(010501) The Linguistic Anomalies File
http://www.zingman.com/zingling.html

John Szinger
Redwood City, California, USA

The Linguistic Anomalies File is a fun look at the English language. Comprised of lists supplemented by suggestions from visitors, there is something here for everyone. A few of the lists stand out — The 300 Most Common Words In the English Language; Names of Foods Named After Other Foods; Names of Animals Named After Other Animals; and Words with TH, But Not Like That. Perhaps the most unique list here is actually a book in the making. A to Z started with a single sentence where the first letter in each word makes the alphabet. Not stopping there, John Szinger moved A to the back and continued the cycle so that all of the letters had a chance to be at the front of the line. Difficult? Difficult is only the easy part. A sample toward the end of the piece, "X-wings & y-wings zoom aggressively, barnstorming chaotically down endless fiery gulches; hearing immaterial Jedi Kenobi, Luke maneuvers, nears, opens payload: quicksilver rebels sabotage the ultimate villainous weapon". What a mouthful. (Back to top of page)

(010502) Eponym: International Names
http://www.eponym.org/

S. Hawkins
Framingham, Massachusetts, USA

Another of the fine suggestions recently sent in by Vesa Lehtinen, Eponym: International Names is the perfect site for anyone interested in first names. Whether a child is on the way, a new character needs a moniker, or you would simply like to find out more about what your name means, Eponym: International Names is a good place to start. The International section alone contains pointers to hundreds of other sites which is a plus. Most sites of this type focus on Western names, and while there are quite a few listed at Eponym: International Names it's nice to see that the rest of the world has not been ignored. (Back to top of page)

 (010503) Who Would Buy That?
(auction oddities from all over the web)
http://whowouldbuythat.com/

Drue Miller and Shauna Wright
San Francisco, California, USA

The thriving auction sites continue to host some pretty weird stuff for sale. Using Who Would Buy That?, Drue Miller and Shauna Wright skim off the slag and present it all in as tasteful a manner as possible, saving visitors the trouble of finding these oddities on their own. Drawing from the same cesspool as Steven Frank's Disturbing Auctions (http://www.disturbingauctions.com/) (SdJotD 000814), it's nice to see another perspective on this subject — and an often humorous perspective at that. (Back to top of page)

(010504) The Busy Person's Guide to Creating Your Own Funeral Or Memorial Service
http://wz.com/people/CreatingYourOwnFuneral.html

Stephanie West Allen
Denver, Colorado, USA

It's certainly not something we give a lot of thought to during our lives, but our end of life memorial service will be the biggest party we are ever the guest of honor at. Cultural traditions often dictate a somber event, but with the largest segment of the population here in North America heading into the last half of a normal life-span, things will most certainly change. Conventions are changing, people are living longer, playing harder, and the options for the last farewell are more numerous than ever before. Nobody likes to think of their own death, even though we all know that Death's long black train is coming. Deciding how to dress the platform may give us a certain degree of control over how we depart — based on our collective behavior of the last few decades it's probably a safe bet that there will be an awful lot of party trains.

The Busy Person's Guide to Creating Your Own Funeral Or Memorial Service is a portal moderated by Stephanie West Allen. Pointers to other sites and original content provide a starting point for anyone interested in taking care of things financial and emotional as best they can before checking out. While there may be more serious sites addressing this issue, The Busy Person's Guide to Creating Your Own Funeral Or Memorial Service offers a novel approach to a very difficult subject.

Not currently listed at The Busy Person's Guide to Creating Your Own Funeral Or Memorial Service is Eternal Reefs (http://www.eternalreefs.com/) (see Reef Ball Development Group Ltd.'s Reef Ball (http://www.reefball.com/) (SdJotD 000509)). Eternal Reefs allow people to become a part of a Reef Ball after death. Cremated remains are included in the concrete mix and a memorial plaque is fastened to the artificial reef before submersion. Perhaps a bit much for some, but a cruise for 150± people would sure beat having everyone fight over your money once you've departed. (Back to top of page)

(010505) Obituary Daily Times
The index of published obituaries
http://www.rootsweb.com/~obituary/

Le Scoop nécrologique
L' index nécrologique
http://www.rootsweb.com/~obituary/indexf.html

