Issue # 111

Marcus Leatherdale Photography - Marcus Leatherdale, a photographer known best for his portraits of celebrities done in New York in the 80s, has spent much of the last 7 years living in India. Based in a 200-year-old house in the old city(?), he began photographing the diverse and remarkable people there, from the sadhus (holy men) to celebrities, royalty to the Adivasi (tribals).

Computer Guardian - BigFix is a utility that scans your entire computer for potential system conflicts and provides automated solutions to them all in one place. After running this program, BigFix detected problems in my Internet Explorer, Pentium Processor, Windows 98 security settings and pointed me to the proper company sites where I was able to download the fixes. This is a really useful program.

Indie Films - ALWAYSi's library of over 1000 feature-length films, short films, animation and TV-like series is available for viewing in streaming formats. Be sure to check out the Feature of the Day.

SHORT TAKES:

Dye My Hair - Dye My Hair is a collection of priceless information on "what to buy, how to dye, and how to avoid letting your hair fry." This essential resource provides an informative, step by step instructional on every conceivable hair dyeing process you might consider attempting. Learn how to dye your hair properly without trashing your bathroom. Be sure to check the picture gallery for new ideas.

Best Rated Travel - Making travel plans? Best Rated Travel grades travel sites on functionality, content, entertainment value and usability.

Quote World - At a loss for words? Then go and get yourself a "real-time" quote at Quote World. With a database of over 13,000 quotations, you'll be spouting clever Shakespearean quotes in no time, impressing all your friends.

<><><><><><><><>

Evolution of Flight - In preparation for the 100th anniversary of flight, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has just launched a captivating site which surveys the history of flight.

Electric Heart - Created as a web companion to the NOVA television program "Electric Heart", this site explores the possibility of practical artificial hearts for those in need. Learn about the functions of the heart, perform an interactive heart transplant, or watch how it moves blood through the body. As it dutifully pumps approximately 7200 liters of blood throughout you each day, why not take some time to learn about the hardest working organ in our body?

Poems That Go - Designed to "celebrate poetry through techonology and the Internet." Consciously abandoning the tradition approach to literature, this site uses motion graphics and animation in a new form of expression that integrates the online experience with the written word.

Digital Dirty Dancing - Bustamove will teach you to dance with or without a partner using a variety of media, including videos with music, still frames and animated segments. Start practicing at home, then when you're ready, hit the dance floor.

Epidemic: On the Trail of Killer Diseases - On the Trail of Killer Diseases is a site created by Discovery.com and the American Museum of Natural History. Featuring five major public health threats, tuberculosis, influenza, polio, dengue fever, and the hantavirus, this site provides rich historical summaries and details of each epidemic and their large-scale effects.

Issue # 112

First Look, Then Buy - Offers "millions" of multimedia previews of the latest movies, music, video games and TV. More than 3 million previews were available the day we visited, and the 30-second audio and video samples are surrounded by links to official sites, interviews, reviews and, of course, online stores.

Sweet Memory - Memory CleanerDownload - This small utility promises to help your PC run faster with fewer crashes. Special features like log file abilities, command-line functionality and a choice of cleaning methods make this a cool little download.

The Color of Money - 2020 Green - Guides visitors through every step of becoming financially solvent, starting with getting a job at one of four virtual employers, from a deli to a communications firm. Once you get the job, you're walked through the shock of receiving that first paycheck and learning the difference between gross and net pay, and then through equally comprehensive lessons in bill-paying, using credit, investing and saving.

SHORT TAKES:

Start Your Engines - Let's Mow - Not quite life in the fast lane, lawn mower racing is a slow, steady route to the finish line, and this site is your eticket to well-paced excitement. Created by the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association, whose president crows "We're the Grateful Dead of Motorsports!" the site has the complete mow-down on race schedules, race maps, news and photo gallery - and no whiplash.

