I Found the Strangest Things on My Way Here

User Friendly Comics

2006-11-12T20:55:00.000-06:00

That's the name of this daily technology cartoon. The cartoonist, J. D. "Illiad" Frazer, began posting on the Internet in 1997 and has been doing so every day since. Like most cartoons, sometimes User Friendly Cartoons are right on and other times they miss the mark. Anyone in tech is sure to find a couple cartoons to their liking.

Spam & Viagra--A Truly Odd Couple

2006-11-12T20:37:00.000-06:00

I'm talking Spam as in the meat in a can variety. At Viagra Spam Recipes you can find a multitude of recipes that let you combine these ingredients into some truly interesting meals. Viagra Spam Mousse, a Viagra-shaped and engraved Mousse. The major ingredient? Spam of course. Then there's always Viagra Spam Tempura and Viagra Spam Musubi. Well, I think you get the picture. But just in case you don't there are plenty of photos of the finished products as well as photos of the preparation. Bon apetit.

When is a USB Thumb Drive Really a Thumb Drive?

2006-11-12T19:05:00.000-06:00

When it comes in the shape of a thumb of course. Visit ComputerWorld's site for photos and descriptions of some truly unique thumb drives. There's the sushi and shrimp thumb drives for those who prefer sea food, rubber ducky thumb drive, Swiss Army Knife thumb drive or a half dozen other freaky thumb drives.

Take the Superhero Test

2006-11-12T18:55:00.000-06:00

At Blogthings: Cool Things to Put in Your Blog, you can answer a few (5) brief questions and have a determination made of your superhero alter ego. This and many other fun "personality" tests are available at this site. If anyone is interested, I fit the Spiderman psyche. I guess anyone that keeps a blog like this must be as messed up as good old Spidey.

Weird Performer, Weird Song, Weird Lyrics... It Must Be...

2006-11-12T18:25:00.000-06:00

Weird Al Yankovic. White and Nerdy is the name of one of the latest videos/songs from Weird Al Yankovic. One reviewer suggested it is the only song to contain the word JavaScript in the lyrics. It also contains the word Segway (the 2-wheeled, electric person mover). If you've never seen or heard anything by Weird Al this will be a treat. But then there's no accounting for taste. And you know it's going to be out of the ordinary when it gets posted here. Enjoy.

3 Dimensional Tarot

2006-10-24T16:51:00.000-05:00

I've always been fascinated with Tarot cards. I discovered at Reasonably Clever Tarot there are many different styles of representing the various major and minor arcana. Now for the first time ever there is a 3D version visible on line. It is made from Legos (R). All the major and minor arcana are here--including some rejects along the way.

Halloween Diet

2006-10-24T16:40:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for something a little different for your Halloween party this is not the place to go. This food is LOTS different! Here is a full seven course meal from the Chilled Brain Spread to the Bloody Heart Dessert. And my personal favorite, the Alien Autopsy Shooters for the aperitif. A collection of really creepy recipes can be found at A Successful Halloween Supper Party. NOTE: All items described are edible and also not made of what they look like.

What If You Were 18 Again

2006-10-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

Do you remember a time when Google was not a verb? When passengers were allowed to smoke on U.S. airlines? Or perhaps a time when Disneyland only existed in the United States? Then you're probably older than 18. Every fall the folks at Beloit College in Wisconsin come up with a list of people, events, activities and facts that have changed only recently. It really allows college instructors to realize just how different their experiences are from their students. Entertaining and enlightening at the same time.

Battle of the Bands (Album Covers)

2006-10-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

Imagine your favorite album cover. Now imagine your favorite album cover animated--and violent. Watch these album covers do battle with one another in this intriguing video of album covers at war or Battle of the Bands.

Google Needs Your Help

2006-10-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed how you sometimes get the strangest hits at Google Images? In an effort to eliminate this problem, Google has requested the assistance of their users. In order to make it a little more interesting they have created a game called the Google Image Labeler. You and another user are "partnered" and shown a picture. Then both users attempt to come up with a label for the picture. When you agree on a label, you get another picture. The trick is you only have one minute and 30 seconds per turn. For every picture you successfully label along with your partner you get 100 points. If you're real good you may make it to the top of the labelers list.

You Have Absolute Power

2006-10-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

In God's Playing Field game you have the power to kill anything that moves. There's no real purpose to the game and the novelty wears off after awhile. But it's an interesting diversion when you have a couple of minutes to kill. But then being God allows you to kill those minutes any way you want. Game Fudge is the host for this and other games if you want more.

Tracking Fame

2006-10-15T20:26:00.000-05:00

This site purports to track the famous and near famous celebrities and their works (movies, TV series, etc.). Humorous commentary on the various stars and trends in the entertainment industry abound at FameTracker.

There's a Patent for That!?

2006-09-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

Some of the strangest patents around can be found at the Delphion Gallery of Obscure Patents. Here you can find patent information about such useful items as: the inflatable rug, the bird diaper, and an apparatus for simulating a high five (pictured).

