now you're cooking... http://www.progressosoup.com/ ********************** Rachel Perry natural products that help you "save face." http://rachelperry.net/ ********************** Sunday Mirror all the news that's fit to print, and then some. http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/ ********************** The Man In The Iron Mask "one for all, all for one." http://www.ironmask.com/ ********************** The New Batman/Superman Adventures official site of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. http://www.batman-superman.com/ ********************** Todd Oldham stepping out of the House of Style and on to the World Wide Web. http://www.toddoldham.com/ ********************** Ucopia from fine china to sky diving. It's the thought that counts. http://www.ucopia.com/ ********************** VitaSave it's for your own good. http://www.vitasave.com/ ********************** Yahoo! Pager the next best thing to being there. http://pager.yahoo.com/ ********************** No Quarter Given Arggh! Avast ye maties, there be pirates on the Net! Take a look at this Web site and you'll see what we mean (and no, we're not talking about the software pirate types). We were surprised to find out that there are several groups all over the country that like to get together and act like buccaneers -- those scurvy dogs! If that sounds like your cup of tea (or bottle of rum, as it were), then you'll get a real kick out of this site. Yo ho ho! http://www.discover.net/~nqgiven/index.htm ********************** Presidential Tour As President Clinton makes his way through Africa, Web-connected citizens can follow him in cyberspace. Check out what he's up to each day through a special White House Web site. Includes speeches, photos and briefings. http://www.whitehouse.gov/Africa/ ********************** Net Evolution The Internet is by far the most open communications medium ever devised. But bet you didn't know that it has a "hidden history." With stories like that, you don't have to be a techno-dweeb to become absorbed in the decidedly techie PreText e-zine. You'll find things like an oral history of the dawn of the Net, background on the first e-mail message and the evolution of the wired world. http://www.pretext.com/ ********************** IRS Woes Maybe you've heard the promises from Washington about a kinder, gentler IRS? Riiight! Here's a site that may help you figure out whether you're Audit Bait. A relatively simple but useful interactive worksheet. http://pathfinder.com/cgi-bin/Money/auditbait2.cgi ********************** Online Shopping Latest evidence that the Web makes shopping better: Acses promises to check out prices, availability, shipping times and shipping costs of a book at more than 20 online stores. Cool to try, even if you don't want to buy. http://www.acses.com/ ********************** All Aboard Endless reruns of The Love Boat weren't bad enough. Now there's a Web site -- of the pilot, no less! Don't try this without a life preserver. http://www.asb.com/usr/indtvprd/loveboat/pilot1.htm ********************** Junk Science Whenever a science-related headline makes the news, check in with Junk Science to hear what the real story is. Drink more beer to keep from getting cancer? Not quite! An asteroid is going to smack into the Earth in 30 years? Posh! The moral of all this: It's amazing how many science "facts" are spoon-fed to us by the media. Oftentimes, we only get half the story. Junk Science will give you the rest of it, plus a whole lot more. http://www.junkscience.com/ ********************** Windows Help Does your Windows operating system sometimes seem somewhat impenetrable? The aptly named Windows magazine offers what it calls a "gold mine" of useful tips. More than 2,500 of them, arranged by categories. Includes Internet Explorer tidbits, too. And it's free. http://www.winmag.com/tips/ ********************** Mars Starr Special prosecutor Ken Starr just can't seem to get any respect these days. Not only are his poll numbers in the drink, but here's a spoof (we think) website claiming that he's seeking $10 billion to retrieve the Whitewater "smoking gun" -- on Mars. http://politicalhumor.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa070797.htm ********************** Financial Planner The finances of your small or home business may fare much better this year with a firm plan. Which is where the 1998 Financial Planning Calendar comes in. Full of free expert advice on such things as tax filing and benefits administration. Versions for Mac and Windows machines. From the folks at Hewlett-Packard and American Express. http://www.hpcalendar.com/ ********************** Sleepless In Philadelphia Anyone who's ever been to Philadelphia may have felt there was something very strange going on there -- particularly after scarfing down a couple of cheese steaks. The so-called Philadelphia Ghost Hunters Alliance thinks it may have some explanations. With "photos." http://members.aol.com/Rayd8em/index.html ********************** Really Ugly And now for our so-strange-somebody-had-to-do-it category: Uglies. This about underwear. Wear them at your own risk. In fact, visit at your own risk. http://www.uglies.net/home.htm ********************** TheCase.com For Kids TheCase.com, a popular Web site that provides weekly mysteries for adults to solve, has now branched out with mysteries for younger sleuths. Their weekly "Solve-It" cases smack of the "Encyclopedia Brown" mini-mysteries we used to read in Junior High. Other recurring features include a Goosebumps-type story, a magic trick that kids can do, and another short whodunnit called "Baffler". We predict that this site will be very popular with the young 'uns! http://www.thecase.com/kids/ ********************** Help With Moving Moving? A little interactive preparation will make everything much more pleasant. Moving to your next home invites you to map your next neighborhood, create a personalized calendar and soak up some moving tips. http://www.bhglive.com/moving/index1.html ********************** Power Pics A new FlashPix technology lets you view images without having to download additional software. Selected specifically for business users. And it's fun (you can zoom and pan with your mouse), even if you don't intend to buy any of the photos. If you register, though, five are free. http://www.powerpics.com/ ********************** Talking Style "Glasses were invented in 1275," says Imagetalk. "Did we have to wait for the Spice Girls to prove that specs are sexy?" The latest hot topic at an online place where women can discuss body image and personal style. http://womenswire.com/image/ ********************** Visual Basic Links In our hopelessly-geek category: Brent's Visual Basic Web Directory. A compendium of more than 1,200 links. If you don't have a clue about what Visual Basic is, drop by and find out. If you do have a clue, definitely put this on your Web itinerary. http://www.pen.net/~ronin/bvbwd.html ********************** UFO Lawsuit Just when you thought (hoped?) the whole Starr-Lewinsky-Clinton-Tripp-etc. mess was dying down, up pops another "scandal." Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, Inc (CAUS), will file a suit to force the government to end what it asserts has been an ET coverup. Remember: The truth is somewhere. http://www.caus.org/ ********************** Holocaust History The Holocaust History Project opens its online doors with essays and reproductions of book-length works. Formed in part to respond to the false claims of Holocaust-deniers and their Web sites, the Project hopes to provide background and evidence for people to "see through their falsehoods." http://www.holocaust-history.org/ ********************** Shocked Music Shockwave, that cool browser plug-in that brings a wide range of multimedia to your desktop, is popping up in more and more home pages. Like Sonicnet, where you'll find music news and views with an added visual dimension. http://www.sonicnet.com/ ********************** Old Soldier And now from our Labor of Love department: Mike Butzgy, a multimedia writer with a degree in history, became fascinated with his research into a little-known 19th-Century American who served in the U.S., Confederate and Egyptian Armies. William Wing Loring is no longer so little-known. "The Web offered an obvious way to share that information with others." http://home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/loring.htm ********************** Media Rant Gebbie Press bills itself as the "all-in-one media directory." It has more than 21,000 listings to prove it, including radio, TV, newspaper and magazine items. Phone numbers and addresses can come in handy when you want to go on a media rant. http://www.gebbieinc.com ********************** Weird Science Think sci-fi can be strange? Science can be stranger, as you'll see from this weird collection of stories from the aptly named Bizarre tales from the New Scientist. Like the one about amazing talking chicken. If you dare... http://weird.newscientist.com/ ********************** Online Chess Play chess online without having to download an extra software program to run it -- as long as you have a Java-enabled Web browser such as recent models of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. It's called iChess. Interactive and multi-player, it offers a "chat" window to let you communicate online. And best of all, it's free, after registration. http://www.ichess.com/ ********************** Sports Fines In our decidedly-offbeat-use-of-interactivity category: a "ticker" that keeps track of the dark side of sports. The Sports Fine and Suspension Ticker promises to provide an up-to-date count of total allocated fines and suspensions in the four professional sports and in all collegiate sports. At least these site developers won't have to worry about a shortage of material. http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Campus/4353/SportsTicker.html ********************** MyPoints About a year ago, we featured a Web site called FreeRide that allowed you to earn cash towards paying for your Internet connection. All you had to do was buy certain groceries or visit certain Web sites. MyPoints functions in a similar way, but the payoffs are much greater. By completing surveys and surfing to selected Web pages, you can earn points and eventually obtain freebies in the way of travel or entertainment. How realistic is this? Well, you could quite easily earn 250 or more points on your first visit to MyPoints. A round-trip airplane ticket (any airline) will cost you 40,000 points. It may take you a year to get the ticket, but that's not bad considering the fact that you really don't have to do too much. http://www.mypoints.com/ ********************** ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES Founded in the '60s, New York's Anthology Film Archive is world-famous for collecting, exhibiting, and promoting outstanding examples of "nonindustrial" filmmaking--what used to be called "independent" or "underground" film. This site (still under construction) already provides vital information on filmmakers like Hollis Frampton, Ron Rice, Ernie Gehr, Robert Frank, Maya Deren, Michael Snow, and Rudy