Dog Don't - "Step into it. Don't be afraid, your shoes won't get dirty." That's the invitation into this odd web site promoting Budapest's very earnest campaign against dog "do" on its city streets, cars, doorsteps and apparently every other surface. In both Hungarian and English, the site is best viewed with ShockWave.

Culture T's - Howard Besser's T-Shirt Database - Only at Berkeley would library science students compile a massive database of T-shirts as a lesson in cataloging. Created under the guidance of Professor Howard Besser, whose academic interests are "multimedia databases in cultural institutions," the students deliver 533 searchable T-shirt graphics with dates and brief descriptions. And, incredibly, no links to online stores where you can buy 'em.

<><><><><><><><>

Morphing Mr. Right - Face Generator - Create Mr. Right, or Miss Pigface, depending on your mood. The Face Generator is "a face transformation tool" that lets you manipulate the head, eyes, nose and mouth of one of several programmed faces. You can even give him or her a nasty case of acne by clicking on "Uses soap every Christmas." Then send your creation as an e-mail to your friends.

The Complete History of the Discovery of Cinematography - Makes a good case for its claim that motion picture-making is 2,500 years old, with detailed timelines dating to 900 BC, theoretical explanations of light and lenses, biographical sketches of venerable (and sometimes wacky) film luminaries, bizarre inventions in film technology -- and wonderful illustrations.

Fire Call - National Geographic gives a face and a voice to the heroes, who jump out of the frying pan and into the fire for a living, as Norbert Schuster, a wildland firefighter, does his best to explain the impulse to don heavy fire gear under a hot sun to combat one of nature's most dangerous and unpredictable phenomena.

Building Big - Hosted by David Macaulay, creator of The Way Things Work, Building Big has interactive labs where visitors can fiddle with the strength of different building materials, special challenges where they can be dam engineers with big leaks to fix, activity guides for teachers and a comprehensive database of the world's greatest feats of engineering.

Get Satisfaction - Gives you the tools to have your complaints handled promptly. Handily subdivided by industry, the site offers easy, industry-tailored complaint forms, routes them to the right department, follows up on cases and has partnerships with leading companies to promote happy endings.

Issue # 113

All the News That's Unfit - Burnt out on Chicken Soup for the Soul, angels and other pop-cheer? Take a break at BB Spot, where you can drown yourself in ironic, cynical (and often tawdry) satires that skewer everyone, from Apple to Microsoft, Eminem to Jesus. Irreverent and often-crude top ten lists abound, like the relatively tame one on "rejected top level domains,"

A Veil in Time: Nepal - With photos, art, a travel journal and maps of a trek through Nepal, this site of simple but beautiful charm is a portfolio piece from Zama Design, online illustrators and web designers. Fans of Nepalese culture will find much that pleases here.

John Lennon Remembered - This special section of Rollingstone.com coincides with the release of The Beatles Anthology, the third entry in the mammoth chronicle of the band's career, and RS' own re-release (with new material) of Jann Wenner's Lennon Remembers, the 1970 Rolling Stone interviews.

SHORT TAKES:

Stock Shock - The Stock Market Psychic is one of hundreds of short animated films from Atom Films. This one, has you dial in a stock symbol and "watch another dotcom go dot-BOMB!"

Celebrating Sideburns - Badburns celebrates sideburns, those hairy facial things that get long, short, fat or skinny with fashion and taste. The King of Bad Burns offers photos scoured from the Internet, a celebrity gallery, burns news and an earnest effort to inaugurate the Burns Street Museum.

Calculate This - Need to convert area measures from one square unit to another, estimate your body fat or calculate your annuity payments? Measure 4 Measure is a collection of interactive sites that helps you measure, calculate, and evaluate just about anything in science, math, health, finance and "everything else."

<><><><><><><><>

Tons of 'Toons - Fans of web-based cartoon animations and Weird Al Yankovic must have
a lot in common: Most of the animations featured here take (well-deserved) potshots at stars of pop culture, like "Britney Smears" and Star Wars. So be cautioned: Yes, it's cartoons, zillions of them, but no, they're probably not for your kids.