MyFamily.com, Inc.
Provo, Utah, USA

A part of  RootsWeb.com (http://www.rootsweb.com/), the oldest and largest free Genealogy site comes Obituary Daily Times and the French language version, Le Scoop nécrologique. By monitoring and recording information from over 2,300 publications, most of which are daily and weekly newspapers, Obituary Daily Times / Le Scoop nécrologique allows visitors to search for specific names. The complete obituary is not included here, but where available a pointer to the publication's site is given. This lets visitors search the database of that publication for additional information. New contributors are needed for indexing local papers and an e-mail message goes out at least once a day with new index entries — the entries often exceed 2,500 each mailing. The scale of Obituary Daily Times / Le Scoop nécrologique is global, with better than 5.6 million records in the index. Intended for family historians and researchers this is a handy tool as is the full RootsWeb.com site. (Back to top of page)

(010506) Jayskids.com
http://jayskids.com/

Maral Nigolian
Pacific Palisades, California, USA

It's been over a year since his death in Paris (see Screaming Jay Hawkins http://www.lastcallrecords.com/biographies/screamingjay.html) (SdJotD 000214)), but Screamin' Jay Hawkins lives on through his children. And there may be a lot of them — by his own estimate, Screamin' Jay Hawkins may have fathered anywhere from 50 to 75 children. That's what Jayskids.com is all about, Maral Nigolian's promise to a dying friend to round up his many children. Out of over 2,500 leads generated by Jayskids.com, 36 claims have been substantiated and many of the messages from the now adult children are included at the site. Messages from others are also here, along with photographs, biographical information, and a couple of interesting downloads for fans. Womanizing and fatherless children are serious subjects, but all of that aside it seems as though Screamin' Jay Hawkins was busier over the years than many people may have realized. (Back to top of page)

(010507) Bastard Nation: The Adoptee Rights Organization
http://www.bastards.org/

Bastard Nation
Des Moines, Washington, USA

For many people, the thought of not knowing their birth parents is as alien as anything imaginable. For countless others it's a part of life every single day. Some adult adoptees have only a fleeting interest in finding out who their birth parents are, content with the way life is. Others have an interest that consumes, but are blocked by the state when it comes to discovering the truth about who they are and where they come from. Bastard Nation: The Adoptee Rights Organization is an adoption reform and Open Records activist group. Pushing for social reform, their site states, "Most adult adoptees in the U.S. and Canada are denied legal access to their own original birth records and adoption decree. This is not the case in many places around the world. In the U.S. and Canada Influential adoption industry lobbyists perpetuate bizarre notions of a beneficial 'permanent anonymity' imposed on all in the adoption experience so as to protect their ability to continue acting as a completely unaccountable industry - something unique to the adoption industry". While there are many arguments for and against opening birth records, members of Bastard Nation have a personal interest in the matter and it shows. Adult adoptees, adoptive and biological family members can learn more about the organization and current projects by visiting the site. (Back to top of page)

Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!

(010508) Online Stardate Calculator
http://trekker.ru/info/stdate.htm

Club of Russian Trekkers
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Calculators such as this one have been in existence for at least two decades. Using the computer to figure out the fictional Stardate made popular in the Star Trek television shows, motion pictures, and novels. One of the few English language pages at the site for the Club of Russian Trekkers (http://trekker.ru/), there are several calculators available. Whether used for referencing the date as we know it uttered by one of the characters from Star Trek or using the Stardate on a check for any of the utility bills, the Club of Russian Trekkers Online Stardate Calculator is an entertaining diversion. Similar calculators are available at other sites as a quick search using Google (http://www.google.com/search?q=stardate+calculator) shows, but this site in particular illustrates the universal appeal of Star Trek. That there is a strong fan base (http://trekker.ru/first/authors.shtml) in Russia only demonstrates the fact, especially with the Cold War propaganda used throughout that first set of television shows. (Back to top of page)

(010509) BBspot - If I had a million dollars...
http://bbspot.com/Features/2001/05/million.html

Brian Briggs
BBspot
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

In a rather clever feature piece, the editors at BBspot - Your Tech Humor Source (http://bbspot.com/) apply inflation to the monster hit single If I Had $1000000 from Canadian Rock godz Barenaked Ladies (http://www.bnlmusic.com/). Without giving too much away, the feature is a sort of an annotated lyric sheet — a must see for fans of Canadian Rock godz Barenaked Ladies. While visiting BBspot - Your Tech Humor Source be sure to see the BBspot - Slashdot Story Generator (http://bbspot.com/toys/slashtitle/). A parody so well done that the folks at Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters (http://slashdot.org/) are hoping it will go away by simply ignoring it. Thanks to Soopafresh for the suggestion. (Back to top of page)

(010510) Jam! Music's Canadian Music Encyclopedia
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPopEncycloPages/home.html

