Site du Jour of the Day

Cliff Yablonski hates me. Cliff Yablonski hates you. Cliff Yablonski hates just about everybody and isn't afraid to let the world know. Cliff Yablonski swears a lot and Cliff Yablonski is often mean. Cliff Yablonski is mean mostly to people in photographs, the same sort of being mean that passes for funny in certain circles. Cliff Yablonski is bitter, was in the US Navy during the war with Yemen, and is fond of beating the crap out of certain residents in and around Appleton City. Cliff Yablonski Hates You contains mature language galore, pictures people have sent in of themselves and examples of Cliff Yablonski's really bad attitude. Happy New Year! (Back to top of page)

(030121) Solar Mission
EnviroMission Limited
http://www.enviromission.com.au/

EnviroMission Limited
Armadale, Victoria, Australia

Currently under way, the Solar Mission project from Australia's EnviroMission Limited will ultimately construct the first large-scale solar thermal power station. Output of the solar plant should be enough to power 200,000 homes. This site, suggested by Reddog, takes a look at the Solar Mission project. An estimated 35,000,000 Australian Dollars have been spent on the Solar Mission project for research and development to date. Not practical everywhere, there are certainly enough suitable locations around the world for Solar Towers. Perhaps if we are ever going to break our dependency on fossil fuels we should start demanding alternatives along these lines. (Back to top of page)

(030128) Travel USA Travel - USA Tourist
http://www.usatourist.com/

USATourist
McMurray, Pennsylvania, USA

Whether it's a trip to The Big Apple or The Big Easy, off-season touring in the United States has gained popularity with visitors from other lands during recent years. The strength of the US Dollar has prohibited a lot of people from making the trip, but that trend seems to have reversed. For those planning a trip to the US, deciding what to see can be a major source of frustration. Travel USA Travel - USA Tourist offers a solution with basic overviews of different locations. Local customs and Pioneer Days are explored with pointers a plenty to related sites. Travel USA Travel - USA Tourist might even be inspirational to residents of the US. From sea to shining sea. (Back to top of page)

(030207) Shuttle Press Kit
http://www.shuttlepresskit.com

NASA, United Space Alliance and The Boeing Company
Houston, Texas, USA

The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia has a great deal of attention pointed in the direction of the space program. The space program hasn't just come back in to being, the reason people are interested is because yet another NASA craft has been lost during the landing stage — think Mars a few years back. Without sounding callus or cruel about the loss of lives and an expensive space ship — this is hard stuff, this outer space business. An accident every now and then, while unfortunate is one of the overall risks associated with the shooting match.

There used to be a time when the media would cover every shuttle launch, probably because of the adventure associated with the majesty of the launch and the science on display. The International Space Station renewed interest for a while, but finding a concise source of mission information has been a chore as of late. Shuttle Press Kit to the rescue for those who are looking for better information directly from the source. This isn't a "news and new information every day about the Space Shuttle" site. It is however a clearinghouse for official press releases and mission information for people interested in the purpose and particulars of specific missions. Not limited to the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station is represented along with a couple of other surprises. A joint effort from NASA, United Space Alliance and The Boeing Company, Shuttle Press Kit does not cover every shuttle mission flown, just the last dozen or so and a few future projects.

For fresher news, NASA press releases and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type the words "subscribe press-release" (no quotes). The system will reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each subscription. A second automatic message will include additional information on the service. NASA releases also are available via CompuServe using the command GO NASA.

Go NASA, indeed. (Back to top of page)

(030214) spamradio
http://spamradio.com/

Richard Airlie
Ian Morrison
spamradio project
London, England

Most of us have the pleasure of wading through a lot of rubbish when checking our e-mail. Unsolicited messages sent out to the world and his brother all attempting to sell us diet products, help us whisk away funds from small failing governments and more. Perhaps even purchase unwashed and unseeded e-mail addresses by the bushel so we can pitch our own dog and pony shows. Spam is what these unsolicited messages are called.