The Eisie Awards - If you like photos, your only complaint here is that they're too small. The pioneering photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt inspired the Eisie Awards for Magazine Photography, recognizing the work of 79 photographers in categories ranging from Nature to Fashion.  

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online - The cheapest places on earth, the world's best and worst budget hotel chains, even a Civil-War themed 600-mile budget auto tour --- no one has been getting there cheaper, longer, than Arthur Frommer. Today's tips include how to e-mail while on the road, citing cybercafé outlays at $4 for 50 minutes in London and $1 per 15 minutes in Kusadasi, Turkey.

World Wide Words - Phrases like "rain check", "ballpark" and "touch the base", confuse the British because they literally don't play the game. Michael Quinion, has created a site devoted to investigations of the English language from a British viewpoint.

Ad Flip - Billing itself as the world's largest searchable database of classic print ads, the creators of Ad Flip "love ads and pop culture," and there's ample evidence here that the two are close kin. Search for ads by product type, brand name, decade or year, or just click through the site's own top ten oddball selections.

Issue # 114

Art by Math - For those who think math is a four-letter word, this site of cosmic, psychedelic, biotic, hypnotic trance art created by mathematical formula will make you go Wow, over and over again. Formerly the ArtByMath Fractal Gallery, the site was re-launched in June 2000 to celebrate the new millennium, with an exhibition of award-winning web artworks in computer-generated 3d-raytracing and fractal designs.

Edible Journey Through China - What does the phrase "Chinese cleaver" sound like in Mandarin? You can hear that and other cooking terms spoken aloud on this charming site that has a homemade feel but is masterful at covering the surface of a lot of Chinese food territory.

"Do You Believe?" - Next time someone asks if you believe in ghosts, click over to this site and show them Arthur Conan Doyle's spirit exuding from a medium's nose - caught on film in 1932.

SHORT TAKES:

Dotcom Graveyard - "With the launch of its e-commerce site, Bbq.com will be to barbecue what Amazon is to books." So said Bbq.com CEO and co-founder Anthony Johndrow, before the barbeque supply e-tailer went up in smoke a few months after its launch, burning $1.68 million in the process.

End Daylight Savings - If daylight savings time (DLT) just means it's a little darker when you get home from work, you may not appreciate the aggravation DLT causes the folks at standardtime.com

Nitpickers - Nitpicks are mistakes made by moviemakers and caught by moviegoers -- anything from historical inaccuracies to visible lift wires -- spotted and reported to this site by nitpickers.

<><><><><><><><>

Time Out: The World's Living Guide - Time Out, a hip, high-end travel guide, has many of the usual travel guide features: current listings of concerts, exhibits, clubs, hotels, restaurants and shopping, plus such practical info as how much your money will buy and the easiest way to get around. The difference is in its style and attitude.

The Virtual Body - The virtual body is a visual, auditory and interactive exploration of parts of the body, including the brain, skeleton, heart and digestive tract. While the info here isn't especially comprehensive, it is attractively presented with skillful animated illustrations.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins' Kids - When the family and friends of legendary rock 'n roller Screamin' Jay Hawkins were trying to figure out who to invite to the family reunion after his death last year, they set up this web site. "Are You One of Jay's Kids?" lays it out straight, with an online form to be completed by those who believe they may have had a child by Screamin' Jay, or who believe they are one of his 60 or 70 offspring.

Institute of Official Cheer - Pop culture of the 50s and 60s is recycled into "feather-light postmodern commentary on commercial culture" at the Institute of Official Cheer. Perhaps the Age of Irony needs an invented history. If so, its fictional foe is Lucius P.R. Strochwacher, who first isolated irony in its liquid form and then developed a means to block it in the bloodstream through the use of a topical cream.