Burckhardt, and it includes a vital listing of available videotapes. Another invaluable resource. http://www.arthouseinc.com/anthology ********************** THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL ONLINE (home) The folks behind the Discovery Channel Online are determined to make this interactive learning thing happen, dammit, and it shows. The new and improved relaunch features engaging forms of ongoing multimedia science coverage--such as a live EruptionCam trained on a volcano in Monserrat, accompanied by daily diary dispatches from a writer on the scene. Nature nuts will also find daily news feeds, written by DCO's in-house news team; regular live chats with science experts; LiveCams to their favorite zoo animals, like Keiko the whale; and Mindgames, an addictive brainteaser area with fresh clues posted daily. The revamped design manages to be both sophisticated and bandwidth-friendly--no mean feat--and related links are provided with every story. A first-class site. --GH http://www.discovery.com ********************** BLADE RUNNER The rain has been falling like a dense spittle for weeks now, and as you cruise above the metropolis in your spinner, the neon lights blur below like artist's pastels on a sidewalk." So begins the real-time CD-ROM game based on the bleak but sumptuous Ridley Scott science-fiction classic film Blade Runner. Westwood Studios, makers of the enormously popular Command & Conquer universe of games, has undertaken the Herculean task of re-creating Scott's Los Angeles, circa 2019. This dense, atmospheric promo site features music and slideshows from the CD-ROM game, and hidden somewhere onsite is a Blade Runner Theme Pack, with backgrounds, system sounds, cursors, videos, and other goodies tapping the tech-noir vein of arguably the most richly styled SF movie of all time. http://www.westwood.com/games/bladerunner ********************** XML: THE EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE (development) XML has been touted as the next big Web-language thing for quite some time. Currently under construction (aren’t you tired of that phrase?) under the auspices of the World Wide Web Consortium, XML promises to vastly expand the possibilities open to Web designers. James Tauber has long been considered an authority on the subject, and even a cursory glance at his personal all-things-XML page will substantiate that claim. Comb through definitions, online white papers, news, developer notes, and just about anything else that has to do with this exciting new technology. --EH http://www.jtauber.com/xml/ ********************** ACROPHOBIA From the people who created the award-winning You Don't Know Jack comes Acrophobia, an online game that puts your creativity and sense of humor to the test. The action: Up to 14 people meet in a game room and attempt to come up with clever phrases based on groups of onscreen letters (acronyms) and categories. Like the lauded Jack series and Net-show, Acrophobia features original music, bright attractive graphics, and subtle and not-so-subtle humor. It's yet another example of an online game designed to bring people together--rather than isolating them further. Download required. http://www.bezerk.com/acro ********************** INTERNET TRAFFIC REPORT (development) Contemplating downloading the latest version of Netscape Communicator? Before you attempt to tow that 18-ton semi down the information superhighway, you'd better check the traffic. The Internet Traffic Report is a helpful tool for gauging how quickly data traffic is moving on the Internet in general, or in your area in particular. The graphically represented, easy-to-understand results can let you know if the file from San Jose will speed along the wires at a reasonable speed, or if thousands of folks are currently online downloading that silly Ally McBeal dancing baby. --EH http://www.internettrafficreport.com ********************** GAMEGIRLZ Quake, Red Alert, Dark Reign, etc. rule here. Try to give these chicks a copy of Barbie's Virtual Makeover and you just might find yourself eating it. GameGirlz is for serious female computer gamers who want to debunk the myth of "girl games" and have fun with the male/female schism. With up-to-date news, discussion forums, games, and all the expected reviews and industry interviews, GameGirlz is a smart and flashy role model of a site. One great section called He Said, She Said pairs reviews of games, one from him and one from her. http://www.gamegirlz.com ********************** Free Email Address Directory Free email accounts can be quite Useful. If your access is through work, you can open one up for personal stuff, for instance, and not clutter your work email. Or you can open up a temporary account for an event, for instance. If you`re looking for where to hang your @ hat, this site lists the literally hundreds of services out there that offer email, mail forwarding, address lookups and more. http://www.emailaddresses.com/ ********************** Celebrity Slugfest Normally TUTIC shies away from stuff that requires plug-ins. This is too darn funny. Choose from a long list of celebrities, then get into that boxing ring and slug it out! TUTIC got Martha Stewart. She is ashamed to say Martha kicked her hinder. You need Shockwave to play, but it`s worth it. Thanks to Faithful TUTIC Reader John Markarian. http://www.slugfest.com/ ********************** Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language Association documentation, this site is invaluable for students putting term papers together. It covers gathering material, outlining, writing style, formatting and more. If you`re not in school, consider looking at it for any kind of information organizing that you might have to do; you`ll find it helpful. http://webster.commnet.edu/mla.htm ********************** Columbia University Home Medical Guide Well-laid-out and clearly written, this is a good general medical resource for the layperson. It sketches out general health issues, including navigating the health care system, and goes on to discuss diagnostics, first aid, and treatment for various problems. Not a substitute for medical advice, but a good place to start to understand a problem. http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/texts/guide/ ********************** Cybercops Have you been held up in cyberspace? Call the Cybercops. This site keeps track of reports of bad businesses on the Internet, including ISPs and companies conducting online commerce. The Cybercops will attempt to resolve complaints as well as track them. Tip o' the TUTIC hat to Where the Wild Things Are (http://www.sau.edu/cwis/internet/wild/Neatnew/index.htm). http://www.cybercops.org/ ********************** Peeps "Those resilient little birds," as the site puts it, are put through several experiments, including exposure to alcohol and tobacco. Oh, the humanity. If you`re opposed to cruelty to marshmallow animals, you`ll want to avoid this site. http://www.learnlink.emory.edu/peep/ ********************** Nonsensei Need to impress a business contact with your Pacific-Rim-ability? Check in here for a quick bit of Japanese phraseology to memorize to make yourself sound cool and knowledgeable. Make sure your contact doesn`t actually speak the language, though, because Nonsensei generates completely random garbled stuff that makes no sense but if pronounced correctly, sounds very profound. Now they need to build one for Japanese trying to impress people with their English. http://www.inquo.net/~myth/nonsensei.html ********************** What`s Funny on the Internet Today Humor fans, check this out; it`s a cool-site thingy just for funny stuff. The reviews are only a line long, but you get several links per day. http://whatsfunny.farfan.com/ ********************** Agriculture and Farming Newsletter http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/352.html ********************** ebrief, a newsletter on ecommerce and other stuff http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/360.html ********************** HairArt International http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/362.html ********************** Online Family Krafts Newsletter http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/363.html ********************** Phillies Internet Broadcasts http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/348.html ********************** Winnie the Pooh rules in cyberspace! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/350.html ********************** Oscar Madness http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/361.html ********************** Dollar Stretcher: Do It Yourself Plumbing http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/354.html ********************** Unassisted Birthing Email List http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/356.html ********************** ListTool.com Free Mailing and Discussion List Manager http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/358.html ********************** The E-Tailers Digest: Resources for the Electronic Retailer http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/364.html ********************** Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/355.html ********************** College Football Webring http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/347.html ********************** Free Stuff For Webmasters! http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/357.html ********************** The Miracle Merchants http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/346.html ********************** InteliHealth's Re-designed Consumer Health Information Web Site http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/353.html ********************** Free Email Address Directory http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/365.html ********************** Lockergnome software reviews http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/366.html ********************** Announcing: Brent's Visual Basic Web Directory http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/345.html ********************** Historic Boys Clothes http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/349.html ********************** Agriculture and Farming on the internet http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/351.html ********************** Easton Sod Farms http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/374.html ********************** Nicholas Gordon's Poem of the Week http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/368.html ********************** The Inside Running http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/369.html ********************** Motivational e-zine...FREE http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/376.html ********************** Tax Tips at CMP's TechInvestor http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/377.html ********************** Sailor Moon Fan Fiction Page http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/373.html ********************** COOL SOUNDS!!Midi, wav files & Real Audio http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/384.html ********************** The Web of Justice