(000501) Mike the Headless Chicken
http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/

Mike The Headless Chicken Days
City Of Fruita
Fruita, Colorado, USA

As a big fan of different Pioneer Days held by cities and towns around the world, it was a treat to find this site for Mike the Headless Chicken. Mike was a very famous chicken who lost his head on September 10th, 1945 and toured the nation as a medical curiosity. It seems that Mike's owner, Lloyd Olsen was thinking of his mother-in-law while preparing the Wyandotte rooster and took a special pleasure in cutting the animal's neck. What happened next was astounding — Mike lived for months without a head! Read all about the events which followed and about the annual celebration of Mike the Headless Chicken. This year, Fruita will hold Mike The Headless Chicken Days on May 19th and 20th. Events include the Chicken Cook-off, a Chicken Dance Marathon with The Chris Rouse Polka Band, and the Run Like A Chicken With Your Head Cut Off 5k Race. What fun!  (Back to top of page)

(000502) For Artist
Forensic Art - Illustration - Artist Images
http://www.forartist.com/index.htm

Stephen Mancusi
New York, New York, USA

Forensic art is a fascinating form, used to put a faces on simple descriptions of people or from the remains of the deceased. Stephen J. Mancusi is the senior forensic artist for a New York City area police department and uses this new site as a portfolio and calling card. Visitors will find examples and explanations of forensic and illustrative artwork in addition to more traditional styles. A different and interesting kind of site.  (Back to top of page)

(000503) Paul Roub: Rock, Paper, Scissors
http://www.paulroub.com/rps/

Paul Roub
Weston, Florida, USA

The game is simple enough, rock breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock. Three choices — two players, in this case it's you versus the computer. Sure you could play this game with another person but after a dozen or so rounds somebody always ends up getting frustrated for losing so often. A game that requires its players to make fists and point fingers can get ugly really fast. Maybe this is a better way.  (Back to top of page)

(000504) Audible.com
http://www.audible.com/

Audible, Inc.
Wayne, New Jersey, USA

With more than the standard Books on Tape fare, Audible.com goes one step further — there are no Cassettes tapes or Compact Discs. Content can be sampled, purchased, and enjoyed on your computer. Duplication and shipping costs are practically nonexistent and Audible.com boasts prices that can be 40% of comparable retail. Audible.com uses both standard streaming audio and a proprietary media player, the AudibleManager software package is a free download and allows for playback and organization of your audio programs. It will also facilitate the transfer of audio programming from Audible.com to AudibleReady portable audio devices, including the Diamond Rio 500 which holds up to 28 hours of audible.com programs or up to two hours of MP3 music. Content is indeed king here, abridged and unabridged versions of hundreds of titles — more than 20,000 of hours of audio content, there is something for every taste and interest.

The original content at Audible.com is the clincher though, my current favorite is comedian Robin Williams' weekly series plainly known as Robin Williams @ audible.com (http://www.audible.com/rw/site_link.html). The half hour shows feature interviews and insight into the life and times of the host of the show, Robin Williams. Intended for mature audiences, the first eight episodes are being given away, and so far are funnier than all heck. Forget everything you know about comedy if they convince Jonathan Winters to go into the studio with Robin Williams for an episode or two. The Charter Membership period only runs through May 18, 2000 and promises a 15% discount on all purchase through the end of the year, so have a look soon. Original content, best sellers from the top publishers, classics and even treatments of books that were too painful to sit down and read the first time are at Audible.com. This is a great product and site.  (Back to top of page)

(000505) Cinco de Mayo, the Real Story
http://www.execpc.com/~shepler/cincodemayo.html

John E. Shepler
Rockford, Illinois, USA

A part of John Shepler's A Positive Light (http://www.execpc.com/~shepler/), Cinco de Mayo, the Real Story briefly explores the impact Mexico's battle with France may have had on the United States. Cinco de Mayo does not mark Mexican Independence Day as many people believe. Instead it honors La Batalla de Puebla, a turning point in the war between Mexico and France. Over simplified perhaps, but an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo.  (Back to top of page)

(000506) Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
http://www.hfmgv.org/

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
Dearborn, Michigan, USA

In an attempt to preserve a quickly vanishing America, Henry Ford started to move and reassemble buildings of historic importance. In the late 1920s and throughout the 30s, Ford acquired the Eagle Tavern, an 1850s stagecoach stop; Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory complete with the trash dump and out buildings; Noah Webster's Home, the 1823 Federal and Empire-style home where Noah Webster finished the first American Dictionary of the English Language; the Wright Brothers' Home and Cycle Shop where Orville and Wilbur Wright began work on heavier than air flight; and the Suwanee Riverboat which is a reconstruction of the paddle steamer Thomas Edison travelled on right here in Fort Myers, Florida, the boiler and other parts were salvaged from the sunken original Suwanee in 1930. Today, all of these slices of Americana are staffed by people in period costume providing a glimpse into the past back to Colonial times.