Finally somebody has done something about the problem — they have put these intrusive words to music. The music is performed by the likes of the main, thecrashkid, aereal, tweeter, idmonster, lackluster, mosaik, pretty boy crossover and sense with additional music by Ian Morrison. The words are from so many different sources it is difficult to take count or determine point of origin. Not for the faint of heart, minors, or other individuals who are offended by the content of unsolicited e-mail messages. Some have adult themes, most offers are either too silly or too good to be true. Thanks to Jeff Stachowski for the wiggly suggestion. (Back to top of page)

(030221) 365 Days Project
http://otisfodder.com/365days.html

Otis Fodder
Seattle, Washington, USA

Similar occasionally to the recording known as The Langley Schools Music Project - ''Innocence And Despair'' (http://www.keyofz.com/keyofz/langley/) (SdJotD 020721), Otis Fodder's 365 Days Project is a most spectacular site. Spectacular in the same way one would be compelled to look at a train wreck or a circus act gone wrong. By its very nature it is not pretty — round up a different sound recording for every day of the year and share them with the world. These recordings could be categorized as vanity recordings, outsider art or the ever popular just what the heck were they thinking genre. In their current forms, these sounds and songs will probably never hit the charts. It would be about as likely that I'll pitch a no-hitter when I open the 2003 season for the Minnesota Twins in April. That's what makes 365 Days Project so enjoyable, the simple fact that every day brings a new MP3 and a new adventure. Unusual, strange, unnerving and highly entertaining, 365 Days Project is certainly worth looking at every week if not every single day. (Back to top of page)

(030228) Last Words: A collection of famous last words, epitaphs, obituaries, farewells, and last stands
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6537/index.htm

Kurt A. Sanftleben
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Fictional characters, the rich, the famous and the notorious — many of their last words are here, complete with basic explanations and pointers to additional information. Rounded out by epitaphs, last stands and a section dedicated to wills and obituaries, Last Words: A collection of famous last words, epitaphs, obituaries, farewells, and last stands makes for interesting reading for anyone keen on the study of history. Thanks to Reddog for the suggestion. (Back to top of page)

(030307) City of Cape Coral Eagle Cam
http://www.capecoral.net/eaglecam/index.cfm

City of Cape Coral
Cape Coral, Florida USA

Lee County, Florida is home to approximately fifty nesting pairs of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The largest city in the county, Cape Coral, is home to eight of those pairs and one pair has their own live Internet camera. A joint effort between the City of Cape Coral, the Lee County Electric Cooperative, telecom giant Sprint, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is the nest of George and Gracie. The camera, trained on the nest is available during the nesting season which runs from October 1 through May 15. Still shots from this season and last are available for view just in case it's dark or the birds are not at home. (Back to top of page)

(030314) i used to believe
the childhood beliefs site
http://www.iusedtobelieve.com/

Mat Connolley
Brighton, England

When I was just a boy I used to believe a lot of things that turned out to be not true.

I believed my mother when she told me that a certain brand of candy bar had been poisoned — each and every Halloween.

Or that my parents were entrusted with the direct dial telephone number to Santa Claus at the North Pole.

It wasn't just my parents, it seems now that every adult was involved. Contrary to what the neighbor man said, children's bikes and toys simply do not go twice as fast with the noise making elements removed.

i used to believe - the childhood beliefs site is loaded with tales of less than perfect childhood memories. Visitors have the opportunity to read what others from around the world have worked out. They will also have a chance to share.

A few entries from the site:

"My friend James's mum told him that when the ice-cream van played a tune it meant it had run out of ice-cream, genius"

"My sister used to believe that her nose fell off when she was born and was glued back on. This was because she had a scar on her nose and I told her that was why."

"Whenever I asked my parents if I could call my friend in America they told me I couldn't because she would be asleep so I thought all they did in America was sleep all the time."

A splendid suggestion from Vesa in Finland. (Back to top of page)

(030321) BallParkWatch - Your Guide to Baseball Ballparks!
http://www.ballparkwatch.com/

Emperor Technologies
Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of being one of the 8,200 people in attendance at a Boston Red Sox Spring Training game. The record crowd at the City of Palms Park (http://www.ballparkwatch.com/2003springtraining/florida/boston_redsox.htm) enjoyed a well played game. Of note was the patriotism spawned by the playing of patriotic sound recordings from Lee Greenwood over the public address system. Displays of patriotism were difficult to locate, if not absent altogether. Even the US flag was smaller than the two others flanking it.

