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(020601) The Charly's didgeridoo
The directory of the didgeridoo
http://www.charly-didgeridoo.com

Charles Reny
Saint Médard en Jalles, France

There seems to be a growing number of quality special interest portals showing up out there lately. This unusual combination — a Didgeridoo site based in France, is among them. Suggested by Reddog, The Charly's didgeridoo looks at the history of the ancient instrument native to what is now known as Australia, provides instructions for making a Didgeridoo, and much more. The commercial affiliations and pointers are a part of the charm, especially for those Didgeridoo enthusiasts looking for new material. Available in French, English, and Spanish language versions. (Back to top of page)


(020602) Bartleby.com: Great Books Online
http://www.bartleby.com/

Steven H. van Leeuwen
Bartleby.com, Inc.
New York, New York, USA

Like that set of shelves at the Book Museum, the ones that you are only allowed to look at the books but not check them out, Bartleby.com: Great Books Online can be really handy. Suggested by Robin O who wrote to suggest the various resources including, "…dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, compendia of quotes, and full text of a growing number of literary works, all in one place, for free…". No required registration, and the content is first rate. When people talk about a paperless office this might be what they will eventually mean. (Back to top of page)


(020603) HowlSpace
http://www.howlspace.com.au/

Ed Nlmmervoll
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

For me, the beauty of the Internet still boils down to sites like this one. HowlSpace is all about the music of Australia and New Zealand. Easily two of the most under appreciated sources of excellent English language popular music, the people of Australia and New Zealand have a lot to be proud of. HowlSpace explores the music business from the viewpoint of musicians and fans, as historical information, contests, and more make up the bulk of the content. Opinion in the form of columns, record reviews, and interviews with acts helps to round out the content. From the early days when Johnny O'Keefe was all the rage, to current day chart-toppers, HowlSpace is the music of Australia and New Zealand. (Back to top of page)


(020604) Mittoni
CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Secure Digital and USB Card Reader
http://www.mittoni.com/
http://www.mittoni.com.au/

Mittoni Pty Ltd
South Yarra, Victoria, Australia

Occasionally, we all have one of those really nice customer service experiences. The sort that make the world a little less idiot-filled, and renew hope for the species. At the very least, you get exactly what you thought you were going to get, at a reasonable price. I've had just such an experience with a firm in Australia.

Looking for a way to read CompactFlash cards on a computer without USB support, I found a simple solution from Mittoni Pty Ltd with their CompactFlash CF IDE Adapter (http://www.mittoni.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1185). An industrial strength solution that has a Windows machine treating a Compact Flash card as if it were a disk drive. A very clever idea and at a price that couldn't be beat. Mittoni Pty Ltd carries a full line of digital media for use in digital cameras and like that. Their product line is affordably priced, the health of the Australian Dollar will make for subtle variations and shipping costs are low at five US dollars. The order I placed on May 27th shipped out by Air Mail on the 29th, and arrived in the mail on June 3rd.

All told, seven days from here to there to here. A wide selection of items for a specialized market at nice prices, and shipping costs that still make the whole transaction more cost effective than visiting the Meg-A-Lo Mart. The fact that you are dealing with people who know what it is that they are selling is a big plus. Some may not find enough information available at the site, but if there is a clear idea of what one is after, the shopping experience should prove effortless.

Site du Jour of the Day has no affiliation whatsoever with Mittoni Pty Ltd beyond one pleasant transaction. It's nice to see a firm focus on one type of product and do well. (Back to top of page)


(020605) Farmphoto.com - the ideal place to share farming photos!
http://www.farmphoto.com/

Stuart Pocknee
Tifton, Georgia, USA

Farmphoto.com combines the idea of a discussion forum with that of a photo gallery. Post pictures pertaining to all sorts of agriculture, or have a look to see seeders and harvesters in action. Perfect for students or for that matter, anyone with an interest in the subject of farming. The pictures come from around the world. (Back to top of page)


(020606) National Renewable Energy Laboratory Photographic Information eXchange
http://www.nrel.gov/data/pix/pix.html

National Renewable Energy Laboratory
United States Department of Energy
Golden, Colorado, USA

Not unlike the development of agricultural science, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is working to create new methods of harvesting sources of energy. As part of their public outreach program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has made thousands of images available for downloading. Commercial use restrictions apply, but details for securing usage rights are easy to locate. For many people, the low resolution images (640 x 480 pixels at 72 dpi) will do for the most part. Higher resolution versions are available for a fee. This searchable collection covers many subjects — the option to perform a visual search is a nice addition. Thanks to Jim Leyshon for the suggestion.