Cleaning Out the Gene Pool

2006-09-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

The Darwin Awards have a web presence. For those unfamiliar with this prize, it is usually given posthumously since the winner has successfully managed to remove him or herself from the gene pool. An example is the criminal who decided to rob a gun store by firing warning shots in the ceiling. He did this with a uniformed police officer and several armed patrons in the store . For more fun stories visit the Darwin Awards.

Do-It-Yourself Concert Tickets

2006-09-22T13:12:00.000-05:00

Never again will you be embarrassed as you're forced to tell someone you missed a big concert. At the Concert Ticket Generator you can create you own concert ticket stub so you can prove you were there. I'm not sure why anyone would do this but then I wouldn't have much to write about in this blog if it weren't for sites like the Concert Ticket Generator.

Advertising All Over the World

2006-09-22T13:04:00.000-05:00

For those that like advertisements and commercials, Ads of the World is the site for you. It contains ads from around the world. Media advertisements can be downloaded and played. Be warned this does not appear to be a "Best of..." site. Many of the ads are pretty bland. But there are some that provide a good laugh.

Civilization, as We Know it, is Doomed

2006-09-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

Here are 10,000 reasons why the statement above is correct. The 10K Reasons Civilization is Doomed site has requested viewers to send one (ONE only) reason why Civilization is doomed. There are nearly 5,000 posts so far. Soap operas, cheese heads, mullets and tv dinners have already been chosen. What reason would you choose?

Yeti, The Ultimate Athlete

2006-09-06T17:45:00.000-05:00

An earlier post provided one or two locations with Yeti (abominable snowman) taking batting practice with penguins. After several variations of this sport developed we now have the infamous Yeti branching out to other sports like soccer. There are even multiplayer versions available. Visit YetiSports.org for the latest information about this most amazing athlete. Warning: Some may consider this to be too violent for younger viewers. Parental discretion is advised.

There's Always Room for...

2006-08-21T14:47:00.000-05:00

If you should find yourself in the vicinity of LeRoy, New York, you simply must visit the Jell-O Museum. Somehow this one got under my radar. But it must be very popular because the site states "Reservations are encouraged." It's only opened to the public for six months (May-October) of the year. In case you can't get out there or can't get a reservation you can have the next best thing--the website. It doesn't have everything you can see at the museum but it does have the History of Jell-O, Historic Jell-O Recipes, and you can even enjoy some pictures of Bill Cosby's historic visit to the museum back in 2004. Don't forget to visit the gift shop.

Soap Opera on Booze

2006-08-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

For those soap opera fans out there we now have TikiBarTV. The current episode (#19) is titled Space Cadet and it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what or who is the major focus of this segment.

Stackopolis

2006-08-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

Stackopolis is similar in some ways to Tetris--yet totally different. With Stackopolis you are given some construction blocks and told you must create a particular form (building, park, landscaped mound, etc.) in a limited amount of time. You see the empty triangle at the bottom of the image above? That's where you start. Sounds simple? Give it a try.

Error Messages from...

2006-08-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

We've all gotten error messages before. And we all feel foolish when we discover we made a simple mistake. But sometimes the error message is a little difficult to interpret. Take a look at these posted errors at the Daily WTF Pop-up Potpourri.

Fortune Telling 8-Ball

2006-08-21T14:04:00.000-05:00

Remember when you were a kid and you or someone you knew got there hands on the 8-Ball? For those that don't know what that is, allow me to explain. The original 8-ball was round, water-filled ball. It was painted black and looked like an 8-ball from a pool table. There was a flat window that allowed one to look into and see a pyramid-shaped floating object. The idea was you would ask the 8-ball a question about your future, then turn the ball upside down, look to see what site of the floating pyramid came to the top, read the future. It might be something nondescript like "All signs suggest it will be so," or "Not in the near future." This electronic version is called a Magic Hate Ball. All the predictions are caustic and occasionally insulting.

Every Driver's License, Every State, Everybody

2006-08-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

Driver's License U.S. and others like it have been around for some time now. But maybe you have some friends that haven't seen this yet. Try it out on them. Send the URL along with words of doom and gloom such as: "This is an invasion of our privacy and should be stopped right now." or "With all the identity theft fears in the air how can the Internet allow a site like this to be available to anybody who requests it?" Of course the the first thing most folks will do when they get this message is check their own data.

Disclaimer: If you haven't been to this site before, there is nothing to be frightened about. It is simply a site with a single joke.

Worst Jobs in History

2006-08-21T13:25:00.000-05:00

For those of you that are fans of the Discovery program "Dirty Jobs," you'll probably enjoy the BBC's "Worst Jobs in History." Instead of the dirty jobs of today, this show looks at the worst jobs of the past. How did the average, non-royal, person earn a living? Find out at this web site.