The grown men and women in the crowd forming the letters YMCA over their heads while the sound recording of the Village People's Number One Hit, YMCA played was a little more than mildly entertaining. It always amazes me that the people who are participating may have never actually listened to the record. Then there was the beer — $5.50 for a 16 ounce cup was a bit much but not the most I've ever spent for a beer.

BallParkWatch - Your Guide to Baseball Ballparks! shares information and experiences from editors and visitors. Not confined to Spring Training or Major League facilities, BallParkWatch - Your Guide to Baseball Ballparks! provides rock solid information for anyone interested in how parks around the country stack up. Slated for a new and improved look in just a couple days, the site is quite good as it is. Lots of information on one subject in one place. (Back to top of page)

(030328) Drive Me Insane!
http://www.drivemeinsane.com/

Paul Mathis
Plano, Texas, USA

Like one of the bears in Disney's Country Bear Jamboree show at Disney World, Paul Mathis is in show business kind of. Paul Mathis is the individual you'll find in front of the live camera most evenings, waiting for visitors to Drive Me Insane! to remotely work the lights and surprises in the room. An extensive FAQ section, a page called How to hook strange things up to your computer (http://www.drivemeinsane.com/howto.shtml ), and plenty more will keep even the sanest person busy for hours. Attempting to drive Paul Mathis insane is indeed entertaining and is ideal for those who feel that they have reached a saturation point when it comes to seeing low resolution live pictures from some war zone somewhere. It's like seeing one of the bears in Disney's Country Bear Jamboree right on your own computer. (Back to top of page)

(030407) MilitaryCity.com
Your gateway to the Military Times news and information websites
http://militarycity.com/

Army Times Publishing Company
Springfield, Virginia, USA

Home to the electronic versions of four publications for members of the Armed Forces, MilitaryCity.com is a commercial site and is not government run. Accessible are the Army Times Publishing Company's ArmyTimes.com (http://armytimes.com/), NavyTimes.com (http://navytimes.com/ ), AirForceTimes.com (http://airforcetimes.com/) and MarineCorpsTimes.com (http://marinecorpstimes.com/), all trimmed down versions of the weekly print editions. Part newspaper, part career newsletter, and part trade publication, each is geared toward a particular branch of the Armed Forces with shared content throughout. Visitors will not find any big secrets or super hot breaking news. That's not what these sites are for — instead they contain information useful to enlisted men and women and maybe even an insight for the civilian sector. (Back to top of page)

(030414) Gallery of Fluid Dynamics
http://www.eng.vt.edu/fluids/msc/gallery/gall.htm

Mark S. Cramer
Engineering Science and Mechanics
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

What started out as a set of Flow of the Week pages for a fluid mechanics course, Gallery of Fluid Dynamics has grown to include images, sound recordings and animations. Various principals of physics are explored here — condensation, shockwaves, and even supersonic cars. Thanks to Sarah for the suggestion. (Back to top of page)

(030421) Any Three Words
http://www.anythreewords.com/

Not Sure Who
San Francisco, California, USA

It's basic, new and silly. Visit Any Three Words and three words from the database will be displayed for you. They could be any three words from a list that visitors can add any three words to at any time of the day or night. As this is written there are 3,226 words in the database, a number that will increase and make Any Three Words that much more enjoyable if not odd.. (Back to top of page)

(030428) Medical Breakthroughs -- Medical News and Health Information
http://www.ivanhoe.com/

Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
Winter Park, Florida, USA

Companion site for television's Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc., Medical Breakthroughs -- Medical News and Health Information provides a fresh look at field of study where things are constantly changing. Culled from medical journals, traditional media, and several other sources. Not quite the same as reading the journals as they arrive on the street, this site seems to be on top of new stories, most all of them health related. (Back to top of page)

(030507) When I Was Little
The Baby Picture Project
http://www.wheniwaslittle.net/

Wojciech Krosnowski
Lomianki, Poland

Just in time for Mother's Day, sharing photographs with Mom and the rest of the world has rarely been this much fun. The idea in and of itself is simple — here's a picture of me as a child and here is one of me now. "Look how much I've changed/remained the same". Submit your own photographs but enjoy the process of selecting which shots to use. It might even be fun to make some new pictures just for this project. (Back to top of page)

(030514) Innervisions
Fine Art X-Ray Nature Photography by Steven N. Meyers
http://www.xray-art.com/

