(001001) Chickenhead's Desktop Bonanza!
http://www.chickenhead.com/features/desktops/

John A. Wooden
Chickenhead Productions
Brooklyn, New York, USA

A set of pages at the wildly amusing Chickenhead site (http://www.chickenhead.com/), Chickenhead's Desktop Bonanza! contains forty images for use as wallpaper on Macintosh and Windows machines. Scanned from old print advertisements and improved upon, these pieces are each available in three resolutions (1024x768, 800x600, and 640x480 pixels). In most cases without product names or taglines, these blasts from the past are weirdly warm and fuzzy — all are wonderfully illustrated. Installation instructions are included. The entire Chickenhead site may have language some readers will find offensive but even with that, it's still funny.  (Back to top of page)

(001002) The Banned Book of Dr. Seuss!
http://members.aol.com/danledbttr/seuss.htm

Dan Leadbetter
California, USA

Not really banned so much as out of print, Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? was published in 1963 as a part of the Dr. Seuss Library. Not actually written by Dr. Seuss but by Helen Palmer, Theodor Geisel's wife until she died in 1967. One is left to wonder about a possible anti-war message in this book. In contrast to the material at Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr. Seuss (http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/) (SdJotD 000914), Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? and in light of the developing conflict in Vietnam at the time it's difficult to speculate. This page was assembled by site designer Dan Leadbetter and aside from the book cover, does not contain any of the original Lynn Fayman photographs. The text is reproduced in its entirety. I remember reading this book as a child, and in retrospect wonder if it might even be some sort of recruitment propaganda. It works both ways.  (Back to top of page)

(001003) Seventies Dance Music Page
http://izan.simplenet.com/70.htm

Andrea Izzotti
Genova, Italy

The Seventies Dance Music Page covers the decade of decadence fairly well. A Hit Parade contains 172 songs from 1964 to 1984, most from the late 1970s but all with that beat that'll have you lacing up the roller skates of shaking your groove thang in no time. Pointers to official and fan sites for selected artists, biographies, MIDI files, RealAudio Streams, and options to purchase titles through an Affiliate Account are all here. Andrea Izzotti is part of a band called The Pipetters based in Genova, and there is information and samples of their original material on the pages here as well. Not as comprehensive as Ron Smith Presents... Oldies Music - history, trivia and charts of Fifties, Sixties and Seventies music (http://www.oldiesmusic.com/) (SdJotD 980907), the Seventies Dance Music Page is still worth a look and listen.  (Back to top of page)

(001004) The Love Boat Unofficial Home Page
http://www.asb.com/usr/indtvprd/loveboat/

Rick Portes
Long Island, New York, USA

Anybody who was barely/still somebody in the world of entertainment made a guest appearance on The Love Boat — from Annette Funicello in 1982 to Andy Warhol in 1985, they were all there. Often with car wreck interest, millions of viewers have looked at The Love Boat over the years, in its 1977-1986 first run, syndication, and the short-lived Love Boat, The Next Wave. The Love Boat Unofficial Home Page celebrates this like-it-or-not capsule of American Popular Culture with everything you could ever possibly want to know about the show. Features include Love Boat Basics, Cast Biographies, Guest Stars, and No Longer With Us which lists Guest Stars who are on the big Love Boat in the sky. Be sure to look for Sonny Bono's name in the No Longer With Us section. True fans of The Love Boat who don't already know about it will be interested in the First International Love Boat Fan Cruise on January 20, 2001. Love, exciting and new, Come Aboard. We're expecting you…  (Back to top of page)

(001005) Evening News Abstracts
http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/eveningnews.html

Vanderbilt Television News Archive
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee, USA

This collection of story-level descriptions of evening news broadcasts from ABC, CBS, and NBC was started on August 5, 1968. Reporters, subjects, package running times, and even commercial announcements are listed. Searching or browsing Evening News Abstracts can be entertaining and informative on several different levels. As stories unfolded, the reports grew longer and then went away. Ideal for students of the form, historians, or individuals curious about the news on a given day, Evening News Abstracts is an important and free resource. Research can begin with the information available at this site and can be continued in Nashville with the video tape archive which contains over 30,000 news broadcasts and more than 9,000 hours of special programming.  (Back to top of page)