Science Myth Information

2006-08-21T09:51:00.000-05:00

Electricity travels at the speed of light. Saturn is the only planet in this solar system with rings. Before Columbus, everyone thought the world was flat. Wrong! This comes from 10 Science Stuff You Got Wrong at School [sic]. It is part of a larger site called: Too Much Free Time to Spare. Visit the home page and link to such interesting trivia as: First Names You Didn't Know (Colombo, MacGyver, Sting, etc), Top 10 Greatest Imposters in History, 25 Most Bizarre Jobs, and more.

Ask, and You Shall Receive

2006-08-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Tom Locke decided to gamble with $39.00 in postage stamps. He took 100 $.39 stamps and wrote 100 snail mail letters to 100 assorted companies and asked them to send him something for free. He usually asked for free product. Sometimes he received free samples, while other times discount coupons, and yet other times promotional items like hats, cups, or t-shirts. Some sent him nothing. At this time the total value of goods received is $272.93. That's not bad for a $39.00 investment. His site, The $39 Experiment, lists all the companies he wrote to, the text of each letter, and the results and estimated value of the freebie.

Yesterday, it was Da Vinci Code. Today, it's Norman Rockwell Code.

2006-06-13T16:56:00.000-05:00

The Norman Rockwell Code is a 35 minute parody of the Da Vinci Code and it has some pretty funny moments. You definitely need broadband connections for this one. I don't want to give too much away but I'll give you a little hint: Instead of Tom Hanks think Don Knotts. Nuff said? Enjoy!

iPod Entanglements

2006-06-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

iPod earbuds and the associated cables can be a real hassle. The folks at ScottVest have what they consider to be the perfect solution. To demonstrate the problem they have created their very own silhouette iPod dancer.

Did You Hear the One About the Lawyer?

2006-03-22T23:28:00.000-06:00

Power of Attorneys is a website that celebrates the funny side of the law. It contains links from crazy lawsuits, weird quotations from attorneys and judges, to plain old lawyer jokes. A must visit for those in the legal profession and a must visit for those who have been, are, or ever will be involved with what passes for the legal profession in this world.

Way Beyond Jello Mold & Melon Balls

2006-03-22T23:06:00.000-06:00

Food that looks so good it's almost a shame to eat it. That's what you'll find at Chinese Watermelon Art-Sculpture. This is a slide show of various carvings of made from mostly melons. Designs range from traditional Chinese themes to more contemporary events like the Olympics.

At Holistic Living there are more of these edible masterpieces. The images are bigger and many display several of the pieces together. Melon Art is quite the wonder.

May the Farm Be With You

2006-03-21T17:36:00.000-06:00

That's not a typo. Store Wars is a neat little animation that makes a case for natural foods. Processed, irradiated, and genetically engineered foods come from the "dark side of the farm." If you don't agree with the message, just sit back and enjoy the animation and bad puns. My favorite character: Chubroccoli.

Interesting Sites: Funny, Sad, Weird and ...

2006-02-05T15:27:00.000-06:00

This site usually tries to keep the content light whether we're describing sites with animation, videos, strange lists, or just bizarre postings. Oldnewsbaby is a site similar to this one, but more interactive in that you can actually post your own ideas of interesting and different sites on the Web. Not all the sites posted are funny or entertaining. Some are a little scary. But the site is definitely worth a look see.

Beware the Killer iPod Ear Bud Cable

2006-02-05T15:13:00.000-06:00

For the cost of an iPod and an additional $15,000 or so you can have the convenience of carrying 15,000 songs around with you--all stored on a wafer thin device called the iPod. The problem is getting the music from the iPod to your ears. Many use the popular ear buds at the end of a thin cable from the iPod to the ear bud speakers. This can generate some problems as you can see from the video at the ScotteVest site. While I don't normally list commercial sites in this blog, I thought since you iPod folks have already spend $15,000 on music, what's a couple more dollars going to matter.

Disclaimer: The iPod is a wonderful invention of modern technology and I have the utmost respect for Apple (my first computer) and the products they produce. I'm sure ScotteVest does also. Hopefully we can still get a chuckle out of it.

Analyzing Your IP Address

2006-01-24T23:07:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wondered what your IP address would be if it were a poker hand? If your IP were turned into a bit map, what would it look like? What color would your IP address be? These and other questions are answered at this curious web site. My current ISP score is 18 which is roughly 9410th out of 69616. How these things are determined is outside my realm of understanding. But that's why we post IP Spotting here among the strangest things on my way here.

The Ever-Popular -bert Family

2006-01-09T17:47:00.000-06:00

That's Dilbert, Catbirt, Dogbirt, Ratbirt and probably a few I left out. Scott Adams' character, Dilbert, has his own official website. If you missed his daily appearance in your local paper or perhaps live in the far reaches of Outer Slobovia and can't read the daily wisdom of Dilbert, just visit Dilbert's web site and you can see the latest strip. Unlike many comics, Adams allows readers to send copies of the daily strip to anyone they want. There's even an archive of the last month of Dilbert Cartoons.

Why Are Chilli Peppers So Hot?