http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/372.html ********************** Relocation Professionals Free Email List http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/367.html ********************** Congress Watch / ABC News Political Nation http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/382.html ********************** XML.Com: Preview Edition http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/383.html ********************** SeniorSearch http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/379.html ********************** Overboard: New Web Soap Opera Starts March 29 http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/380.html ********************** The Freeware Publishing Site http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/371.html ********************** March Kansas City infoZine Update http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/370.html ********************** Third Age: How to Keep Your Computer From Hurting You http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/378.html ********************** Introducing Log-Me-On.com http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/archive/1998/375.html ********************** SO YOU THINK YOU GOT FREE TIME? Sometimes, we find a Web site so magnificent that nothing we could write would add to the experience. And so today we simply quote the entire narrative of I Won the Spam Carving Contest: http://www.primenet.com/~novak/fleg07.htm "Yes! After years of being a Spam enthusiast, I finally get some recognition. The winning Spam sculpture was a small castle, which I christened 'Spamalot.' There was also an article in the Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz about the sacred event. Below are some photos taken at the contest." Okay, so we'll add that one of the photos shows the winner's prize, which has to be the largest can of Spam you'll ever see. Can you get to this page fast enough? http://www.primenet.com/~novak/fleg07.htm ********************** SPEAKING OF THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES THEME SONG... ...(and we were just yesterday, weren't we?), it probably won't surprise you to know that the Web is literally littered with songs "sung to the tune of" this classic theme. The most popular of these seems to be "The Battle of the Bobbit Hillbillies," an adults-only ditty located in any number of places, including http://www.cyberspc.mb.ca/~goombah/Entertainment/joke4.htm >From there, try the "Computer Engineer's Hillbillies" song at http://www.smu.edu/~mbonilla/stories/computers/computerhillbillies.ht ml Then there's the Jim and Tammy Bakker theme: http://comedy.clari.net/rhf/jokes/87/3696.html And, well, you get the picture. http://www.cyberspc.mb.ca/~goombah/Entertainment/joke4.htm ********************** JOIN US AT THE CEE-MENT POND Did you know that Elly May Clampett's portrayer, Donna Douglas, was Miss Louisiana in 1957? That Jethro's real-life dad, Max Baer Sr., was once heavyweight boxing champion of the world? That Nancy Culp, portrayer of the exceeding prim Miss Hathaway, came out of the closet at age 67? That Raymond Bailey made some 300 TV appearances before becoming Mr. Drysdale? That Irene Ryan (Granny) established a scholarship fund that's still in existence? That Buddy Ebsen somehow lost the role of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz? Or that the show ran for nine seasons? These are just some things we learned at the First and Still Only Unofficial Beverly Hillbillies World Wide Web Site. http://www.mindspring.com/~artemis/hillbill.html Visit to load up on Clampett minutiae or just to hear the theme song. http://www.mindspring.com/~artemis/hillbill.html ********************** IT'S SPRING, AND A MAN'S THOUGHTS TURN TO... Oh, don't bet on it. In fact, ladies, if you're fantasizing that this is the spring your man will "drop and give you 1.40 carats," you'll have a much better chance of turning fantasy into reality if you drop a big cyberspatial hint--and direct the object of your affections to the DeBeers Diamond Information Center. http://www.adiamondisforever.com/sindex.htm By craftily spreading diamond-buying information over many more romantically illustrated (and not-so-subliminally messaged) pages than are necessary, the creators of this site, like you, hope to warm the coldest of feet. TIP: To really put the pressure on (that is, to set a standard he'll NEVER live up to), try surfing together through the Engagement Stories, in the What's New section. http://www.adiamondisforever.com/sindex.htm ********************** IT'S SPRING, AND A MAN'S THOUGHTS TURN TO... Oh, don't bet on it. In fact, ladies, if you're fantasizing that this is the spring your man will "drop and give you 1.40 carats," you'll have a much better chance of turning fantasy into reality if you drop a big cyberspatial hint--and direct the object of your affections to the DeBeers Diamond Information Center. http://www.adiamondisforever.com/sindex.htm By craftily spreading diamond-buying information over many more romantically illustrated (and not-so-subliminally messaged) pages than are necessary, the creators of this site, like you, hope to warm the coldest of feet. TIP: To really put the pressure on (that is, to set a standard he'll NEVER live up to), try surfing together through the Engagement Stories, in the What's New section. http://www.adiamondisforever.com/sindex.htm ********************** Cook and Eat Chemistry The Utah State Office of Education has placed a Food and Science, Home Economics Family Life Program online, entitled: Cook and Eat Chemistry. This scientific systems approach to Food Science and Nutrition includes information about the scientific method, the safe handling of food, the chemical nature of a variety of ingredients and much more. One of the most complete curriculum units I've seen online, this site includes information for lesson planning and assessment/evaluation as well as many teaching and learning resources. Each topic is nicely organized, so it's easy to find what you need. Cook and Eat Chemistry: http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/nutri375.html Thanks to David Squance of Fernie for suggesting home economics as a Nuggets topic. http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/nutri375.html ********************** Stephen Hawking's Universe 'Stephen Hawking's Universe' is a website for students and teachers who are interested in the physics of the universe. Was there a big bang? Is there missing matter? What is antimatter? singularity? imaginary time? Is the universe inhabited? The site also includes a teachers' guide and a section, called "Cosmological Stars" which is devoted to the history of cosmology and the key discoveries that have helped shape the way we understand our universe. As part of the PBS Online series, where informative websites serve to enhance excellent television programs, this site can stand on its own as a useful resource for secondary level science. Stephen Hawking's Universe: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/hawking/html/home.html "The British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (1942- ) has devoted much of his life to probing the space-time described by general relativity and the singularities where it breaks down. And he's done most of this work while confined to a wheelchair, brought on by the progressive neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease." Thanks to Dan Dalgaard for letting me know about this site. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/hawking/html/home.html ********************** Revealing Things The Smithsonian's first online exhibit designed exclusively for the Web features an array of antique personal possessions, including chemistry sets, wedding shower dolls, Japanese lanterns, and raccoon caps. Read recollections, examine war era toys, or submit your own favorite knick knack. http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/ripley/eap/rt/ ********************** Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus A new twist on an old idea: show the relationship between words and ideas graphically, rather than in a complex cross-referenced list. The folks at Plumb Design unleash their cool Thinkmap software on a common thesaurus, producing a kinetic 3-D world of linked words and phrases. If your browser is Java-ready, load it up and prepare to be impressed. http://www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus/ ********************** WebFX Bill Kendrick offers this cool "web-based graphics effects generator." Pop in the URL of any online image and WebFX returns a modified version. Choose from effects such as emboss, infrared, pointillist, and the always exciting "spinning hyperspace." http://zippy.sonoma.edu/kendrick/webfx/ ********************** RxTV Take two aspirin and log on in the morning. This site features RealVideo clips covering current medical issues and the latest in health news. Everything from nutrition advice to information on laser surgery and ulcers. Feeling better? http://www.rxtv.com/ ********************** The Titanic Files What actually happened when the Titanic went down? How accurate is the latest movie version of the story? Check out actual documents covering the incident (and gathered here by the Smoking Gun) to learn more... Goodbye historical fiction, hello reality. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/titanic/titanic.html ********************** Women in American History The writings and lives of hundreds of famous American women from the 16th century to the present, such as Emily Dickinson, Helen Keller, Marilyn Monroe, Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Pocohontas, and Mae West. Includes audio and QuickTime video clips. Provided by Britannica Online. http://women.eb.com/ ********************** QRadio Quincy Jones' journey into the "best of world music" starts with a celebration of South Africa's diverse rhythms. Visit this site for indepth news and information on the local music scene (from neo-traditional to township jazz), as well as streaming audio of South Africa's top radio stations. Yebo! http://www.qradio.net/ ********************** Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl By Linda Brent, aka Harriet Jacobs. You'll find an amazing story here, written in the last century and told by a woman who did not learn she was a slave until she was six years old. From the first chapter, Childhood, to the conclusion, Free at Last, Ms. Jacobs transports us to a time and place we shall not soon forget. http://www.gc.cc.va.us/~gcadamj/hjhome.htm ********************** Primary Colors the story of a governor from a small Southern state who wants to be President. http://www.primary-colors.com/ ********************** Ultimate Guide to Mutual Funds get a load of this, from Money Magazine. http://www.pathfinder.com/money/funds/ ********************** Mountain Bike Daily for people who like to do it in the dirt. http://www.mountainbike.com/ ********************** Famous Faces starting with Jane Goodall, National Geographic looks toward 2001. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/98/faces/ ********************** Russia an online exhibit that examines how change has affected the former USSR. http://www.learner.org/exhibits/russia/ ********************** Barbara Kingsolver official site from the author of The Bean Trees and Animal Dreams. http://www.kingsolver.com/ ********************** Zatarain's their online cookbook covers everything from alligator sauce piquante to turtle soup. http://www.zatarain.com/ ********************** California Pizza Kitchen extra Hoisin duck, hold the anchovies. http://www.cpk.com/ ********************** Cats! Wild to Mild follow their evolution, from saber-toothed hunter to house pet. http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats/ ********************** Rolling Hills Refuge lions and tiger and bears, in Kansas! http://www.rhrwildlife.com/ ********************** DataChimp when it's your money, you don't want to monkey around. http://www.datachimp.com/ ********************** Electric Hosts Howard Rheingold's online think tank for virtual community builders. http://www.electric-hosts.com/ ********************** Friends of the Children features artwork created by survivors of sexual abuse. http://www.friendsofthechildren.org/ ********************** goodcompany.com "people you click with." http://www.goodcompany.com/ ********************** Hasselblad say cheese. http://www.hasselblad.com/ ********************** Beck's they've always got something brewing. http://www.becks-beer.com/ ********************** Beepwear it's (not just) about time. http://www.beepwear.com/ ********************** Jewish Women's Archive "creating a living history." http://www.jwa.org/ ********************** Nick Jr. parents and other adults must be accompanied by a preschooler. http://www.nickjr.com/ ********************** Riunite it's still nice. http://www.riunite.com/riunite.htm ********************** TrueDoc.com dynamic fonts, "what you see is what they get." http://www.truedoc.com/ ********************** Unclaimed Baggage Center so that's where it went... http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/ ********************** Yahoo! Online the cool way to get connected. http://online.yahoo.com/ ********************** YR25.com celebrating 25 years of rivalries and romances. http://www.YR25.com/ ********************** day2day If you've still got your Internet browser set up to display Netscape or Microsoft's Web site every time it is loaded, we'd like to suggest a better alternative. The day2day page has a little bit of everything, including news headlines, a quote, a joke, a fun fact, a tip, and history ("on this day..."). It even has a site of the day -- though we expect you to keep coming back to the Dynamite Site page, too! The most important thing is that the page loads in quickly because it's almost all text. http://www.linkup.to/day2day/ ********************** PokeyWeb Have you ever heard of a 12-year-old being taken to court by a toy company? Well, it's happening. Here's the skinny: Prema Toy Company is taking 12-year-old Chris Allen (whose nickname happens to be "Pokey") to court over the use of his domain name, Pokey.org. Can you guess why? Prema owns the trademarks to clayboy Gumby and his pony sidekick -- Pokey. This goes a lot deeper than a lump of clay, some high-priced lawyers and a domain name, though. It's really a case of big business pushing around the little guy. It's happening all over the Web, and it's about time that someone did some pushing back. You can read more about the Pokey problem and the tremendous amount of grassroots support that Chris has received at the still-functioning Pokey.org site. Stick it to the man, Chris! http://www.pokey.org/ ********************** I JUST LOVE WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH YOUR COOKIE-CUTTER CAPE Most likely you've heard of Levittown, the "manufactured" city of slightly varied Cape Cod-style homes created by William Levitt in New York during the early 1950s. If you'd like to know what life was like--and IS like--in this human equivalent of a beehive, try visiting Levittown: Documents of an Ideal American Suburb. http://www.uic.edu/~pbhales/Levittown/ Right now the site offers two exhibits: Photographs from one Levittown resident's family album (documented by the Webmaster) and a series of photographs of Levittown houses as they've been transformed and added to over time. There is plenty to learn here: For example, you'll find out that the crafty Levitt padded his profits by building appliances--even televisions--into his homes, and then adding their cost to the 30-year mortgages his customers took out to purchase these little nuggets of suburbia. Apropos of nothing, our Levittown search turned up lots of other sites from lots of other towns with the same name. Our favorite was the Levittown, Puerto Rico, Motorcycle Club home page, complete with delightful salsa music: http://home.coqui.net/lasg/frame1.htm http://www.uic.edu/~pbhales/Levittown/ ********************** FITNESS ONLINE You won't find a more exhaustive online fitness resource than this new online hub. Whether you want to know how many minutes on the Stairmaster will burn off that brownie or you're looking for a new diet or you just want to subscribe to Fit Pregnancy magazine, you'll find the wherewithal here. Much of the here is repurposed from popular health mags: For instance, Shape magazine's fitness editor, Dr. Tim offers detailed answers to e-mailed questions ("Water Aerobics, should I bother?") Some of the personalized sections require membership, but the site saves the pain for the pushups--by keeping membership free of charge. http://www.fitnessonline.com ********************** ART CRIMES (art) High art to some, urban nuisance to others, graffiti has been around for millions of years, dating back to cavemen and their crude yet elegant story drawings. This illicit form of public expression has taken on more elaborate motifs since the early 1970s, and it now has an online shrine. Recently redesigned, this extensive, photography-rich hub offers links to featured artists (organized by locale and genre), plus interviews and hundreds of links to related graffiti-lifestyle spots. Phat. --EH http://www.graffiti.org ********************** Sally's Place Self-described as "a worldwide perspective on the finer things in life", we found that tagline to be quite accurate for Sally's Place. The articles and reviews that are featured here sometimes seem to be for those who have money to burn. But that's not always the case, and a lot of it makes for good reading anyway. Although this is a pretty big site and it could take a while to go through it, try starting with the "Monterey Jack" cartoon (see the "Fun" section). We found it to be interesting. http://www.bpe.com/index.html ********************** Updated Health Johns Hopkins revamps its InteliHealth site, making it quicker and easier to focus on an awesome collection of health-related info. A "Top Story" section offers up news items while a "Health Zones" item lets you browse condition-specific topics. Here's a great site gets better. http://www.intelihealth.com ********************** Nolo Battle Nolo Press has long been producing fine self-help law books to aid cost-conscious consumers. But the Texas Supreme Court is fit to be tied. Look for a hearing later this year about whether the sale of the books is an "unauthorized practice of law." Is it that Texas lawyers just don't like the competition? Nolo takes to the Web to keep us informed. http://www.nolo.com/Texas/index.html ********************** Geek Speak Speak like a geek! Mecklermedia's PC Webopaedia offers a handy "Term of the Day" for slow learners, a "Top 15" list for techie wannabes and a search engine for true propeller heads. About as authoritative as it gets. http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/ ********************** Super Crypto You've heard about how encryption programs can protect your e-mail from prying eyes. Pay a visit to the National Cryptologic Museum to get a glimpse of the masters of this secretive trade. Stuff from the Civil War to the Soviet KBG to the supercomputer era. http://www.nsa.gov:8080/museum/tour.html ********************** Six Sides In our not-sure-why-they-built-this category: The Box. It's all about, uh, boxes. You can even customize your own box. If you figure this out, let us know. Fun -- in a six-sided kind of way http://www.sixsides.com/ ********************** Amazing Prehistoric Dogs Hilarious but true! (Site suggestion and description from: Paul Charlton) http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.charlton1/home.htm ********************** Southern Ohio Dictionary How to speak like a true Southern Ohioan (and it ain't easy!). Plus, things you'll never hear a Southern Ohioan say! (Site suggestion and description from: Tom Dailey) http://www.mindspring.com/~tdailey/sthnohio.html ********************** The WorldWide Scam Network A site which parodies and satirizes multi-level marketing scams, such as the "Laundry CD", "Purity Pillow", fuel additives such as "Enviro Boost Plus", and MLM scams and participants in general. (Site suggestion and description from: Robert Burtis) http://www.worldwidescam.com ********************** The WorldWide Scam Network A site which parodies and satirizes multi-level marketing scams, such as the "Laundry CD", "Purity Pillow", fuel additives such as "Enviro Boost Plus", and MLM scams and participants in general. (Site suggestion and description from: Robert Burtis) http://www.worldwidescam.com ********************** bRIaN dAMagE ? ust plain inanity and bizarre stuff... good wholesome funniness (that most people probably wouldn't get). (Site suggestion and description from: Ryan Eanes) http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/5385 ********************** CN Currency Head over to this nifty personal finance advisor for tips on investing, budgeting, and saving your money. Take advantage of financial calculators, long-term planning schedules, and tax advice. http://www.cncurrency.com/ ********************** Citizens Against UFO Secrecy "Educating and enlightening the public about the continuing presence of extraterrestrial life and intelligence on this planet." CAUS is currently filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Army over the Roswell incident. http://www.caus.org/ ********************** Max's Kansas City http://www.maxskansascity.com/ ********************** Max's Kansas City The legendary and now-defunct Manhattan rock club where New York-based groups like the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, and the New York Dolls got their start. http://www.maxskansascity.com/ ********************** ackxhpaez Grab a mind-bending dose of Michael M. Wartella comix. Wonder at the good Joke Box gone bad, the incredible replicating Virtual Baby, and a host of other madness. http://www.ackxhpaez.com/ ********************** Book-A-Minute SF/F Go to site. Read condensed version of sci-fi/fantasy classics. Laugh. Repeat as necessary. http://pubpages.unh.edu/~ss1/bookaminute/ ********************** The Wit and Wisdom of Imelda Marcos On politics: "Win or lose, we go shopping after the election." On fashion: "I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty." http://www.sirius.com/~sunny70/imelda.htm ********************** The Homesick Gourmet http://homesickgourmet.radish.net/ ********************** The Homesick Gourmet >From Arizona's Gunslinger Hot Sauce to New Jersey's Boardwalk Griddle Franks, The Homesick Gourmet serves up all your favorite hometown treats. Hunt down delicious regional delicacies with this interesting food guide. http://homesickgourmet.radish.net/ ********************** Hawaiian Cultural Preservation Association as it was, as it is, and as it can be. http://www.hawaiiancultural.org/ ********************** James Beard Foundation furthering the practice and appreciation of the culinary arts. http://www.jamesbeard.org/ ********************** Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists represents 500 artists in 60 countries around the world. http://www.amfpa.com/ ********************** The Book Report a home for readers and writers, with author interviews, books reviews, excerpts, and more. http://www.thebookreport.com/ ********************** Lolita "Light of my life, fire of my loins." Web site of the movie. http://www.pathe-lolita.com/ ********************** NASA Academy find out if you've got the right stuff. http://www.nasa-academy.nasa.gov/ ********************** Cafe Monde the original French Market coffee stand. http://www.cafedumonde.com/ ********************** California Movie Maps a guide to Hollywood's back lot. http://gocalif.ca.gov/movies/ ********************** Cherokee Nation official site of the second largest Indian tribe in the United States. http://www.cherokee.org/ ********************** W.i.g. Magazine arts, sports, music, and culture for Women in General. http://www.wigmag.com/ ********************** Electronic Journal of Sociology includes a searchable archive of articles dating back to 1994. http://www.sociology.org/ ********************** Electronic Relationship Advisor dedicated to the notion that online relationships are just fine, thank you very much. http://www.pan-arts.com/era/ ********************** FootJoy keep your feet firmly planted in the ground... http://www.footjoy.com/ ********************** Bali "the one you love to wear." http://www.balicompany.com/ ********************** Borg-Warner take a look at what's under the hood. http://www.borg-warner.com/ ********************** Lane Bryant "what real women wear." http://www.lanebryant.com/ ********************** The Golden Age of Jazz William Gottlieb's book features more than 200 historic photographs. http://www.jazzphotos.com/home.htm ********************** Umbra manufacturer of decorative accessories and gift items. http://www.umbra.com/ ********************** Escape Artist Life in the States making you crazy? Join the hordes of people who are jumping ship and carving out new lives for themselves in other countries. These "expatriates" sometimes find that living in Europe, Canada, or even something more exotic suits them better than being Stateside. For more information on just about every facet of living and working abroad, take a look at Escape Artist. Even if you don't want to give up your citizenship but just want to find work overseas, this is the site for you. http://www.escapeartist.com/ ********************** Online Recipes The time-honored tradition of trading recipes on index cards has gone high-tech, boasts the Better Homes and Gardens site. No smeared ink and no gravy stains. Lots of menu items to choose from. Includes a shopping list, recipes and convenient "make-ahead" calendar. http://www.bhglive.com/survival/planner.html ********************** Digital Bugs Insects are very cool -- the cyberspace variety, at least. The Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech serves up 3-D Insects, in virtual reality or QuickTime movies. Everything from a flea to an ant to a mantis. http://www.ento.vt.edu/~sharov/3d/3dinsect.html ********************** Surf Saver Anyone who's ever been overwhelmed by the vast amount of content on the Web may appreciate a new product called SafeSurfer, a program that retrieves graphics, hypertext links and frames -- then lets you sort them into folders to browse later -- even offline. The beta version is a free download. For Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser only, at this point. http://www.surfsaver.com/ ********************** Zen Riddle A Zen Koan is a riddle that is said to provoke spiritual enlightenment. Drop by weekly for a new one. You can submit your own or offer a comment. http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/1195/ ********************** Online House Bob Vila promises that his site will be the most comprehensive and timely resource for home repair, renovation and design information. And he built in some digital fun, too, with a fly-through virtual reality tour. http://www.bobvila.com/ ********************** Warner Bros. Animation! The Official Warner Bros. page. Includes a Bugs Bunny postage stamp and a Pinky & The Brain Concentration game. http://www.wbanimation.com/ ********************** Baseball Jokes Pages and pages of baseball jokes... May contain a teeny weeny bit of material not suitable for younger users. http://www.cpba.org/sean/jokes.htm ********************** Weekly Medical This beats a lot of those "Doctor Doctor..." jokes! http://www.ep-publishing.com/bloopers.html ********************** Sense of Humor Good jokes, better jokes, best jokes, and other laughs. http://iws.simplenet.com/humor/ ********************** Kids' Corner - Jokes Page Knock knock jokes by kids, for kids (and those of us who never grew up) http://www.needham.org.uk/kids/kk.htm ********************** Baboo! You Gen-Xers may remember the old "I Dream of Jeanie" cartoon series, where Jeanie hung around with a big fat genie named Baboo ("Yapple, dapple!" -- remember?). Well, that character has been resurrected to host a new Web site that clones the Yahoo! subject catalog. Funny as it sounds, we have to admit that Baboo! is in many ways better than Yahoo!, which means a lot since we've been heavy users of the latter site for years. Give Baboo! a try and see if you don't like it better, too. http://www.thayertech.com/baboo/ ********************** Geek Humor Even geeks just want to have fun. Especially on April Fool's Day. From our pals at CMPnet. http://www.CMPnet.com/ ********************** Caregiving Helper When you're worried over what to do about caring for an aging relative, you'll find answers and some comfort at Caregiving. Pick up some helpful advice from features like "The Four Stages of Caregiving" or join a discussion group. You're not alone when you have online support like this. http://www.caregiving.com/ ********************** Online Mortgage Quicken's mortgage site morphs into version 2. Now includes an online mortgage application, more lenders to choose from and direct access to some 500,000 home listings in the USA. Online mortgage and refinancing applicants are also promised a $225 rebate. http://www.QuickenMortgage.com ********************** Nano Stuff Bet you didn't know that the smallest guitar on earth is 50 nanometers long, about as big as a human blood cell. Even if you weren't a science whiz in school, you'll get a big kick out of this "nanotechnology" site. Lots of way-small things to check out. http://www.discovery.com/stories/technology/nanotech/nanotech.html ********************** Web Building Peter Kent, author of the Poor Richard's Web Site book also has created -- what else? -- a Web site. Let him provide what he calls "geek-free, commonsense advice" on building a low-cost site on the Web. Includes free book samples and hundreds of links to helpful resources. http://www.poorrichard.com/ ********************** Hallmark Shoebox Your Greatest April Fool's Day Pranks Real people tell about their greatest pranks. http:// ********************** Hallmark Shoebox Your Greatest April Fool's Day Pranks Real people tell about their greatest pranks. http://www.shoebox.com/pranks/bestpranks.asp ********************** April Fools on the Net Various April Fool's stuff on the Net. http://www.2meta.com/april-fools/ ********************** My Useless April Fools' Page Includes funny stuff including "More answers to homework questions" - somehow we don't think these answers are right... http://www.solon.com/~seebs/humor/af/ ********************** One million pranks This person (with too much time on his hands) is trying to beat a Guinness World Record by making 1 million pranks in one day. He started at 12:00 a.m. and is planning to go for the full 24 hours. He plans to list his pranks on the page. http://www.igs.net/~luct/prank98.htm ********************** April Fools' messages by Keith Lynch Messages this guy has sent on April 1st throughout the years. http://www.clark.net/pub/kfl/april1/ ********************** Mountain Expedition You may never get a chance to climb Mount Everest. But thanks to the Web, you can at least pretend. Mountain Zone invites us on a virtual journey to that daunting peak, to witness "some of America's best climbing talent pitted against the wind and the altitude." Photo galleries, daily expedition dispatches, maps and a cultural archive. http://www.mountainzone.com/everest/98/ ********************** Light Cook If you think cooking right means cooking light, drop by the aptly named Cooking Light site. A handy tip of the day feature. http://cookinglight.com/food/tip/tips.html ********************** Great Books Looking for a "great" book? Look no further than the aptly named Great Books site. A listing of more than 200 works -- and most of them can be accessed online, for free. More links will be added. A truly great project. http://www.anova.org/gb.html ********************** College Stress April is the cruelest month -- not only for poets, but also for students. This, after all, is that month when strung-out high school seniors anxiously await those college acceptance letters. Here's a site that bills itself as an antidote to letter stress. Features range from advice to humor, including the Top Ten list of what to do with rejection slips. http://www.kaplan.com/precoll/postal.html ********************** Zeta What? ZetaTalk offers to lead you through "the vast amount of information being relayed by the Zetas in answer to questions posed to their emissary, Nancy." Includes such helpful info as why aliens can disappear and move through walls. Non-Zetas welcomed. http://www.zetatalk2.com/ ********************** Top Ten Reasons Why My Toilet Should Receive Great Lakes Status The name pretty well says it all, wouldn't you say? (Site suggestion from: Jenny Covington) http://www.umich.edu/~jennyac/toilet.html ********************** The Stupid Page (no brain required) For hundreds of stories about real-life stupidity, you just can't beat the Stupid Page. (Site suggestion and description from: Lynn Sebourn) http://www.edge.net/lynns/stupid/stupid.html ********************** Eureka Lott's Humor Archive Some of this, some of that, and some of the other, too. (Site suggestion and description from: Eureka Lott) http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/7442/humor.html#top ********************** Book-A-Minute SF/F For those of us with very very very short attention spans.  