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(020701) Canada Day Poster Challenge 2002
Défi de l'Affiche de la Fête du Canada 2002

http://www.pch.gc.ca/affiche-poster/

Canadian Heritage
Government of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

As part of the annual Celebrate Canada! (http://www.pch.gc.ca/Canada/) (SdJotD 010702) festivities, the Celebrate Canada Committees choose poster designs from school children in Canada's provinces and territories. The theme for 2002 was A Celebration of "Canadian Firsts". Celebrate Canada! runs from June 21st, National Aboriginal Day to July 1st, Canada Day. These pages at the Canadian Heritage - Patrimoine canadien (http://www.pch.gc.ca/) site show the winning poster designs and provide information about the individuals who created the entries. Details of the 2003 edition of the Canada Day Poster Challenge will be announced later this year at the site as well.

Also be sure to see the Web site of the Prime Minister of Canada / Site web du Premier ministre du Canada (http://www.pm.gc.ca/), in particular Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Canada Day Address.

Happy Canada Day! (Back to top of page)


(020702) Backpacker.com - Quest For The Rare Hare
http://www.backpacker.com/article/0,2646,1202,00.html

Annette McGivney
Backpacker Magazine
Rodale Inc.
Emmaus, Pennsylvania, USA

From the pages of Backpacker.com - The Website Of Wilderness Travel (http://www.backpacker.com) comes this in-depth article on one of the most elusive creatures in North America. Suggested by Soopafresh who wrote, "An impressively thorough quest for the jackalope; take a look, there may be new info here. We must band together! Creepy-mouse ticking, parquet…fried chicken, helicopters, chemtrails…". The article by Annette McGivney, Southwest Editor of Backpacker Magazine, even includes an Expedition Planner with five jackalope hot spots. (Back to top of page)


(020703) SilverKeeper
http://silverkeeper.com

LaCie, Ltd.
Hillsboro, Oregon, USA

SilverKeeper is a very handy Freeware backup utility from LaCie, Ltd. (http://www.lacie.com/). LaCie, Ltd. manufactures hard drives — very fast and large hard drives. SilverKeeper is for use with all sorts of drives with IDE, ATAPI, SCSI, USB, or Firewire interfaces on Macintosh computers and requires OS X 10.1.2 or OS 9.0.4 or later and CarbonLib 1.5 (http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n120047). What is not required to use the Freeware utility is a hard drive from LaCie, Ltd. A very nice touch on the part of the company to offer up such a thing. Again, Mac only and with recent operating systems. SilverKeeper — it's free with registration and it works well, especially with one of those sporty new LaCie, Ltd. drives.

Site du Jour of the Day has no affiliation with LaCie, Ltd. Always perform a complete system and data backup before installing new software. Even new backup software. Brush your teeth after every meal and bring a jacket just in case it gets cold later on. Have a nice day. (Back to top of page)


(020704) FotoForum
http://fotoforum.com/     (SdJotD 980707)

Todd Felmly
Alliance, Ohio, USA

FotoForum is a unique opportunity for amateur and professional photographers alike to view and critique the work of one another. Separate galleries for film and digital photography house thirty images each. These are rotated out after fifteen days, giving as many people as possible a chance to be seen and heard. An unlimited number of spaces are available for shots fitting a pre-determined theme. All three galleries give the photographer constructive feedback on what does and does not work about a particular image — visitors can leave remarks and/or vote on a scale of one to ten. The tips others leave are on the same page as the particular photograph, this may help your own skills develop even if you do not leave comments or submit a piece for consideration. Not a contest, rights are not transferred or lost and it's free. There's some consistently nice work here too. (Back to top of page)


(020705) Past Perfect
http://www.pastperfect.com/      (SdJotD 980706)

Past Perfect
The Glass Gramophone Company Limited
St Aubin, Jersey

"We have an obsession about quality. We like to think we are doing record restoration better than anyone in the world." — Michael Daly