2006-01-06T16:07:00.000-06:00

For the first 20 years of my life I avoided anything that even approached spicy. Occasionally I tossed a little pepper on a hard-boiled egg. But that is the extent of it. Then something happened. I tasted something spicy one day and wanted more and more.

If you find yourself to be the same type of person, you just have to visit Chile-Head. The webmaster declares himself to be: "a Mystic Fire Priest of the Transcendental Capsaicinophilic Society." The site is filled with all sorts of information about chiles and why and how they make us respond the way we do. It explains the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) method of grading spice level of various peppers. It also includes a database of chili recipes, snacks, and sauces.

Created by a Single Man for Single Men

2006-01-06T12:46:00.000-06:00

No! This site has nothing to do with that. It's about TV dinners. The Single Man's Guide to TV Dinners actually reviews TV dinners. A short (paragraph or two) review on various frozen dinners. His rating system consists of various smiley faces that range from "Oh yeah!!" to "Ugh!! I think I'm Gonna Puke!!" I especially liked the author's pet peeve about frozen pizza. "Why is it that they never include packets of crushed red pepper with these pizzas?" While I didn't read every review completely, I didn't see any reason why this site wouldn't be helpful to those married couples with conflicting schedules that only allow them to eat together on alternating Sundays in months with 31 days in them.

Pennies Stack Up

2005-12-27T23:55:00.000-06:00

Stacking pennies is the subject of this site. Now it may sound a little foolish at first but you really must view the photos of penny stacks. There's got to be a lesson in engineering principles in here somewhere. Pictures of Pennies will impress you after you get over the "they've got entirely too much time on their hands" stage.

Find Out More About Yourself by Visiting the QuizFarm

2005-12-27T23:49:00.000-06:00

The QuizFarm is a collection of self analysis quizzes that have absolutely no scientific basis that I was able to find. The quizzes cover such topics as: "What High School Clique Do You Belong To?" "How Will You Die?" "What is Your Sexual Style" and a whole lot more. If you don't like these quizzes you can manufacture one of your own and then post it. Most of the quizzes seem to be aimed at the high school demographic.

Strangest Arcade Games

2005-12-27T23:34:00.000-06:00

Since 1974, Tim Hunkin has been building a series of unique arcade machines. How unique? How strange? Well there's the Gene Forecaster. You put a sample of your hair in and it allegedly extracts and analyzes your DNA. Or perhaps QuickFit is more to your liking. Watch a workout video and the workout bed moves all your appropriate muscles for you. See these and a whole bunch more at the Under the Pier Show web site.

Real Commercial or Parody?

2005-12-27T23:18:00.000-06:00

This comes from SillyMortal.com. Apparently the webmaster was sent this commercial for car stereos and speakers. But did it ever actually air? You be the judge. Warning: This video might be considered inappropriate for younger viewers.

The Yugoslav-Mexican Connection

2005-12-13T22:58:00.000-06:00

Through a series of historical events and a pragmatic approach to deal with the political break in Yugoslav-Russian relations back in 1948. Yugoslav had to look other places than Russia for its film entertainment. It chose Mexico. It was far from Yugoslavia and probably wouldn't invade. There movies were always about revolution and, of course, at that time this was an acceptable topic. Visit Yu-Mex to find out more about this strange mixture and how it affected Yugoslav entertainment

Snack Attack!

2005-12-13T22:48:00.000-06:00

It's getting late in the evening and you crave something to snack on. But what? At Writers/Artists Snacking at Work (WASAW) they help you decide. They have reviews of over 200 different snacks. Along with the reviews they also have photos of some interesting snack creations like the wedding cake pictured in this review.

Whole New Meaning to What's Your Sign

2005-12-05T22:54:00.000-06:00

The Birthday Calculator gives a whole new meaning to the old "What's Your Sign?" pick-up line. Not only does it tell you your sign, but it also tells you what day of the week you born, the date of your conception, how old you are in years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds and even dog years. Then it tells you your stone and your tree. How many people were born the same year as you? How many died? It goes on and on with interesting information about your birth.

What's a Longmire?

2005-11-22T23:18:00.000-06:00

Honestly I don't know. That's the name of the site. It's called: The Wonderful World of Longmire. The home page place a most irritating little music loop but once you get to one of the sites subsections it can prove to be most amusing. By clicking on features at the home page you can visit romance novel covers renamed, rejected wheel of fortune puzzles and more. It's a blog with an attitude of fun.

Guess-the-Google

2005-11-20T17:25:00.000-06:00

Some of you may recall Grant Robinson's Montage-a-google, mentioned in a previous posting here. It allows you to create a montage of images from performing a Google Image search. This time Mr. Robinson turns the tables and has created an interesting game.

1. The game performs a search in Google.
2. It then creates a montage.
3. The trick: You aren't the one supplying the search term.
4. The goal: To guess what term was used that found the displayed images and montage.

The game is called: Guess-the-Google. Enjoy!