Steven N. Meyers
Bothell, Washington, USA

One is reminded of the peculiar nature of vision after a visit to Innervisions - Fine Art X-Ray Nature Photography by Steven N. Meyers. Like old Superman, visitors can see through items from nature that we might otherwise not. A commercial site in the respect that prints and other items are advertised for sale, it's the gallery aspect that deserves attention. Filled with black and white images these pictures may change the way visitors look at plant life. (Back to top of page)

(030521) Starship Dimensions
http://www.merzo.net/

Jeff Russell
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

While looking at science fiction on television or at the movies we tend to be forgiving when it comes to the artists who have created spacecraft for the story. Forgiving in the respect that a establishing an accurate sense of scale is often not a top priority yet knowing how big a craft is supposed to be helps the viewer in so many ways. Jeff Russell's Starship Dimensions to the rescue! Visitors can see how different classes of starship compare to one another and to landmarks and equipment from 21st Century Planet Earth. Having seen a lot of traffic recently at this site, Jeff Russell has found a new home for this labor of love. Stop by and have a look around. (Back to top of page)

(030528) M&M's Colorworks
http://www.colorworks.com/

Mars Incorporated
Hackettstown, New Jersey, USA

M&M's^® Chocolate Candies have been the subject of many stories throughout the years — the most popular have to do with specific colors in the mix. Certain colors were said to have aphrodisiacal powers while others were wrongly labeled as carcinogens. All of this over a small bit of chocolate in a crunchy candy shell. The best of these stories has to do with a Rock and Roll outfit known as Van Halen. In the rider of their performance contract, the band would request that on the day of that particular performance, there wouldn't be a brown M&M's anywhere in the backstage area of the venue. It's a complicated story to be sure, for more see Welcome to Getsigned.com/Crazy from the Heat Review--11/17/97 (http://www.getsigned.com/reroth1.html) and The Smoking Gun: Backstage Pass (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/vanhalen/vanhalen1.html).

What if you have a need for a specific color or set of M&M's Chocolate Candies? Say, a party to watch your favorite college basketball team win the championship game. Where will those green and white M&M's Chocolate Candies come from? How about wedding or company colors?

With twenty one different colors, M&M's Colorworks is the place to order out of the ordinary hues for those special occasions. Priced a bit higher than the M&M's Chocolate Candies on the shelves at the local Meg-A-Lo-Mart, the novelty factor makes all of the difference. Worldwide shipping is available. (Back to top of page)

(030614) FXGame - Currency Trading Game
http://fxgame.oanda.com/

OANDA, Inc.
New York, New York, USA

Fortunes have been made and lost trading currencies. Buying low, selling high, or at least hoping to. OANDA, Inc. specializes in the business of selling money and while this commercial site allows clients to trade world currencies, it's the FXGame - Currency Trading Game that may be the biggest draw to this site. Registered users can play with a pretend $100,000 US Dollars — not unlike PopEx Free music trading game (http://www.popex.com/) (SdJotD 000625). There are no actual fees or obligations, an ideal situation for those interested in seeing first hand how the currency markets work. Game conditions are based on current real world situations.

If the FXGame - Currency Trading Game doesn't sound like something useful for you, OANDA's Quick Currency Converter for your browser (FXBrowser) (http://www.oanda.com/products/fxcommerce/quickconvert.shtml) could be, especially for visitors who shop with a browser and companies in other parts of the world and regularly need exchange rates. (Back to top of page)

(030621) Urinal Dot Net
http://www.urinal.net

Urinal Dot Net Industries, Inc.
San Francisco, California, USA

To this day I still do not know why the photo lab refused to print the three exposures I made of one of the old trough style urinals at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The new ballpark bathrooms certainly cannot have the same class and charm of the old ones, that's for sure. While I haven't ever gotten around to having prints made, I'll sometimes wonder just what the heck were they thinking when they installed what looked like long porcelain bathtubs in the middle of the Men's rooms at Tiger Stadium. Probably beer sales.