Bug Bios - Beautiful photography, elegant design and authentic content make this labor of love on an offbeat topic an extraordinary visit. Devoted to the "shameless promotion of insect appreciation," BugBios does everything it can to bring bugs up close and personal, short of actually letting a caterpillar crawl up your arm.

Issue # 115

How Much Information? - Suffering from information overload? You don't know the half of it - literally. The world's total yearly production of print, film, optical and magnetic content would require roughly 1.5 billion gigabytes of storage, equal to 250 megabytes per person for every man, woman, and child on earth.

Joseph Wu's Origami - Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper … and the daily newspaper folded up under your arm doesn't even come close. Looking at these elaborate designs created from the simplest of materials, it's easy to understand site creator Joseph Wu's background in computer graphics.

Portraits of the Presidents - Post-election,(well, not exactly)it's hard to believe there was a time when we only got to see what our President looked like via paintings, sculptures or engravings. The complete collection of presidential mug shots has been preserved by The National Portrait Gallery and gathered on this web site.

SHORT TAKES:

Buy, Sell, Hold, or run for cover! - CoolTick is a scrolling stock ticker, downloadable as a small executable program -- for free. Customize it with your stocks, get detailed quote pages for a symbol or add your own web links to scroll with the symbols.

Name that Neutron - Science Songs are a six-LP set of science-themed "Atomic Age" folk songs from the 50s and 60s, rediscovered in 1998 and encoded into MP3. Now you can hear them over the web and sing along to old favorites like "What Is Gravity?" and "The Ballad of Sir Isaac Newton."

Presidential Haiku - Presidential Haiku is the world's "most trusted," and probably only, source for little gems like this one on LBJ: "Big man in trouble/Build a great society/Sadness on the ranch." You can say it sweet and simple yourself, then send in your submission.

<><><><><><><>

The Global Playpen - This site is definitely deep-dish travel. Welcoming you to "enter the global playpen," it offers reviews of destinations, tips, travel columns, links and reservations all designed for the traveler who wants to fully immerse him/herself in foreign places, and not just watch from the bus.

Culture Club - This web site mirrors the ongoing series of award-winning primetime special on PBS examining the lives, works and creative processes of "our most outstanding cultural artists" - from Eugene O'Neill to Lucille Ball to Bob Marley.

Urban Legends Reference Page - Do women who wear purses strapped across their bodies run the risk of being beheaded by purse snatchers? Uh, no. Check out this and other urban legends, formerly known as rumors, at the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society's Urban Legends Reference page, where you can get the scoop (as in True or False) on every piece of scuttlebutt currently circulating.

Family Geography Challenge - Quick: The James Bay Power Project, the largest hydroelectric complex in North America, uses the abundant water supply of which Canadian province? You mean, you don't know? From National Geographic, this educational site is designed to improve geography education with a remarkable array of teaching resources that make learning about the geo-political world easier, and certainly a lot more fun, than textbooks.

Eastwood - This tribute to the man whose six decades in the public eye have seen him go from Dirty Harry to the Mayor of Carmel, truly delivers everything Clint -- even a short biography written in his own words.

Issue # 116

Into Africa - Anyone who has ever visited or yearned to visit Africa, will be enchanted by this mesmerizing site. It takes you along on the journey from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, and records the people, animals and environment in stunning photography, hypnotic sound and lyrical words.

Try Science - Getting kids excited about science and technology is the goal here, and it's right on target. More than 400 science centers worldwide contribute to the on-line and off-line exhibits, where kids can investigate and discover through activities that are truly kid-friendly.

Wired Grandparents - Celebrating the joy of grand parenting and enriching time spent with grandkids is the goal of this site, designed for hip, wired senior citizens. There's tons to do here, both with the little guys and on your own: riddles and tours, contests and comics, serious topics like how to get through to your kids, divorce, boutique shopping, chats and message boards.