Jamie and Sharon Vernon
Canoe Limited Partnership
The Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Edited by the folks who published the Toronto-based Great White Noise magazine, Jam! Music's Canadian Music Encyclopedia celebrates the glory of Canadian musicians old and new. In addition to artist biographies, visitors will find discographies, photographs, pointers to official and fan sites, and a fairly unbiased look at the many styles of Canadian popular music. Updated constantly, Jam! Music's Canadian Music Encyclopedia is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in discovering more about one of the Canada's greatest exports. (Back to top of page)

(010511) Punmaster's MusicWire
A Trusted Source In Music News Since 1873!
http://www.punmaster.com/

David Gross Entertainment
Mill Valley, California, USA

Punmaster's MusicWire is an extremely eclectic site with music related quotations, comics, articles, interviews, and more. In addition to the site there is the weekday e-mail message by the same name. Punmaster's MusicWire by David Gross rounds up the latest in music news, historical tidbits, and a daily trivia question that will leave you scratching your head all day long. It's not too often that Site du Jour of the Day episodes feature sites with daily mailing lists, but since subscribing in late March I have thoroughly enjoyed Punmaster's MusicWire. You probably will too. Have a look around at the site and sign up there or quicker yet, send an e-mail message with the word "Subscribe" in the subject to: musicwire@punmaster.com for your very own Punmaster's MusicWire subscription. (Back to top of page)

(010512) Internet-based Distributed Computing Projects
http://www.nyx.net/~kpearson/distrib.html

Kirk Pearson
Broomfield, Colorado, USA

Last month an episode of Site du Jour of the Day made reference to a pair of distributed computing projects, SETI@home (http://www.setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/) (SdJotD 990427) and YETI@Home (http://www.phobe.com/yeti/) (SdJotD 000109). This past week, long-time Site du Jour of the Day reader John Hoh suggested Kirk Pearson's Internet-based Distributed Computing Projects site. Distributed computing combines the power of millions of computers by giving each of those machines a chunk of the puzzle to work on. The results have amounted to quicker results for researchers and at the same time, screen savers that actually do something productive with all of those otherwise wasted clock cycles. Sure a flying toaster oven is amusing but the new generation of distributed computing clients could help find a cure for AIDS, speed the development of an assortment of vaccines, search for prime numbers, and even build stronger, faster, and better than before robots. Internet-based Distributed Computing Projects has information about and pointers to a number of endeavors that need assistance. The material here is not all that technical which is helpful for visitors who confuse or scare easily. There are also a couple of projects with cash money offers for your computer time which takes some of the fun out of distributed computing. Unfortunately cash for clock cycles might be the rule in coming years. There's some nifty stuff here. (Back to top of page)

(010513) The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v.8.1
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html

Barry Meyers-Rice
Davis, California, USA

The Carnivorous Plant FAQ was originally featured as Site du Jour of the Day on May 22, 1997 (970522). At that time the Frequently Asked Questions file was at version 4.5 and much has been added since then. Today is Mother's Day here in the United States, so if you're a mom, have a happy Mother's Day.

On the Saturday before Mother's Day I was at the local Target (http://www.target.com/) store and noticed the potted plants. From the looks of the display, a lot of people had purchased plants that afternoon. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something very unusual there. Picking up the little cup I couldn't help but think out loud, what an odd gift to give for Mother's Day, to which a voice responded "You'd be surprised at how many have sold". That startled me to the point of almost teaching the poor little Venus Fly Trap in my hand how quickly (and far) a human could lob a talking, carnivorous plant.

The clerk walked around from the other side of the rack and explained that they had sold over thirty during last few days before Mother's Day, I imagine mostly to younger kids who's mothers probably still love them anyway.

According to the label these particular Venus Fly Traps were nursery grown in North Carolina. They were starting to look bad but the three dollar price tag was tempting. Not that tempting though. I started wondering about how many different types of meat eating plants there are, and where they are from.

To say that The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v4.5 has all the information I was looking for would be an understatement, it contains thumbnail and full screen pictures along with well written descriptions of these comparatively rare plants, plus care and feeding tips galore. In addition to being the Editor of The Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, Barry Meyers-Rice has done an excellent job with this Frequently Asked Questions site. You'll stare in wonder but remember that it's OK to look, but don't ever put your finger near that thing! You might even come away from this site surprised by the fact that you knew more types of carnivorous plants than you thought you did. (Back to top of page)

(010514) The Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts Web Site Of Knowledge
http://www.paonline.com/mrmiller/