For more on Renewable Energy see the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's The Green Power Network: Up-to-date green power news (http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/) (SdJotD 011101). (Back to top of page)


(020607) Federal Trade Commission Consumer Complaint Form
https://rn.ftc.gov/dod/wsolcq$.startup

Bureau of Consumer Protection Consumer Response Center
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

A fine tool in the arsenal of the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/), this Consumer Complaint Form allows consumers to complain about bad business. Individual cases are not immediately addressed — it's only when with the form, trends are discovered and wide-spread no goodnicks are stopped does this site deliver on its silent promise. Of a higher degree of interest to many will be the spam reporting form… "If you have a specific complaint about unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam), use the form below. You can forward spam directly to the Commission at UCE@FTC.GOV without using the complaint form". Thanks to Judy Dickson for the suggestion. (Back to top of page)


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(020608) 2002 FIFA World Cup
Official Site of The 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.com/

Federation Internationale de Football Association
Zurich, Switzerland

Yahoo
Sunnyvale, California, USA

Still far too obscure for most people here in the United States, this big soccer tournament is *finally* gaining a little momentum in the attention department. That the United States team is doing well may have something to do with that. Having three domestic (cable) television networks broadcasting matches helps. Unfortunately, with games being held in Seoul and Tokyo there is a time difference that makes getting excited about a match at *yawn* seven in the morning a challenge. Ideal for those of us in the Western Hemisphere, this official site is perfect for checking results during the day, learning more about the teams, the players, and the sport. The Match Schedule in Local Time feature is a bonus! (Back to top of page)


(020609) NHL.com - The National Hockey League Web Site
http://www.nhl.com/

National Hockey League
New York, New York, USA

While World Cup play is on, so too was the competition for another famous cup. Teams in the National Hockey League play for the oldest trophy in North America — The Stanley Cup. Ice Hockey is a much larger sport in the US and Canada than Soccer is. The official site of the National Hockey League has details of past and future games, images, streaming media and lots of other things. Ideal for fans of the game, and for the rest of the world. (Back to top of page)


(020610) Newsday.com - AP News
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/

Newsday Electronic Publishing
Melville, New York, USA

Tribune Company
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Like having your very own Associated Press (http://www.ap.org/) wire feed on the desk, this round-up of news stories hosted by Newsday is updated whenever there is news. The stories here are written for the US market but the news itself can be from anywhere. With faster loading times than most news portals, this section at Newsday.com (http://www.newsday.com/) spares the fancy graphics and images to deliver text only pieces. A handy bookmark. (Back to top of page)


(020611) They Might Be Giants - NO!
http://www.giantkid.net/

TMB Productions
Brooklyn, New York, USA

John Flansburgh and John Linnell have made a nice career so far with their musical outfit They Might Be Giants (http://www.tmbg.com/), (http://www.theymightbegiants.com/) and (http://www.dialasong.com/) (SdJotD 990626). Today marks the official release of their Compact Disc only album called NO! The package is intended for a family market — most children (and certain adults) dig the sound of They Might Be Giants. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if NO! ended up being the most popular They Might Be Giants project. Part of the appeal of the disc is multi-media content developed by The Chopping Block, Inc. (http://choppingblock.com/), a firm known world-wide for their oranges and graphic design. The companion site for the album, They Might Be Giants - NO! contains a number of audio samples as well as an interactive chunk of the charming extra content on the Compact Disc. If you have gifts to buy during the next few months for children between the ages of say, eight and twelve or twenty years-old and up then NO! might be worth looking at. Unlike certain albums designed for kids, this one promises to hold up without being too quickly annoying. And the grown-ups can sing along. (Back to top of page)


(020612) Fling The Cow
http://www.flingthecow.com/

Media Farm AS
Stavanger, Norway

A calling card of sorts for Media Farm AS, Fling The Cow is exactly as it sounds. See how far a catapult made of Norwegian wood can make a cow fly. No real cows were harmed in the making of Fling The Cow and it most definitely is a game of skill. Thanks to Joanne Traeger for the suggestion. (Back to top of page)


