(000103) This Week's Sky at a Glance
http://www.skypub.com/sights/sights.shtml

Sky and Telescope Magazine
Sky Publishing Corporation
Belmont, Massachusetts, USA

Happy New Year!

During the past two weeks many of us have been out of doors in the evening hours. If you happened to look to the sky, and with the fireworks just after midnight on the first who couldn't help but look skyward, you may have noticed how pretty the heavens are this time of year. For Jenni and I, a visit to see Soopafresh and family on Christmas Eve was made that much more enjoyable when the telescope was fired up and brought outside. To look at Saturn and Jupiter among other things put a nice cap on the evening. There was also talk earlier that week about the Moon being brighter and closer than usual, the actual science of which contradicts the folklore and e-mail messages floating around. No matter, it was a good looking full Moon. The sky is full of events all through the year but somehow we miss them or get so busy we forget to look. Sky and Telescope (http://www.skypub.com/) (SdJotD 970316) has an excellent feature at their site which gives visitors a loud and clear heads up — This Week's Sky at a Glance. Everything from asteroids to variable stars are tracked and the best part is that you do not need a telescope to see many of these things. Doorstep Astronomy is what the editors at Sky and Telescope call it. The listing for today provides a sample of what's at the site:

JAN. 3 -- MONDAY

Earth is at the perihelion of its orbit, its closest to the Sun for the year (3.4 percent closer than at aphelion in July).
The Quadrantid meteor shower may be active in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

In the coming year there will be a few Site du Jour of the Day surprises as well. Most notably a chance for subscribers to tell the people who's sites they have enjoyed during 1999 exactly how much they have enjoyed their sites. The Site du Jour of the Day Reader's Choice Awards will be selected in February. Poke around the Site du Jour of the Day Archive when you have a chance, think about the sites you have found useful and subscribe to the free e-mail version. Full details to follow a little later this month. As always, if you have suggestions or comments please pass them along.  (Back to top of page)

(000104) WhatsGoingOn.com -- Events, Festivals and Destinations
http://www.whatsgoingon.com/

WhatsGoingOn.com
Nother Company LLC
New York, New York, USA

With their E-Ticket enthusiasm, the writers behind WhatsGoingOn.com and the related feature at the site, Coolest Place On Earth Today serve up some of the most entertaining events and celebrations around. The coolest of the cool are listed a month in advance right on the first page, and the searchable database lists hundreds more during the year and around the globe. Icons warn if a listed event might contain a number of different elements which could include, but are not limited to; danger, religious fervor, celebrity potential, reenactments, civic pride or are simply grandma approved. Listings come complete with dates and contact information, plus pointers to sites run by organizers of individual events. Visitors to this site are even invited to submit information about their own big deal. WhatsGoingOn.com is perfectly suited for building vacation plans or just for seeing how other people have a good time. Thanks to Bob Cox for the suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(000105) theWhiz.com - Personal finance for the rest of us!
http://www.thewhiz.com/

Intelligent Life Corp.
North Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Here in the first week of January many of us are still knocking the idea of a New Year Resolution around. Eat better, work smarter, be nicer to idiots… those are just a few of the things that might be milling around in our heads demanding attention at this very moment. Mostly good intentions, we'll fall back to our old ways soon enough and forget all about the promise the New Year holds, just like we do every year. A suggestion from Iola Stetson may hold the key to something we could all benefit from. Iola writes, "One [site] I found that has seemed timely for the new year is www.thewhiz.com. It has lots of good suggestions for ones economic good health". It does too. Regular columns such as The Cost of Life and Ask the Dollar Diva explore the possibilities of using common sense while using your money. Aimed more toward the average person than financial giants, theWhiz.com is packed with tools, tips and tricks which could lead to a brighter future for anyone who uses money. Daily site updates and a free e-mail newsletter add to the sound advice presented here. Have a look at theWhiz.com and see if it cannot help get your money working harder for you instead of the other way around.  (Back to top of page)