Urinal Dot Net collects and displays photographs of different styles of urinals for men and women. It's a global display — everywhere from Amsterdam to Zurich, including the South Pole. A fascinating aspect of this site, and of the various urinals themselves is the variety. Architectural and engineering marvels give way to almost universal model with visible connections to the plumbing and in a certain state of disrepair. An interesting site for anyone curious about different styles urinals. (Back to top of page)

(030628) National Do Not Call Registry
http://www.donotcall.gov/

Federal Trade Commission
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Viewed by some as a serious clamp on an industry already suffering from the use of Caller ID ((Caller ID FAQ v2.31 10th April 2003 (http://www.ainslie.org.uk/callerid/cli_faq.htm)) and a slow economy, telemarketing firms now have another woe. The Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/) has accelerated the introduction of the National Do Not Call Registry. At no charge, residential and cellular phone numbers can be included in the big list of off-limits numbers. Most, but not all telemarketing calls will effectively be prevented from reaching those who sign on. At least in theory. There are exceptions to the rules, available for viewing at the National Do Not Call Registry site.

Some may wish to read all of the fine print before logging in, especially those concerned with giving the Federal Government too much information about themselves. In fact, be sure to read the details here no matter how concerned you are about allowing government to harvest information — the parts about how frequently telemarketing firms are required to include data from the National Do Not Call Registry in preparing their lists and what your individual rights are under the new laws in particular. Also, a valid e-mail address is required to participate here. That secondary address might be the one to use.

Similar programs:

ADMA (Australia Direct Marketing Association)
Consumer Do Not Mail/Call/Email & Mobile Marketing Opt Out Services
(http://www.adma.com.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=1999)

The Canadian Marketing Association
Do Not Contact Service
(http://www.the-cma.org/consumer/donotcall/dnc_service.cfm)

The Telephone Preference Service, set up by the Direct Marketing Association (UK) Limited (DMA)
(http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tpsr/html/default.asp)

(Back to top of page)

(030707) Wayne Chicken Show
http://www.chickenshow.com/

Wayne Area Chamber of Commerce
Wayne, Nebraska, USA

Started in 1981 by the Wayne Regional Arts Council, this version of Pioneer Days originally celebrated the fact that art exists everywhere around us. Held on the second Saturday in July, the Wayne Chicken Show as grown to a lot more and now spans three days. Last year the event was attended by an estimated ten thousand people — and eighty chickens.

Not to be confused with Mike The Headless Chicken Days (http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/) (SdJotD 000501) which occur in May, the Wayne Chicken Show site does have a few similarities in that they both sell merchandise and like that. The site for the Wayne Chicken Show can only improve with age, additional photographs and more content would be a nice. Audio and/or video from the National Cluck-off Contest in particular. (Back to top of page)

(030714) Satellite Newspapers Corporate Site
http://www.satellitenewspapers.com/

Satellite Newspapers
The Hague, The Netherlands

Printing and distribution of newspapers has always presented a challenge to publishers. Making those newspapers available to readers in far away lands historically has involved surface mail and within the past century, air mail. Still, a newspaper can be several days old by the time it finds its way to Auckland from Atlanta. Visiting the companion site for a newspaper can often lead to disappointment as limited content can be all that is made available. There is a solution that now affords the reader the tactile pleasure of a newspaper with the convenience of digital technology. Satellite Newspapers, through 120 proprietary KiOSKs are currently offering 122 newspapers from around the world. Printed with the full content of the original on recycled paper in A3 sized sheets ((International Standard Paper Sizes) http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html), stapled in booklet form, many of these newspapers are available within 30 minutes of time they are turned loose. Short lead times, around-the-clock availability, and world-wide distribution make for convenience for the consumer and increase the power of the printed page in ways early publishers could have only imagined. Target markets are hotels, airports, convention centers, and at some future time, cruise ships. A relatively simple idea and a product that many people will find useful well beyond the point where the novelty wears off. (Back to top of page)

(030721) sniggle.net: The Culture Jammer's Encyclopedia
http://www.sniggle.net/

David Gross
San Francisco, California, USA

Hoaxes, Culture Jamming, Pseudoscience, and News Trolls are just a few of the categories found at sniggle.net: The Culture Jammer's Encyclopedia. Intended as a reference with pointers to other sites sharing similar content and housing documents merely cited. From the Miscellany section and typical of the original content at sniggle.net: The Culture Jammer's Encyclopedia:

"In 1956, Barry Larkin, a veterinary student at Sydney University, painted a sawn-off broom handle and an old jam tin silver, stuffed some underpants soaked in kerosene into the tin and lit their hoax Olympic flame. Then, he ran into Sydney, well-ahead of the official olympic torch, eventually attracting a police escort and then handing the torch off to the Lord Mayor. 'A lot of people didn't realise it was a hoax. By the time the real torch turned up, half the crowd had gone.'"