Matt Miller
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Several Site du Jour of the Day readers wrote in with information about having trouble at times accessing The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v.8.1 (http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html) (SdJotD 010513) featured yesterday. Jo-Ann Burton was one of those readers and instead of going on to something else, Jo-Ann turned up The Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts Web Site Of Knowledge and thought enough of the site to pass the URL along as a suggestion. With pointers to other sites including The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v.8.1, information about the cultivation and propagation of carnivorous plants, and photographs of plants Matt Miller is growing, The Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts Web Site Of Knowledge is full of additional resources for folks looking for a slightly different gardening experience. (Back to top of page)

_

For a wide selection of Music, Movies, and More

(010515) Nuke the Hamptons
http://www.nukethehamptons.com/launch.html

Miles Jaffe
Complete Fabrications
Bridgehampton, New York, USA

If you live in a location that experiences a strong influx of tourists Nuke the Hamptons may very well strike you as humorous. Visitors will need the Flash plug-in to participate in the strategic bombing campaign being staged on the Hamptons, an area so close to the city of New York that one is left to wonder why a one megaton device is the largest offered for use. Before destroying one of the five active targets, visitors can follow pointers leading to the people and businesses that have ruined the Hamptons for the old money and peasants who used to enjoy the place. A "…well executed simulation" suggested by Phil Konstantin, the thought of dropping a nuclear weapon on a civilian target may upset some but for others it will be a blast. It would seem that population density is getting to be a bit too much for some people. Maybe the time is right to move out. (Back to top of page)

(010516) The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project
http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/nucwcost/weapons.htm

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project
The Brookings Institution
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Tested quite a few times and used in warfare twice by the United States, nuclear weapons have become an undeniable part of our culture. As the list of countries with such weapons at their disposal increases, it is likely that The Bomb will be with us for some time to come — at least as long as we refrain from cashing in on our defence investment. It's that investment the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project explores — the cost of nuclear weapons and weapons-related programs from 1940 through 1996. Because there are no total figures available from the US Government, estimates vary on exactly how much money has been spent. The best guess estimate listed at the The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project site is something to see. The additional material which includes historical data, pointers to related sites, and more makes this site worth looking at regardless of which way your opinions go on the subject of nuclear weapons. (Back to top of page)

(010517) Please Don't Forward This Email!
http://www.fastcompany.com/invent/invent_feature/email.html

Go Ahead, Forward This Email!
http://www.fastcompany.com/invent/invent_feature/email2.html

features at

FastCompany.com
http://www.fastcompany.com/

Gruner & Jahr Printing and Publishing Co.
New York, New York, USA

You've probably received the following e-mail message at least once:

"If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following. There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans; 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 ( yes, only 1 ) would have a college education
1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent."

A signature file on the most widely circulated version of the message lists the name Phillip Harter along with contact information for the associate professor of surgery in Stanford University's Emergency-Medicine Division. Trouble is, Phillip Harter didn't originate the piece — it was a forwarded message that he simply passed along and now the world is calling him on it. Please Don't Forward This Email! is a feature written by Rekha Balu, first appearing at FastCompany.com and now in the current print version of Fast Company. The article explains how the entire deal has changed Phillip Harter's life and serves as a lesson for the rest of us — that the Bcc: feature of your e-mail client is worth learning how to use and contact information should be used with care.

In the second feature, Go Ahead, Forward This Email!, Rekha Balu, Christine Engelken, and Jennifer Grosso have fine-tuned the breakdown of those 100 people and include the data sources used. Not that it really makes a big difference, but for some reason the trio do not list data on sexuality. Perhaps Gruner & Jahr Printing and Publishing Co. didn't want to scare off advertisers or worse — the corporate likes who read their magazine and site might send e-mail versions of the new list only to have them filtered out by the corporations owning the machines being used to send and receive the messages. Whatever percentage of world corporations that is. (Back to top of page)

(010518) CIAC HOAXBUSTERS Home Page
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

Maintained by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Security Technology Center
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Livermore, California, USA

Several years ago, the message below was sent out by Site du Jour of the Day reader johnnyp who could have possibly written it. The message contains just the sort of tug at the heart strings sentiment that makes for endless e-mail forwards. Except that it was written as a parody of the genre and a gentle poke at those who forward such silliness. If you choose to read this slightly *edited version and then feel the urge to forward it to everyone you know, please don't. Instead visit the new and improved CIAC HOAXBUSTERS Home Page and learn about e-mail hoaxes and myths. Much has been added to this set of pages from the U.S. Department of Energy's Computer Incident Advisory Center (http://www.ciac.org/ciac/) (SdJotD 990512) since it was last featured as Site du Jour of the Day. While not all requests for project assistance and the like are bogus, the CIAC HOAXBUSTERS Home Page could be an educational visit, and possibly help eliminate many of the more prominent hoaxes floating around out there. Do what you can to help. And please… Help Billy!

||||||| Please Help Billy! |||||||

I know you all are very caring people:

I am a very sick little boy. My mother is typing this for me, because I can't.