SHORT TAKES:

Healing Herbs - The Herb Database links users to scientific data on using specific herbs for health. You type in the herb and get data on clinical trials, case studies and folk or traditional use, published warnings on adverse effects and interactions, commercial and folk preparations, the biochemistry, plus pictures and related web sites.

Discovering Yourself - The Personality Test, sponsored by Sprite soft drink, is not for kids. But adults seeking a compatible mate can take the test, discover their own personality type and send the test to a potential mate to take -- and then keep everyone's results on file to find just the right match.

Wasabi - Sticky Rice is where the Sushi Generation learns all about sushi and how to make it. It offers recipes, tools and tutorials, a chance to ask the sushi chef questions and even a store where you can buy all the stuff you need to have a total sushi experience, from Japanese lanterns to a $500 sushi knife.

http://www.stickyrice.com

<><><><>

Dramas of The Haymarket - "The Haymarket" was an 1886 labor protest in which several policemen were killed by a bomb, and it remains a symbol of our nation's struggle over labor rights. Here, the Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University present the dramatic event as a tragedy in five acts.

A Perfect World - Looking for the perfect world? You're not alone: This site traces how women and men have imagined, depicted, described and created ideal societies where the goal is happiness for all members.

Anatomy of an Exposition - Art Nouveau, 1890 -1914, was an exuberant modern art form, and its exhibition at the National Gallery of Art is the largest ever organized on the style. This site focuses not just on the objects d'art themselves, but on the colossal task of creating such a showcase: concept, design and construction.

Charity Works - Year-end is just the right time to get hip to e-philanthropy, so you can pony up some tax-deductible contributions before December 31st. There may be no better place to do so than Philanthropic News Network, "the voice of the nonprofit world and the marketplace for products and services nonprofits need."

Popular Science's 50 Best Sites - Popular Science has picked its 50 Best Sites, and they're not all about building a CB radio in your garage. From spiral galaxies to DNA, these sites provide a wealth of information via interactive games, video clips and animations.

Issue # 117

The Beatles - The Official Beatles Site is dedicated to the 27 Beatles singles that hitthe top of the US or UK charts. This interactive site makes high multi-media demands on visitors, but ShockWave 8, Flash 5 and QuickTime 4 are downloadable from the site and enhance the experience.

Ethnic Art - Throughout the world, objects of extraordinary beauty are still being produced by so-called primitive peoples. This site features over 1,200 images that provide a glimpse into the lives, traditions, and cultures of a people that are fast changing as western technologies and lifestyles are adopted.

Very Young and Very Hip - This Arizona Jeans site greets you with a hip music and dance intro, and once you enter the frantic pace continues. The difference, though, is that just about everything here really is "yours": Your Voice, Your Friends, Your News, Your Style, Your etc.

SHORT TAKES:

Dot Cons - Dot Cons reveals how new media is using old scams, from multilevel marketing to credit card fraud and bogus business opportunities. If you've been ripped-off by a dot con-artist, you can register a complaint here with the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Jumping the Shark - Jumping the Shark is that defining moment when you know that your favorite TV show has reached its peak and is headed for history: like when Max and Agent 99 said "I do" on Get Smart. Vote for the shark-moment on top shows like The Simpsons and the X-Files (no consensus yet on whether or not the shark has been jumped on these two.)

Silly Molecules - Silly Molecules delivers real molecules, in their three-dimensional splendor, that have unusual, ridiculous or silly names: like Adamantane, named for Adam Ant, the flamboyant 80s English pop star, or Domperidone, which is not the active ingredient in champagne. Send the link to your favorite chemist.

http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Chemistry/MOTM/silly/sillymols.htm

<><><><>

ESPN's Page Two - ESPN.com is home base for many sports fans, but Page Two is where the real maniacs go for the insider's inside scoop. You may already know about ESPN's high-energy, wired style: Here it's taken to the limit and delivered with major attitude.

iExplore's Trip Finder - iExplore and National Geographic team up to help you create your dream adventure - from bicycling to birding, culinary trips to ecotours -- and then promises you won't find a better deal anywhere. The coolest feature is a Trip Search tool that asks you not only your destination, but also the price range, physical and mental difficulty level and consumer satisfaction ratings you seek.