(020613) Twofifty - Digital. Visual. Habitual.
http://twofifty.net

Ates Goral
Istanbul, Turkey

Hundreds of images displayed in galleries. They all load quickly, they are mostly small in file size, and they all measure 250 by 250 pixels. File formats include GIF, JPEG, Flash and Shockwave, and there are no restrictions on original commercial art being submitted for consideration. Amateurs are encouraged to participate also. Pointers to the sites of certain contributing artists add to the experience. A wonderful, manageable experiment. (Back to top of page)


(020614) Whatsbetter?com
http://www.whatsbetter.com/

Christopher Eppstein
Fremont, California, USA

This exercise in popular culture has images of people, places or things facing off against each other a pair at a time. The visitor decides exactly which item is better. Better isn't fully defined, that's up to the individual. The FAQ section has information about all of the goodies under the hood.

What's better:
Ian Flemming's Q -or- Monopoly
Dancing Bunny Peeps -or- Australia
Existentialism -or- Nelly Furtado
Ian Flemming's Q -or- Dodecahedron

…and it continues even when you are through. (Back to top of page)


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(020615) bob the sock monkey
http://home.earthlink.net/~incycle/bob.html

incycle
Pasadena, California, USA

In this case, Bob is a proper noun and not a verb. (Back to top of page)


(020616) Nate's Sock Monkey Hub
http://clients.mightymedia.com/sockmonkey/

Nathan S. Kochel
North Carolina, USA

Nate is a sock monkey, a well-traveled sock monkey. Nate's Sock Monkey Hub contains pages full of pictures from the places Nate has been, and the people and sock monkeys Nate has met. There are pointers to the sites of other sock monkeys, and even information about how to make a sock monkey. Nate has even been in a major motion picture but it would appear that Nate has gotten over it. (Back to top of page)


(020617) Elizabeth Bennett's Perl Sock Program
http://www.princeton.edu/~ezb/sockform.html

Elizabeth Bennett
Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Key in the parameters such as needle size, stitches per inch, and a couple of additional measurements. Once Elizabeth Bennett's Perl Sock Program is wound up and turned loose, instructions for creating a custom pair of knit socks comes out. Having knitting skills will help out immensely here, and will make a visit that much more useful. Even without the required skills, it's still cool to take a good guess or two at the measurements just to see how it might work out. Darn, there sure are a lot of stitches in a pair of socks. (Back to top of page)


(020618) Odd Ball Knitting Patterns
http://knitting.about.com/library/blmiscoddball.htm

Barbara Breiter
About.com, Inc.
New York, New York, USA

From sock monkeys (bob the sock monkey (http://home.earthlink.net/~incycle/bob.html) (SdJotD 020615)) to unusual knitting patterns all in a four day stretch. Odd Ball Knitting Patterns is part of the Knitting section (http://knitting.about.com/) at About.com (http://about.com/), moderated by Barbara Breiter. Odd Ball Knitting Patterns explores the wonderful creations that come to life with the dregs — the stray extras left over from fancier knitting projects. Free patterns abound and for those who have stopped making Afghans with the war that's on, there may be something here to fix that knitting jones. Insist that it's an experimental thing. (Back to top of page)


(020619) The Infamous Exploding Whale
http://perp.com/whale/

Thrown Clear Productions
San Francisco, California, USA

A big local news story here in Southwest Florida had me thinking about this unusual classic. It seems that on Monday, on Gasparilla Island in Charlotte County a deceased whale was discovered on the beach at Boca Grande. The 33-foot long juvenile male sperm whale most likely died well before it washed ashore. [As it happens, the whale was not a juvenile when it died of natural causes brought on by old age]. Reports state that the upper teeth were missing, and that discovery was being used to determine a a date and time death. Sperm whales are not uncommon in the Gulf of Mexico, but they rarely come across the continental shelf which is about 100 miles out from Gasparilla Island. A postmortem examination is being conducted by staffers of the Florida Marine Research Institute’s Southwest Field Station in Port Charlotte. Disposal of the remains will be out at sea once the examination has been completed.