She is crying. Don't cry, Mommy! Mommy is always sad, but she says it's not my fault. I asked her if it was God's fault, but she didn't answer, and only started crying harder, so I don't ask her that anymore.

The reason she is so sad is that I'm so sick. I was born without a body. It doesn't hurt, except when I go to sleep.

The doctors gave me an artificial body. My body is a burlap bag filled with leaves and rope.

The doctors said that was the best they could do on account of us havin' no money or insurance. I would like to have a body transplant, but we need more money.

Mommy doesn't work because she said employers don't hire crying people. I said, "Don't cry, Mommy," and she hugged my burlap body. Mommy always gives me hugs, even though she's allergic to burlap, and it chafes her real bad.

I hope you will help me.

You can help me if you forward this e-mail.

Dr. Van Nostrem from the clinic said if you forward this e-mail then Bill Gates will team up with AOL and do a survey with NASA. Then the astronauts will collect prayers from school children all over America and take them up to space so that the angels can hear them better.

Then they will go to the Pope, and he will take up a collection in church and send the money to the doctors. The doctors could help me better then. Maybe one day I will be able to play baseball. Or maybe just use my lungs and heart, when the doctors make them.

The doctors said that every time you forward this letter, the astronauts can take another prayer to the angels.

Please help me.

Mommy is so sad, and I want a body. I don't want my leaves to rot before I turn 10.

If you don't forward this e-mail, that's OK.

Mommy says you're a mean heartless doody*-head who doesn't care about a poor little boy with only a head. She says that if you don't stew in the raw pit of your own guilt-ridden stomach, she hopes you die a long slow horrible death so you can burn forever in hell. What kind of selfish* person are you that you can't take five lousy* minutes to forward this to all your friends so that they can feel guilt and shame for the rest of their day, and then maybe help a poor, bodiless nine-year-old boy?

Please help me. This really sucks. I try to be happy but it's hard.

I wish I had a puppy.

I wish I could hold a puppy.

Thank You.

Billy 'Smiles' Evans,
the boy with just a head.
And a burlap sack for a body.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

 (Back to top of page)

(010519) Thinkmap
http://www.thinkmap.com/

Thinkmap Inc.
Plumb Design, Inc.
New York, New York, USA

Sites developed by or with Plumb Design, Inc. (http://www.plumbdesign.com) have often been featured as Site du Jour of the Day (see list below). In each case, the focus of each episode was on animated and interactive features created using the Java-based Thinkmap® Technology. Once a proprietary package, the tool has seen a commercial release — Thinkmap Studio v 1.5, Thinkmap Application Server, and Thinkmap Client. While most Site du Jour of the Day readers may not participate in site and application design, Thinkmap Technology is ideal for those readers who do.

Marc Tinkler, Plumb Design's Chief Technology Officer described the tool, "Thinkmap applications browse relational databases in real time. Users interact with the data, which is displayed in a browser according to the design and instructions specified by the Thinkmap application developer. Unlike conventional database browses that are based on reviewing lists of information, Thinkmap browses encourage dynamic exploration of databases. By 'engaging' data in this way, Thinkmap users often discover unexpected connections and interrelationships that are not found in conventional browses".

For readers interested in the software package, there is a fully functioning, 30-day evaluation copy of Thinkmap Studio v 1.5 available for download at the Thinkmap site. For readers interested in experiencing sites utilizing Thinkmap Technology, see any one of the following:

Smithsonian Without Walls -- Revealing Things
(http://www.si.edu/revealingthings/) (SdJotD 980322)

The Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus
(http://www.visualthesaurus.com/) (SdJotD 990217)

Sony Music Licensing
(http://www.sonymusic.com/licensing/) (SdJotD 990517)

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

Experience Music Project
(http://www.emplive.com/) (SdJotD 000626)

If you should develop a site or application using Thinkmap Technology, please send word once it's ready for prime time. I'd be happy to consider it for Site du Jour of the Day and curious about what you come up with. Site du Jour of the Day has no affiliation with Thinkmap Inc. or Plumb Design, Inc. other than featuring their work on occasion. The fact that I really enjoy visiting sites created using the Thinkmap product is why they received this plug. Help make some more. (Back to top of page)

(010520) Beta Test
The Home of Beta Testers on the Internet!
http://betatester.tin.it/

Lucio Burroni
Beta Test Team
Rome, Italy

Do you have a computer system sitting around idle most of the time? One that wouldn't matter if the entire system needed to be reinstalled every so often? Do you like living dangerously or discovering new software packages? How about helping software publishers work out the bugs in a new program? Maybe being the first on the block to have the latest and the greatest? If so, beta testing software could become a fun hobby. In many cases you'll need to give the software publisher performing a specific test information about yourself and the machine being used, and of course details about how you broke shiny-new-program v.3.4.5 if such an event should arise.