(001006) Russian Story
Russian Periodicals Online
http://www.russianstory.com/

Russian Story, Inc.
Moscow, Russia
Great Falls, Virginia, USA

Russian Story offers the full content of nearly fifty Russian newspapers, magazines, and journals. A subscription based service, periodicals are available as Adobe Acrobat PDF files. Subjects cover Business and Economy, Culture and Arts, Family and Entertainment, Government and Society, Military and Defense, Science and Education, and Sport. Subscription are available with several options, either for individual titles or unlimited monthly access to nearly the entire collection. A cost effective alternative to having the print version mailed to you, and in many cases available before the print version is even distributed in Russia. As electronic page layout becomes the normal means of production, creating PDFs of the current issue makes it possible to have them available at Russian Story hours before the last plate is on the press. Regardless of the interest you have in subscribing, be sure to look at a few of the free sample versions.  (Back to top of page)

(001007) News from Yugoslavia and Republic of Srpska @ I*Net
http://www2.inet.co.yu/index.html

I*Net
Beograd, Yugoslavia

This site hosts a live camera from the streets of Belgrade at I*Net (http://www2.inet.co.yu/kamera/) that is fairly standard as far as static shots go — reloading on command or automatically every 100 seconds. During the past few days when the streets of Belgrade were active, it was probably something to see. News from Yugoslavia and Republic of Srpska @ I*Net is a better destination, domestic and international reports about current events in Yugoslavia. News from Yugoslavia and Republic of Srpska @ I*Net is updated every 15 to 20 minutes during most of the day. It's possible that we haven't heard the last of Slobodan Milosevic or his posse — it would seem that Vojislav Kostunica has his work cut out for him. Read about it here.  (Back to top of page)

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(001008) Fatbird's Deer Hunting Place
http://communities.msn.com/FatbirdsDeerHuntingPlace

Fatbird
Douglas County, Missouri, USA

As autumn settles in and the temperatures start to drop wildlife populations will be eating like there's no tomorrow — and in certain cases, that couldn't be closer to the truth. The great out-of-doors pastime of hunting comes into season soon in most states. Bow Season comes first and then Open Season. It's been a few years since I've lived anywhere that hunting is popular, here in Florida hunting deer is about as exciting as shooting large dogs or wrecking havoc in a petting zoo. The deer and feral hogs are about the size of goats and in the heat they don't ever get terribly smart. Most large game species are either endangered, protected, or as with alligators, hardly worth the trouble. In other places though it's all very different, hunting can be an enjoyable pastime if not a lifestyle. Fatbird's Deer Hunting Place was suggested by Janise Wolfe who writes, "Fatbird is an old friend of mine with a winning personality that comes through on his website. There are humorous offerings by Fatbird as well as others under the header, Tales from the Treestand. It could be of real interest to those hunting members of SdJotD. In addition to the humor, you can find discussions and information concerning wildlife management and conservation". In addition to the message boards at Fatbird's Deer Hunting Place, visitors will also find a nice collection of photographs from Fatbird and other members of this particular group.  (Back to top of page)

(001009) The Transformation Story Archive
http://tsa.transform.to/index.html

Thomas Hassan
Vienna, Austria

Containing over 550 stories, every piece at The Transformation Story Archive works on a common theme — some sort of physical transformation. The work of dozens of contributors, stories are divided into different categories. Far too much material to be enjoyed in one visit, an anthology of this size is worth sampling a little bit at a time.  (Back to top of page)

(001010) American Slave Narratives:
An Online Anthology
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/wpahome.html

Bruce Fort
Corcoran Department of History
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

At the time, most of the people interviewed were in the later years of their lives — lives which started in slavery. The interviews which were conducted in the 1920s and the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration project can often be difficult to read. Dialects captured by the interviewers may come across as heavy handed but without such a treatment it is possible that the collection would not reflect the personalities of the individuals telling their stories. Themes are repeated throughout, questions were assigned to maintain a degree of consistency. It didn't always work out that way. Adding to our difficulty and maybe more than anything else, showing how times have changed in the seventy odd years since these interviews were conducted, is the racial overtones and undertones from both sides of the conversation. The annotations by Bruce Fort help out the translation to HTML immensely, giving an overview of sorts to the entire project and at the same time, helping to explain the nuance often buried in these interviews. Photographs and sound files made at the time enhance certain interviews. Pointers to other sites provide a path for learning more on this subject. The language here may shock some and may not be suitable for younger children but the historical significance of these narratives culled from George P. Rawick, ed., The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1972-79) cannot be denied.  (Back to top of page)