More common on the Pacific Coast of the United States, stranded and dead whales are treated as more routine but equally alarming occurrences. Serious lessons in whale disposal were had late in the last century at Florence, Oregon. The Infamous Exploding Whale pretty much sums up the method of disposal used, and the now classic video recording of the events of that particular day is available at the site. Not counting the video files, still images and a brief narrative make up the content at The Infamous Exploding Whale. The Letters section has a couple of letters from concerned individuals who obviously couldn't stop themselves from looking at the footage and then wrote in to tell someone they feel bad for watching. That should serve as a warning to those who haven't yet worked out the whole action=equal or opposite reaction thang implied by the phrase The Infamous Exploding Whale. It really is unfortunate when these magnificent animals are found dead — even more so if they are allowed to fester for a couple of weeks. (Back to top of page)


(020620) Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
http://www.melville.org/hmmoby.htm

A page from The Life and Works of Herman Melville
http://www.melville.org/melville.htm

The Herman Melville Internet Society
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Imagine a fellow who intentionally or not, sounds like Elvis Presley singing Led Zeppelin covers in a Reggae style. That individual would be Tortelvis of the outfit Dread Zeppelin (http://dreadzeppelin.com/). A bunch of years ago Dread Zeppelin had a record out containing a cover of the Bonham/Jones/Page song, Moby Dick (http://www.guitaretab.com/l/led-zeppelin/10234.htm). In the Dread Zeppelin recording, Tortelvis rips *swagger* into a couple of lines from Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. There's nothing quite like listening to Tortelvis attempt to make sense out of even the smallest portion of this classic novel.

This episode of Site du Jour of the Day isn't really about Dread Zeppelin or Tortelvis though. It's about _Moby-Dick_ and Herman Melville. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, A page from The Life and Works of Herman Melville offers an interesting look at the impact the story had on society in late 1851 when first published. Tortelvis isn't alone trying to wade through the lengthy novel — excerpts of Nantucket's Tried-Out Moby-Dick, Robert A. diCurcio's COMPANION READER to Melville's Masterpiece (http://www.melville.org/diCurcio/tryout.htm) are available and may be of use for new and old readers. Also of interest will be the Contemporary Criticism and Reviews section from the 1850s. A fantastic site about one of America's finest authors so far — and about the one that got away. (Back to top of page)


(020621) Tortellini Recipes at Food Down Under Recipe Database
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=tortellini

White Research and Development
Wantirna South, Victoria, Australia

Just one of thousands of pages at Food Down Under Recipe Database (http://www.fooddownunder.com/), Tortellini Recipes at Food Down Under Recipe Database contains over 160 recipes for fixing Tortellini. The level of specialization at this site is fantastic — like cooking itself, there are so many different ways to get to the end result. Broken out by food types, geographic and cultural regions, there is bound to be something here for everyone. If not Tortellini, how about Missov Dziran, an Armenian Lamb and Apricot Stew (http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=125641) or Mushroom Stuffed Peppers with Garlic and Yogurt Sauce (http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=130020). (Back to top of page)


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(020622) International House of Pancakes
http://www.ihop.com/

IHOP Corp.
Glendale, California, USA

That 900 of the 1,000 or so International House of Pancakes locations are franchises comes as no big surprise. The question that many of us have asked ourselves, is it really the International House of Pancakes or are they just saying that? The company certainly is international — you'll have to visit the site to find out where. (Back to top of page)


(020623) Online Dictionary of Unusual Words
Forthright's Phrontistery: International House of Logorrhea:
http://phrontistery.50megs.com/ihlstart.html

Steve Chrisomalis
Ontario, Canada

As the title would have you believe, Forthright's Phrontistery: International House of Logorrhea: Online Dictionary of Unusual Words is chock-full of those parts of the English language that Steve Chrisomalis has collected. Collected simply because the definitions escaped Steve Chrisomalis at the time they were encountered — all 13,429 of them so far. Looking up the meanings of such words is a fairly common practice for well trained readers. Saving them, well, that's something else all together but nothing to be alarmed by considering the scope of the main site, Forthright's Phrontistery: Dictionary of Obscure Words and Word Lists (http://phrontistery.50megs.com/index.html ). (Back to top of page)


(020624) Da Ponte S.A. - Ponte Rio-Niterói
http://www.ponte.com.br/pponte_online2.htm