Beta Test - The Home of Beta Testers on the Internet! has eliminated the detective  work in rounding up beta version software, and the site not only lists pointers to download locations, but it also contains comprehensive write-ups of each package listed. Almost entirely Windows stuff, the variety of software is impressive and pages are available in English language and Italian language versions.

Be advised that the downloads here are not full commercial releases and there is a very good chance that things could go terribly wrong with a beta version. Use your best judgement when downloading and installing new software — a full system backup beforehand is strongly recommended. When participating in beta tests it is assumed by the publisher that the user is quite comfortable with the operating system and how to fix minor problems as they occur. If a beta test version of a package hoses your computer there may be no support available whatsoever. Proceed with caution and don't come crying to me if someone gets hurt. (Back to top of page)

(010521) ItsYourTurn.com
http://www.itsyourturn.com/

It's Your Turn, Inc.
Durham, North Carolina, USA

If you've ever had the desire to play a board with someone across town or around the world, ItsYourTurn.com will be a pleasure. With over forty classic games and game variations it's now as easy as registering at ItsYourTurn.com and inviting your opponent to play. For those without a ready opponent, there are other visitors waiting to play. Similar to the classic chess by mail, taking weeks or months to play a single game is not a problem — all through the wonders of turn-based game play. No special browser plug-ins are required, even WebTV and Sega Dreamcast users can play without a hitch. An e-mail message is sent when it's time for your next turn so there's never any guess work involved and best of all, it's free. (Back to top of page)

Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!

(010522) The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games
http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~museum/

The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games
Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games at the University of Waterloo has over 5,000 objects and documents associated with games. Originally intended as a source for academics upon its founding in 1971, the museum has grown to include exhibits and this site. The site has a magnificent collection of photographs and text pertaining to hundreds of game of varying age and origin. The museum gallery has shown everything from Inuit Games to Trivial Pursuit Around The World and many of those items are on display at The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games site. Supported in part by the Ontario Ministry of Recreation, Culture, and Tourism, and the National Department of Canadian Heritage, The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games is an unexpected delight. (Back to top of page)

(010523) Galileo Project Home
http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/

National Aeronautics & Space Administration
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California, USA

Outlasting its original specifications, the Galileo spacecraft is being prepared for one final mission. Touring the neighborhood of Jupiter for a third and final time the orbiter should pass within 76 miles (123 kilometers) of Callisto, Jupiter's outermost large moon on May 25th. The main purpose of this pass is to setup flybys of another Jovian moon, Io which should occur in August and October. Looking for a magnetic field many scientists believe the volcanic moon produces but for now the focus is on Callisto.

"Since we have to go close to Callisto anyway to get to Io, we'll take advantage of the opportunity for studying Callisto," said JPL's Torrence Johnson, Galileo project scientist. "Callisto is sort of the ugly duckling of the moons, but it's the one we need to look at to get the bombardment history of the Jovian system," Johnson added. "The craters on Callisto are the visible record of what sizes of comets and other objects have pelted Jupiter and its moons with what frequency over the past four billion years."

With 29 earlier flybys of Jupiter's large moons, encounters with Venus, Earth, and two asteroids, Galileo has this visit with Callisto, three more with Io and one with the small inner moon Amalthea. At some point in 2003 Galileo will plummet into Jupiter's atmosphere being quickly crushed. Not bad for a mission that was originally scheduled to end in 1997. Visit the Galileo Project Home for images and information about Galileo, Jupiter, and Jupiter's many moons. Of particular interest over the next couple of days will be Galileo - Countdown to Callisto 30 (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/countdown/). Simulated views of what Galileo is currently seeing are updated every five minutes. For an idea of how far it is from Jupiter to Earth right now, be sure to look for the time estimate for one way light travel. (Back to top of page)

(010524) Agentia Spatiala Româna
http://www.rosa.ro/

Romanian Space Agency
National Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation
Bucharest, Romania

_________________________________

Norsk Romsenter
http://www.spacecentre.no/

The Norwegian Space Centre
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Oslo, Norway