If Greenfield Village wasn't enough, the Henry Ford Museum houses exhibits such as 100 Years of the Automobile in American Life, an exploration of the history and evolution of the automobile; Fully Furnished, pieces from the museum's furniture collection which includes a 17th century William and Mary highboy and other items; Made in America which takes a close-up look at American industrial history and its impact on everyday life; the chair that President Abraham Lincoln was sitting in the night he was assassinated; Edgar Allan Poe's Writing Desk; George Washington's Camp Bed from the 1770s; the 1961 Lincoln Continental President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in; a 1952 Oscar Mayer Wienermobile; and perhaps the most telling of this great collection and Henry Ford 's obsession — a test tube that may contain Thomas Edison's Last Breath.

The chair Lincoln was assassinated in.

The Lincoln Kennedy was assassinated in.

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village is not part of the Ford Motor Company but is instead an independent, not-for-profit, educational institution accredited by the American Association of Museums. Hundreds of thousands of school children visit the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village every year and if you are ever in the Detroit area, a visit is highly recommended. This site contains on-line exhibits and additional information about the history in and of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. Be sure to look at the site map (http://www.hfmgv.org/sitemap.html) here so as not to miss important sections like the Preservation Fact Sheets (http://www.hfmgv.org/histories/cis/pfs.html) which provides a curators's insight on storing heirlooms and other old stuff at home. During the past few years I've had the pleasure of revisiting both Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village and can offer the following advice — if you haven't been since you were a kid, go again soon and plan on spending at least a day at each.  (Back to top of page)

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(000507) ForwardGarden.com
Where forwards belong
http://www.forwardgarden.com

David Eder
Scottsbluff, Nebraska, USA

Occasionally an e-mail message comes along that is funny enough to read a few times and forward to someone who will get a kick out of it. Keeping those same messages for any length of time on a local server or in a free browser-based account can get out of hand. Hardly ever worth printing, these messages and their content will eventually leave your mind once deleted. Then it happens, a month or two down the road you are trying to remember that joke so and so sent that had something to do with three pigs in a bathtub. You write to the half dozen people who may have sent it to you, and all day they wonder about you and your obsession with two pigs in a bathtub. You still are without the joke, then you remember sending it to ForwardGarden.com for future reference. Open to all, the 1,500 entries currently at ForwardGarden.com will eventually become a bloated repository for all those crazy messages that forward several times around the world before falling dormant. Those messages will live on at ForwardGarden.com and visitors can find the original message and more along the way. This is not private storage, messages are available to all, so be careful with what you send up. Visitors can also rate individual messages on a six-point scale. As many messages of this nature can contain absolute hogwash, it would be nice to see ratings on accuracy — especially with trivia and the like. There are several sites like ForwardGarden.com out there, but it's nice to see a project like this when it is new. A fresh look, easy navigation, and a built in forwarding feature that allows visitors the opportunity to wake up those two pigs in the bathtub and send them out on yet another voyage.

In case you were wondering…

There's these two pigs sitting in a bathtub. One pig says to the other "hand me the soap will ya?" and the third pig says, "What do you think I am, a typewriter?".  (Back to top of page)

(000508) Vermont SIRI Material Safety Data Sheet Archive - Site One
http://siri.uvm.edu/msds/

Vermont SIRI Material Safety Data Sheet Archive - Site Two
http://siri.org/msds/

Daniel Woodard, MD and Ralph Stuart, CIH
Hosted by the University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont, USA

Originally Site du Jour of the Day (980723)
July 23, 1998

Site du Jour of the Day episodes are occasionally full of stories and suggestions, not to mention pointers about things that carry a potential hazard if safety rules are not followed. Adult supervision and/or common sense are usually enough to keep trouble at bay. Safety is an important factor of survival, part of that is knowing the risks associated with things before trying or using them. For example, many of us have used the chemical solvent Benzene bare-handed for years, completely unaware of any of the potentially serious health risks that come with the product.

Manufacturers in the US and several other countries are required by law to provide Material Safety Data Sheets for such products but as Dr. Woodard explains, "This website was started because in fifteen years experience as an emergency physician, I have found that no one exposed to a potentially hazardous material ever has a paper MSDS for that product immediately available, and the cost of purchasing this information from commercial providers is simply not justifiable when many of my patients can't even afford to fill their prescriptions".