There are many subjects covered at sniggle.net: The Culture Jammer's Encyclopedia, a little something for everyone. Some of the material may not be suited for your particular tastes — you know better than anyone what works for you and what doesn't. A simple and well done site that should keep most people entertained for hours. (Back to top of page)

(030728) ImageRecall
http://www.imagerecall.com

ImageRecall
Southampton, England

_________________________________

FlashFixers
http://www.flashfixers.com/

FlashFixers
Exeter, New Hampshire, USA

It should never happen to you, not in a million years. Digital media can go bad — all of the pictures on a particular card hopelessly lost, never to be seen again. MemorySticks, CompactFlash, Smartmedia, SecureDigital Cards, Multimedia Card and Microdrives all have the potential to forget who they are, usually through operator error in one form or another. Following a set of basic rules always helps, never forgetting that patience is a virtue. A helpful list of digital media handling procedures can be found at FlashFixers Tips & Info (http://www.flashfixers.com/Tips.htm).

I found out how it feels to lose the data on a 256MB CompactFlash card over the weekend. While using the rapid fire feature on my digital camera, the batteries decided that they were done. Of course, this was as the card was reaching its capacity of exposures in the mode being used. I knew instantly what had gone wrong, and even though I was determined to recover my lost images, that sense of doom remained. The card seemed to be toast when viewed using a USB CompactFlash reader, a new directory contained a partial copy of the last exposure made and several other directories existed with obviously corrupted names. Things didn't look good, but there was hope.

The quest for a recovery utility started with a visit to the Digital Camera Software Downloads (http://www.steves-digicams.com/digsoftware_utils.html) section of Steve's Digicams (http://www.steves-digicams.com/) (SdJotD 020529). A number of trial version downloads and evaluations ended with the purchase of ImageRecall. The ImageRecall and FlashFixers sites have detailed information about the ImageRecall program. There is a trial version which stops recovering files once it has reached ten. A Windows program, ImageRecall worked like a champ for my situation and even recovered images from a previous session even though the card had been formatted. This is a common occurrence, and cause for hope as files tend to stay on the media until the space is needed. It's the directory structure that gets cooked. Not every situation is the same, different programs may be better suited to different operating systems, hardware configurations, and skill levels. For those who would rather send the corrupted media away, there is a data recovery service available. The suitable catch phrase is all over the ImageRecall site and product — Don't Panic! Take your time, explore your options, and remember that this is not a commercial endorsement. Just a personal summary of an experience with lost images and how they were made to come back. (Back to top of page)

(030807) EZ PnP | Stand Alone CD/DVD Duplicators & Digital Photo Backup
http://www.ezpnp-usa.com/

EZPnP
El Paso, Texas, USA

Shooting digital pictures in the field has an inherent limitation — at some point the digital media will fill up. It's either time to change to a fresh card, delete a couple exposures, off-load the images or just pack up and go home. EZPnP may have an ideal solution in the EZDigimagic™ DM220 (http://www.ezpnp-usa.com/ezdigimagic-digital-photo-backup.sstg). The device is not much more than a portable Compact Disc recorder with a bevy of media card readers on board. Plug in a media card, insert a blank CD-R, press a few magic buttons, and before you know it the files have been burned to CD and the card is yours again. The drive doubles as an external USB CD recorder but it's the go anywhere aspect of the recorder that makes it stand out. EZPnP has other serious CD and DVD recorders in their product line, information is available at the site.

Not having used the EZDigiMagic drive makes it difficult to convey an opinion on how well it performs so as always, this is not a commercial endorsement. The EZDigiMagic does look like it could do the trick. (Back to top of page)

(030814) RhondaOnline.com
business tips and advice from America's most trusted small business planning expert
http://www.rhondaonline.com