Almost fifty years into the Space Age, it's easy to forget that there are space agencies other than those in the United States, Russia, and China. Participation in international projects have brought some of the smaller programs up to speed. These sites for the Romanian Space Agency and The Norwegian Space Centre help to show the world how far the respective programs have come. The main objective for these two agencies is to tackle domestic issues — putting up communications satellites, oil exploration, and research. By developing their own technologies, smaller countries can play an active role in the world-wide industry of space. In many instances it is cost effective for larger agencies to contract launch responsibilities to the new kids who in turn benefit with the experience. Not by any means the smallest agencies around, the Romanian Space Agency and The Norwegian Space Centre have a lot going on and their sites are worth a look. (Back to top of page)

(010525) The Pearl Harbor History Site
http://www.sperry-marine.com/pearl/pearlh.htm

Sperry Marine
Litton Marine Systems
Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

_________________________________

Navy Region, Hawaii
http://www.hawaii.navy.mil/

United States Navy
Commander Naval Base Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA

(A new motion picture on the subject of Pearl Harbor (http://www.pearlharborfilm.com/) opens here today, and with Monday being Memorial Day it seems appropriate to repeat this episode of Site du Jour of the Day from December 7, 1997 (SdJotD 971207). If you have a long weekend enjoy it, in addition to being Memorial Day Weekend it is after all the unofficial start of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. To that end, Site du Jour of the Day episodes will resume on Tuesday, May 29.)

Dating back to the 1860s, the United States Navy has maintained a presence in Hawaii. A treaty signed with King Kalakaua in 1887 granted exclusive rights to Pearl Harbor for a coaling station. In the 110 years since, the base at Pearl Harbor has been crucial for the Navy. Best known for the tragic attack on December 7, 1941 by the Japanese, it is probably the most widely known of all U.S. Navy bases. The early Sunday morning raid thrust the United States into World War II and changed the course of history. The unfortunate reality of the situation is that knowledge of Japan's intent may have been ignored to allow us to enter the war in full force. Retrospect is dangerous when it comes to the analysis on such a grand scale, it is far too easy to place blame. When lives are lost in duty it is understood that such is the inherent danger of military service. What doesn't change is the fact that someone's son or daughter has perished. Acting as an index to the links to the Pearl Harbor Archives housed on the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site at Purdue University, The Pearl Harbor History Site looks at the Congressional Investigative Committee's report, intelligence the U.S. Government had before hand and other documents pertaining to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Declassified information is also explored using this comprehensive interface to the FTP collection.

Nothing currently known allows us to change the events we now know as history, it is something to learn from. The Commander Naval Base Pearl Harbor Hawaii site is included in this episode because the base is still as important today as ever. There is a popular misconception that activity stopped after the base was destroyed — this is not the case. Providing an important economic boost to Hawaii and playing a major role in the U.S. Navy's operations, the Naval Base Pearl Harbor's current activity is strong and this site is worth a look in and of itself. (Back to top of page)

_

For a wide selection of Music, Movies, and More

(010529) Poke's Fifteen Decisive Battles
Fifteen Decisive Battles Of The World
From Marathon To Waterloo
According To Edward Shepherd Creasy
http://www.standin.se/fifteen.htm

Pierre Sandboge
Askim, Sweden

First published in London in 1851, Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by E.S. Creasy details what the English military writer considered to be the greatest battles up to and including The Battle of Waterloo. Pierre Sandboge has transferred most of that text, which is now in the Public Domain, into html for visitors to enjoy. Chapter 15, The Battle of Waterloo is the only section missing in html — it is here as a Microsoft Word document though. The most complete version of Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World that turned up after nearly an hour of searching, Pierre Sandboge's adaptation of Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World is well done and provides a compact history of warfare in the West. The battles E.S. Creasy deemed crucial in chronological order:

The Battle of Marathon, B.C. 490
Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse, B.C. 413
The Battle of Arbela, B.C. 331
The Battle of the Metaurus, B.C. 207
Victory of Arminius over the Roman Legions under Varus, A.D. 9
The Battle of Chalons, A.D. 451
The Battle of Tours, A.D. 732
The Battle of Hastings, A.D. 1066
Joan of Arc's Victory over the English at Orleans, A.D. 1429
The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, A.D. 1588
The Battle of Blenheim, A.D. 1704
The Battle of Pultowa, A.D. 1709
Victory of the Americans over Burgoyne at Saratoga, A.D. 1777
The Battle of Valmy, A.D. 1792
The Battle of Waterloo, A.D. 1815

 (Back to top of page)

(010530) Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Bad TV
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html

Phil Plait
Rohnert Park, California, USA

I hate to admit it, but I've fallen behind on bad television shows. During the past week, no less than five people have brought up the old moon landing hoax in conversation. It seems that the FOX network aired a one hour show called Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? One individual I talked with claimed to have seen it on the PBS show Frontline, and the others couldn't quite remember where it was. FOX showed it twice, once on February 15th and again on March 19th, 2001. I missed it twice, how could that have happened? On the very network that aired an alien autopsy twice and then again as part of an X-Files episode. Why didn't I hear about this sooner?