It sums up a whole book in just a few lines, with many science fiction books to choose from. http://pubpages.unh.edu/~ss1/bookaminute/ ********************** Ethan's Page of Crappy Stuff Lots of pointless butt funny stuff with links. (Site suggestion and description from: Ethan Brown) http://members.aol.com/ethanb5/sarai.html ********************** FunBrain Parents know that it's often difficult to get their kids to learn things. Sometimes, it takes a certain degree of trickery. Disguise a learning exercise as a game and you might just teach them a thing or two. Tonite's site contains five different online games that will (secretly) help improve your child's math, memory, and spelling skills. None of them are complicated, so they load in quickly and don't require instructions. http://www.funbrain.com/ ********************** FunBrain Parents know that it's often difficult to get their kids to learn things. Sometimes, it takes a certain degree of trickery. Disguise a learning exercise as a game and you might just teach them a thing or two. Tonite's site contains five different online games that will (secretly) help improve your child's math, memory, and spelling skills. None of them are complicated, so they load in quickly and don't require instructions. http://www.funbrain.com/ ********************** The James Randi Educational Foundation James Randi is undoubtedly one of the most skeptical people in the world. He refuses to be taken in by flim-flam artists, psychics, mystics, and other frauds. His life work is in debunking these fakes. Randi is so sure that supernatural powers do not exist that he has offered over a million dollars to anyone who can actually demonstrate something supernatural. Guess what? No takers so far! For more information about James Randi and his educational foundation, try this site. Don't miss the JREF Info Mailing List, which contains missives from Randi on subjects of all kinds.

We're wondering, how many of you fell for our April Fool's Day site? http://www.randi.org/ ********************** Moon Preview Get a behind-the-scenes preview of HBO's upcoming "From the Earth to the Moon" feature. A multimedia-packed site, including President Kennedy's speech, a flight simulator and 3-D environments. You'll also find historical info, a timeline and interviews. Not just for moon junkies. http://www.hbo.com/apollo/ ********************** White House Photogs Click on the White House News Photographers' Association and behold the great works on display as part of Exposure 98. The contest for WHNPA photographers and cameramen provides us with a real visual treat, an online exhibit that ranges from sports to portraits to an "Insider's Washington" feature. http://www.whnpa.org/ ********************** Scientific Women Many 20th Century women have made outstanding contributions to the science of physics. This University of California site provides a photo gallery, biographical info and quotes. Nicely inspirational. http://www.physics.ucla.edu/~cwp/ ********************** Online Shopping Internet Shopper relaunches and brings us cool new "Free Stuff" to check out. From samples of ostrich meat to jelly beans to redwood seeds. The e-zine strives to list "the best, most interesting freebies out there." http://www.internetshopper.com/free/ ********************** Game Yahoos Calling all online games fanatics: Yahoo! invites you to play Java-based games with gamers across the Net. From backgammon and checkers to bridge and chess. Play is free, and you don't have to fiddle with new plug-ins. But you'll need the latest versions of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers. Yahoo! registration required. http://play.yahoo.com/ ********************** Very Yucky The yuckiest site on the Web just got yuckier. Stuff like zits, dandruff and belches. Is this legal? http://www.nj.com/yucky/body/ ********************** Hollywood Plot Maybe you've sat at the movies and thought, "Hey, I can write a better movie than this!" Well now you can. With a little help from the ingenious Plot-O-Matic. http://www.maddogproductions.com/plotomatic.htm ********************** Lori's Mishmash Humor Page Comedy in just about every category you could think of. http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/6174/humor.html ********************** The Nice Guy Test rom the above site. Take the test - see how nice you are... http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/6174/nice-guy.htm ********************** CBC 4 Kids: Worst Song Contest A sound clip of a really bad song, and Canadian kids talk about the worse songs they know. http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/kids-club/worst-song/default.html ********************** OnlyVal's World of Weird Weblinks A non-comprehensive collection of strange, bizarre, but interesting websites. Contains lots of graphics, animation, easy to access links. A fairly large collection of virtual, interactive, fun weblinks. (Site suggestion and description from: Val Junker) http://members.aol.com/OnlyVal08/index.html ********************** Love Bytes Devoted to the funny links regarding love. Covers pickup lines and rebuttals, online romances, hiring hitmen to visit your "ex," and online wedding ceremonies, love tests. Divorce and revenge are covered, too. Graphic-filled, with romantic music in background. (Site suggestion and description also from: Val Junker) http://members.aol.com/OnlyVal08a/LoveBytes.html ********************** Eggs-ellent Easter on Kate.net ot necessarily funny, but definitely fun! Even includes an Easter screen saver. http://kate.gulf.net/holidays/easter/ ********************** The Funny Bunny Trail Their contest is over, but there's some fun easter-type fun on the site. Happy Easter! http://www.usacitylink.com/easter/ ********************** StoryBuilder You can write a movie plot. You'll be sitting next to the phone waiting for the movie people to call. May contain a bit of language that might not be suitable for younger users. http://www.wga.org/builder/builder.html ********************** The Web Page of the Ridiculous All kinds of funny links... http://pw2.netcom.com/~jbigger1/Ridiculous.html ********************** How to Gain Status and Intimidate People From the above site... Make yourself look important. http://pw2.netcom.com/~jbigger1/status.html ********************** Online Safety Safe Within describes itself as an ever-changing site with info relating to you and your family's safety, security, health and sense of well-being. The aim is to help people lead more secure lives "in a world that is anything but secure." Includes daily safety news, "Top Tips" and Net links. An automatic browser tip window is a neat touch. http://www.safewithin.com/ ********************** Presidential Audio The U.S. History Out Loud site is collecting audio materials from presidential libraries and other archives. And it's digitizing them for use on the Web. You can find speeches from Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to John Kennedy and Bill Clinton. RealAudio is required, but it's a free download. http://oyez.nwu.edu/history-out-loud/ ********************** Free E-Cards Send a free electronic Hallmark postcard to a friend, courtesy of Women's Wire. Works for Easter or Passover greetings, too. http://womenswire.com/fyi/postcards/ ********************** Astronomy Pix One day you may find a spiral galaxy. Another day, the Yogi Rock on Mars. Or an "ultra fast" nebula. Each day offers a new visual delight provided by NASA direct from the cosmos. It's the aptly named Astronomy Picture of the Day site, and definitely worth a bookmark. http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html ********************** Phone Speller In our ever-popular no-better-way-to-waste-time category: PhoneSpell invites you to type in a phone number and learn what words it may make. For champion time wasters there's an added feature -- you can type in letters and it will show you the corresponding phone number. http://www.phoneSpell.org/ ********************** Ghost Town of the Month Here in Arizona, we have our fair share of ghost towns -- that is, towns that at one time were booming but are now pretty much deserted. Tonite's site provides descriptions and pictures of some of the ghost towns that grace our state. Usually, we wouldn't pick a regional site like this since only a small percentage of people would be able to physically visit these towns. But because of the way this site is presented, with ample descriptions and pictures, we figure that everyone could benefit from a virtual visit. http://www.goodnet.com/~wm03094/ghost.html ********************** The Ice Antarctica is not quite as rugged and remote as it used to be (the new wave of ecotourists will see to that), but it is still the most pristine and unspoiled continent. This site has some pretty neat pictures of different areas of Antarctica, along with brief descriptions. They give you a good idea of what it's like to live there -- if you could even conceive of doing such a thing. http://www.io.com/~pml/ ********************** Cyber Seder In the life of the Web, three years is almost an eternity. So it should be with some pride that Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York celebrates its Third Annual CyberSeder. This worldwide Internet broadcast is aimed at serving people who otherwise do not have access to a traditional Passover Seder. The event includes traditional music. http://www.emanuelnyc.org/ ********************** Online Easter Recall the traditions of Easter at a site with a decidedly religious theme. Artwork, music, scriptural passages and a variety of Web links, including one to "Virtual Jerusalem." Old meets new in this self-described "cyberspace journey." http://www.execpc.com/~tmuth/easter/ ********************** Kid Writers Kid News invites kids to send in reports from their corner of the world -- any kind of happenings about their family, neighborhood, class, school or whatever. Even poetry and fiction pieces are welcomed. More than 4,000 young authors have been published. And there's also a special section for winning entries, which will knock your socks off. http://www.vsa.cape.com/~powens/Kidnews.html ********************** What's Going On Impress your co-workers! Fill your head with more factoids! The goal of What's Going On is to report each day on "the most inspiring, culturally relevant, historically significant or just plain silly gatherings" taking place on the planet. Whether it's the 32ND Annual Easter Jeep Safari or the "Himalayan Hoe-Down" in Nepal, you'll know about it. http://www.whatsgoingon.com ********************** Cool Fans No one has benefited more from the Web than fans of recording artists. As this Fiona Apple site demonstrates. You'll find a bio and pictures, sound and video clips, lyrics and links. Not to mention a chat area. Is this progress or what?! http://members.aol.com/FionaAO/fiona.html ********************** Nice Driveways You may not live next to a celebrity. But at least you can check out their driveways. From Steve Allen and Julie Andrews to Xuxa and Pia Zadora. You'll even find unabashed comments from the likes of gardeners, doormen and even Bill Gates' next door neighbor. http://www.driveways.com/ ********************** Find A