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(020501) The Lost Highway
http://www.aaroads.com/losthwys/

Alex Nitzman, Andy Field, and Jeremy Lance
San Diego, California, USA

There's something about stretches of old road no longer in use. You cannot stand in the way of progress, it has been said. But you can stand on historic ground, or in this case, historic roadway. The Interstate Highway System here in the United States helped to open up road travel to the masses after the Second World War. As was often the case, existing highways were widened to accommodate the added traffic. Sometimes these roads were simply abandoned. Like a fleeting glance into the past, The Lost Highway offers brief descriptions of segment of pavement along with photographs of these roads. With such places in almost every city and town, visitor contributions make up a portion of this site. Taking pictures of old roads near you is certainly something that could be an entertaining Saturday afternoon. Sharing your work with The Lost Highway and the rest of the world might be nice too. (Back to top of page)


(020502) Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum
http://www.unusualmuseums.org/toilet/

Barney Smith
Alamo Heights, Texas, USA

A couple of weeks ago I was in one of the huge home improvement stores in town. Passing the plumbing department, something caught my eye. Hanging there on a sheet of plywood, next to the much larger display, were the latest in a large line of toilet seats/covers. These two new seats were far from ordinary — they were using the newly freed-from-patent-protection technology of lenticular lamination. Probably best known for the 3-D baseball cards in corn flakes boxes of years gone by, lenticular lamination combines several thin slivers of printing into a fairly convincing illusion of depth*. Each of these two toilet seats had a suggested retail price of $45. One was decorated with tropical fish, and the other with snakes, large spiders, and other stay the heck out of my bathroom stuff. Hardly a new medium, toilet seats lids make an unusual canvas. Barney Smith has nearly made a career out of decorating such things. The lids at Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum are unique, created as art one would imagine. Currently, three pages of photographs make up the bulk of the material. Collections like this one are few and far between. Nice work.

*See the unrelated site for Compton Presentation Systems - Mirageworks (http://www.mirageworks.net/index.html). (Back to top of page)


(020503) The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business
By Tim Carvell, Adam Horowitz, Thomas Mucha, April 2002 Issue
http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,38604,020503.html

Business 2.0 Media Inc.
San Francisco, California, USA

A feature article at the Business 2.0 (http://www.business2.com/) site, this article was in the April 2002 print version of the magazine. Taking a look back at recent business errors, Tim Carvell, Adam Horowitz, and Thomas Mucha remind readers just how foolish so many top-level corporate nimrods can be. After reading a few of the 101 entries, it becomes clear that this list is not an "Of All Time" flavor. A sample of entries from the piece:

40. The Newspaper Association of America names Kmart its "Retailer of the Year" on Jan. 21, 2002, one day before the company files for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.

62. Proudly Announcing the New, Slightly Less Pungent Stench of Death: And in other tobacco news, the Advance and Omni brands of cigarettes unveil new slogans: "All of the taste ... Less of the toxins" and "Reduced carcinogens. Premium taste," respectively.

75. Unilever subsidiary Lipton approves an ad in which a man standing in line for communion holds a bowl of onion dip, presumably to improve the taste of the body of Christ. Under protest, Lipton withdraws the ad.

Of course, Enron dominates the list and the dot-com implosion is well represented. Similar in some ways to that famous dot-com deadpool (https://sdjotd.tripod.com/2000/0006.htm#000617) (SdJotD 000617) but on a larger scale, The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business should be required reading for high school seniors if for no other reason than to warn of the inherent dangers associated with becoming a top-level corporate nimrod. Or worse yet, the inherent dangers associated with a position too dependant on the decisions made by some top-level corporate nimrod. (Back to top of page)


(020504) Super bad
http://www.superbad.com/

Ben Benjamin
San Francisco, California, USA

Because it's got soul…

…and it's Super bad!