Looking for information about the show Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? lead me to a page at Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy (http://www.badastronomy.com/) (SdJotD 990426) site. Phil has been referred to as both an Annoyed Scientist and even more charming, a Weapon for Science. These monikers come from a "…a rather typical hoax and conspiracy site". Phil takes apart many of the claims made by the producers of Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? in many cases by using better science than those who believe and perpetuate the hoax. Citing NASA documents, basic laws of physics, and pointers to a number of other sites, Phil Plait — Weapon for Science explains not only why specifics work for those who buy the hoax theory, but also why reality paints a different picture. Information is being added on a regular basis and should get more interesting as hoax supporters present new evidence that NASA faked moon landings. A small sample is included below:

"New stuff added March 1, 2001: Many Hoax Believers show a picture of an astronaut standing to one side of the flag, which still has a ripple in it (for example, see this famous image (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/as11-40-5874.jpg )). The astronaut is not touching the flag, so how can it wave?

The answer is, it isn't waving. It looks like that because of the way the flag was deployed. The flag hangs from a horizontal rod which telescopes out from the vertical one. In Apollo 11, they couldn't get the rod to sit horizontally, so the flag didn't get stretched fully. It has a ripple in it, like a curtain that is not fully closed. In later flights, the astronauts didn't fully deploy it on purpose because they liked the way it looked. In other words, the flag looks like it is waving because the astronauts wanted it to look that way. Ironically, they did their job too well. It appears to have fooled a lot of people into thinking it waved".

Just wait for the hoax believers to get wind of this — it's equally possible that NASA intentionally crashed the Mars Polar Lander into the ancient Face on Mars just to wreck it! New pictures from the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/extended_may2001/face/index.html) show the face all busted up. Hey, maybe the face is just the only visible part of a buried Martian giant. A giant who woke up just in time to suck the Mars Polar Lander out of orbit to destruction. Too bad the Mars Polar Lander exploded on impact and took off a chunk of the giant's face. I'd bet that the giant is still pretty upset about the whole deal. When Earth people finally take that trip to Mars they should be really careful, that's what I think. I'm glad I don't watch too much TV anymore. (Back to top of page)

(010531) Inconstant Moon: multimedia tours of the lunar surface
http://www.inconstantmoon.com/   (SdJotD 980630) (SdJotD 990720)

Kevin Clarke
Solihull, England

_________________________________

Contact Light / The Project Apollo Archive
http://www.retroweb.com/apollo.html   (SdJotD 990721)

Kipp Teague
Lynchburg, Virginia, USA

While on the subject of the Moon (Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Bad TV (http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html) (SdJotD 010530)), Kevin Clarke's Inconstant Moon bears yet another mention. Originally featured as Site du Jour of the Day on June 30, 1998, Inconstant Moon started out offering nightly tours of the Moon and has grown to include Cyclopedia Selenica for referencing terms and phrases visitors will encounter while viewing the 400+ pages of material, the Lunar calendar, a poetry section — Selene and Euterpe, and a host of other features.

When Inconstant Moon was featured as Site du Jour of the Day a second time, on the 30th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon, Kevin Clarke sent a message back suggesting Kipp Teague's Contact Light. This site too has expanded over time, and has since split into two parts. Contact Light is an electronic scrapbook of sorts, housing the collection of an individual who followed the race to the Moon and beyond. Personal artifacts and stories help visitors who may be too young or otherwise do not remember the excitement generated by the Apollo Program. The Project Apollo Archive holds better than a thousand images, videos, and audio files. The Apollo Lunar Lander Simulator v2.0 here shows that landing on the Moon is more difficult than it looked.

Both sites, Inconstant Moon: multimedia tours of the lunar surface and Contact Light / The Project Apollo Archive continue to improve with age and come highly recommended. You may even want to make bookmarks of them. (Back to top of page)

_

Fill out this short form which gives you the option to provide information about your interests

- or -

Fill out this even shorter form:

- or -

Send your request as an e-mail message to sdjotd@email.com

Copyright 2001, 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/2001/0105.htm

Updated May 31, 2001