There has been a recent interest in Popular music for Swing — large bands bordering on orchestras playing numbers first performed fifty and sixty years ago, or at the very least influenced by those early recordings. Acting as a sort of bridge between Jazz of the twenties and thirties and Rock and Roll in the late fifties, Swing is the loose term used to describe Big Band material that was performed at a slightly faster tempo making it ideal for dancing. It helped to knock down certain racial barriers common in the record industry during the war years, at least with the record buying public. Recorded on ten inch records played back at 78 revolutions per minute audio fidelity was not a high point but the style worked perfectly within the three and a half minute time constraint associated with the playback medium. Recorded live, the energy level of many of these titles can be attributed to the arrangements and production challenges of recording such large outfits. Many of these records will hopefully be rediscovered by fans of this "new" form.

Michael Daly's Past Perfect label has reissued music up to seventy years old. Reissued is a poor term to use in this case. Unlike the nasty "electronically re-channeled for stereo" treatment RCA used for years, Past Perfect remasters from the best possible versions available and in the process digitally restores what may have been lost and removes the ticks and pops that gave 78s their unique charm. The Past Perfect site is part catalog, listening booth, and history lesson. Sound samples and detailed track listings that read more like liner notes make the site something anyone interested in he past seventy years of American music should see. Like other good commercial sites, Past Perfect almost allows the visitor to forget that they are being tempted into buying stuff. It would appear as though Michael Daly has a passion for the performances and packages available on his label and at this site, and that they are being treated as more than just back catalog must be driving the major labels nuts. (Back to top of page)


(020706) Water Towers of the World
https://members.tripod.com/~watertowers/      (SdJotD 980712)

AnythinGoes Design Services
Norcross, Georgia, USA

When the crew of the Real Entertainment / FOX television show COPS (http://www.COPS.com/) rode with the men and women of the Sheriff's Department here a few years ago they recorded a particularly ironic call. It seems that two kids were high atop a local water tower armed with spray paint cans and bad attitudes when somebody called and told on them. This sort of vandalism is nothing new, water towers have attracted individuals interested in leaving their marks for years. Often an important part of a municipal or commercial water system, water towers hold hundreds of thousands of gallons and supply pressure to gravity fed systems. Water Towers of the World is a gallery of beautiful photographs and text about decorated/advertising towers, historic towers around the world, those new fangled spherical and columnar styles, and a section with pointers to sites of companies currently building water towers. The ironic part of the COPS broadcast was that one of the young punks caught on the water tower became too frightened to climb back down. The Fire Department was called out with a ladder truck and that's where the story gets funny. It turns out that the identity of the boy went unknown until the Fire Chief went up in the bucket to pick him off — turns out it was the Fire Chief's own son. (Back to top of page)


(020707) Wayne-Dalton's Garage Door SAFETY Page
http://www.garagedoorsafety.com/      (SdJotD 980716)

Wayne Dalton Corp.
Mount Hope, Ohio, USA

I can clearly remember the summer when about six kids, myself included, would take turns holding on to the inside of one of those rigid metal garage doors. A few of the kids would also take turns throwing the door open from the outside without any warning or countdown for who ever's turn it was. Sure it was dangerous but it was a whole lot of fun until one of us got hurt. It turns out that the brackets holding the tracks to the wall aren't engineered for the added weight of children. We weren't nearly as surprised by this failure as the neighbor kid who quickly became part of a garage door, snow tire and rake sandwich. As one would imagine, his dad was fit to be tied that weekend putting up the new door.

Wayne Dalton Corp. like other manufacturers, have taken garage door safety a long way since the good old days of our acrobatic Summer. Their Garage Door SAFETY Page extends the commitment and might even help them realize a break when it comes time to send in that product liability insurance premium. The 15 point safety test, the free Safety Kit and the pointer to a special site for kids, Wayne-Dalton's Safety Kids Web Page (http://www.safetykids.com/default.html). The five big safety tips should help bring home the point that big doors can equal danger. A quick visit to Wayne-Dalton's Garage Door SAFETY Page could help prevent a serious accident and could possibly extend the life of the largest moving part of your house. (Back to top of page)