(000106) Sony Music Soundtrack For A Century
http://millennium.sonymusic.com/

Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
New York, New York, USA

If you enjoyed the material at Glen Sage's Tinfoil.com - Early Recorded Sounds and Wax Cylinders (http://www.tinfoil.com/) (SdJotD 991129), the National Library of Canada's The Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings (http://www2.nlc-bnc.ca/gramophone/src/home.htm) (SdJotD 991130) or Ryan Bassler's and Eric Haugen's LMP - A Century of Song (http://www.polyholiday.com/century/) (SdJotD 991207) then don't even bother to read the rest of this episode. Immediately head for Sony Music Soundtrack For A Century and come back to this later.

Sony Music Entertainment Inc. is once again using Thinkmap® Technology from Plumb Design as they do with the Sony Music Licensing site (http://www.sonymusic.com/licensing/) (SdJotD 990517), this time to promote one of the largest and best reissue sets ever assembled or sold. Starting with music which dates back to the beginning of the Columbia Phonograph Company, Sony Music's Legacy Recordings has put together 547 songs from 479 artists on a collection which spans 26 Compact Discs and 110 years. The package also includes a 300-page, full color book. The suggested retail price of $329 works out to just over 60 cents a track and if that is too rich for your budget, the set is broken up into a number of double disc sets which chronicle 12 different genres and time periods. Drawing from the archives of Columbia, Epic, Okeh, Vocalion, ARC, Brunswick and other CBS Records and Sony Music labels marketed in the United States, all the way back to John Phillip Sousa's first wax cylinder recording of "The Washington Post March" with the U.S. Marine Band in 1890.

An amazing record of Popular Culture in and of itself is the Sony Music Soundtrack For A Century site. Sound samples, photographs and text are complimented by The Thinkmap Timeline. Far from static, this Java based tool was developed by New York based Plumb Design, Inc. Readers may recall the Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus (http://www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus/) (SdJotD 990217), featured as Site du Jour of the Day in February 1999. Jeff Jones, Senior Vice President, Legacy Recordings is quoted as saying, "The Thinkmap Timeline provides a fascinating way to move through the site. This is the type of site that people could spend hours exploring". And that's exactly what I'm going to do right now.  (Back to top of page)

(000107) Arts Journal
The Daily Digest of Arts & Cultural Journalism
http://www.artsjournal.com/

Doug McLennan
Seattle, Washington, USA

Doug McLennan used to be a columnist and arts reporter at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://www.seattlep-i.com/), in September he took his show on the road and launched Arts Journal. Updated daily, the site has the latest news and stories pertaining to the arts. Headlines from, and pointers to full stories are compiled from a list of over 180 different sources including major newspapers and magazines from around the world. With the exception of those from the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/), the stories are all culled from sites which do not require visitors to register to read their content. Editor Doug McLennan sent in a message about Arts Journal which states in part, "I suspect it's the most comprehensive digest of arts and cultural news on the internet. I don't know of anything else like it". Short of rounding up this stuff on your own, Arts Journal probably is the best source of its kind. For people who would rather receive a weekly sample of what is happening in the arts, Arts Journal sends out the Arts Beat column. Arts Beat is available by free subscription on the weekend. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to (Artsbeat@ArtsJournal.com) and write "Subscribe" in the Subject line.  (Back to top of page)

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(000108) JigZone: Online Jigsaw Puzzle
http://jigzone.com/

Kiama Systems
London, England

For those days when nothing much seems to be getting done and the silly card games on the computer don't cut it, there's nothing like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. JigZone is just the site for a diversion from that stack of paperwork at the office or never-ending list of chores around the house. Every day JigZone has a fresh puzzle, and when you've completed that one you can create your own. The degree of difficulty can range from easy to "almost impossible," depending upon the image used, number and general shapes of the pieces. A browser that supports Java is needed to play, most do. WebTV users will run into trouble but hey, you're already sitting in front of the television set so if you're that bored, why not just take a nap or something. Each puzzle has a running timer which could come in handy, once you get on a roll with these puzzles it isn't unusual to find that half an hour has slipped away from you. Thanks to Len here in Fort Myers for another good suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(000109) YETI@Home
http://www.phobe.com/yeti/