I Want One of Those

2005-10-31T11:36:00.000-06:00

Every sci-fi fan would love to get there hands on a death-ray. Well the folks at Solar Death Ray actually created one. Using over one hundred mirrors and with careful positioning, they are able to create a beam of heat that will melt everything from AOL CDs to plastic bear honey dispensers. I thought I saw a recent edition of Mythbusters that said it would never work but apparently this guy has proven them wrong. I had one problem while visiting the site. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it would automatically scroll to the bottom of each page a short time after the page load.

Going ShopPun

2005-10-31T11:09:00.000-06:00

Finding just the right name for a business is not always that simple. Many theories exist. Some suggest picking a name that begins with "A" so your business will be at the beginning of the yellow page listings. Others suggest a name that reflects the products you sell. At Shop Horror you can find some British shopkeepers with a definite sense of humor in their store names.

When Life Gives You Snow... Make Snow Sculpture

2005-10-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

That's what they did in Breckenridge Colorado last January. Visit the 2005 International Snow Sculpture Championships for a look at some really neat sculpture. Sand lasts a long time. Ice is hard and melts. But how do you work with snow? Is it a special kind of snow? How do you work with millions of flakes that melt instantly from a casual breath?

WebCams from Around the World Part 2

2005-09-26T17:02:00.000-05:00

I'm always fascinated by folks that set up web cams. Whether it's camera shots of a cityscape or someone's pet lizard. What a way to use the Internet. With EarthCam MetroCams you can view various cityscapes from around the world. There are over a dozen cams from the United States and a small handful from other areas of the globe. Give it a view.

Exercise Your Brain

2005-09-19T15:46:00.000-05:00

Do you like brain teasers? Is an online word search puzzle your idea of a great video game? If you like brain taxing games you'll want to visit Braingle. The site has the largest collection (oven 8,000) of brain teasers, riddles, logic problems and mind puzzles. Teachers, get your students using their brains to problem solve. The daily brain teasers are fun. Some are a bit more difficult than others. A fun ride.

Clouds--A Good Thing?

2005-09-08T23:18:00.000-05:00

That's right. The Cloud Appreciation Society is tired of "blue-sky thinking" that seems to pervade our culture. Give them a good old cloudy or overcast day anytime. They even have a manifesto. I never realized there were so many different ways to view and categorize clouds. Some truly excellent photos and artwork depicting, of course, clouds.

Tenna Balls

2005-08-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

Whenever I go to a shopping center or mall, I have a tendency to forget where I parked the car. So my wife got me a tenna ball. (For those that don't know, a Tenna Ball is one of those tennis ball-like car antenna covers.) It was Mickey Mouse with the hat from Fantasia (Magician's Apprentice). Then if I could remember the general area where I left the car, I could usually find the car with little difficulty. Alas, Mickey disappeared a short time ago.

At Tenna Balls, you'll find a collector of these tenna balls. Everything is represented: Disney, Star Wars, food & drink, animals, corporate logos, and more. These are photos from the private collection of the web master and are not for sale. But it's interesting to see the kinds of things folks are willing to put on their car antenna.

Bored? Not for Long.

2005-08-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

Are you bored? I Am Bored was designed for you. The site is a multimedia collection of fun. There are independent short films, audio files, games, photos and more. My favorites are the television commercial parodies. A broadband connection is highly recommended.

Brush Up Your Math Skills on Your Next Road Trip

2005-08-18T21:36:00.000-05:00

The idea behind Road Sign Math is to find single road signs that contain numbers that can be interpreted mathematically. For instance a road sign that says Alpha is 7 miles up the road, Beta is 10 miles further and Gamma is 17 miles ahead. 7+10=17. Get it? The site has been around about six months and has over 50 road signs that fit the criteria. Always intriguing to see what folks do in their copious free time.

Shredding the World

2005-08-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

Do you enjoy watching things get crushed and shredded? If the answer is "Yes!" then you'll want to visit SSI's Watch It Shred. There are videos of various items being shredded. Simple aluminum cans, to boats and full-size cars. SSI produces portable shredders that can be taken almost anywhere and will shred almost anything.

Worst Jobs

2005-08-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

If you aren't happy with your current job, the Worst Jobs in History site will show you that things could be worse. It contains both current and historical jobs that are not exactly first choice on anyone's list.

Animated MJ

2005-08-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

You've read about it in the newspapers and seen the reenactments on TV. Now see the animated version of the Michael Jackson trial. This comes from EbaumsWorld. This may not be suitable for younger viewers. Parental discretion advised.

Microsoft AntiSpyware Removes Internet Explorer

2005-08-03T16:33:00.000-05:00

The above is just one article that you will find at BBspot, a parody site. Others are: "Microsoft Announces Ads for Blue Screen of Death," "Microsoft Granted Patent for Creating Insecure Software." It doesn't stop at picking on Microsoft. Explore the full range of menu choices for more.

I've Seen That Actor in Something Else. What was it?