Grave On the Web, famous people derive a certain immortality not merely because of their driveways. Their graves do, too. Courtesy of the expanded Find A Grave picture index. http://www.findagrave.com/pictures/famousindex.html ********************** The Great Internet Easter Egg Hunt Now that the Easter holiday is upon us, maybe you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned egg hunt. Well, perhaps this is "new-fashioned", because the eggs are virtual ones -- they exist only on the Internet. Hints and clues will lead you to Web sites where the "eggs" are hidden. If you find enough of them, you can enter into a drawing to win some pretty neat prizes, including a $700 watch. Even if you're not up for the thrill of egghunting, there are some neat Easter-themed games that you can play. http://www.easteregghunt.com/ ********************** TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME Not too long ago, the arrival of April meant that you had another week to prepare for Opening Day. Now, thanks to expanded leagues and an interminable post-season play-off system, the first week of April is as many as three or four games into the season. Still, it's never too late to visit Ballparks, by Munsey & Suppes--probably the best resource, online or off, for information about ANY professional sports arena: http://www.ballparks.com/index.html You'll find stats, history, stories, seating plans, and just about everything else about every major league ballpark ever built, past or present. The navigation can be tricky at first (don't stop clicking in the sidebar until the name of your ballpark appears), but once you get comfortable with it, you'll think, as we did, that it's one of the best-designed sites on the Web. http://www.ballparks.com/index.html ********************** GOTCHA Now that you've had a few days to cool off from the April Fool's prank that made you look like (dare we say it?) a fool, you're probably wondering who started all this April Fool nonsense. According to the United States Holidays Web site, published by the American Embassy in Sweden, we can blame the French. http://www.usis.usemb.se/Holidays/celebrate/april.htm After you read the history of this holiday, you can take the Celebrate link at the bottom of the page and read about others, too. But all history and no pranks makes you a dull person. Dilbert creator Scott Adams has office pranks you can play any day of the year: http://www.infowar.com/humor/humor8.html-ssi The questionable--but so far, uncensored--ANNOY-O-MATIC enables you to anonymously send annoying e-mail to people that apparently bug the site creator: http://www.fractalcow.com/hall.htm And at E-mail Attachment Pranks, you can find all kinds of scary things you can send to your friends to help them celebrate April Fool's Day every day. http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/mozilla/196/pranks.html http://www.usis.usemb.se/Holidays/celebrate/april.htm ********************** ASK AND YOU SHALL EVENTUALLY RECEIVE First, starting in the late 1930s, it was a radio quiz show. Then, in the late 1940s, it became a book (actually, an almanac). And now, of course, it has become what just about every other publication in the world is evolving into: a Web site. We could only be talking about Information Please, the electronic incarnation of the Information Please World Almanac. http://www.infoplease.com Information Please looks great: It's organized into sensible sections, searchable on a variety of levels, and contains scads of information--there probably isn't a bet that can't be settled on its electronic pages. But like several sites we've encountered lately, it's slow--very, very slow--not only during searches, but even during transitions from one page to the next. Even so, it's faster and less expensive than going out and buying the book. http://www.infoplease.com ********************** CUT THE RUG TO SHREDS If you're into ballroom dancing, looks like the cyberplace to go is DanceScape. http://www.dancescape.com/info/index.html This site has just about all the information an accomplished dancer needs--dance news, events and contests, telecasts of dance competitions, listings of local organizations, dance publications, and more. There's even a Personals section where you can find a new partner (dance partner, that is--but who knows, maybe it will "spin" into something more!), a new costume, theme music...you name it. Just one warning: Bring something else to do while you wait for the pages to load. Or to put it another way, while most Web sites "cha-cha" along, this one slogs along like teenagers slow-dancing to "Freebird." http://www.dancescape.com/info/index.html ********************** YA WORK, YA MISS IT What's the chief regret of "first-shift" workers all over the country? Mind you, we haven't done any research into the matter (we never do any research into ANY matters), but that doesn't stop us from supposing that lots of nine-to-fivers can't stand the fact that while they toil away, THEY'RE MISSING THEIR FAVORITE SOAPS! Well, we're here to tell you that there's no need to worry--and certainly no need to learn how to program that VCR--because TVGen's Daily Soap Opera Update has got you covered. http://www.tvgen.com/soaps/ Yes, faster than you can ask, "Who's sleeping with whom?" this site delivers the complete plot summary of the day (in the last five) that you missed. Of course, the fact that this "complete plot summary" can fit in a single small paragraph of simple, disjointed sentences ought to make it clear just how empty these "daytime dramas" are; but if you're a soap fan, this irony will zip over your head like the Concorde, and you'll be happy for the update. http://www.tvgen.com/soaps/ ********************** JUST FILL YOUR PC WITH BIG-TIME YUCKS Hey, what's funnier than sound files that make it seem like your PC is buying the farm? Phil Koopman's Dependable WAV Sound Archive is packed with great little sound bites, featuring movie and cartoon characters (like Bullwinkle Moose, Laurel and Hardy, Marvin the Martian, even Krusty the Clown) bemoaning various mishaps and explosions. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~koopman/depndwav/index.html Attach them to various Windows events (sorry, we don't have space here to tell you how), and you've got one paranoia-inducing PC. Or you can spread cyberdread (and laughs) by attaching them to e-mail messages. This may be one of the first collections of sound files we've found that's both fun and moderately useful. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~koopman/depndwav/index.html ********************** RELIVE THE BATTLE TO PRESERVE OUR PRECIOUS BODILY FLUIDS Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove--a tale of power-mad, weapon-obsessed leaders following their ids to worldwide nuclear destruction, with Peter Sellers playing three of the starring roles--still packs 'em in at out-of-the-mainstream theaters all over the country and the world. If you haven't seen the movie, we heartily recommend you do so. If you've seen it lots of times, by all means refresh your memory on the Web. You can stock up on images and .wav files (including the classic "Mein fuhrer, I can walk!") at http://www.lehigh.edu/~pjl2/kubrick/films/strangelove/ which is a subset of a Kubrick fan's Web site. You can also read an excellent review/analysis of the film at http://www.voyagerco.com/criterion/indepth.cgi?strangelove Or you can ignore this entire tip--but if you do, you'll have to answer to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. http://www.lehigh.edu/~pjl2/kubrick/films/strangelove/ ********************** Lady Washington The Lady Washington is a 112-foot square-rigger that was originally built in 1750. She still sails, mostly up and down the western coast of the United States. The unique thing about this extraordinary ship is that it is partly manned by a volunteer crew. That means that you could sail on her for two weeks if you were so inclined. The work is tough and the days are long, but there are a lot of perks -- sailing on a 250-year-old ship being just one of them. Whether you want to join the crew of the Lady Washington or not, you'll find plenty about her at this Web site, including a log of where she's been, stories from the crew, and much more. http://www.ladywashington.org/ ********************** Star Warped and Other Funny Movie Parodies Parodies of all your favorite movies. A guaranteed laugh. (Site suggestion and description from: Allen Moentmann) http://www.angelfire.com/mo/norborne2 ********************** Build A Date Which celebrity is perfect for you? http://valentine.infospace.com/vdate.htm ********************** Application To Be A Country Musician So ya wanna sing country music? Put on your boots and fill out this form. http://www.bigron.com/html/country.htm ********************** Cartoon of the Day The title pretty well says it all, wouldn't you say? http://www.kaniamania.com/index.html ********************** How To Annoy Your Roommate nother list we've all received at one point or another - but is always funny - there are even a few of these we haven't tried yet! http://www.humournet.com/HumourNet/Humour/Archives/how_to_annoy_your_roommate.txt ********************** Play Ball Find out what it's like to announce for a Major League baseball game. Learn some of the physics of hitting. Or get behind the plate. Baseball: The Game and Beyond is for anyone who's ever wondered why a curveball curves and how ERA is calculated. http://library.advanced.org/11902/ ********************** Cyber Cookies We've got good reason to worry about "cookies" -- and not just because we may be on a diet. Online, cookies are things that may be used to track your Web wanderings and, thus, impinge on your privacy. You can gain useful insights into how they're used and how to block their use at Cookie Central. http://www.cookiecentral.com/ ********************** Calling Jeeves Ask Jeeves isn't your everyday plebian type of search engine. It offers a more refined means of finding info on the Web. You ask a question (preferably in a polite way) and Jeeves attempts to answer. If Jeeves can't help, you're referred to other search engines. A researcher will try to answer tough questions. "Question of the Day" and "Random Questions" sections are entertaining additions. http://www.askjeeves.com/ ********************** National Art The National Gallery of Art invites you to browse images of more than 4,000 objects. You can take a tour by medium or school, and a search function lets you focus on favorite works. Full-screen images are available, making for some great Windows 95 wallpaper. A winner, indeed. http://www.nga.gov/ ********************** Toys R What? In the less-than-coveted wasting-our-time category: Find out why Internet Shopper editor Andrew Kantor took a long, hard look at the Toys 'R' Us site and asked, "Why do they bother?" http://www.toysrus.com/ ********************** Living Victorian More than any other period in history, there's something special about the Victorian Era. Perhaps it's because that was a time of elegance, when style played a big part in just about everything. Or maybe it's because that was when innovations and