Buzz Whack - Buzz Whack, dedicated to de-mystifying buzzwords, is the hangout for buzz whackers, people who get their kicks out of bursting the verbal bubbles of the pompous. 

All DLL, All the Time - If you've ever gotten the dreaded "A required DLL file was not found" message, you will appreciate this site. DLL (Dynamic Link Library) is, in short, a file that does a particular job which other programs use to perform their functions.

Stan Lee Brands - Many of us know Stan Lee as the pop culture icon who created the comic book characters Spiderman, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The X-MEN and many more. Well, he couldn't resist creating a "new Super Hero universe starring a group of beta testers who have adventures on the other side of cyberspace!"

Issue # 118

Mapping Cyberspace - One of the most common problems online, is navigating through all the noise to find what you're looking for. Not unlike early explorers, it is easy to get lost on any internet voyage. With this in mind, the Guggenheim Museum has created a fascinating experiment about online travel.

Best Music Never Heard - HardRoad.com is a "family" business, born of a simple notion: build a community of music loving people who meet on the web, then get together face-to-face at HardRoad.com concerts and events. Start virtual and become real.

Codes and Ciphers - Many WWII historians would argue that British cryptanalysts' ability to crack German communications changed the course of the war and gave an invaluable advantage to the Allied forces.

SHORT TAKES:

Palm Pilot Gear - If you really want to max out your Palm Pilot, check out Palm Gear HQ. It features free software downloads, hardware accessories, tips and tricks. This site will have your handheld operating at its full potential.

Wearable Motherboard - In the, "what will they come up with next" file, is the Wearable Motherboard Smart Shirt. Yes, a wash and wear shirt, complete with a portable wireless transceiver.

Most Popular Names - Since 1998, the Office of the Chief Actuary has been publishing the most common names in America. The source: Social Security Cards. Find out how unique your name is.

<><><><><>

Surviving Manhattan - Survivor, The Real World, Big Brother; it was only a matter of time before the net jumped on the reality series bandwagon. No, it isn't the same old idea of placing cameras around and following the willing participants wherever they go, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Best of all, it's interactive.

Warhol Online - "If you want to know all there is about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my painting and films, and there I am. There's nothing behind it." This self styled introduction by Warhol, leads us into the most comprehensive internet source of the "pop-art" movement leader.

Movie Trivia - Quickly: What year was the movie "Rocky" released? Who produced "Saturday Night Fever"? Name all the films Steve Buschemi has been in.....need to use one of your lifelines?

Higher Learning Portal - If you've ever gone through the process of selecting a college to attend, you know what an overwhelming task it can be. Scholarships, entrance essays, grants, dorms, fraternities and meal plans are just a few of the many factors to consider when researching a choice for higher education.

Life Clinic - Many medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, can be positively affected by lifestyle and the close monitoring of changes in vital signs. LifeClinic.com was developed to provide an in-depth resource for information about prevalent, long-term health conditions and an online service to track your health over time.

Issue # 119

Illuminating Light - The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh has teamed up with the Van Gough museum in Amsterdam to help shed some light on, well, light. This extraordinary site takes a detailed look at the evolution of light in a social, economic and artistic context. Have fun navigating the site through an interactive timeline that spans the Industrial Age from 1750 - 1900.

Low Cost Film Developing - During the holidays, photos are ripe for the taking. But by the time you've developed all the rolls and made prints for everyone, the price of all the memories can be pretty steep. If you're looking to take the work and expense out of your holiday photos, Snapfish.com has a unique solution.

The Travel Year - What do you do if you're a 20 something graphic designer who is burnt out on the dotcom world? You take a year off and travel the world.

SHORT TAKES:

All About Words - If you're looking for a fast, uncluttered, text based online dictionary, bookmark this site.