(001011) McAfee.com Anti-Virus Center
http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/

McAfee.com Corporation
Sunnyvale, California, USA

_________________________________

Symantec AntiVirus Research Center
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/

Symantec Corporation
Cupertino, California, USA

The threat presented by computer virus and worm infestation continues to be a problem, keeping up with the latest news is easy. These sites are maintained by two of the largest companies specializing in virus protection software. If you are running a machine that came with bundled software, odds are better than good that the package included a product from one of these firms. Having virus scanning software installed is only the first half of the battle against infection — keeping the signature files that detect possible infection updated is very important. The McAfee.com Corporation site and the Symantec Corporation site not only offer the latest and greatest for their products, but both can be a good source for information on how to fix virus problems after the fact. The application of client patches and adjusting settings to maximize the usefulness of virus detection software are also ways to add to the pounce of protection. Both sites offer tips and pointers for accomplishing these tasks.  (Back to top of page)

(001012) Zoom Dinosaurs
http://www.zoomdinosaurs.com

Enchanted Learning Software
Mercer Island, Washington, USA

A section at the Enchanted Learning (http://www.enchantedlearning.com) site, Zoom Dinosaurs is ideal for all ages and levels of understanding. Topics covered include How Dinosaurs are Named, The Evolution of Dinosaurs, How to Write a Great Dinosaur Report, and more. Younger students will appreciate the fun and games here and may not realize that they are learning, older students will be challenged by the sophistication of the text and images as they read further along. Pointers to sites with harder science help out but there's enough here about prehistoric plants and animals to keep most visitors occupied for a while. Thanks to Phil Konstantin for the suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

(001013) List of Friday The 13th
http://kaji.com/etc/friday13th.html

Kajiwara Osamu
Fukuoka, Japan

Today is the last Friday the 13th of the Twentieth Century. More common than most people think, a Friday the 13th will occur at least once every year and as often as three times a year. April 13, 2001 is the next time it will come around. Kajiwara Osamu has compiled a list of all of the Friday the 13ths from the Eleventh Century through the Thirtieth Century. Taken from the extensive calendar pages at Kajiwara's Web Site (http://kaji.com/index.html) and available in Japanese and English language versions, the list of Friday the 13ths is interesting to explore.

Not included at Kajiwara's List of Friday The 13th is the following formula for figuring out when Friday the 13ths will occur:

If the first day of the year is Monday

there will be Friday the 13ths in July and April

If the first day of the year is Tuesday

there will be Friday the 13ths in September and December

If the first day of the year is Wednesday

there will be a Friday the 13th in June

If the first day of the year is Thursday

there will be Friday the 13ths in February, March, and November

If the first day of the year is Friday

there will be a Friday the 13th in August

If the first day of the year is Saturday

there will be a Friday the 13th in May

If the first day of the year is Sunday

there will be a Friday the 13th in January

Leap Years throw things off a bit:

If the first day of the leap year is Monday

there will be Friday the 13ths in September and December

If the first day of the leap year is Tuesday

there will be a Friday the 13th in June

If the first day of the leap year is Wednesday

there will be Friday the13ths in March and November

If the first day of the leap year is Thursday

there will be Friday the 13ths in February and August

If the first day of the leap year is Friday

there will be a Friday the 13th in May

If the first day of the leap year is Saturday

there will be a Friday the 13th in October

If the first day of the leap year is Sunday

there will be Friday the 13ths in January, April, and July

 (Back to top of page)

(001014) Issues2000.org
Every Presidential Candidate on Every Issue
http://www.issues2000.org

Issues2000.org
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

We have an important Presidential Election coming up in November and like many American voters, I do not care for any of my choices. The recent debates between the two leading candidates came across like a bad joke with all of their tap dancing and posturing. Seven parties have tickets this time around and Issues2000.org looks at all of them, offering non-partisan information about where candidates stand on issues without the rhetoric and games. Similar to Project Vote Smart - A Voter's Self Defense System (http://vote-smart.org/) (http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/news.phtml (no frames)) (SdJotD 000518) which looks at elections down to a local level, Issues2000.org is an important resource for determining what to do with your very important ballot.  (Back to top of page)