Lars Norpchen
Phobe Industries
San Francisco, California, USA

Obviously inspired by the huge success of SETI@home: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at Home (http://www.setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/) (SdJotD 990427), particularly by the way the SETI Program at The University of California in Berkeley managed the whole project, Phobe Industries has launched YETI@Home. Using data processed and even collected by computers in homes and offices, the search is on for the elusive creature known by many names. Bigfoot, Yeti and Skunk Ape are just a few of the names used to describe these curious yet elusive bipeds. Capturing verifiable pictures of the beast is the goal here, as stated at the YETI@Home site, "Until now, individual sightings have been sporadic and poorly documented. They are generally reported by isolated men living in remote shacks wearing caps with fuzzy earflaps, sporting 'mullet' hairdos and eating Dinty Moore Stew out of the can with sharpened twigs". Your geographic location does not limit your participation — quite a few cultures through the ages have held claim to having giant smelly creatures in their midst. Who knows, you could be the first person in your area to see the creature and being connected to the YETI@Home network might ultimately get you on TV. Readers may recognize the trade name Phobe Industries, they were the first to present the Furby Autopsy (http://www.phobe.com/furby/) (SdJotD 981214) and are no strangers to controversy. Thanks to Soopafresh for the suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(000110) Kmart BlueLight.com
Totally Free Internet Service
http://www.bluelight.com/

Softbank Venture Capital
San Francisco, California, USA

and

Kmart Corporation
Troy, Michigan, USA

In an effort to raise consumer awareness, the Kmart Corporation (http://www.kmart.com/) has teamed up with Softbank Venture Capital (http://www.sbvc.com), Yahoo.com (http://yahoo.com), spinway.com (http://www.spinway.com) and a host of others to offer free Internet access, e-mail accounts and more. Named for the Kmart in-store advertising gimmick, the flashing blue light which Kmart shoppers who are paying attention can look for to find manager's specials. BlueLight.com is part of an on-going campaign to keep market share for a global company which started as a small Detroit five and dime store back in 1899. Another step in the evolution of the firm that in 1962 opened the first their first Kmart discount department store at Garden City, Michigan. The advertising users of this free service will see will obviously be that of the Kmart Corporation, and the installation of the 4 megabyte download asks for the usual round of demographic data. Of the free Internet adventures, this one is interesting in that users already know who is trying to sell them things. There isn't a version for Macintosh yet and dial-up access is limited to US telephone numbers as far as I could tell. It is a new service so there may be plans to increase the reach of Kmart BlueLight.com in the future.

Download the installation program at this site, call for a CD-ROM (1-888-945-9255), or write to either (cdrequest@bluelight.com) or Bluelight CD Request, P.O. Box 468, Lake Orion, MI 48361 with your request. You can also wait for them to show up at your local Kmart store in February.

Unlike other free Internet programs, BlueLight doesn't require a charge card to use and there are no contracts to sign. Makes for a perfect back-up solution in the event of a problem with your regular Internet Service Provider and once again, it's totally free.  (Back to top of page)