2005-07-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

"Where Have I Seen That Guy" is a quiz about that wonderful group of actors known as character actors. You go to a movie. One of the "character" actors (not a major--top billing role, but a pivotal character to the movie) looks familiar. You know you've seen him/her in another movie somewhere but can't think where. At Scottsmind you can take a quiz consisting of 15 questions, with a graphic image, and answer a question about the actor in the scene. This is not an easy quiz--not for me at any rate.

What Kind of -ology is That?

2005-07-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

Cryptozoology is not something a lot of people have ever heard of--but it exists. Cryptozoologists are interested in the study of animals that have not yet been accepted by science. Creatures like sea serpents, yeti, and Bigfoot fall into this category. They also search for more commonplace animals that may or may not have gone extinct such as the ivory-billed woodpecker, giant vampire bat, or pygmy elephant. Before you click to a new site beware cryptozoologists have had some successes in the past. For example, the pongo--now known as the gorilla and the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish once thought to be extinct. Cryptzoologist are not interested in magic creatures but real creatures that just haven't been found yet.

Do You Suffer From Backup Trauma?

2005-07-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

He helped bring us Monty Python's Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, a whole bunch of movies, and now for something totally different. John Cleese gives us a downloadable movie titled: "The Institute for Backup Trauma." It's actually a commercial site. Along with all of the above credits, John Cleese makes and produces corporate training films. He brings his unique sense of humor to everyday business events.

Site Title Describes this Precisely

2005-07-10T19:31:00.000-05:00

The name of the site is Lunacy Toons. And it is. The site begins with the user attempting to help a leprechaun find a four-leaf clover in a field of clover. The leprechaun does his best to distract you. If you use the menu tabs at the top of the page you can visit other animations. All animations, including the opening sequence, may not be suitable for younger viewers, so parental discretion is advised.

Flash Animation

2005-07-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

At The Raving Fit you will find Flash cartoons by Dan Kowta. Parents should exercise discretion before allowing youngsters to view these. They load pretty quickly even with dial up connections.

The Uncylcopedia

2005-07-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

This site pokes a bit of fun at another encyclopedia that claims to be created by its users. As soon as you see the home page you'll probably realize just who they are making fun of. The Uncyclopedia refers to itself as a "...content-free encyclopedia that anyone can edit." Find out how Tom and Katie first met. George Bush's nomination of Judge Judy to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. This non-info and more can be found at Uncyclopedia.

Letters from the Web

2005-06-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

When it comes to images, the Internet has a bunch. It also has a bunch of graphic letters. That's letters of the alphabet. At Web of Letters you type a word or short phrase. The Web of Letters goes out to the web and searches for images of the letters you've entered. Then it displays them on the screen. Each letter is a separate image. So if you're thinking of creating a nifty card or poster, you'll need some type of screen capture software to grab the entire letter group.

Petals Around the Rose

2005-06-22T08:34:00.000-05:00

The name of the game is Petals Around the Rose. It seems pretty simple. Roll 5 six-sided dice. Use the numbers on the dice to calculate the number of Petals Around the Rose. The problem is you don't know the formula to use. The number of petals changes with each dice through. Depending on your personality, the game can be a mild waste of time or can become an obsession.

And the Winner Is...

2005-06-22T08:18:00.000-05:00

Googlefight site is a metaphor to see what topic gets more hits than another. While the site uses Google to search for the two terms in the background, a cute little stick figure animation "fight" is presented. One figure defeats the other. Then through the use of an animated bar chart, the two terms appear side by side and rise evenly until one stops and the other continues on. When the two bars are finished rising the actual number of hits are displayed. In a fight between batman and robin, the winner is robin. Batman is a costumed hero while Robin is both a costumed hero and a bird and a first name for people and therefore shows more hits than Batman. If you can't think of two terms to fight each other, you can look at the last 20 fights, fight of the month, funny fights, or "the classics."

Original Flash Games

2005-06-17T17:36:00.000-05:00

For a collection of quick-loading and simple Flash-based games visit Orisinal. This site has over 50 games written in Flash. The hyperlinks to the games are represented by pastel colored icons with no explanation. So you have to load the game on faith and then read the instructions once it loads. While I haven't played every game here, they would probably be enjoyed by very young (maybe around 4 or 5) gamers.

He's Everywhere! He's Everywhere!

2005-06-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

That's right. Now you can revisit those wonderful 1960s when Chickenman ruled the radio waves in Chicago. Listen to the adventures of the "Wonderful White-Winged Warrior, Chickenman." In the mid 60s a number of television programs were introduced with campy type super-heroes. The best known is probably Batman. There were others as well such as the Green Hornet, where many Americans got there first look at a certain martial artist named Bruce Lee. Out of this campy craze came the radio character of Chickenman. At this site you can not only hear the old episodes but find out how .wav files were turned into MP3 files. If you grew up in the 60s you have to visit this site.

Random Magnetic Poetry?