 (Back to top of page)


(020505) The Original Wham-O ® Super Ball ®
The "Most Amazing Ball Ever Created By Science."
http://www.superballs.com/

Richard Shean
Fullerton, California, USA

A fan site for The Original Wham-O Super Ball, a highly compressed rubber ball made of a secret formula called ZECTRON. These toys were so incredibly popular in the mid-1960s that thousands a day were manufactured at peak production. That's where this site and the history of The Original Wham-O Super Ball collide. Somewhere along the line, someone found a boatload of The Original Wham-O Super Balls in an industrial complex slated to be torn down. That find has since sparked an interest in what once was an inexpensive toy and turned it into a cottage industry. For such a simple subject there is a great deal of information at this unofficial site. (Back to top of page)


(020506) Intellicast
Weather for Active Lives
http://www.intellicast.com

Weather Services International
Billerica, Maryland, USA

One of the reasons research and development on small computers was started was the weather. A need to make more reliable weather forecasts for bombing raids was the motivation. Pilots flying out of England during the Second World War would find atmospheric conditions difficult at best some days. By having a better idea of what to expect, a particular mission could be modified on short notice if only we could predict the weather. Computer modeling of weather started as a result of war.

Here over sixty years later, computers and technology have helped to make great strides in weather prediction. Satellite imagery, computer modeling, and other technological advances have all contributed to great advances in meteorology. Intellicast combines world-wide weather information into an easy to navigate site full of different kinds of weather reports. Regional and national radar, local forecasts, are just the beginning. Special interest forecasts make Intellicast worth visiting frequently. And the computers do make a difference. (Back to top of page)


(020507) alphaAve
http://www.alphaAve.com/

Xerox Research and Technology
Xerox Corporation
Stamford, Connecticut, USA

The IT Lab
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, New York, USA

For most people, alphaAve.com will not be of immediate use. The project exists to help introduce new technologies and solutions to the computer development community. By offering up computer code that is still in development for testing, Alpha testing in this case, the organization behind the code can see it tested in real life conditions. Or pretty close to real life. A ninety day license to play with a new toy is often reward enough for the individuals testing the individual bundles. This is serious next generation stuff, and even the most casual of computer user could find a description of something so new it still smells like the box it was packed in. Of the items at alphaAve.com, the Xerox DataGlyphs (http://www.dataglyphs.com/) was particularly interesting. Have a look at the future. (Back to top of page)


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(020508) Field of Dreams Movie Site - Baseball Tourist Attraction
http://www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com/

Stairwell Studios
Field of Dreams Movie Site
Dyersville, Iowa, USA

Centerpiece to what easily is one of the best baseball movies yet made, this ball diamond sits on the edge of a corn field. The 1989 movie is based on the 1982 book Shoeless Joe, by William P. Kinsella. It's a story of a man who for the love of the game, is calling back great players from the grave to help exorcise a demon from The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball… no wait, that's the new Scooby Doo picture. The movie was called Field of Dreams and that's just what this site is about — the actual Field of Dreams. Field of Dreams Movie Site might just make for an ideal side-trip for anyone planning a visit to Chicago or Dubuque this summer. It might even be cool to catch as many Minor League games as you can on the way from where you live — it'll be a trip that the (grand)kids will always remember. (Back to top of page)


(020509) Steve O's Umpire and Officials Baseball Resources
http://www.stevetheump.com/

Steve Orinick
Bloomfield, New Jersey, USA

An integral part of the game of baseball are the umpires. Not always popular, umpires bear the burden of fair game play. A player or spectator could be in complete disagreement with a call on a play by an umpire. More often than not, that's too bad. The umpires are usually the first and last word on a close call — and their decision will stand. It must be a challenging and rewarding job.