Rhonda Abrams
Running ‘R’ Media
Palo Alto, California, USA

Rhonda Abrams writes a column called “Small Business Strategies.” Published weekly in 130 newspapers, the articles focus on different parts of start-up and small businesses. Not just for entrepreneurs, the material and advice could be found useful by anyone who does something, anything, for money. The archive contains full text versions of the column back several years. Some business writers write for that MBA who hasn't ever worked a day in his or her life while others take unconventional methods so far over the top that they sell a couple thousand extra books to people who only think they are actually going to read the whole thing. Somewhere in the middle is the work of Rhonda Abrams. Offering the brand of advice that is frequently worth more than was paid for it and then some, RhondaOnline.com and the monthly e-mail newsletter might be just the thing. (Back to top of page)

(030821) FEMA: Readiness, Response, and Recovery
http://www.fema.gov/rrr/

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

_________________________________

American Red Cross- Be Prepared
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/

American Red Cross
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

It's unlikely that electrical power for millions of people would be cut off for several days. An ice storm, snow storm or extreme case of operator error somewhere on the power grid could cause the loss of power. For many of us, the idea of losing power for just an hour due to a big storm is all it takes to start thinking about being prepared.

Living in Southwest Florida, the reminders come early in the spring of the year for us that Hurricane Season starts on the first day of June. Having the gear and grub set aside for that proverbial rainy day never hurts — no matter where you live. It makes every potential storm that much easier to tough out. Both sites give details on putting together what could amount to being survival kits for work and/or home if conditions suddenly went primitive. Pointers to related sites and additional information from the respective organizations; the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross are included. (Back to top of page)

(030907) Follow The Sun - Australian Travel Posters 1930s - 1950s
http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/sun/

National Library of Australia
Canberra, Australian Capitol Territory, Australia

Follow The Sun - Australian Travel Posters 1930s - 1950s pulls together vintage advertising pieces published by various organizations and business concerns with the sole purpose of promoting tourism. Touting everything from "The Tallest Trees in the British Empire" at Marysville, Victoria to "Western Australia for Sunshine and Surf", these posters were part of an overall campaign headed at the time by the Australian National Tourism Association to unify the efforts of the individual state tourism offices. It's all explained at the site. (Back to top of page)

(030914) idea a day
Where Ideas Are Free
http://www.idea-a-day.com/

idea a day ltd.
London, England

Not quite as hectic as Halfbakery (http://www.halfbakery.com/) (SdJotD 010911), idea a day works on the premise that the world is full of people with plenty of good ideas. Sharing these ideas with others can be accomplished by submitting ideas to the e-mail address listed at the site. A single idea will be posted at the site, and e-mailed to those who subscribe to the distribution list. Making the comparison of idea a day to Halfbakery isn't fair to either site. The two sites are different enough so that the same ground isn't covered — idea a day is perhaps a bit more on the practical side.

For example:

As seen at idea a day

Establish an online directory of dormant web sites. These sites will either have been found by the search engine as unchanged for say a period of twelve months or submitted by the owners following a decision not to continue with the project. Visitors to the directory will be able to view dead web sites and, should they find a site the wish to resurrect, bid for it online.

day 117 | 12 DEC 2000 | by james cragg

________________________

As seen at Halfbakery

Mike Douglas Show Theme Park

recreates the disorienting headiness of the 70s talk show

Experience Mason Reese going to pieces while Harry Chapin sings "Cat's in the Cradle." Relish Mike's sensitive interviewing skills being used upon a young Patty Smith. Thrill to the stories of Jackie Gleason "live" from Miami Beach. Hear Mike sing "Danny Boy," right after taking a pie in the kisser.

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mrthingy, Jul 26 2001

Both ideas are clever but somehow it seems less likely that they will both see the light of day. The material in the archive at idea a day is worth looking through, it goes back to August 18, 2000. (Back to top of page)

(030921) pseudodictionary
the dictionary for words that wouldn't make it into dictionaries :: v2.0
http://pseudodictionary.com

Paul Jarvis
Garret Thomson
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The temptation is always there, especially when the right word escapes you — the temptation to make up words as we see fit. Over time, languages change with these new words but not every new word will be added. Some of these newcomers are too silly, or too difficult say, others just border on moronic. pseudodictionary Is where those words come to live when they are rejected by the other dictionaries. Many of these words are in current use as slang by the respective visitor(s) who have submitted them to the pseudodictionary. An entertaining site. (Back to top of page)

(030928) Sperling's BestPlaces
http://www.bestplaces.net

Fast Forward, Inc.
Portland, Oregon, USA

Ranking places to live can be one of those arbitrary exercises. Gathering the information needed to make an educated comparison of places has always been an expensive and difficult thing to do — time consuming at the very least. Bert Sperling has been putting together lists of ideal places to live for major US print and broadcast concerns for over 16 years. "The Best Places to Live in America" has been an annual treat for those of us in Southwest Florida as one of our fine cities ends up at or near the top of the list every time out.