Da Ponte S.A.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Running between Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, there is a bridge that measures almost nine miles in length. To help monitor and control traffic flow on the six-lane Rio-Niterói bridge, there are 20 cameras mounted overhead and the views are cycled through and shared with visitors from around the world. English and Spanish language versions of Da Ponte S.A. (http://www.ponte.com.br/) are in the works but for now, the Portuguese language version should be easy enough to figure out for most people. (Back to top of page)


(020625) Internet FAQ Archives
http://www.faqs.org/

Internet FAQ Consortium
Grapevine, Texas, USA

Frequently Asked Questions on practically every subject imaginable. This collection, maintained by the Internet FAQ Consortium pulls together the collective knowledge of hundreds of thousands of people. Content in the individual Frequently Asked Questions files are watched after by countless individuals and files updated when necessary. There are other sites where these files can be found, few in this density. (Back to top of page)


(020626) Russ Mason's "Unofficial" Concentration Home Page
http://home.earthlink.net/~crussmason/cncindx.htm

C. Russell Mason
Durham, North Carolina, USA

Modeled after an old radio show on the Red network, Russ Mason's "Unofficial" Concentration Home Page allows visitors to decipher a fresh rebus every week. No prizes, just the satisfaction of being able to figure out a fresh rebus every week. A nice tribute to a classic bit of American entertainment. And the art is all done by hand. (Back to top of page)


(020627) CORNELL Composting
http://cfe.cornell.edu/compost/

Tom Richard, Nancy Trautmann, Marianne Krasny, Sue Fredenburg and Chris Stuart
Cornell Waste Management Institute - Center for the Environment
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, USA

CORNELL Composting is a fairly comprehensive resource for individuals seeking information on composting. Returning nutrients to the soil can be rewarding and economical. Regardless of where you are in the local growing season, it's never a bad time to get started composting. The site is worth a visit for those who already have a composting cycle started. (Back to top of page)


(020628) IZEK
http://www.meetizek.com/home.html

The Singer Company
LaVergne, Tennessee, USA

IZEK is a sewing machine from The Singer Company (http://www.singershop.com/) and like more expensive machines, IZEK uses a computer interface to control stitching. In this case, it's an inexpensive accessory and something that may already be in the house — a Game Boy from Nintendo of America Inc. (http://www.nintendo.com). Hook the hand-held game machine to the IZEK and in no time you'll be sewing stuff like Mario's tailor used to do. (Back to top of page)


(020629) GameBoy Dev'rs
News & info related to GameBoy software & hardware development.
http://www.devrs.com/gb/

Jeff Frohwein
Huntsville, Alabama, USA

In the magical land of reverse engineering, it would seem as though the Game Boy from Nintendo of America Inc. (http://www.nintendo.com) is useful for sorts of uses. Controlling the sewing machine known as IZEK (http://www.meetizek.com/home.html) (SdJotD 020628) with a Game Boy is snazzy, but so too is voiding the warranty and turning the thing into a Global Positioning System receiver. How about The Gameboy Digital Sampling Oscilloscope (http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/actions/gameboy.htm), or the GameBoy Book Reader (http://www.mqp.com/fun/gb.htm)? That all of these activities will require electronics skills and are hobby-based should come as no big surprise to anyone. There are quite a few really cool projects for the Game Boy and plenty of news for developers. (Back to top of page)


(020630) The Pledge Of Allegiance: A Centennial History, 1892 - 1992
http://www.vineyard.net/vineyard/history/pdgech0.htm

John W. Baer
Annapolis, Maryland, USA

_________________________________

The Great God Contest: The Mother of all Contests!
http://www.islandnet.com/~luree/contest.html

Luree Staff
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Here in the United States of America there has been a great deal of controversy about the use of the proper noun God in the The Pledge Of Allegiance.

"I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

A court ruling claimed it was a violation of the principal of the separation of church and state set forth in the US Constitution. The decision was later withdrawn, yet the question remains — which god are we talking about here?

John W. Baer's The Pledge Of Allegiance: A Centennial History, 1892 - 1992 takes a good look at the history and meaning of The Pledge Of Allegiance.

Luree Staff's The Great God Contest: The Mother of all Contests! has been suggested by several Site du Jour of the Day readers over the years and may provide the solution to The Pledge Of Allegiance question and for that matter, countless others. (Back to top of page)


 

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Updated June 30, 2002

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