Employers must make this information available for products used in the work place and this is great if you are looking for something to read at lunch or in the event of an emergency, but for residential reference a visit to Vermont SIRI MSDS Archive could save the time or expense involved in contacting companies for Material Safety Data Sheets or worse yet, calling the Poison Control Hotline. Bookmark this site, visit and become familiar with the interface used to search the database. It's free and could someday save a life. For that reason it is still one of the most important sites ever featured as Site du Jour of the Day.  (Back to top of page)

(000509) Reef Ball Foundation
http://www.reefball.org/

Reef Ball Development Group Ltd.'s Designed Artificial Reefs
http://www.reefball.com/

Reef Ball Development Group, Ltd.
Bradenton, Florida, USA

These two sites are maintained by Reef Ball Development Group, Ltd. and look at different aspects of the same product. A Reef Ball is a concrete dome riddled with holes of different shapes and sizes, and are used to create artificial reefs. The manufacturing process starts by filling a Fiberglass mold with poured concrete, an inflated bladder inside the mold serves two purposes; it allows the Reef Ball to have a hollow inside, and facilitates floating the Reef Ball to its desired location at sea. The bladder and other smaller toy balloon-sized devices are used to open up the Reef Ball allowing underwater creatures hiding and feeding place once the Reef Ball has been positioned on the sea floor. The increased surface area gained by making the Reef Balls an irregular shape has also encouraged coral growth in new and repaired reefs. Common pointers at both sites look at diving and other environmental sites, and there are two options available for people interested in making Reef Balls. The first is a vacation package, a nice trip to the Tropics and a chance to help build a reef system. The second is an idea I'm glad to see. Eternal Reefs allows 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 Reef Ball before submersion. Morbid perhaps, but a nice alternative to the traditional urn on the mantle. Smaller versions of the Reef Ball are also available for saltwater aquariums through the site. A clever idea no matter how you look at it, these Reef Ball sites should prove interesting to anyone with an interest in diving, conservation, or things you have never seen before.  (Back to top of page)

(000510) WHquestion
Think global - Ask a local
http://www.whquestion.com/

Assaf Hochberg
Neuronia Inc.
Tel Aviv, Israel

Using a search engine or combing newsgroups and FAQ files have always been ways to locate the answer to a question. A good old-fashioned library works wonders as well, but there is nothing like directly asking a person who has knowledge in the field you are interested in. WHquestion, still in beta test phase, addresses that need in a unique way — questions on all subjects can be asked and answered at one site. While still seeking out resident experts, WHquestion is open for business and of course questions. The search for people to answer questions has lead to a ratings system which may eventually lead to stock options being offered to the best and brightest. The questions currently being asked are not terribly difficult to answer if you know how to dig in the right places around the world, say like the library. But for people who do not know these things or are just dim, WHquestion might be a really good resource. Users will make or break WHquestion and after registering it is a free service. Here's a chance to be seen as outstanding in your field or to finally find the answers to questions you have always wondered about. Or both.  (Back to top of page)

(000511) How Web Servers' Cookies Threaten Your Privacy
http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html

Junkbusters
http://www.junkbusters.com/

Junkbusters Corporation
Green Brook, New Jersey, USA

A message arrived shortly after sending out the Site du Jour of the Day episode for May 10, WHquestion (http://www.whquestion.com/) (SdJotD 000510). A concerned reader wrote that "This site makes you agree to allow them and their suppliers and advertisers and god knows who else to put banners, cookies, and all sorts of stuff onto your computer. That's ridiculous". Cookies are basically markers different sites place on your browser to identify you during future visits and track your viewing habits at that site. The practice of placing Cookies is very common, being asked to agree with the practice is not common at all. Most site that use Cookies keep the data collected to themselves but there is always the possibility of that information being used for other purposes. How Web Servers' Cookies Threaten Your Privacy is a section at Junkbusters and it explains how Cookies work much better than space allows for here. Visitors will find methods and tips on disabling the defaults on a browser ultimately giving the user a choice about who is allowed to place Cookies and who isn't. If you use the mail client included with your browser it is entirely possible that people can see more than the pages you have visited at a particular site — sometimes your e-mail address and name is right there for the world to see. Junkbusters looks at other aspects of privacy as well, such topics as unsolicited e-mail messages (Spam), and targeted banner advertisements. Suggestions for different software settings and utilities available at the Junkbusters site come in quite handy for keeping your identity private and annoyance level low when looking at different sites. As for the security of the information submitted when you subscribed to Site du Jour of the Day, let me assure you that the personal data and e-mail addresses are used solely for development and mailing of Site du Jour of the Day episodes. Somebody recently said that Big Brother will not turn out to be the government at all — it'll be business. Junkbusters contains a lot of eye-opening information that will change the way you think about your browser software, sites you visit and even the Internet itself. Big Brother is indeed watching.  (Back to top of page)