Lego Star Wars Trilogy - The fruits of over 2,500 hours of work, the Lego Star War Trilogy painstakingly recreates over 180 key scenes from the original series. Imperial Walkers, Ewok dances, Jabba's sail barge, and the "most impressive" Skywalker vs. Darth Vader lightsaber duel are all recreated using cutom-made models.

Caricature Zone - Got some free time at the office? Why not make a caricature of a colleague. Caricature Zone gives visitors all the tools necessary to deface a friend's photo or take an impressionistic fling.

<><><><><><>

Censored - Wielding the Red Pen - Given the rights Americans have to free speech, could you consider a circumstance in which the suppression of materials or ideas might be wise? The University of Virginia Libraries has created an online exhibition to challenge your views on censorship.

Aspiring Photographers - Depth of field, shutter speeds, aperture settings and f-stops are enough to make new photographers camera shy. Fear not, now there is a site for all of us who are intimidated by the technical aspects of photography.

Rock's Back Pages - Can't make it to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame anytime soon? This site is the next best thing.

Chick Click - The influence of women on the net grows daily and recents stats show more women online than men. Chick Click is another intelligent and fun answer to what some consider to be a slightly misogynistic, male dominated internet.

What is Logic? - Factasia's purpose is, "to provide resources for building a vision of the future." In this heady, intellectual playground, visitors will find everything from an 80 word definition of "truth" to intriguing introductions to symbolic, philosophical, mathematical and many other forms of logic.

Issue # 120

Media Inspiration - Each week our staff spends many hours surfing the Internet, looking for interesting sites to share with our subscribers. One of our frequent stops is Media Inspiration, which offers resources to spark the creative minds of web designers.

The Routes of English - The BBC's online companion to its "Routes of English" series offers an intriguing look into the evolution and constantly changing world of the English language.

Addictive Games - Remember the days when all arcade games were merely a quarter? This site is packed with all sorts of games from the Pac-Man/Asteroids/Galaga era which are long gone, but not forgotten.

SHORT TAKES:

Improve Your Vocabulary - The Washington Post recently published a contest for readers in which they were asked to supply alternative meanings for various words. The following were some of the winning entries:

Dave's Web of Lies - Dave's Web of Lies employs a trained team of specialized researchers to trawl the world's information nets seeking out falsehoods. Check out the Lie of the Day, a Week of Lies, the Celebrity Liar, or submit some of your own.

Wal-Mart Receipts - Derek has been saving his Wal-Mart receipts for the past 4 years and has created a voyeuristic site where the world can view his purchases.

<><><><><>

The Bermuda Triangle - The Bermuda Triangle is a myth that started off as old-time stories that sailors used to tell new ship mates to give them the heebie-jeebies, so says Tobias Gibson who has been researching presumed paranormal activities there for the past two decades.

The Basics of Yoga - Yogabasics.com contains everything you'd ever wanted to know about the basics of yoga including instructional pictorials on over 45 postures, informative definitions of the various forms of yoga, and information on several breathing techniques.

Bioethics - Bioethics.net is the Internet's first and largest site on bioethics and follows the many debates on medical ethics for academics and anyone interested in human cloning, genetic engineering and other scientific advances that effect all humankind. It is sponsored and produced by the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics.

Monster Cards of the 1950's and 1960's - Monster Cards of the 1950's and 1960's is a fun site devoted to these unique trading cards that were sold much like their baseball card counterparts, in paper wrappers complete with stale bubble gum. If you're tired of discussing the net worth of today's baseball players maybe you'll find some new heroes, or in this case, villains here. Check out the Mars Attacks! series, which was the inspiration for the Tim Burton film.

The Season for Giving - In this holiday season, many of us have much to be thankful for and want to find ways to share our blessings. GiveSpot.com is a free volunteer and philanthropy resource center that simplifies the search for charitable opportunities around the world.