Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Definitely For People With Too Much Time on Their Hands
If you've ever wondered where your money comes from (other than the U.S. Mint), The Great American Dollar Locator may be for you. The idea is for people to type in the serial numbers of the paper currency they carry with them. Hopefully someone else who has held that same dollar bill has also posted the serial number. Now you have the beginning of a chain that will allow you to see at least a couple places your dollar might have been before it came to you. With the massive quantities of currency the U.S. government produces the possibility of two or more folks logging their serial numbers and then finding the other have got to be very slim. But if you have a lot of free time, go for it.
"Tastes Just Like Chicken"
That's the tag line for Weird Foods From Around The World. The site covers information about foods that most Americans would balk at but others find to be more than acceptable fair. Some examples: Fried spiders, spruce beer, and fermented moldy soy beans. These are just a few of the exotic dishes described at the web site. Not all the foods are this exotic and I actually found a few items on the list that I have tried--and liked.
Word Game
Sixteen cubes with letters instead of numbers. Laid out in a 4x4 grid. Make as many words as you can using the letters displayed. Many have played the physical version of the game sitting around a table with 3 or 4 close friends. Now imagine the same game played with dozens of people simultaneously. WEBoggle is that online game. I actually made it into the top 10 a couple times.
Another Viewpoint on Dining Out
Anytime two or more people get together, someone has a horror story to tell about a negative restaurant experience. It's almost always from the point of view of the customer. But what about the wait staff's view? The Stained Apron attempts to rectify this shortfall. We hear stories from food service staff about the customers from hell. I'm not a perfect customer but I've not complained of cockroaches that weren't there, or falsely claimed a food or service was not provided. If you've ever worked in food service these stories have the ring of truth.
You Can Have Your Picture Posted in the Post Office
On a postage stamp of course not the FBI's most wanted list. PhotoStamps makes it possible for you to have your favorite digital image placed on a valid U.S. postage stamp. Imagine the possibilities. A wedding photo stamp for the thank you notes from the bride and groom. A portrait of a birthday celebrant or graduate. Maybe a family picture for the next family reunion. The cost for the stamps is somewhere between 2 and 3 times face value but make for a nice keepsake of that special event.
So You Think You Know Movies
Put yourself to the test with Name That Movie. This website is an archive for the Name That Movie enewsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter and get two movie questions each day in your email. There is usually a brief description of a movie plot, character, or setting with a question as to the name of the film, who starred, etc. If you don't want to subscribe check the Archives for previous questions.
The Light is Quicker Than the Eye
A nice collection of visual black/white/gray optical illusions are available at Light Demonstrations. First the illusion is animated (very quick load even with dial up) and then the science is explained. I know, this site might even have some practical application. But it's neat to have your eyes play tricks on your mind. Even when you know what to expect your brain still gets the wrong signals. You can even run this site with a monochrome monitor.
Follow the Instructions as Displayed in the Picture
The Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness is just that. Someone somewhere had what they thought was a great idea for an image that would dispense information in a graphic fashion. Sometimes that image was a how-to, or perhaps a hazard, or something entirely different. Unfortunately the images seem to confuse more than help. The webmaster has about 60 of these images with his interpretation of what they may mean. The really scary part is that some of these images actually make sense to me.
Fly Away From Until You Find Nirvanna
This is a neat little piece of interactive animation. You can literally take a flight of fancy and escape the bonds of gravity with Fly Guy. You'll meet some interesting characters during your flight and not all of them are friendly. Some actually want to return you to terra firma so you have to start all over again. Those with dial ups be patient the file takes several minutes to load.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
iPod Finishes in Second Place
Someone's finally brought the all-powerful iPod to it's knees. An independent study has been done showing that the iPod is NOT the all powerful media tool everyone claims. There is something much better. It exceeds the iPod in performance after drop tests, soaking in water, and life expectancy. To find out what this product is visit this branch of the No Name No Slow Gun web site.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Do I Need To Draw A Picture?
GE has a site called: Imagination at Work. It allows the user to take a virtual magic marker and draw whatever they wish in their browser screen. It's a little reminiscent of early paint programs. While it doesn't have a lot of features it is amazingly responsive on my dial-up connection. You can save or email your works of art if you are so inclined.
Monday, August 09, 2004
The Top 86,800
The folks at WordCount didn't mess around with the top 10. They went for the big time. At WordCount you will find a list of the 86,800 most frequently used words in English. Through the use of Flash technology the words are listed in a continuous horizontal listing. The words get progressively smaller as you go from left to right. The left is the more frequently used and the right is less frequently used. You can type in a number to simply find out what word exists at a particular rank or type in a word and find out its rank. Names (first and frequently last names too) are also a part of this listing. For example "Joe" (my name) is the 2,333 most frequently used word in English and the more formal "Joseph" ranks 3,191.
What is the site good for? Maybe it could be useful if you're attempting to decrypt secret messages or prove to your spouse that your name is more popular than his/hers. I just think it's fun and the Flash presentation is a treat.
What is the site good for? Maybe it could be useful if you're attempting to decrypt secret messages or prove to your spouse that your name is more popular than his/hers. I just think it's fun and the Flash presentation is a treat.
Sleeping In Airports
The Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports is a web site all frequent air travelers should have in their favorites list. By use of anecdotal reports from real air travelers, over 550 cities and their airports are rated for comfort, courtesy and other characteristics. While the reviews are not scientific they are apparently real evaluations from real customers. Airports, pay attention.
Friday, August 06, 2004
What Do You Call Haiku From Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is known for its dairy products so the answer is: Mooku. The site is called the Dairy Lama and has periodic contests. A regular competition is for the title of "Big Cheese" of the month (I'm not making this up). The prize is a block of cheese delivered to your doorstop. Another randomly chosen Mooku writer will win an Apple iPod.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Where Did The Time Go?
The answer to the above question can be found at the Where Did The Time Go web site. After entering some information about your age, gender and very general info about what you've been doing all your life, it returns information about how much time you've spent working, sleeping, etc. When you get to the site you'll discover it's not the most scientifically organized site around. Those of you with dial up connections may find the site takes a while to load and process but don't leave your machine. Watch the loading in progress icon. Those of you with broadband will probably only see a little blur.
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Dog Bites Skateboard?
Dog bites man--nothing new. Man bites dog--different but not real original. Dog rides skateboard? Are you kidding? No. You have to see this to believe it. It's a direct video feed and works best with broadband. Watch the pup skateboard.