(000512) Buddy Ebsen Creations - Actor, Artist, Writer
http://www.buddyebsencreations.com

Buddy and Dorothy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen Creations
Long Beach, California, USA

_________________________________

Cooter's Place in Space
Official site for Cooter's Place and Cooter's Garage
http://www.cootersdukesofhazzard.com

Ben Jones and Alma Viator
Sperryville, Virginia, USA

Not really related to each other, these two sites do share a similar vibe. Buddy Ebsen, the gentleman actor who is probably best known for his role as Jed Clampett on the television show The Beverly Hillbillies and Ben Jones who played Cooter on the show Dukes of Hazzard have established these sites to promote themselves and their businesses outside of television.

Buddy Ebsen Creations is the official site of Buddy Ebsen fine art limited edition serigraphs and original artworks and books. Buddy Ebsen's film credits include some great pictures — Between Heaven & Hell, Walt Disney's Davy Crockett, The One & Only Family Band, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. The streaming Filmography Clip here is entertaining and well worth looking at. Be sure to look for information about ordering signed copies of Buddy Ebsen's Autobiography The Other Side of Oz and limited edition fine art prints.  (Back to top of page)

(000513) Abraham Lincoln Online
http://www.netins.net/showcase/creative/lincoln.html

Abraham Lincoln Online
West Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Perhaps the greatest of all American Presidents, our sixteenth held a maturing country together through the worst of times. Differing opinions on subjects such as slavery and industrialization nearly ripped the United States in two. Timing, if nothing else gave Lincoln a place in history that no President since has been honored with. Abraham Lincoln Online is staffed by volunteers and offers resources galore on current and past texts, historic places, and news of Lincoln. Intentionally an incomplete listing, Abraham Lincoln Online is the best of the lot though.  (Back to top of page)

(000514) American Museum of Straw Art
http://www.strawartmuseum.org/

American Museum of Straw Art
Long Beach, California, USA

The American Museum of Straw Art is dedicated to preserving a craft with roots in a bygone agricultural society, and the folklore the form contains. After a fire nearly wiped out the American Museum of Straw Art in the mid-1990s, curators have had a difficult time generating interest from volunteers, visitors and patrons but things seem to be getting better. The American Museum of Straw Art site contains exhibits of Straw Art from around the world, a history of the museum, Artist Showroom, and gift shop. Thanks to Lynnie Williams for the wonderful suggestion.  (Back to top of page)

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(000515) The Paluxy Dinosaur/"Man Track" Controversy
http://members.aol.com/Paluxy2/paluxy.htm

Glen J. Kuban
North Royalton, Ohio, USA

Walt Disney Pictures has an "Epic new feature" out soon called Dinosaur (http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/dinosaur/dinomain.html). Lemurs and an iguanodon will sing and dance in the late Cretaceous Period, exposing another generation to the wonder of dinosaurs and the magic of Disney merchandising. Also out is Amblin Entertainment’s The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas (http://www.vivarockvegas.com/), exposing another generation to the Flintstones (http://www.powerup.com.au/~ves/faq.html ) and the idea that humans and dinosaurs were on Earth at the same time. Sure these things are just Popular Culture but let's face it — if it's in the movies or on the TV it's got to be true.

Throughout the years claims have been made that human and dinosaur foot prints have been found next to each other in rocks dating back millions of years. The most famous of these are the Giant Man Tracks in the limestone beds of the Paluxy River, at Glen Rose Texas. Several different theories have been presented to explain these odd fossils. The Paluxy Dinosaur/"Man Track" Controversy site looks at aspects of these stories in a series of over twenty articles, most authored and researched by Glen J. Kuban. No matter which side of the controversy one subscribes, the articles here are sound and the materials used are well annotated. Science has leaned toward explanations other than those supported by certain Creationists or hucksters, but see for yourself what all the fuss is. Remember too the timeless words of Don Was and Was (Not Was), "Open the door, Get on the floor, Everybody walk the dinosaur, Boom-boom-akalaka-boom… I walked a dinosaur".  (Back to top of page)

(000516) The Tongue Twister Database
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8136/tonguetwisters.html

C. T. Staley
Starkville, Mississippi, USA

Said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English Language, "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is just one of over a hundred such challenges to "say fast ten times". The list, assembled as a tool to aid people in speech therapy, has grown to include tongue twisters in languages other than English and there is a pointer to Michael Reck's page of International Tongue Twisters at the bottom of the main page.