2005-06-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

Nobody Here reminds me of those silly magnetic poetry pieces. I don't know if I can even describe this one adequately. Here goes. You access the site and there is a silhouette of a man working on a computer. As you move your mouse, text appears at the left side of the screen in a stream of consciousness format. On the right, random words scroll as you move your mouse. If you stop on a word on the right, the last line of writing on the left will contain the word you stop on. If anyone can figure out the purpose of this site, please let all of us know.

Law and Order: Dumb and Dumber

2005-05-30T17:11:00.000-05:00

This site has nothing to do with the TV show but I thought it would be a catchy title. This site contains listings of just what you would expect--dumb laws. Did you know that, in Chicago, it is illegal to fish while sitting on the neck of a giraffe? Someone actually wrote this law, and the scary part is a group of what are thought to be wise and knowledgeable legislators voted it into law. I chose a Chicago law as an example because it is close to home. But there are listings of everything from federal laws to state and city laws that are just as dumb. See them at Dumb Laws.

Free the Games

2005-05-30T16:11:00.000-05:00

At Liberated Games you can find many formerly commercial games that have now been made available free of charge to the public. You will want to be certain to read the Licenses section before downloading the games. There are some restrictions. But for the most part the games are just what they say they are--Free!

Going Against Common Knowledge

2005-05-15T17:48:00.000-05:00

The saying goes that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. Well in the Flake Mates game they are. Your task is to find them.

An Alternative to the Chinese Zodiac

2005-05-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals, some real like the rat, and others mythical like the dragon. But the folks at Snack Food Chinese Zodiac have an alternative idea. Why not update the Chinese Zodiac and make it more current? Use snack foods instead of animals. There may be something to it too. My year on the traditional Chinese Zodiac is the Rat, but in the Snack Food version it's Cola. Those who know me would certainly agree it's probably appropriate as I consume large volumes of cola. What's your snack food sign?

Power, Give Me More Power! More! More!

2005-05-15T17:05:00.000-05:00

At the 48 Laws of Power page, the authors list what they call the 48 Laws of Power. There is no preface, introduction, or additional hyperlinks. Are these guys serious or is this mean to be tongue-in-cheek? You must decide that for yourself. Having worked in the corporate world for quite some time at a variety of companies, I can say that I have seen a number of these laws used--unfortunately not by me. (Examples: #2 Never put much trust in friends, Learn how to use Enemies. #7 Get others to the work but always take the credit.)

The Return of the Lava Lamp

2005-05-15T16:59:00.000-05:00

Something everyone wants to do is make their own lava lamp. Right? Well, anyway at Oozing Goo you can get instructions on how to make your own. With a disclaimer right up front they warn that it is probably less expensive to just buy one than to build one. But for those that wish to make their own here are the instructions.

Predict the future

2005-05-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

Well maybe not predicting the future. But can you make a reasonable guess at the next word in a news story? That's what Prognosticate is all about. You pick a particular news category from a list. Prognosticate displays the story with 20 words missing. Your job is to guess what those words are. There's a high score list and easy and hard versions as well.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About a Number

2005-05-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

You really have to love numbers to get involved in Number Server. It's a very simple site. You have a little data entry box, where you are prompted to type a positive number in decimal or binary. When you click the Submit button you instantly receive all sorts of info about the number you typed. Like what? Like sine, cosine, tangent, square, cube, square root, binary form, hex form, and a bunch more. Is the site useful for anything? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

The Compleat Alfred E. Neuman Collection

2005-05-09T22:57:00.000-05:00

As any serious Mad Magazine fan knows, Neuman is the mascot for the magazine. Now you can see all of the Mad Magazine Covers going back all the way to issue #1 in 1952. It's hard to believe the mags over 50 years old and has it's own television series. Can any other real magazine claim to have a television show named after it?

Clients Are Crazy

2005-05-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

If you've ever had a client tell you that your work was perfect but now they want you to change everything around, this site is for you. Misery loves company. At Clientcopia freelance consultants and designers submit their client based horror stories for the world to read. You are not alone.

What's a Kumquat Anyhow?

2005-05-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

The Kumquat Computer Company has a news parody site. In it stories are reported using old photos, current news, and a very vivid imagination.

And in This Corner...

2005-05-05T21:40:00.000-05:00

Fights on the Internet? Not really. Actually fights in Google. What could be fairly boring (and is after 2 or 3 matches) comparing the number of hits for 2 different topics in Google searches. A cute little animation and some interesting match ups already set up make Googlefight a moderate amusement.

A Nose for Money

2005-05-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Depending on your political views, you will either enjoy this site or consider it disrespectful. I'm sure there are photos of all political parties that could be substituted for the one that resides here now. Meanwhile enjoy the nosejob.

What Time Did You Say It Was?

2005-04-27T22:50:00.000-05:00

If any site should be posted here it is the Human Clock. Is it strange? You bet. The site has hundreds of photos of people displaying different times in different ways in different places all over the world. For just about any HH:MM of the day you can find a photo at this site of someone displaying the current time. You can also choose between an analog and digital clock for many of the times.