Steve O's Umpire and Officials Baseball Resources is a collection of original material and pointers to related sites. Of particular interest here — Minor League Teams by State (http://www.stevetheump.com/minor_league_teams.htm), the gallery of Baseball Ticket Stubs (http://www.stevetheump.com/Ticketstubs.htm), and Strange Baseball Injuries (http://www.stevetheump.com/strange_injuries.htm). A wonderful look at baseball from a true insider's point of view. (Back to top of page)


(020510) Bagpipes at Best: Bagpipe MIDI
http://www.bagpipesatbest.com/

J.P. Johnson
Monterey Park, California, USA

Working out the whole Bagpipe/Musical Instrument Digital Interface thing must have been a significant challenge. A challenge that ultimately led to the inevitable — the hand keying of bagpipe tunes one note at a time. Bagpipes at Best: Bagpipe MIDI is a collection of original compositions along with timeless classics, all programmed for the Bagpipe MIDI. Not a minute too soon for the weekend, Bagpipes at Best: Bagpipe MIDI could prove to be a very special treat. Play it loud! (Back to top of page)


(020511) The Chronicles of George
http://chroniclesofgeorge.nanc.com/

The Keeper of Tickets
Houston, Texas, USA

Have you ever worked with an imbecile? Not a true IQ-of-25-to-50-imbecile, but a person who despite all outward appearances of should-be-able-to, just doesn't seem to cut it. This is the tale of George, a former help desk employee, and of the help desk tickets George wrote. The help desk tickets are screen captures of those George wrote while helping people who were "havening" problems with all sorts of problems. George was able sometimes to fix problems, but communication with other people attempting to fix stuff when George couldn't go on was less than spectacular.

This site brings the whole story together with detailed descriptions of the individuals involved, sets of 5 George tickets a page except for page 22 which only has 4 tickets, and more. We often joke about how technical support operators wouldn't know their elbows from holes in the ground — George was where that concept started. There are quite a few funny items in the collection, annotations by The Keeper of Tickets help to make things clearer and funnier. You'll see. (Back to top of page)


(020512) Airline Meals
http://www.airlinemeals.net/

Marco 't Hart
Schiedam, the Netherlands

Like that wonderful scene in the movie Mystery Train, the one where the tourist from Japan is catching grief from his traveling companion for taking photographs of the hotel room. Making pictures of the food being served on a flight may seem like a silly idea, but as the character in Mystery Train pointed out, you are spending a great deal of time and money on this aspect of a trip, still it's the part that most people never even bother to remember. Inspired by the desire to share as much as possible of an October 2001 trip to Turkey with family, Airline Meals is both hot and fresh. A relatively new site and one that has garnered a lot of recent attention, the imitators are certainly not far behind. Visitors can share photographs of their own airline meals. As always, remember to be courteous, try not to spook the sky-waitresses with your camera, and enjoy. (Back to top of page)


(020513) GPS Drawing
The Global Positioning System drawing project.
http://www.gpsdrawing.com/

Hugh Pryor and Jeremy Wood
East Hagbourne, England

Many political boundaries are based on natural features of the land. A river, mountain range, or canyon will often act as a logical dividing line. City streets are laid out to reflect contour and natural features as well. Other patterns are sometimes hidden in the streets of a town and when the designs are aided by natural features it makes finding them even more fun. If you go for that sort of thing. Sit down with a pencil and a map of anytown. Next, draw the outline of an animal or other shape. Having fun so far?

To make things more enjoyable, take your map and draw a starting point, then mark stops on a path that will ultimately help you actually trace the figure at ground level. Bring along the GPS unit, write down the coordinates at each stop on your drawing. Finish your trek and round up your maps, drawings and readings. Visit GPS Drawing - The Global Positioning System drawing project. Key your data into the GPS-o-graph and stand back as your drawing comes to life. Having access to a GPS receiver isn't necessary to visit GPS Drawing - The Global Positioning System drawing project, but the two will provide hours of entertainment together. (Back to top of page)


(020514) explodingdog 2002
http://www.explodingdog.com/

Sam Brown
Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Far more than a collection of single panel cartoons, explodingdog 2002 is an unusual site. Deceiving simple looking drawings posted every couple of days combine visitor suggestions of titles/captions and the art of one Sam Brown. Most likely the tool of choice here is a drawing tablet, color combinations and the liberal use of robots help out. Archives house explodingdog 2000 and explodingdog 2001, and from the looks of it, the project is getting easier and the quality improving since the early days. A few years ago the field of illustration looked doomed. The Internet has seriously reversed that trend, and it's art from the Sam Browns of the world that are contributing the next chapter. Almost surreal at times, explodingdog 2002 is well done and enjoyable. (Back to top of page)