More fun that a barrel full of manically mad monkeys, a look at both C. T. Staley's The Tongue Twister Database and Michael Reck's page of International Tongue Twisters through Josh Rantane's The Web In Pig Latin (http://voyager.cns.ohiou.edu/~jrantane/menu/pig.html) (SdJotD 970718) could prove entertaining enough to waste a complete afternoon.  (Back to top of page)

(000517) WindowsTracker.com
http://www.windowstracker.com

VersionTracker.com
Macintosh Software Updates
http://www.versiontracker.com/

VersionTracker.com, Inc.
Portland, Oregon, USA

With downloads, reviews and technical information for Windows and Macintosh software, these two sites shine. Every day, Freeware, Shareware, Demonstration and Update versions of software are added to the lists at WindowsTracker.com and VersionTracker.com. Find popular downloads and editor's picks, receive e-mail updates when a title is updated, and a lot more at both sites. Useful for updating existing software packages and trying out new products, I frequently use both sites and recommend them highly. Remember to always back stuff up before changing things on your computer, follow the instructions, and if you like that Shareware title enough to keep using it, why not go ahead and register it?  (Back to top of page)

(000518) Project Vote Smart - A Voter's Self Defense System
http://vote-smart.org/
http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/news.phtml (no frames)

Project Vote Smart
One Common Ground
Philipsburg, Montana, USA

Project Vote Smart is a clearing house for information about politicians in the United States on national and state levels, either in office or hoping for your vote come Election Day. Looking at issues and performance, Project Vote Smart can localize your search if you enter your ZIP+4 postal delivery code and even provide the necessary requirements and location for voter registration. Visitors from outside the US who follow American politics may find this site entertaining — and discover why certain citizens simply refuse to participate in the process. Not limited to tracking people, Project Vote Smart also looks at current and future legislation and the stages involved from issue to law. Of particular note are the numerous pointers to other sites. These sites are for different organizations throwing their brand of propaganda into the mix, under the Government & Issues heading select Issue Links. Less than six months away, the race to November elections should start heating up soon and this site is an excellent resource for cutting through the clutter and forming an informed opinion.  (Back to top of page)

(000519) The Gallup Organization
http://www.gallup.com/

The Gallup Organization
Princeton, New Jersey, USA

In politics, the results of public opinion polls can change a strategy overnight. Good or bad, such things happen constantly. Since 1935, The Gallup Organization has been gathering data by asking people questions and publishing the results. Topics range from politics to entertainment, and through this site they share their findings on a daily basis. Most of the polls are conducted in the US, but not all. Sometimes Gallup Polls are almost funny —

"Younger Americans -- those 18-29 -- are significantly less likely than older Americans to correctly identify the country associated with key historical figures, and teenagers do worse still. While 71% of those 50-64, for example, can associate Winston Churchill with England, only 34% of those 18-29 make the correct identification, and an even smaller percentage of teenagers, 25%, get the right answer. [May 5-7, 2000]

The percentage of Americans who say they ever hear the results of public opinion polls reported in the news: 80% [April 15-18, 1999]

The percentage of Americans who find the results of public opinion polls 'very interesting': 11%. Another 55% find them 'somewhat interesting,' 18% 'not very interesting,' and 15% 'not interesting at all.' [April 15-18, 1999]"

One day I'd like to see the results of a poll revealing exactly what percentage of people (American or otherwise) know that they are dumbasses.  (Back to top of page)

(000520) HotAIR
Rare and well-done tidbits from the Annals of Improbable Research
http://www.improbable.com/

Annals of Improbable Research
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Celebrating the folly and grandeur of odd and bad science, the Annals of Improbable Research crank out three flavors of AIR. First and foremost is the print version which is mailed bimonthly. Available by subscription, the rag looks at stories and case studies that'll leave your head spinning. The team behind AIR used to put out the Journal of Irreproducible Results from 1955 through 1994 when a publishing deal went bad. Second on the list is mini-AIR, a snack-sized monthly e-mail newsletter used to generate interest in the paper version and amuse e-mail subscribers. Finally, the HotAIR site which combines unique content, news, pointers, partial archives for all three versions, and more. Content appearing in one outlet may not show up in the others, so looking at all three is suggested. At the very least subscribe to mini-AIR, instructions for doing so can be found carefully hidden in the pages of HotAIR (http://www.improbable.com/navstrip/subscribe-mini.html).  (Back to top of page)

(000521) Archaeologica
Archaeological News and Information
http://www.archaeologica.org