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(001015) Las Vegas Wedding Pranks
http://www.pranks4thememories.com/

Miller Barron Winslow Family
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

On Saturday I received a fearsome elbow in the ribs and a good old-fashioned church shushing. My lovely wife Jenni and I were at a wedding in the afternoon. A beautiful Florida day for a wedding on Pine Island (http://www.pineislandfl.com/ ) and as far as Methodist weddings go, relatively painless for all involved. Well, except for me. At the kneeling down part of the ceremony, the groom immediately turned to check the soles of his shoes and I laughed a little too loud for my own good because I knew exactly what he was looking for. Jenni asked what was so [damn] funny, and I told her that Chad was checking to see if his buddies hadn't written something on his shoes without his knowledge… something to the effect of HELP ME or SORRY LADIES. My laughter didn't go unnoticed by the groom, hence the elbow and the shush. There was nothing on the shoes unfortunately, but for my money the trick remains one of the most brilliant wedding pranks ever invented.

Las Vegas Wedding Pranks is chock full of wonderful tricks to play on the bride and groom and even though it was originally featured as Site du Jour of the Day on April 16, 1998, the site is worth mentioning a second time. Visitors to Las Vegas Wedding Pranks will find a smattering of practical jokes and gags that are easily adaptable to other events, it's one of the funniest sites Site du Jour of the Day has ever looked at. Exercise caution if you should decide to pull any of the visitor contributed pranks, revenge is a dish best served cold.  (Back to top of page)

(001016) Amateur Photography
http://amateurphoto.about.com/hobbies/amateurphoto/

C. Elizabeth Vest
Hammond, Louisiana, USA

About.com, Inc.
New York, New York, USA

The wedding my wife Jenni and I attended on Saturday was held in a church that had great natural lighting. With the flash off and a monopod attached to my quietest camera, I shot a roll of Kodak (http://kodak.com/) Black and White+ film during the ceremony. On the way to the reception we dropped the C-41 Process roll off for one hour processing at an Eckerd Drug store (http://www.eckerd.com/). This particular black and white film is processed like standard color and doesn't come back with the blue cast similar films can have. After dinner we slipped out of the reception just long enough to retrieve our pictures and on our return, presented an album of the prints to the bride and groom. The quick processing was an after thought but because several people at the reception were unable to attend the wedding ceremony and the bride's mother was leaving the next morning it worked out very well. The novelty of the prints being black and white was enough to keep the pictures from detracting from the celebration.

Wedding photography is difficult at best, yet it's often one of the occasions where a lot of people are taking pictures. The Amateur Photography pages at About.com (http://about.com/) have all sorts of articles and tips for taking better pictures and enjoying it. Moderated by C. Elizabeth Vest, the pages look at subjects including Astrophotography, Online Sharing, Processing Labs, Travel Photography, and more. Regardless of how satisfied you are with your photography skills, there's always room for improvement and the Amateur Photography pages at About.com can help. Pointers to related subjects at About.com and other sites makes this a grand resource for anyone who uses a camera.  (Back to top of page)

(001017) Creepy Clown's Gallery
http://www.creepyclown.com/

Donald Tatro
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Like a a modern day Kilroy, Creepy Clown is everywhere. With origins on a newsgroup for 3-D modeling enthusiasts, artists have expressed their like and dislike for Creepy Clown in countless renderings. Donald Tatro started it all, and now the best of these images are in the pages at Creepy Clown's Gallery. Be forewarned, if clowns get you down this site is one that you will do better to avoid. If by some chance, you don't quite understand why some people fear clowns have a look — it may become a whole lot clearer for you after a visit. Either way, be sure to check out Creepy vs. The Dancing Baby. If you work with a 3-D modeling program and haven't already, download Creepy Clown and other assorted objects and then go nuts. And remember, Halloween isn't that far away.  (Back to top of page)

(001018) RF Safety Program Page
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/