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(020708) Vermont SIRI Material Safety Data Sheet
http://siri.org/msds/     (SdJotD 980723)

Daniel Woodard
Ralph Stuart
Vermont SIRI
Merritt Island, Florida, USA

Site du Jour of the Day episodes are occasionally full of stories and suggestions, not to mention pointers about things that carry a potential hazard if safety rules are not followed. Adult supervision and/or common sense are usually enough to keep trouble at bay. Safety is an important factor of survival, part of that is knowing the risks associated with things before trying or using them. For example, many of us have used the chemical solvent Benzene bare-handed for years, completely unaware of any of the potentially serious health risks that come with the product. Manufacturers in the US and several other countries are required by law to provide Material Safety Data Sheets for such products but as Daniel Woodard explains, "This website was started because in fifteen years experience as an emergency physician, I have found that no one exposed to a potentially hazardous material ever has a paper MSDS for that product immediately available, and the cost of purchasing this information from commercial providers is simply not justifiable when many of my patients can't even afford to fill their prescriptions." Employers must make this information available for products used in the work place and this is great if you are looking for something to read at lunch or in the event of an emergency, but for residential reference a visit to Vermont SIRI MSDS Archive could save the time or expense involved in contacting companies for Material Safety Data Sheets or worse yet, calling Poison Control. Bookmark this site, visit and become familiar with the interface used to search the database. It's free and could someday save a life and for that reason it remains one of the most important of all sites so far explored by SdJotD. (Back to top of page)


(020709) United States Air Force Heritage of America Band
http://www.af.mil/accband/

Online Music - USAF Heritage of America Band
http://www2.acc.af.mil/music/

United States Air Force Heritage of America Band
Air Combat Command, United States Air Force
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, USA

The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band is a 61-piece outfit and an original Army Air Corps band. Formed over 60 years ago, the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band currently entertains audiences in the Mid-Atlantic states. The Online Music - USAF Heritage of America Band section of the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band site contains dozens of titles in RealAudio and MP3 formats. Sections such as Ceremonial Music Online, Patriotic Music Online, Frontiers: Space Themes in Classical Music, and Songs of the Air Force house compositions in the Public Domain and otherwise. Perfect for any number of occasions, the talented players in The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band are well represented. The John Philip Sousa material is especially plentiful and well performed. (Back to top of page)


(020710) Triple J - Reviews
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/review/default.htm

Triple J
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Triple J (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/) is a radio network for the youth of Australia. A radio station serving a growing list of urban and rural communities around Australia and sending programming out over the wire for the world to enjoy. Content usually averages about 25-30% Australian. Programming at the network has a lot of features, live music fans will dig Live At The Wireless (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/latw/default.htm) while Roy Slaven and HG Nelson are Gatorade-out-the-nose funny on Sundays with This Sporting Life (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/program/sporting.htm). Check your local listings or do the math if you live in a place other than Australia and listen over the Internet.

One of the coolest features of the network's site is Triple J - Reviews. A collection of excellent reviews from a couple of the folks at Triple J — reviews of movies, music, books, and games. Visitors can add comments and their own reviews. At times this can get ugly in the fact that the network is geared toward Australian youth but even then, some of it is refreshing. A look at Popular Culture from a unique perspective. And it's a radio station. (Back to top of page)


(020711) J-Track Satellite Tracking
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama, USA

For people who spend time out of doors, especially at sunset, seeing a large object orbiting the Earth is not that uncommon. Knowing where and when to look are important things, to that end, J-Track Satellite Tracking uses orbit propagation to display the approximate location of quite a few orbiting objects. These objects include the Space Station, Space Shuttle, weather and communications satellites, plus other craft. Depending upon ground location of the observer, most items can be seen with the naked eye. Even more so when the Space Shuttle is at the Space Station. Read the instructions for best results, and have fun. (Back to top of page)


(020712) A Teacher's Guide to Folklife Resources for K-12 Classrooms
Prepared by Peter Bartis and Paddy Bowman
Publications of the American Folklife Center, no. 19

http://www.loc.gov/folklife/teachers.html

American Folklife Center
Library of Congress, Washington
District of Columbia, USA