Claire Warren
Boulder Creek, California, USA

Archaeologica takes all of the dirty work out of uncovering news stories pertaining to archaeology and history from media sources around the world. Not just limited to daily news, there are currently three parts of this site — Archaeological News, Archaeological Resources, and the Archaeological Forum. The fancy graphics add unnecessary loading time to the pages here, but once loaded Archaeologica is a smart resource. Perfect for anyone who has even the most remote interest in ancient peoples, pre-historic animals, shipwrecks, etc. A site well worth looking at.  (Back to top of page)

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(000522) Anthropology in the News
Anthropology at Texas A&M
http://www.tamu.edu/anthropology/news.html

Department of Anthropology
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas, USA

Similar to Claire Warren's Archaeologica (http://www.archaeologica.org) (SdJotD 000521), Anthropology in the News is a page that looks at stories from other sources. Maintained by the Department of Anthropology (http://www.tamu.edu/anthropology/) at Texas A&M University, this set has a sharper focus on the human aspect of archeology and its findings. Some of the original source sites require registration to read the stories but none charge for use. Thanks to Site-Scout Bob Cox for sharing his findings.  (Back to top of page)

(000523) Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Image Gallery
http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/

Malin Space Science Systems
San Diego, California, USA

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California, USA

NASA's Office of Space Science
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Launched in November 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor arrived at Mars in September 1997. Since that time the craft has made more than 5,000 orbits of Mars. In March 1999, mapping of the planet started and the results have been staggering. Over 25,000 pictures of Mars are presented in this gallery, imaged by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter from the aerobraking phase on arrival, through August 1999. This is the single largest one-time release of images for any planet in the history of solar system exploration and records an entire Mars year (687 Earth days).

"These are exciting times for Mars scientists and this release of images is in my opinion something unprecedented in the Mars science business," said Dr. Ken Edgett, staff scientist at Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, California, "People everywhere with Internet access will be able to take their own personal journey of exploration and discover Mars via these pictures. They can experience them the same way that Mars Global Surveyor scientists do — one at a time, no captions or explanations, just 'Here it is. What does it show me?'"

Fortunately for site visitors the images are not in one giant pile, instead there are three separate categories — the MOC Narrow Angle Gallery, MOC Wide Angle Gallery, and MOC Global Image Gallery. Each looks at the planet in different levels of detail. "Seeing Mars up close through the narrow angle camera has been a humbling experience. We often find surfaces for which there are no obvious analogs on Earth, like certain ridges that look like dunes. Our terrestrial geologic experience seems, at times, to fail us," Edgett said. "Perhaps it is because water is the dominant force of erosion on Earth, even in the driest desert regions. But on Mars that force of change may have been something else, like wind. The ridges seen in places like the Valles Marineris floors are strange. They aren't dunes because they occur too close together, their crests are too sharp, their slopes too symmetrical. They often appear to be a specific layer of material that has undergone erosion — we just wish we knew what processes are involved that cause this kind of erosion."

An exciting look at the discovery process through an amazing collection of images and data from the spacecraft that lived. Do plan on spending a couple of days at this site.  (Back to top of page)

(000524) The Mars Society
Exploration and Settlement of the Red Planet
http://www.marssociety.org/

The Mars Society
Indian Hills, Colorado, USA

Forty years ago, membership in an organization such as The Mars Society might have you labeled by outsiders as some sort of freak or crazy person. In less than a lifetime, Science Fiction stories have been outdone in the fantastic department — our perspective has changed, and the reality of space travel and exploration is clear. Almost clear anyway, The Mars Society is a sort of lobbying group for the human exploration Mars. As quoted from the site, the purpose of the Mars Society is:

"To further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. This will be done by:

1. Broad public outreach to instill the vision of pioneering Mars.

2. Support of ever more aggressive government funded Mars exploration programs around the world.

3. Conducting Mars exploration on a private basis.

Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, we intend to use the credibility that such activity will engender to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration."