Office of Engineering and Technology
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Dick Tracy had no cause to worry about exposure to radiofrequency fields from cellular and PCS radio transmitters but we might. This section of the Office of Engineering and Technology site at the Federal Communications Commission allows consumers the opportunity obtain information on human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) emissions from wireless phones and other devices. Using the FCC ID number of a phone or device produced and marketed during the last couple of years, visitors can check the maximum Specific Absorption Rate of their toy phone. The Specific Absorption Rate is "…a value that corresponds to the relative amount of RF energy absorbed in the head of a user of a wireless handset". In short, the amount of energy it could take to start making brain soup. The jury is still out on the subject of levels of RF energy and what point such energy becomes harmful to humans, but the FCC states that the "…limit for public exposure from cellular telephones is an SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg)". Find out how you are doing and then explore the rest of this site to learn about the controversy surrounding exposure to RF energy and wireless communications devices. Sitting too close to the television set may not have been that big of a deal compared to this issue. Thanks to TheREALJoeyP for suggesting this site.  (Back to top of page)

(001019) Be Stiff
Everything you wanted to know about Stiff Records but were afraid to ask!
http://www.bestiff.demon.co.uk/

Tony Judge
Watford, England

Tony Judge has done a fine job in assembling a site that pays tribute to what was perhaps the best independent record label ever. Artists on the label included Elvis Costello, Damned, Desmond Dekker, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Dave Edmunds, Jona Lewie, Nick Lowe, Madness, Motörhead, Graham Parker, Pogues, and Wreckless Eric. In the few short years the label existed, Stiff changed the way the music industry behaved and the influence is still being felt. Performing extensively on label supported tours, Stiff acts would rotate the order of performers giving everyone a headline spot when their turn came around. Be Stiff has a way to go before becoming complete, but it stands out as being the single best site about the label and artists. Deserving a more prominent place at Be Stiff than buried in the Memorabilia section is the The Stiff Family Tree, taken from Bert Muirhead's 1983 book Stiff - The Story Of A Record Label. Pointers to related sites help round out Be Stiff and Tony Judge seems to be looking for additional information regardless of the source. "If it ain't Stiff, it ain't worth a…".  (Back to top of page)

(001020) Fametracker
The Farmer's Almanac of Celebrity Worth
http://www.fametracker.com/

Fametracker
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Fametracker takes a long hard look at what it means to the famous to be famous — a barometer of sorts for actors, musical performers, and others. Features include When Niche Actors Collide - 2 Stars 1 Slot, The Celebrity's Worst Fear - The Fame Audit, and The J.T. Walsh Memorial - Hey! It's That Guy!, all looking at the volatile world of fame and public opinion. The Fametracker Forums allow visitors to add their two cents, taking the idea behind Fametracker that much further. Better than the tabloids and television entertainment magazines, Fametracker doesn't need to appease the tastes of advertising agencies buying space for soap companies and can express far more honest views on celebrity. Stars often claim that they never pay attention to material like this but maybe they should.  (Back to top of page)

(001021) Real Time Web Images at CRREL
http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/ierd/webcams/

Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
US Army Corps of Engineers
Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

This page at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/) site has images from over 25 cameras, some live and others operational only in winter. Of the cameras, those at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and the confluence of Oil Creek with the Allegheny River in Oil City, Pennsylvania are the most exciting and the ice hasn't even started to form. The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory is an important part of the US Army Corps of Engineers because of the problems presented by ice. To learn more about the work and study performed by the people at CRREL be sure to look at other parts of the site.  (Back to top of page)

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(001022) SportsJones
The Daily Online Sports Magazine
http://www.sportsjones.com/

SportsJones Magazine
Chicago, Illinois, USA

The first game of the 2000 World Series ended late on Sunday morning, the longest World Series game to date. The announcers for the FOX network made a point of telling the television audience several times in fact, punctuating it with unnecessary graphics and noises that made me think that the toilet was running. Bob Costas over at NBC is probably the announcer most enjoyable to hear while watching an event — if you appreciate Bob Costas, chances are you'll like SportsJones. Decent sports writing has almost disappeared and that's where SportsJones comes in. Offering the kind of insight and coverage of sports our parents and grandparents used to get in the days before it all became one giant equipment commercial. Without a staff of hundreds force feeding trivial statistics to the public through a talking head, the editors and writers at SportsJones fill the gap television sports has created. SportsJones has coverage of events other outlets ignore or tuck away in the quieter places. Laura Kaminker's piece on the current Paralympics in Sydney (http://www.sportsjones.com/paralympics.htm ) is a perfect example of how SportsJones differs from the so called authorities on sports.