A single page from the American Folklife Center Home Page, Library of Congress (http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife/afc.html), A Teacher's Guide to Folklife Resources for K-12 Classrooms is a list of hundreds of resources for anyone interested in learning more about folk traditions and their preservation. Not just for educators, and with listings like those below, this is a fantastic starting point for adults and children. From the list:

Folksong in the Classroom. This newsletter published three times annually for a network of teachers of history, literature, music, and the humanities advocates using folk songs as primary source materials for studying our own and other cultures. Includes discussions, suggestions about classroom applications, news from teachers, supplementary materials, discographies, song sheets, etc. Available by subscription, P.O. Box 264, Holyoke, MA 01041, individuals $7; institutions $12.

Traditions. A new semiannual folklore journal that documents and promotes West Virginia's rich mountain heritage. The journal was developed as a direct result of the 1992 West Virginia Humanities Council's Summer Seminar for Teachers held at Fairmont State College. It is especially designed to appeal to K- 12 teachers. Available by subscription from Traditions, Fairmont State College, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, WV 26554, $6.

Smithsonian/Folkways Recordings
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
955 L'Enfant Plaza, Suite 2600, MRC 914
Washington, DC 20560
202/287-3262

Institute for Puerto Rican Culture
P.O. Box 4184
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00905
809/723-2115

Taylor, David. Documenting Maritime Folklife: An Introductory Guide. Washington, DC: American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, 1993. (Also available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office S/N 030-000-00236-9).

Check A Teacher's Guide to Folklife Resources for K-12 Classrooms for the most current information and listings. Also, for suggestions on how to go about recording your own folk history, have a look at Stephanie West Allen's The Busy Person's Guide to Writing Your Life Story (http://wz.com/arts/WritingYourLifeStory.html) (SdJotD 010830). (Back to top of page)


(020713) S. D. Jones: Folk Art in Bottles
http://www.sdjones.net/FolkArt/

Susan D. Jones
Stamford, Connecticut, USA

Certainly in the "easy once you know how" category. Building stuff in bottles is one of those amazing traditions and art forms. No matter if it's a sailing ship or a crucifixion, a more often than not not to scale model inside of an old liquor bottle is a serious novelty. Dating back hundred of years, recycling at this level works on a number of levels — a time consuming project, that preserves one or more elements of what was important to the artist at some point in time. More than just sailing ships and crucifixion, Susan D. Jones explores the world of Folk Art in Bottles with images and technical information of items in this large collection. (Back to top of page)


(020714) Catch
catch.com -- It's mesmerizing, in a confusing hurtful kinda way...
http://www.catch.com/

Catch Communications
New York, New York, USA

Catch is a portal of sorts combining pointers to those offbeat stories and other stuff that ultimately finds its way into daily popular culture. Not limited to slow news day items, this is just the sort of wrong-flavored thing many of us enjoy. Visitors can also contribute finds too wild for their favorite Site of the Day site. Like one of those old-fashioned laughing records, except that it's not a phonograph record and the laughter comes out of you. (Back to top of page)


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(020715) What's in your Name? - Demonstration Analysis
http://www.kabalarians.com/gkh/your.htm

Society of Kabalarians of Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

One of things I most enjoy about writing Site du Jour of the Day are the site suggestions that regularly come in from about a dozen of readers. These suggestions help keep the project fresh by taking it in a direction it might not have otherwise gone. During the next week or so, Site du Jour of the Day episodes will look at sites suggested by Site du Jour of the Day readers. Or as they are sometimes referred to — Site Scouts.