(000111) PopSci.com | The What's New Website
http://www.popsci.com/

Popular Science
Times Mirror Magazines
New York, New York, USA

As one of the first magazines I can remember reading, Popular Science continues to interest me. The articles have never been remarkably ground breaking, but the products and inventions they feature have always had a futuristic feel to them. The garden variety science in the print version and at this site serves an important purpose to many people — a quick look at new consumer technologies. As a six year-old boy waiting my turn at the barbershop, I first did the arithmetic required to figure out how old I would by in the year 2000. It seemed as though I would be ancient but I had the prospect of everything 2000 to look forward to. Cars that drove by themselves and some that even flew, instant communication with people on the other side of the Earth, machines that would allow you to record broadcast television and look at it later, in full color to boot, robots that would wash the dishes and take care of yard work, you know, future stuff. As I sit here now, the year 2000 isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Most of the techno-luxuries seen in the pages of Popular Science back then are common place, some reduced to the status of toys. The really cool part of all of this is that six year-olds still dream about flying cars. Look at this site with a child, or better yet buy them a subscription to the print edition. Let them talk about what sort of things will be around when they get to be your age. Then tell 'em to get busy because that flying car isn't going to invent itself.  (Back to top of page)

(000112) Cosmic Baseball Association
http://www.clark.net/pub/cosmic/cba1.html

Cosmic Baseball Association
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

The Cosmic Baseball Association could initially be confused for another Fantasy Baseball League, enough so to put off even the most dedicated fans of the real game. There's a certain poetic justice in all of that though. The Cosmic Baseball Association is about personalities to be sure, but not the people you'd normally associate with baseball. Rather than follow every strike and scratch from guys making millions of dollars a year, players and management are folks you would never put together, especially in a thought that included baseball. The Cosmic Baseball Association has been pitting teams such as the Delta Dragons and the Paradise Pisces against each other since 1981. To give an idea of the diversity here, the transfer of ownership of the Delta Dragons from the Muse Euterpe to John Lee Hooker on December 16, 1999 and the fact that former Paradise Pisces pitcher Chelsea Clinton started as General Manager of the team last season sort of sums it all up. This is true spectator sport where visitors can read biographical data about the individuals involved, find pointers to outside resources and with the Winter Rookie Draft coming up on January 26th, pick the team to watch when the 2000 season opens with the Alphatown Ionians at Paradise Pisces on the Ides of March. This site is wonderful.  (Back to top of page)

(000113) Sovietski Collection: Treasures from a Bygone Era
http://www.sovietski.com/

Sovietski Collection
Fulcrum Trading International
San Diego, California, USA

Looking remarkably like a yard sale out in front of the Kremlin, Sovietski Collection: Treasures from a Bygone Era has tons of surplus from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. You'll find all kinds of folk art here, the posters are galore and you can also see a ceramic Mishka, the bear from the 1980 Olympics. Czech Republic hockey jerseys, East German army mobile weather stations and Authentic Russian "Government Auto Inspector" Badges and pressed metal toys are just a few of the items available. The militaria includes clocks from submarines, watches, medals and pins, uniforms and even vintage battle maps. One of the real treats here has me wondering who is going to walk away in the $14,500 Sokol spacesuit from the late '60s or early '70s — a Cosmonaut suit used for training "In excellent condition, notwithstanding some light wear on knees, light soiling, primarily on sleeves, and a tiny (3/8" long) tear in back, behind hood". One wonders how much of that "light soiling" is on the inside? Sure it's a commercial site, but so much of this stuff is really cool to see. Thanks to David Aston for the site suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(000114) Southern Cross Magazine
Your Link to the Southern Hemisphere
http://www.southerncross.co.uk/

Southern Cross Magazine
London, England

Here is a great source for news originating in the Southern Hemisphere. Southern Cross covers a variety of topics of interest to people in London who have arrived from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. The free weekly is distributed in London and worldwide by subscription, and looks at news and sport along with additional features. Coverage also includes arts and entertainment listings plus tourist information for London and surrounding areas. A well rounded site with something for everyone, no matter which side of the Equator you find yourself on.  (Back to top of page)

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(000115) Eiffel Tower in Osaka!
http://www.us-tec.com/Tutenkaku/

U'sTEC Computer Inc
Osaka, Japan

Consider the time difference from where you are, consider the fact that someone has built a life-size replica of the Eiffel Tower in Osaka, consider that this view of it is refreshed roughly every five minutes.  (Back to top of page)

(000116) Hoyts Cinemas - it's entertainment TO THE MAXX
http://www.hoyts.com.au/
(Australia)