Visitors to the Sperling's BestPlaces site can compare the elements of what it means to live in a place. Custom search options and a constantly updated database makes finding a location a whole lot easier than actually going there. At least initially — visiting a new place before packing up and going is pretty important for any number of reasons. For a faster look at one specific place, search by Zip code (http://www.bestplaces.net/zipr/zipentry.asp). While limited to US locations, the climate survey does cover the world. (Back to top of page)

(031007) Vladi Private Islands
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de

Vladi Private Islands GmbH
Hamburg, Germany

With as little as a couple thousand dollars you can have your own private island, at least for the night. Vladi Private Islands is in the island business, both rental and sales. A mere three and a half million gets you "Strongs Island and mainland lot, Upper Peninsula - Michigan, ca. 107 acres" (http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/sales_islands/sites/3b_strongs_1.html), an island in Lake Huron and a "newly-restored 3-story home." With a couple of weeks left before the Great Lakes freeze over for a few months, there's still time to "Explore 36 islands located in the protected deep waterways of Les Cheneaux Islands in Northern Lake Huron." It's the sort of thing people have been dreaming about for ages — the adventure of living on an island. Away from the stress of modern life or possibly right in the middle of it all. Islands are available around the world in a full range of prices. If you've ever wondered what it would take to buy an island here's a chance to find out. (Back to top of page)

(031014) Sony ImageStation Gifts - Custom Photo Books
http://www.imagestation.com/shop/product/photobook/

Sony Electronics e-Solutions Company LLC
San Jose, California, USA

Similar in ways to the relationships held by divisions of companies making both records and record players, Sony's ImageStation is perfectly suited for users of digital imaging products. That Sony manufactures an extensive line of still cameras and camcorders it makes sense that they should have a service and interface such as ImageStation. There are a number of similar sites offering photographic prints and novelties but the Custom Photo Books at Sony's ImageStation caught my eye. Professional bindings in several different styles and sizes hold single or double sided pages. These pages can have images, backgrounds and text on them with printing to the edge if so desired. Discounts for additional copies and options galore make Custom Photo Books nice gifts. You don't necessarily need to use Sony products to capture source images, access unlimited digital image storage and photo albums, or use a host of additional features. (Back to top of page)

(031021) Welcome to the Retro Future
http://www.retrofuture.com/

Eric Lefcowitz
San Francisco, California, USA

So here we are, fourth quarter of the year 2003 — still no flying cars. Futurists of generations past would still be amazed, there's no doubt. It's just that there are no flying cars yet. Computers are far more sophisticated and miniaturized than predicted, cars are starting to take the bubble-like aerodynamic shape first proposed in the middle of the 1970s. Still using gasoline though, and they don't fly.

Lot of advances that we were very nearly guaranteed to have access to once the 21st Century came around have yet to arrive. Welcome to the Retro Future takes a look back into the future of things that were going to make life easier or scarier, or both. Pointers to more detailed information and when available, photographs help to illustrate over two dozen topics. An ideal launch pad for further research or reminiscence. (Back to top of page)

(031028) The Monkey Shakespeare Simulator
http://user.tninet.se/~ecf599g/aardasnails/java/Monkey/webpages/index.html

Nick Hoggard
AardAsNails Software
Lund, Sweden

It's difficult not to think about William Shakespeare when the subject of monkeys with typewriters comes up. Actually, the written works of Shakespeare come to mind. It's one of those grand hypothetical situations — given enough time with enough monkeys and enough typewriters and you'll end up with the complete works of Shakespeare. Statistically, the odds are huge that it would actually happen but with computer models the odds and the room just got a little smaller. Load this page, follow the instructions, read the FAQ and see how close you and your monkeys can get. The simulation uses Java and does not need a continuous Internet connection to run. Make use of otherwise wasted computing power and help the world discover just how long it takes to get to the end of All's Well That Ends Well or any of the thirty six other plays. (Back to top of page)

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