Welcome to this week's selection of picks, where we've learned that there are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball, Yak's milk is pink, the first king of Babylon was named Nimrod, crickets hear through their knees and the average person takes seven minutes to fall asleep. This last fact is far from useless (see Deb and Jen's Land O' Useless Facts) because it allowed us to determine that if you're reading these in bed you've still safely got 0.63636364 minutes per site before you're in Sleepville. We best get started.
There is of course another option. You could take short naps between sites. And if you're so inclined, you may want to join the World Nap Organization, which proclaims itself (as opposed to confesses or admits or otherwise apologizes) as "the nap lobby - an unabashed special interest group devoted to battling negative images of the blissful practice of nap taking." Join the ranks of 500+ members, peruse the results of the organization's surveys, or follow a handful of truly great napping links. Hey, you snooze you lose. (It had to be said).
We apologize for the ongoing regimen of awful puns, but it's either read this or read Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, first a book, then a CD-ROM, now a website. Among other features, the site includes an interesting look at how the CD-ROM was put together and online retellings of Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs and Snow White. Afterall, you can't go through life without realizing that Snow White is really about "a young wommon [learning] to accept her mother of step for who she is, and seven differently statured men [learning] there's more to personal enlightenment than sitting in a sweat lodge in their underwear." As if this weren't obvious.
In other enchanting, Fantasy Land news, there's a new Bewitched page in town, dedicated to the 60s television show and its main star, Elizabeth Montgomery. Nothing to twitch your nose at (apology #2 right here), the collection of memorabilia at this site covers it all: stills, sound clips, magazine articles, biographies of the cast, proof sheets, an early script draft, house plans, logos, and pictures, pictures, pictures. Be sure to stop by the Silly Slide Show of Elizabeth Montgomery background images.
Also from the gallery of television women with supernatural powers, try the latest issue of Blair, which includes an ode to Pippi Longstocking. Blair describes itself as "a web-only superzine for kooks and retards such as yrself!" They admit they've eaten all the fruzen gladje, but where else are you going to read about "clarks wallabees, the ugly shoes for gorgeous YOU", meet cute skaters, learn how to robot dance, and perfect your ability, amongst other things, to spot European men in a crowd?
From robot dancing to robot shooting, and the Eugene Jarvis Fanpage. More than just a tribute to the creator of video games such as Defender and Robotron, the inventor of the smart bomb and twin joystick control, this fanpage is also a nostalgic look back at the days when personal "computers were still incredibly cool, new and exciting." Begun as a project in a CS class (the assignment was to create a page on an influential and important figure in computer science), the site includes a biography of Jarvis, histories of his classic games, articles and a Jarvis Game-ography, all presented with the point of view that computer games "were a new and limitless phenomenon" in the early eighties, that "Eugene Jarvis games are the absolute best, the pinnacle of video achievement."
If today computers are not much cooler than toasters, then they're certainly not as cool as what you'll find in a Diba Kitchen. Looking for a single compact appliance that offers stereo CD audio, television and access to a large graphical recipe database that features nutritional information, menus and shopping lists? Want a cross between Martha Stewart and your home entertainment system? Try Diba.
If you plan on dining out you may want to try Zagat Dine. Much of the information found in the Zagat restaurant survey books is now available online, thanks to this site. Browse Zagat's reviews and recommendations by city, cuisine, ranking and popularity, or by bargain. The site is part of Pathfinder's larger Getting Around the Planet travel site.
Finally, the inspiration of it all. Looking for that perfect job? Try Hotwired's new Dream Jobs, presenting new leads at the pace of one job a day. Certainly not the largest employment database in the works, the Dream Job approach is to focus instead on the whole idea of dream job-ness. Here, you'll learn that "not all Dream Jobs are at dreamy companies." And that "not all Dream Jobs are in the wired world." You'll also learn a bit of company background and history for each potential position, and have the chance to rethink your place in the working world. Hey, it's either that or a visit to the Random Inspirational Quote Generator. Take your pick(s).
Yahoo! World Tour
Presented each week with a new focus, the tour highlights some of the
great stuff found in our regional categories. This week's theme:
Exploring the Great Outdoors.
Start with one woman's 2,100 mile solo kayak journey along the eastern coast of the United States. Titled Live & Let Live, Leigh Moorhouse's expedition will take her from Key Largo, Florida to Eastport, Maine, a four month trip "helping to raise awareness and funding for cutting-edge projects and research, education, patient support, and advocacy for breast cancer world-wide." Follow the progress of Leigh's trip, read her logs, or find out how you can help her cause. Her trip began on April 14. As of May 5, she'd reached St. Augustine, Florida. Next year she plans a southward expedition on the west coast.
A team from Imperial College in England is planning an expedition to the Amazon later this summer. Netspedition Amazon's primary objective is to demonstrate a new way of conducting scientific research in remote regions. Results of field experiments, in the form of text, data, images, will be transmitted back to Imperial College and make their way online. Collaborating scientists will analyse the results and direct the research team as the netspedition unfolds.
For something a little less involved but certainly equally worthwhile, you may want to try The Big Cross Country RV Adventure. Franklin Hu bought himself an RV with the plan of crossing the U.S. four times (that's 14,000 miles) in over two months. According to his April 29 log, Franklin's RV had a bit of oil pressure trouble in Idaho. So did he make it? You'll have to explore the site to find out.
Originally published in 1795, Arctic Dawn offers a complete hypertext edition of the journals of Samuel Hearne, the first European to explore the western Canadian Arctic. From 1768 to 1772, Hearne explored the region on behalf of the Hudson's Bay Company, searching for copper mines and the elusive Northwest Passage. Follow the fascinating journey as told in his own words.
Finally, tragic breaking news from NBC's coverage of Everest Assault '96.
Last Friday a deadly summit snowstorm killed at least eight members of the
Everest expedition team, including climber Scott Fischer. Surviving
climbers, including Sandy Hill Pittman, have safely returned to Base
Camp. Follow developments as they unfold, or read more about the
expedition, at this comprehensive site.
Sites featured in this weeks picks