Hoyts Cinemas - What's On Where and When
http://www.hoyts.co.nz/
(New Zealand)

Hoyts Cinemas Corporation - It's Showtime!
http://www.intercom.net/biz/hoyts/
(Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, USA)

The Hoyts Cinemas Corp. Pty. Ltd.
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

_________________________________

Hollywood Online: Hoyts Cinemas Corporation ShowTimes
http://showtimes.hollywood.com/showtimes/exhibitorInfo1/1,1040,1237,00.html

(Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia)

Hollywood.com, Inc.
Santa Monica, California, USA

Regional theater chains have changed the way we see motion pictures. Years ago the big studio chains gave way to independent operators and as these concerns grew over the years, it wasn't uncommon to find one firm owning all of the screens in a major market. Hoyts Cinemas were founded in Australia in 1908 and have grown to include over 1,500 screens in nine countries. These three sites will give visitors showtimes, movie information and pointers to all sorts of movie industry sites. The company was recently purchased by Kerry Packer, an Australian with majority interest in several other media properties. For readers who do not have a Hoyts Cinema in their market or are interested in other houses, check Hollywood Online (http://showtimes.hollywood.com/) or Yahoo! Movies (http://movies.yahoo.com/hv/) for movie listings.  (Back to top of page)

(000117) The HazMat Diary, a Web-Novel by Gorman Bechard
http://www.hazmatdiary.com/

Gorman Bechard
Hamden, Connecticut, USA

A couple of years ago there was a television commercial that opened with two men in their mid-twenties looking at a computer monitor. A woman, about the same age asks the men what they've been working on for the past week. "It's really great!" one of the men replies to the bewilderment of the woman. "But, what is it?" she asks. The other man, obviously more satisfied with his effort than the other two, answers "It's a flaming logo!" and the woman repeats her question. We again hear "It's a flaming logo!". The voice over starts pitching the benefits of using Brand X for business development and their non-flaming logo appears on screen. All too often, while scouting sites the Flaming Logo commercial comes to mind — it's not that new technologies are bad, it's just that sometimes the basics are overlooked by the people using them.

A message came in with a site suggestion, this time from the developer of the site. In part, the message read "…The site is www.hazmatdiary.com <http://www.hazmatdiary.com> and it is the first of it's kind. It is a full-multi-media novel including original music, real actors playing the roles in the novel, and so much more. Currently it is on the 3rd installment of 12, and is updated the 1st and 15th of every month". It closed with an open invitation; "Please let me know your thoughts on the site, and I am sure you will be as impressed as I am".

Very few of these messages ever inspire me to look at a site, but this one did. Maybe to chisel away at the pre-conceived Flaming Logo thing, or maybe it was the photo-novel approach or the mention of original music. The idea certainly stretches the limits of the media. The warning page informs visitors that the site contained material suited for people over the age of seventeen and touches on the advanced technology being used — you'll need a current browser and the Macromedia Flash plug-in, a fast connection helps out here. An art school mentality is evident in the opening pages, and true to the Flaming Logo School of Art and Design fight song, The HazMat Diary falls apart as quickly as you'd think. The music, illustrations and photography are all pretty good, I'll give them that, but the story gets lost in the simple, yet all too common mistake made by FLSAD students. Forgive me for being so harsh here but white text weight Courier on a black background is not art, it falls just short of moronic. Gorman Bechard's serialized novel could be very good, I'll never know because I cannot read it without working very hard to do so. I rarely send out negative reviews, especially when it comes to experimental sites, but this particular site could be one I'd look at after every update if it were designed better. I was not impressed, your results may be different.  (Back to top of page)

(000118) The Concert Web
http://www.theconcertweb.com/

Jay D. Schankman
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

This directory of music related sites houses a database containing thousands of resources which include ticket agencies and services, record labels, venues and sites for individual acts. Search by location, artist or genre for entertainment sites in over fifty countries. Visitors are invited to recommend sites in their area for inclusion in the database. An interesting tool for making travel plans or having a look to see who is coming from the edge of the world to your town.  (Back to top of page)