An extensive site with news about research and development underway by the society including the Flashline Arctic Research Station (http://arctic.marssociety.org/), listings of, and pointers to sites of The Mars Society Chapters around the world, breaking headlines and stories from various government space agencies, and plenty more. Be sure to read the Founding Declaration of the Mars Society (http://www.marssociety.org/about/founding_declaration.asp) for an overview of what drives these freaks and crazies.  (Back to top of page)

(000525) The Papers of George Washington
http://www.virginia.edu/gwpapers/

Alderman Library
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

Established in 1969 at the University of Virginia by the University and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, The Papers of George Washington will ultimately be released in a 90 volume set. Letters to and from Washington, documents and other assorted papers from 1744-99 make up the collection. The Papers of George Washington site has only a fraction of the 135,000 Washington documents in the physical collection available, but the topics and events covered present a fair cross-section of Washington's life and times. As the first elected President of the United States of America, much of what is generally thought to be true about George Washington is riddled with inaccuracy. The Papers of George Washington site helps to set the record straight and is an important visit for anyone looking for information about the man, the myth, or the country he helped to establish. Similar to Abraham Lincoln Online (http://www.netins.net/showcase/creative/lincoln.html) (SdJotD 000513) but infinitely better in so many ways.  (Back to top of page)

(000526) RC Edge
http://www.rcedge.com/rchome.html
http://www.rcedge.com/

Royal Crown Company, Inc.
White Plains, New York, USA

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MoonPie
http://www.moonpie.com/

Chattanooga Bakery, Inc.
Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

"With an RC Cola and a MoonPie, it's all right. Don'tcha know it's all right". Truer words were never spoken and blood glucose levels never higher when the boys in NRBQ sang about an RC Cola and a MoonPie (http://www.rounder.com/rounder/catalog/bylabel/roun/3/3090/3090.html). An anthem for the snack food generation, that 1971 song is far catchier than any jingle ever devised by the marketing geniuses at Coke or Pepsi. Rounder Records (http://www.rounder.com/) (SdJotD 980909) should be applauded for keeping it in print.

These official sites for the Royal Crown Company, Inc., and Chattanooga Bakery, Inc. are the respective homes to a snack combination most popular in the Southern US. Find the history of both products, information about additional brands and product lines plus promotions and more. Royal Crown is targeting Motorsport and Wrestling fans, see NASCAR (http://nascar.com/) and WWF (http://wwf.com/), while the Chattanooga Bakery, Inc. is taking a more cost effective approach with assorted contests and promotions in addition to a co-branding approach with a Chattanooga neighbor in the Krystal Kid's Meal (http://www.krystalco.com/). A special thanks goes out to Site-Scout John Hoh for suggesting the MoonPie site. This is culture folks, loud and clear.  (Back to top of page)

(000527) romDog's Brooklyn Bridge live cam!
http://www.romdog.com/bridge/brooklyn.html

Richard Frankel and Fred Krughoff
romDog
East Coast Web Development Inc.
New York, New York, USA

This nice live shot of the Brooklyn Bridge, like many cameras featured as Site du Jour of the Day is a calling card for a company doing business on the Internet. This time it's romDog (http://www.romdog.com/), a design and site development firm in New York City. A brief history of the bridge, an impressive portfolio, and a good looking site will round out your romDog visit. That sure is a fancy bridge.  (Back to top of page)

(000528) Paris by the Water
Virtual tour to historical Paris Bridges and Fountains (France)
http://www.pariswater.com/

Pierre Rodrigues and Renata Santos
Premier BioSoft France
Paris, France

In certain respects, the Internet has taken the place of large travel books with plate after plate of landmarks. Once the only hope many people viewing the printed images ever had of seeing some far away place, these grand volumes were printed and bound with great care — and far away places were that much closer. As with live cameras, pages with photographs of specific locations coupled with descriptive text and the immediacy of instant updates makes the Internet a far more dynamic medium for seeing places somewhere else. Paris by the Water is meant to approximate a walking tour, featured are bridges and fountains. The images are very nice, accompanied by both French and English language descriptions and the bridge pages use a clever navigation technique. Sites like this will probably never replace photo books, but this form of publishing is good to see. Books are for sale through an Affiliate program at Paris by the Water and why not — a lot of effort has been made to put this free site together.  (Back to top of page)

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(000529) Search the Site du Jour of the Day Archives
https://members.tripod.com/~SdJotD/search.htm

Edward J. Pelegrino
Fort Myers, Florida, USA

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Free Search Engine — FreeFind.com
http://www.freefind.com/

FreeFind.com
Santa Cruz, California, USA

Last year in February, a search feature was added to the Site du Jour of the Day Archive site. As with many free services offered to people and organizations maintaining sites, they do not last forever. Such is the case with the previous search engine, the PinPoint Site Search Tool (http://netcreations.com/) (SdJotD 990220). Changing gears, the firm now operates PostMasterDirect.com - 100% Opt-In® Email Marketing — basically, they buy and sell e-mail addresses so other firms can try to sell you stuff.