Drivers License Photo

2005-04-27T22:41:00.000-05:00

At DriversLicenseSearch you can allegedly find the drivers license photo of any licensed driver in the United States. The home page sites statutes and laws that make this information available. Fill in the form and submit it. See what you get. I know I've ruined it for you but you can pass it along to your friends and relatives who probably won't know about this site.

All the Jokes Fit to Post

2005-04-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

What a novel idea. Instead of sending jokes to all your friends and receiving them from all your friends, just come to Friday Fun and see what netizens think is funny. If you have something you think is funny, send it in and they will post it. The site is not limited to just text jokes, but videos, images, sound files and more.

The Yuckiest Little Miniature Golf Course in the West

2005-04-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

That's how the web master describes this set of photos and videos of the Magic Carpet (Mini) Golf course in Billings, Montana. Yet another totally tasteless, but hilarious, web site generated by someone with too much time on their hands.

What's a Nine-letter Word for...?

2005-04-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

If you like Crosswords, you'll love this site. It contains thousands of crossword puzzles just waiting for a savant to solve them. Fill out the crossword on line or print it out. Great for the Crossword solver.

Car for Most Occasions

2005-04-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

My understanding of this video is that it was created as a demo for an advertising firm and never meant to be seen by the public. Somehow it got out onto the Internet. The advertising firm is being sued. Car for Most Occasions may not be for everyone. Some will consider it to be in poor taste. You've been warned.

Say What?...

2005-04-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

I don't even begin to know the purpose of this site. But it allegedly translates English web sites into ??? hip-hop? rap? I don't know enough about the lingo to do it justice so I won't try to imitate it. But everything is filled with lots of "dizzle, sizzle, nizzle and mizzle" words along with leaving the "r" off many "er" words. Gizoogle looks and operates like Google but the citations show up the Gizoogle format. If you type an entire URL (including http://) into the search box, it will take you to the site and translate the entire site for you.

What's the Buzz?

2005-04-01T08:04:00.000-06:00

Buzz Words are what BuzzWhack is all about. Each week it scans press releases, news reports, and other public documents for the latest in buzz words. It has an extensive online Buzzword Compliant Dictionary. Some words are self explanatory, while others need a little explanation. Check out words and phrases like: microwaiting, ABM, coma factor (a term some of my students may use in referring to my lectures), action items, and many more.

Don't Get a Big Head About It

2005-03-24T15:28:00.002-06:00

Apparently there is a trend in photography. The trend is to take photos of people with larger photos in the background--specifically portrait or headshot photos. Visit Big Heads and see what I mean.

Who Was That Celebrity I Saw You With Last Night?

2005-03-24T15:28:00.001-06:00

What is there about celebrities? We want to see them, talk to them, and even pose for pictures with them. If you have ever gotten a celeb to pose for a picture with you and you'd like to share it with the world, go to Celebrity Safari. You can post your photo with the rich and famous.

Four More Years

2005-03-24T15:28:00.000-06:00

The folks at Jib Jab did it again. They've created a victory song for the current resident of the White House. You have to click through a couple of screens to get there but you can hear and see Second Term if you have just a little patience. The download is over 5 megs so there will be a "little" wait if you're using dialup.

Will the Real Jim Wilson Please Stand Up--Or Show Us Your Photo

2005-03-21T18:06:00.000-06:00

This data base is truly unique. It is a photo database of people named Jim Wilson. As of December 2004 there were over 50 Jim Wilsons listed at the site. Each Jim Wilson (JW) that qualifies is allowed to post a brief (1-2 sentence paragraph) biography, a photo and a hyperlink. Yet another example of the strange and wonderful info available on the Internet.

Can We Have a Show of Hands?

2005-03-21T18:02:00.000-06:00

The Hand Collection is a collection of hands--photographs of hands that is. People send photos of their hand--usually decorated with pen, marker, tattoo, fabric, etc. These photos are then posted to a gallery with other hand images. The hands come from all over the world, have messages scrawled on them, faces or creatures. Why hands? According to the webmaster: "Feet is harder."

Vegetarian Propaganda

2005-03-21T17:51:00.000-06:00

An interesting Flash animation can be found at The Meatrix. Here we see how the animals on the farm are lead to believe they live in a wonderful rural setting when the reality is they live in nasty old assembly line stables. The message is a bit preachy but it is a fun little Flash if you can get past the sermonizing.

One for the Road

2005-03-14T17:46:00.000-06:00

I've seen lots of magazines and ezines on the Internet but this is by far one of the strangest zines I've seen to date. The focus is drunkenness. It is called the Modern Drunkard Magazine. It celebrates drunkenness by having profiles of famous drunks (latest issue has articles about Jackie Gleason and Hunter Thompson). Editorials run to boycotting Jack Daniels because they've lowered the proof of their whiskey. Other articles contain such gems as the history of words we love to slur, drinking music, and cocktail recipes. Not for everyone. Make up your own mind.