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(020515) Google Image Search
The most comprehensive image search on the web.
http://images.google.com/

Google Inc.
Palo Alta, California, USA

Another feature at the world champion search engine, Google (http://google.com/) (SdJotD 990408), Google Image Search turns that old cliché around on itself. A word is now worth a thousand pictures. Not exactly a thousand in every case, but close at times. Searching for things picture book-style can be fun — following a thought becomes easier and produces unexpected results. Hardly a free-for-all image collection to plunder, the images protected by copyright remain protected. Quality varies, and as things go, images change from day to day. Other search engines have started to offer similar search options, but with a database of over 330,000,000 images it's tough to beat. (Back to top of page)


(020516) The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the US Army
http://www.skippyslist.com/

Skippy Schwarz
Dallas, Texas, USA

The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the US Army is a grand list. Probably more useful for a Specialist in the US Army than for a civilian, there are still nuggets of wisdom that we could all be worse off without. A few samples:

29. The Irish MPs are not after 'Me frosted lucky charms'.

108. Should not taunt members of the press, even if they are really fat, exceptionally stupid, and working for UPI.

137. Should not show up at the front gate wearing part of a Russian uniform, messily drunk.

164. There is no such thing as a were-virgin.

185. My name is not a killing word.

202. Despite the confusing similarity in the names, the "Safety Dance" and the "Safety Briefing" are never to be combined.

There really isn't much else here beyond The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the US Army, as if that wasn't enough. That could change though. (Back to top of page)


(020517) humanclock.com
http://www.humanclock.com/

Daniel Craig Giffen
Portland, Oregon, USA

Sure, there's probably a clock of some sort included with the operating system of your computer. Maybe a wrist watch, table or wall clock, something like that nearby. Pretty much just like it sounds, humanclock.com is a site offering the time of day. Three different clocks make up the show — a show that includes images of the time where you are, and of people from lots of places, where they were when their photographs were made. It's better to see for yourself, but make sure to start at the control panel to get everything lined up to the appropriate time zone and to select other options. Currently on a bicycle tour of Tasmania and Australia, Daniel Craig Giffen is looking for submissions for humanclock.com but almost certainly once there is enough time after the trip. (Back to top of page)


(020518) Artificial Anatomy: Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models
http://americanhistory.si.edu/anatomy/

National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Once the most consistent method to teach with, Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models solved a very tricky problem. How to provide a detailed look inside of a human body without offending survivors, law enforcement, or anyone else who might be offended in the late 1800s by a cadaver being dissected in the name of medicine. And then there was the smell…

Artificial Anatomy: Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models brings together the resources of the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution for this subject and site. Not only will visitors find images of human parts, there are also Veterinary Models and Botanical Models included in the collection. As much of an innovation in their time as computer imaging has been to us, Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models must have changed the world of medical instruction. Refrigeration probably was a big deal too. (Back to top of page)


(020519) The Vomeronasal Organ
http://www.neuro.fsu.edu/research/vomer.htm

Michael Meredith
Neuroscience Program
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida, USA

This section of the site for the Neuroscience Program at Florida State University (http://www.neuro.fsu.edu/) covers the science of smell. The emphasis here is not so much how things smell, those interested should see Swedish Christmas Chemistry (http://www.santesson.com/christ/chemhome.htm) (SdJotD 001222) for a good look at that. What The Vomeronasal Organ site explores is why and how animals smell things. A well written piece that should hold something for almost every level of understanding. (Back to top of page)


(020520) I Pick My Nose
http://www.ipickmynose.com/

Adrian Bischoff
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

_________________________________

Friends of Nose Hill
http://www.cadvision.com/davideo/FNH/index.html

The Friends of Nose Hill
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, USA

One site contains an unscientific survey along with the results so far of that unscientific survey.

The other is about the single largest natural area urban park in Canada. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Nose Hill is a prairie grassland in a modern city.