(000119) Lunar Eclipse Computer
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/docs/LunarEclipse.html

Astronomical Applications Department
U.S. Naval Observatory
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Late on Thursday night, most of North America will be under a total lunar eclipse. For those in the viewing area staying up late enough to witness the event, it should prove to be spectacular. On February 5th there will be a partial solar eclipse visible off of Antarctica and another total lunar eclipse for most of places on or around the Pacific Ocean. The Lunar Eclipse Computer is just a part of the site maintained by the Astronomical Applications Department (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/) of the U.S. Naval Observatory (http://www.usno.navy.mil/) and with this tool, visitors can gather times for different stages of an event as is occurs at their location. Named places in the US can be entered after selecting a particular eclipse by date, and the same can be done by entering latitude and longitude data for places around the world. The last time Site du Jour of the Day visited the Astronomical Applications Department at the U.S. Naval Observatory was June 6, 1998. At that time, their Complete Sun and Moon Data for One Day (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html) (SdJotD 980606) calculator was featured. These highly accurate tools are free to use and should prove interesting to anyone who needs to know about regularly occurring solar and lunar events.  (Back to top of page)

(000120) MrEclipse.com
The Ultimate Resource For Eclipse Photography
http://www.mreclipse.com/

Fred Espenak
hosted by ICSTARS Astronomy
Shawnee Mission, Kansas, USA

With the total lunar eclipse visible in North America tonight there will be many people attempting to capture the event on film. MrEclipse.com not only provides detailed tips and tricks for photographing solar and lunar eclipses, but also houses a collection of Fred Espenak's eclipse photography dating back to 1970. If you haven't decided to stay up for the lunar eclipse tonight, this site may sway your decision. Readers who are going to miss this lunar eclipse may wish to have a peek as well. The photographs here are stunning, and include additional subjects beyond eclipses. The sets taken at the 1996 and 1997 Southern Skies Parties at Lake Titicaca, Bolivia provide a glimpse many of us living North of the Equator ever get to see in the wild. Thanks to Jaymie for the excellent site suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(000121) Ropers Knots Page
http://huizen.dds.nl/~erpprs/kne/kroot.htm

Ed Roper
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

It's probably safe to say that even if you tie knots on a regular basis, either as a vocation or an avocation, you only use a handful of favorites. For most of us they may be knots we learned as children as Scouts or while up to no good in the summertime. Ropers Knots Page has detailed instructions and usage information for scads of knots, some of which are quite beautiful. Visit this page, make it one of those future reference bookmarks and the next time you are not doing much of anything, refer back to Ropers Knots Page. Easily one of the best single subject How-To sites I have ever seen.  (Back to top of page)

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(000122) Miraflores Locks Camera
http://www.pancanal.com/photo/camera-java.html

Cámara en Línea en las Esclusas de Miraflores
http://www.pancanal.com/photo/camera-java-s.html

Panama Canal Commission
Miami, Florida, USA

The New Year marked an historical event at the Panama Canal — ownership transferred back to the Panamanians. This marvel of construction and engineering connects from east to west, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Ten years of construction starting in 1903 shortened the trip and opened world commerce in a manner which had been speculated upon for over 350 years. This camera captures the passage of vessels heading through the Miraflores Locks with a shot updated every three seconds. Some visitors may not be able to see the pictures here as the site uses Java, but even without the live view there are still plenty of things to see and learn. Start at the top, El Canal de Panamá - The Panama Canal (http://www.pancanal.com/) if you can. In addition to this camera, there is historical information, photographs and more. Available in both English and Spanish language versions, there is even a special section describing the recently completed transfer of the Panama Canal from the US to Panama.  (Back to top of page)

(000123) Strange & Unusual Dictionaries
http://www.blueray.com/dictionary/index.html