In need of another search engine I started looking at other options. Eventually settling on FreeFind.com because of the ease in use, clean look and effectiveness of the search engine itself. Short of fighting with programming the Tripod servers will play nice with, FreeFind.com seems to be the solution. Several people who subscribe to Site du Jour of the Day and maintain their own sites followed suit and used the PinPoint Site Search Tool with favorable results. Now that it is gone, FreeFind.com might be the way to go. Fully configurable with the added benefit of an optional site map, the FreeFind.com Free Search Engine is a pleasure to setup and use. If you have used the old search engine at the Site du Jour of the Day Archive site, please let me know what you think of the FreeFind.com Free Search Engine. And once again, happy searching.  (Back to top of page)

(000530) Duct Tape on the Web - DuctTapeGuys.com

http://www.ducttapeguys.com/

The Duct Tape Guys
Tim Nyberg Creative, Inc.

Tim Nyberg
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

Jim Berg
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA

It's stories like this one from Reuters (http://reuters.com/) that must bring smiles to the faces of The Duct Tape Guys:

Man Fearing Gators Tapes Himself to Tree

8:38 a.m. ET (1238 GMT) April 20, 2000

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) — A man who became lost in a Florida swamp during a trip to photograph alligators was rescued by police after taping himself high up in a tree to ensure the reptiles didn't attack him while he slept.

Gemini Wink, 26, of Louisville, Kentucky, was still taped to a tree limb 40 feet (12 meters) off the ground when Hillsborough County deputies found him late Saturday night, sheriff's deputies said on Wednesday.

"The deputies arrived and helped him get down,'' sheriff's office worker Vilma Bean said. "He'd been up there several hours.''

Wink, who was visiting friends in Tampa, set out on his alligator trek using duct tape to mark his trail. After taking shots of an alligator Wink realized he was lost and found himself in waist-deep water with night falling.

Fearing an alligator attack, Wink climbed a tree, secured himself with duct tape and resolved to sleep there.

His friend grew worried when Wink did not return and called sheriff's deputies. Meanwhile, Wink heard noises from a nearby house and yelled for help. Someone at the house heard his cries and also called deputies, who launched a search.

With a helicopter overhead and police dogs sniffing his trail, Wink continued to call out. Deputies found him about 400 yards from his friend's home, untaped him and drove him back. "I'll definitely visit again, I'll probably stay out of the swamps,'' Wink told the Tampa Tribune from Louisville.

The Duct Tape Guys, Tim Nyberg and Jim Berg, understand the place duct tape has in the grand scheme of things here on Earth. For that matter, the universe if you consider that duct tape was used by Apollo 17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan in December 1972 to repair a design flaw in a serious piece of equipment they were using — on the Moon (incidentally, while writing this early Monday morning I had the pleasure of hearing the sonic boom of another Space Shuttle landing). Dedicated to the praise of duct tape, the pair have authored several books on the subject; The Duct Tape Book, Duct Tape Book Two, Real Stories, and The Ultimate Duct Tape Book. Due for release later in the year is The Jumbo Duct Tape Book. Duct Tape on the Web - DuctTapeGuys.com celebrates everything about duct tape including the whole issue of duct tape versus duck tape, the history and uses of the “Ultimate Power Tool,” art and fashion, and more. From a conversation about fixing a broken power line on Christmas Eve, 1994 to a cottage industry, The Duct Tape Guys rule.  (Back to top of page)

(000531) Australia Council For The Arts
http://www.ozco.gov.au/

Australia Council For The Arts
Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia

_________________________________

Aus Jazz
National Jazz Development Program
http://www.ausjazz.com/

Jazz Co-Ordination Association of New South Wales
Millers Point, New South Wales, Australia

Recent budget cuts in Arts spending in Australia could not have come at a more unfortunate time. With the 2000 Olympics fast approaching, the eyes and ears of the world will be on Sydney and surrounding areas. Attempts to raise awareness of Australian Arts in other markets have been successful to a point — geographic location and economic conditions make touring a challenge. Even at home in Australia. Styled after the Arts Council of Great Britain, and in one form or another has been in operation since 1908. The Jazz Co-Ordination Association of New South Wales is just one organization partially funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, in addition to State arts ministries. States other than New South Wales have similar societies and associations, notably those in Victoria (http://www.jazzvic.org), Western Australia (http://www.starwon.com.au/~jcawa/), and Tasmania (http://www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/tasjazz/). These sites all have a wealth of information pertaining to the development of the Arts in Australia. In the months to come we will be seeing and hearing more from Australians so why not get a head start.  (Back to top of page)

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Copyright 2000, Edward J. Pelegrino. All rights reserved.
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https://members.tripod.com/~SdJotD/2000/0005.htm

Updated May 31, 2000

This Archive has been opened times since May 6, 2000.