I suppose it all comes down to how you define Recreation. (Back to top of page)


(020521) net.Opinion: A Silly and Unscientific Survey of Internet Charsets
http://www.ehsco.com/opinion/20010305.html

Eric A. Hall
EHS Company
Capitola, California, USA

An article from March 2001, A Silly and Unscientific Survey of Internet Charsets is part of net.Opinion: (http://www.ehsco.com/opinion/). A Silly and Unscientific Survey of Internet Charsets looks at the frequency different character sets occurred in four million newsgroup messages. The technical details of the study are included, as are the somewhat astonishing results. As Eric A. Hall suggests in the piece, a more accurate study of this kind would be something. (Back to top of page)


(020522) The BBC - Science - Science Shack
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/scienceshack/index.shtml

British Broadcasting Corporation
London, England

This companion site for the now defunct BBC2 series Science Shack once hosted by Adam Hart-Davis has a boatload of questions and answers from the show. An answer to a question here, "Why do Churches have lightning conductors? (Part 2)" is accompanied by one of the coolest projects I've ever seen. The BBC - Science - Science Shack - Lightning Predictor (http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/scienceshack/backcat/experiments/malightningpredictor.shtml ) is actually an invention of Benjamin Franklin. The other experiments (http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/scienceshack/backcat/experiments/experiments.shtml) are worth a look, and with the school year coming to a close in the Northern Hemisphere, such activities could easily stave off an attack of boredom. (Back to top of page)


(020523) Underwater Music
http://www.playalongathome.com/underwater/

Keep Still
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

An odd portal that covers the subject of music being played under water. Live music, recorded music, and playback devices are featured. There are pointers to affiliate accounts at different merchant sites here, but with a topic this eclectic, why not. (Back to top of page)


(020524) Graphic Map's World Atlas List of Continents Countries Cities Territories Dependencies Continents
http://www.worldatlas.com/geoquiz/thelist.htm

Graphic Maps
The Woolwine-Moen Group
Galveston, Texas, USA

The List, as it is known is a set of pages included at the site for the cartography firm The Woolwine-Moen Group (http://www.worldatlas.com/). The List is full of information on the Earth — everything from natural features to the languages of the world, to the names of every country on the planet. Like any good atlas, there is a lot to do and see here. Thanks to Reddog for the suggestion. (Back to top of page)


(020529) Steve's Digicams
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Steve Sanders
Steve's Digicam Online, Inc.
Clearwater, Florida, USA

If the thought of purchasing a digital camera is rattling around in your head and doing the homework involved is nagging away, have a look at Steve's Digicams. Chock full of excellent product and accessory reviews, the content here will be an important reference for you. The daily digital photograph contest, breaking news, and discussion forums all make this a site worth looking at frequently. Like a lot of major purchases, the decision to part with a couple hundred dollars for a piece of technology either happens right away or is prolonged. It's nice to see a site offering reviews and keeping those reviews available to visitors indefinitely. Ideal for the experienced or beginning photographer, Steve's Digicams has real examples and useful information pertaining to a relatively new field. (Back to top of page)


(020530) panoguide.com
the guide to panoramas and panoramic photography
http://www.panoguide.com/

James Rigg
London, England

Nearly as old as the art of photography itself, panoramic photographs are fun to look at and fun to make. They are not always easy to make though. That all changes with the guidance available at panoguide.com - the guide to panoramas and panoramic photography. Visitors will find tips for selecting subject matter, setting up equipment, and combining images for the illusion of a 360° shot. The gallery of panoramic images alone is worth a look. (Back to top of page)


(020531) Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pnhtml/pnhome.html

Library of Congress American Memory site
The United States Library of Congress
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Originally featured as Site du Jour of the Day on October 18, 1997, American Memory from the Library of Congress (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ammemhome.html) (SdJotD 971018) is one of those most wonderful resources. Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991 is a collection of images — nearly four thousand images — many of them from around the turn of the last century. From beauty contests to train wrecks, Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991 takes a solid look back at events that people thought enough of to make extraordinary pictures out of. For years now, I've been looking at this section of American Memory from the Library of Congress and it seems as though there is always something new to me. especially in this section. (Back to top of page)


 

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