SportsJones is following the World Series and a visit to the site will only add to the enjoyment of baseball fans everywhere. The SportsJones Guide to the World Series (http://www.sportsjones.com/surfjones/WS2000.htm) is a must see. Also of special note is SportsJones Daily, available free by e-mail. The messages contain information about updates to the site and include a section called SurfJones. SurfJones provides pointers to "…the best, worst, and strangest sports stuff on the Web". SportsJones is a refreshing change.  (Back to top of page)

(001023) High-Five Mechanical Arm
http://www.hi5arm.com/

Hi-5 Inc.
Troy , New York, USA

It's great to be a part of the crowd, cheering on your favorite team. Celebrating for a moment when a play goes our way. Conversely, if nobody wants to watch the game with you because, well, they just don't like you, there's always the Hi-5 Mechanical Arm.  (Back to top of page)

(001024) emurals.com
http://www.emurals.com

Skip and Illene Dyrda
New World Productions
Sarasota, Florida, USA

The Dyrda's paintings range in scale from small plates to floorcloths to murals covering multi-story buildings, and emurals.com acts as a showcase. Using the technique of Trompe L'oeil to great advantage, the work here is exquisite. The Mural in Progress section is very interesting, especially if you've ever wondered what it takes to design and paint a large scale outdoor mural. From what I've seen, the market for artists in Sarasota is highly competitive, and the pieces on display here are some of the best in town. Thanks to Janise Wolfe for suggesting emurals.com.  (Back to top of page)

(001025) All the Web, All the Time
http://www.alltheweb.com/

ATW Enterprises
Fremont, Ohio, USA

a division of

Fast Search & Transfer
The Internet Information Company
http://www.fast.no/

Fast Search & Transfer ASA
Oslo, Norway

We all have a favorite search engine or two and as search technology increases, those favorites are always subject to change. Mostly a matter of personal taste, search engines are used by people for different purposes. Using the name All the Web, All the Time sounds as if someone is boasting just a little bit, it's not too far from the truth. Launched in early 1999 by Fast Search & Transfer ASA, All the Web, All the Time, and re-tooled on October 12 as FAST Search, "…the world’s largest search engine service, with over 575 million full-text web documents, [that] provides users with highly accurate and relevant results and is built by crawling and examining over 1.5 billion web documents, the most of any search engine". This baby is quick and is not limited to only English language pages — give it a try your next time out.  (Back to top of page)

(001026) Gale Group - Reference Reviews
http://www.galegroup.com/reference/reference.htm

The Gale Group
Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA

This section of the site maintained by the Gale Group (http://www.galegroup.com/), a division of The Thomson Corporation, offers monthly looks at reference materials for home, office or library use. Visitors will find Péter Jacsó's Digital Reference Reviews, Blanche Woolls and David Loertscher's Reference For Students, John Lawrence's Lawrence Looks At Books, and the James Rettig Archives which contains 474 articles on print, Internet, and CD-ROM reference products. The holidays are coming up and so is next year's budget — the Gale Group - Reference Reviews could come in handy for narrowing down choices or for finding new possibilities.

Titles reviewed in October include the CIA World Factbook 2000; William W. Lammers and Michael A. Genovese's The Presidency and Domestic Policy: Comparing Leadership Styles, FDR to Clinton; Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe: From the Congress of Vienna to the Fall of Communism, Edited by Richard Frucht; and Martin Matrix Evans' Encyclopedia of the Boer War, 1899-1902. A useful and free reference site for anyone who uses reference materials.  (Back to top of page)

(001027) Etiquette Hell
http://www.etiquettehell.com/

Jeanne Hinds
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

Most people are fairly well behaved in social situations but occasionally we encountered someone who has been raised like a wild animal. Etiquette Hell is a collection of visitor submitted tales ripe with bad behavior ranging in severity from simple garden variety foot-in-mouth situations to horror stories that leave you wondering why someone didn't take the offending party out back behind the shed to beat some manners into 'em. The later would of course be rude, but when it comes right down to it, it's a sure-fire option that works almost every time. A far cry from the more traditional etiquette guides available, Etiquette Hell is the perfect spot to anonymously vent about that time someone did you wrong. The material here is very funny at times and a visit may leave you with a feeling of smug superiority when it comes to your own social skills — and rightfully so.  (Back to top of page)