Craig Conley
Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA

One does not often think about using words made up of one letter, but beyond A and I there are indeed quite a few. Craig Conley has put together a fine collection of them in The White Queen's Dictionary of One Letter Words. Visitors to Strange & Unusual Dictionaries will also find PSST! The Dictionary of All-Consonant Words, and AIEE! Dictionary of All-Vowel Words. The site also has a couple of recommendations for interesting and possibly useful dictionaries available for purchase at Amazon.com. A small selection of pointers to other quality sites is at the bottom of the first page and are worth a look when you are done with Strange & Unusual Dictionaries.  (Back to top of page)

(000124) Allyson's Ultimate Compendium of One-Named People*
*and anthropomorphs
http://users.erols.com/woysk/allyson.html

Allyson
Columbia, South Carolina, USA

a page at

Acro All Night! by codymaxx
http://users.erols.com/woysk/

Karen Woys
Springfield, Virginia, USA

Keeping in theme with The White Queen's Dictionary of One Letter Words at Craig Conley's Strange & Unusual Dictionaries (http://www.blueray.com/dictionary/index.html) (SdJotD 000123), Allyson's Ultimate Compendium of One-Named People lists hundreds of monikers of living, dead, and otherwise fictional people. The accuracy level of a few entries here could be argued, Debbie Harry for example is mistakenly listed by the name of the band she fronted, but for the most part visitors will know who is being referred to. A nice collection either way. Be sure to check out Acro All Night! while you are here.  (Back to top of page)

(000125) Moller International: Home of the Rotapower Engine
http://www.moller.com/

Paul Moller
Moller International
Davis, California, USA

Back on January 11th, in a Site du Jour of the Day episode featuring the Popular Science site PopSci.com | The What's New Website (http://www.popsci.com/) (SdJotD 000111), I was whining about how nobody had invented flying cars yet. While scouting for sites this week, I found the Moller International site. Still in testing, the Moller International M400 Skycar is a vertical takeoff and landing craft capable of air speeds of over 350 miles per hour. This four-seater currently requires a private pilot's license to operate, but the Federal Aviation Administration (http://www.faa.gov/) may eventually allow non-pilots to command the computer controlled M400 Skycar. Limited production of the M400 Skycar is keeping the retail price a little out of reach of the general public, however the million dollar cost is expected to drop as more units are made available. It may be wise not to show this site to the same children it was suggested showing PopSci.com | The What's New Website to. Let them keep working on their own flying car designs. Like the division between steam and internal combustion engines, the kids may come up with something better than what basically amounts to a small aeroplane capable of doing fancy tricks.  (Back to top of page)

(000126) SelectSmart.com
http://www.selectsmart.com/

Curt Anderson
SelectSmart.com
Ashland, Oregon, USA

Using informal, unscientific polls and tests, SelectSmart.com can help visitors with making decisions about topics ranging from hair care products and presidential candidates to industrial sharpeners and mortgage rates. Original content and pointers to other sites add to the number of things visitors to SelectSmart.com can do and see. The information gathered here should not be the sole factor in an important decision, instead use it to help narrow your focus on a subject. Basically parlor tricks and surveys, but an entertaining way to spend a half hour. Thanks to Goof in Dallas, Texas for the suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(000127) Your New Puppy FAQ
by Cindy Tittle Moore
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/new-puppy.html

a part of

k9web - Resources for the Canine Community!
http://www.k9web.com/

Liza Lee Miller
Palo Alto, California, USA

Quite a few people I know seem to be getting new pets lately, mostly puppies this time around. Countless books are in print on the subject of raising and training a new dog but there is a wealth of free information available if you know where to look. k9web - Resources for the Canine Community! acts as a combination directory and library, useful for all stages of a dog's life. Your New Puppy, a Frequently Asked Questions file complied by Cindy Tittle Moore is a great place to start. Topics include Age to Separate from Litter, Puppy-Proofing Your Home, Acclimatization and Socialization, and the ever-popular Don't Be Surprised When… Cindy Tittle Moore also maintains the rec.pets.dogs FAQ Homepage (http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/) and for cat lovers, the rec.pets.cats FAQ Homepage (http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/index.html). If a new dog or cat is in your future, adoption or rescue is something to consider. k9web - Resources for the Canine Community! has information to that end, and you might also visit a site featured just over a year ago — IMOM~In Memory of Magic~Helping people help pets (http://www.imom.org/) (SdJotD 990122). Have fun with that new puppy!  (Back to top of page)