technology just started to pick up steam. No matter what the reason, things Victorian seem to generate a certain amount of curiosity and fascination within many people. Living Victorian, an online Web-zine, is perfect for those who relish the style and elegance of the past. Features such as decorating tips and craft projects allow you to bring a little bit of the Victorian era into your home, and short history essays will give you a better understanding of how life was lived in Victorian times. http://www.livingvictorian.com/ ********************** USA Weekend The publishers of the USA Today newspaper have created an online version of the Weekend section, free to anyone who wants it. If you're not already familiar with USA Weekend, we can tell you that it's a hodge-podge of topics, ranging from entertainment to personal finance. If you prefer to receive USA Weekend in e-mail form rather than via a Web page, you can sign up for that here, too. http://www.usaweekend.com/ ********************** Photo Schooling The New York Institute of Photography offers an invitation to anyone -- experienced or beginner -- who wants to learn to take better photos. Free step-by-step lessons updated monthly. Lots of tips, including info on how to possibly start making money at it. There's also contest info and a Picture-Of-the-Month feature that lets you see how the pros do it. http://www.nyip.com/ ********************** Online Poets For Poetry Month, Poetry Daily came up with a poetic idea. Feature a poem per day. As an added feature, you'll also find selections from the literary anthology Writing America. April ain't so cruel after all. http://www.poems.com/ ********************** Young Webs Web designers come in all shapes, sizes -- and ages. Check out what students in grades 4 through 6 came up with in the ThinkQuest Junior competition. Entries range from arts and literature to sports and health. http://www.advanced.org/tq-junior/explore.html ********************** Cool Symbols A decidedly offbeat but way-cool resource: Symbols.com, which bills itself as the world's largest online encyclopedia of graphic symbols. From ideograms carved in mammoth teeth by Cro-Magnon men, to hobo signs and subway graffiti. More than 2,500 of them, including 1,600 articles discussing their histories, uses, and meanings. http://www.SYMBOLS.com/ ********************** What's Going On Bored? Restless? If so, maybe it's because you don't know What's Going On. This Web site is a front end to a pretty extensive database of events that are happening (or are going to happen) all over the U.S. We liked the humorous design of the site, with nice touches such as the "Intense-O-Meter" -- which can tell you the "potential to see blood" at an event, among other things. http://www.whatsgoingon.com/ ********************** CNCurrency.com Now that Tax Day has come and gone, perhaps it's a little late to be talking about what to do with your money -- like us, you probably don't have much of it left! But we'll be in the black again soon, not to worry. To help figure out what to do with these future funds there's CNCurrency.com, an off-shoot of Conde Nast's super-site. You don't have to be a super investor to get a lot out of this stylish Web site, since it's filled with common-sense tips that apply to just about everyone. Now, we just need to figure out how to start building up our post-tax fortune... http://www.cncurrency.com/ ********************** Windows98.org It's not due to hit the store shelves until late June, but Windows98 is already causing quite a stir. Big Bill is ready to confuse us once again with a whole new operating system. Is it really worth the trouble or is he just trying to milk another $100 out of us? Take a look at Windows98.org and make up your own mind. Here you'll find news, articles, reviews, and even some screen shots of Microsoft's not-quite-ready OS. http://www.windows98.org/ ********************** Memento Mori This site can be safely filed under the category of "neat things connected to the Internet". A small Java applet (loading time less than a minute) is used to display the status of a seismograph machine that is located above the Hayward Fault at the University of California at Berkeley. It's interesting to see how the ground moves constantly, with fluctuations of up to .0005 millimeters per second being displayed. The bad news: You may need Netscape to get the Java applet to work properly -- we couldn't get IE4 to show it. http://memento.ieor.berkeley.edu/ ********************** EyeWitness In school, we learned about important historical events: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Custer's Last Stand, the attack at Pearl Harbor, the Nazi occupation of Poland. In most cases, what we learned was a summarized version of what happened. How much better it would be to get eyewitness reports from people who were present at these events! Tonite's site provides just that, eyewitness accounts of historical events, straight from the "horse's mouth" as it were. It puts a whole new slant on things, with details that we never learned in school. http://www.ibiscom.com/ ********************** Big Brainy Babies To be quite candid, this is one of the strangest kid's sites we've ever seen. In a nutshell, the whole thing centers around a group of "big brainy babies" -- to be more precise, Beethoven, Cleopatra, Shakespeare, Einstein, and Confucius. All of them are wearing diapers, and all of them have big ol' heads. Sound strange? You bet! But the interactive cartoons are very well done, and the whole thing really gels right. Check these babies out and see if you don't agree! http://www.brainybabies.com/ ********************** ShowBizwire If you like to keep up with what's going on in the world of TV, movies, and music, then ShowBizwire can give you the information you need without a lot of hype. Every day, this page lists the news headlines from dozens of entertainment-related Web sites such as Billboard, MTV, and the Hollywood Reporter. If you see an article that might interest you, then just click on it and off you go. It's a simple format, but it works. The info loads in quickly, and all of the headlines are right in front of you -- no hunting around from page to page. http://www.showbizwire.com/ ********************** Thrilling Detective Pure and simple, this Web site is about P.I.s: gumshoes, private dicks, peepers. You know -- the kind that usually wear fedoras and trenchcoats and smoke cigarettes: butts, gaspers, coffin nails, cancer sticks. And they usually talk like... well, you get the idea. For the lover of the mystery novel or whodunnit movie, Thrilling Detective will be a gas. Jus' remember to tell 'em D.S. sent ya! http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/ ********************** LiveRacing.com Are you a NASCAR fan? If so, then you'll get a real kick out of LiveRacing.com. The main attraction here is a live audio feed from the cockpits of the cars themselves. Of course, this only happens on those days when there is a racing event, but that averages about once a week. On the other days, you can listen to the drivers' chatter from a previous race. You'll need Microsoft NetShow to listen in, but you should already have it if you're using IE4. http://www.liveracing.com/ ********************** Mystery Place There's a good reason why MysteryNet bills itself as "The Place for Everything Mystery." Mystery fans will find links to Web resources, discussion groups and news. A trivia contest and reader poll add interactive touches. Keep tabs on events and awards, or browse a "History of the Mystery" section that provides background on the genre. http://www.mysterynet.com/ ********************** Taking Action Online advocacy gets increasingly sophisticated. Witness the new Conservation Action Network from the World Wildlife Fund. The aim of the site: to serve as a vehicle for conservationists around the world "to call for the global protection of the natural systems on which all life depends." http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ ********************** Searching The Feds Federal Gateway can help reduce what it calls the frustrations of endless "matches" and other search engine ambiguities when you're trying to find information from a government agency. There's no guarantee you won't get frustrated at times, but this clean, easy-to-use site tries to put just about any link you might need under one roof. http://fedgate.org/ ********************** Online Code Bobby If you design Web pages, you should keep in mind whether you're posing problems for surfers with disabilities, such as those with impaired sight or hearing. A new, free service called "Bobby" checks out Web pages for accessibility. And it's fun to try. http://www.cast.org/bobby/ ********************** Hot Games Each UGO Cover is dedicated to the hottest games and the people behind the games. Full of stuff about computer and video gaming, this site bills itself as is the largest independent gamer community on the Net. The truly addicted will appreciate GameNews-WIRE, a compendium of daily gaming reports. http://www.ugo.net/ ********************** Young Spies Calling all junior James (or Jane) Bonds. Get a history lesson on famous and not so famous intelligence figures. Or test your knowledge about far-away geography. Courtesy of the CIA. http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/index.html ********************** Interactive Chevron Find out why Chevron Cars won a recent Business on the Internet Award for the most innovative site. The site blends a lot of fun stuff -- like a crossword puzzle and a connect-the-dots game -- with useful driving info such as a trip plotter. The graphics are as friendly as the interface. http://www.chevroncars.com ********************** Geek Vocab There are several worthy tech glossaries online. But Ugeek not only lets you search by keyword or buy alphabetical listings -- if you happen to stump the geeks here, you can e-mail a question and they promise to reply. http://www.ugeek.com/glossary/glossary_search.htm ********************** Muds Galore Before the current breed of online games, there was text-based MUD -- multi-user domain or multi-user dimension. MUD lives on at the Mud Connector, which features a whopping 1,117 listings when we last checked. Some have even gone visual. http://www.mudconnect.com/ ********************** Religious Info The Catholic Encyclopedia proposes to give its readers full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. Though not exclusively a church encyclopedia, it chronicles what Catholic artists, educators, poets and scientists have achieved through the years. http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/ ********************** Sky High Pix You don't have to own a low-orbiting satellite to get a sky-high glimpse of the planet. The The Remote Sensing Tutorial, a site produced for NASA, offers a big collection of overhead shots across the country. http://code935.gsfc.nasa.gov/Tutorial/TofC/Coverpage.html ********************** Really Empty And now for the winner in our first-ever nothing-to-complain-about category: The aptly named emptywebsite. 'Nuff said. http://emptywebsite.com/ **********************