(001028) Presidential Warp
http://www.fearthis.com/

B. Thompson
fearthis.com
Houston, Texas, USA

Presidential Warp utilizes Alex Rosen's AlexWarp (http://www.axlrosen.net/) (SdJotD 991106) to modify images of public figures — currently it's the two leading candidates running for the office of President of the United States of America. Operation is simple, grab a hunk of nose or eyebrow with your mouse, move it away, and the laughs start rolling in. Presidential Warp doesn't accomplish much and it certainly will not help to decide an election, but it is mighty entertaining. Thanks to GOOF for the suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

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(001029) Hit Comedy
http://hitcomedy.com/

Hit Comedy Inc.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

If it's comedy and it's been commercially released in the United States, chances are good that Hit Comedy has selections from that album available as RealAudio Streams. New stuff, old stuff and everything in between — Abbott & Costello, Woody Allen, Cheech and Chong, Bill Cosby, Ellen DeGeneres, Firesign Theatre, Redd Foxx, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Bob Newhart, Chris Rock, Rowan & Martin, Space Ghost, Judy Tenuta, Rusty Warren, and Steven Wright are just a few. Visitors can search for a performer by name, or by using the title of a specific bit. Once you've found and listened to all of your favorites, sit back and let Hit Comedy Radio play in the background. Be aware of the fact that like some of the albums they are taken from, many of these recordings are uncensored and contain adult themes. They're funny though.  (Back to top of page)

(001030) The Horror Movie Directory
http://go.to/horrormovie

Andrew Pritchard
Richmond Surrey, England

The Horror Movie Directory contains short reviews of horror movies as well as image and sound galleries plus in-depth features for a couple of titles. Fans of classic horror may find slim pickings as the coverage centers around the modern slasher genre but with that in mind, there's enough to get an idea of what's available. The pointers page lists about 25 other sites and is worth exploring. Not for the faint of heart, The Horror Movie Directory has examined the blood and guts end of the movies since August 1996.  (Back to top of page)

(001031) The Periodic Table of Poetry
http://www.superdeluxe.com/elemental/

maintained by
Maggie Schold

a part of

superdeluxe
http://superdeluxe.com/

vagabondage
San Francisco, California, USA

Back in May the service which allows visitors to Search the Site du Jour of the Day Archives (https://members.tripod.com/~SdJotD/search.htm) was changed to Free Search Engine — FreeFind.com (http://www.freefind.com/) (SdJotD 000529). In addition to being a better search tool for visitors, the Free Search Engine allows for better insight into what people are looking for while visiting through a series of excellent reports. Two recent queries where rather unusual. On the 21st, someone was looking for "the percentage of people who are in college in warren, michigan in 1969". An odd question, if it is even a question. On the 24th, someone entered "poems on the element aluminum," another unusual request but intriguing. The only thing close to that at the Archive site up until now would have been Lyle Zapato's Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie Homepage - An Effective, Low-Cost Solution To Combating Mind-Control (http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html) (SdJotD 000607).

After a little poking around out in the ether I found the answer to query number two in The Periodic Table of Poetry. This set of pages at superdeluxe takes the elements and mixes them with visitor submitted poetry. The Periodic Table of Poetry is a wonderful idea and has spawned a great deal of creativity. Perhaps the most charming piece here is a simple but effective one written for the element Krypton by 11-year-old Nozlee Samadzadeh:

Oh, Krypton's a wonderful element
From it we can build a monument,
To keep Superman away, for forever and a day,
So Batman can rule, and not Clark Kent.

Plenty of elements are still poemless and if you are interested, start thinking about Astatine, Lanthanum, and Xenon. The highest vacancy seems to be with all of those pesky element names ending with "ium". In fact, my Limerick about Barium is going to take a little more work than I thought. Both superdeluxe and The Periodic Table of Poetry are splendid.  (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.

https://members.tripod.com/~SdJotD/2000/0010.htm

Updated October 31, 2000

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