(000128) I'm on my way, I'm making it.
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Plaza/4016/june/june.html

Eve
The Church of Peter Gabriel
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

This is slightly strange — Popular recording artist Peter Gabriel, through the magic of animated images just shakin' his groove thang. When you've seen enough, visit The Church of Peter Gabriel (http://members.aol.com/ninkasi/index.html).  (Back to top of page)

(000129) St. Louis Riverfront Cam
http://www.getintostlouis.com/

Get Into St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

The view from atop the Regal Riverfront Hotel in St. Louis is filled with interesting things. First and foremost is the Gateway Arch, then there are the parks and depending on the time of day, traffic on the Mississippi River. Be sure to look at the Get Into St. Louis Riverfront Cam Archives for stills taken at different camera angles and a few surprises.  (Back to top of page)

(000130) CDNOW - Valentine's Custom Compact Disc
http://www.cdnow.com/valentines

CDnow Online, Inc.
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, USA

Here is a special idea for St. Valentine's Day, create a custom Compact Disc for your sweetheart. Select up to a dozen tracks from a list that smacks of romance through and through. When completed, the Compact Disc will have the songs you selected in the order you've placed them and there is even room for a personal message on the cover. Imagine the thrill of seeing a loved one receive a Compact Disc with their favorite love songs — picked out just for them. Licensing regulations limit this method of music distribution to consumers in the US only and while the $19.95 price is a little steep for a dozen songs, the custom aspect makes for a nice gift. The albums are shipped on recordable Compact Discs and for a limited time, include an eight song promotional sampler on a separate disc. This is something you could do at home with a cassette recorder or a Compact Disc recorder easily enough, but for obtaining music not already in your collection this is a great way to do it. Custom titles are becoming more an more popular and could possibly be the next way we buy the music we want. CDNOW (http://www.cdnow.com/) has other options for creating custom Compact Discs including a promotion running with Pizza Hut (http://www.pizzahut.com/) through February 20. Order a ten dollar pizza and a six song custom Compact Disc is yours free.  (Back to top of page)

(000131) All The Wav Links You'll Ever Need
http://www.weeflea.com/wavs.htm

Wee Flea Sales
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Replacing the stock system noises with your favorite cartoon or movie characters saying funny things is one of the benefits of having a sound card in your computer. Finding the perfect WAV files though can be a bit of a chore. All The Wav Links You'll Ever Need has pointers to almost two hundred different sites with WAV files available for download. Not every pointer is active at All The Wav Links You'll Ever Need but sometimes that's the way it goes. Missing from the list, not for long though I'd imagine, are a few sites which have been featured as Site du Jour of the Day over the years. They include The Whistleblower Newswire, Or "Some of the News They Seem to Lose" (http://www.queencity.com/whistleblower/) (SdJotD 980128), Funny Sounds (http://www.funny-sounds.com/) (SdJotD 990425) and Cartoon Wavs, Showcasing 1000's of sounds from your favorite cartoons (http://www.cartoonwavs.com/) (SdJotD 991016). The list at All The Wav Links You'll Ever Need, with the addition of the three other sites mentioned here are probably more than you will ever need. Thanks to Jaymie for the boisterous suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

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Copyright 2000, Edward J. Pelegrino. All rights reserved.
Harpo, Trade and Service Marks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

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Updated January 31, 2000

This Archive has been opened times since January 7, 2000.