What's in your Name? - Demonstration Analysis is one of many site suggestions from Reddog. Part New-Age smoke-up-the-keester instructional site that claims to differ from Numerology and part advertising sample for additional material available from the Society of Kabalarians of Canada (http://www.kabalarians.com/), What's in your Name? - Demonstration Analysis allows visitors an opportunity to discover what their name means. There is a lot of information here but for those who don't feel like parting with their money to learn more, a visit to Eponym: International Names (http://www.eponym.org/) (SdJotD 010502) might be a better bet. What's in your Name? - Demonstration Analysis has an impressive 525,000 names in the database. Keep an open mind when visiting and things should go well. (Back to top of page)


(020716) Navajo Code Talkers
http://bingaman.senate.gov/code_talkers/

Jeff Bingaman
United States Senate
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

_________________________________

The Navajo Code Talkers
http://www.lapahie.com/NavajoCodeTalker.cfm

Harrison Lapahie Jr.
Hunington Park, California, USA

_________________________________

Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-4.htm

Naval Historical Center
United States Department of the Navy
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

This series of sites, suggested by Reddog feature historical and current information about The Navajo Code Talkers. These Native Americans played a crucial role for the United States during the Second World War. By sending and receiving messages in the Navajo language, the transmissions were almost guaranteed secure.

The first site is hosted by the office of Jeff Bingaman, Senator from the state of New Mexico. The site provides a well-rounded overview of the project along with a call to visitors to help locate the individuals who participated so many years ago. The second site is the work of Harrison Lapahie Jr., who's father was a Navajo Code Talker. Pointers to related sites as well as original content make this site a nice visit. The final site is maintained by the United States Naval Historical Center and is a page at the larger 20th Century Warriors: Native American Participation in the United States Military (http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-1.htm). (Back to top of page)


(020717) The National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial
http://lewisandclark200.org/

The National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon, USA

Yet another great suggestion from Reddog, this one celebrating the Bicentennial of the amazing expedition west by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson for a journey of mapping and discovery, Lewis and Clark and the 33 member Corps of Discovery spent 3 years exploring parts of the North American continent. The history and significance of this expedition is considered by some to be more important than setting foot on the moon. As Reddog wrote, "If you are planning on 'discovering' America this summer (or the next 2 that follow) you can travel some of the Lewis and Clark Trail and in some places experience some of the same activities and sights they did (a lot of places in the west are still just as natural today as 200 years ago). In Montana you can even see where Clark carved his name into a rock near Billings on 7/25/1805 (the ONLY visible evidence they left on the ENTIRE trail). But only the very daring and experienced should try traversing the Lolo — it can have 10 feet of snow in summer." Be sure to see the Traveling The Trail section of this site for pointers to related sites and a host of important places to see along the trail. (Back to top of page)


(020718) College Nicknames
http://www.smargon.net/nicknames/

Adam Joshua Smargon
Albany, New York, USA

Always one to share an interesting site, Phil Konstantin (On This Date In North American Indian History (http://www.americanindian.net/)) sent in the URL for College Nicknames. Adam Joshua Smargon maintains a list of colleges and team names in the United States of America. Not every college is listed, see why with a visit to the site. The word Fighting has been removed to make things a little easier. When available, a pointer to the site for a school is included with the location, school name and nickname. From the Aggies to the Zips, this site could be a handy reference point on a number of counts. (Back to top of page)


(020719) TV ACRES:
The Web's Ultimate Subject Guide to Television Program Facts
(from the 1940s to the present)
http://www.tvacres.com/

Jerome Holst
Barnesville, Ohio, USA

Reddog again, this time with a site that not only identifies and gives a brief history of the Tyler Davidson Fountain in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio the one seen in the opening of the show WKRP In Cincinnati, but goes on to name Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot as the Penguin from the Batman show, and lists both addresses for Fred G. and son Lamont Sanford. In the Addresses & Phone Numbers section — 9114 South Central and 4707 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

The focus here is on the elements as opposed to the actors of American television shows from the 1940s to current day offerings. Ideal for finding the answer to those nagging questions that pop up frequently enough about vaguely remembered details of the television experience. Outside pointers are galore here too. TV Acres is the place to be. (Back to top of page)


(020720) Alligator Records - Alligator Artist, Radio, and Tour Info
http://www.alligator.com/

Bruce Iglauer
Alligator Records
Chicago, Illinois, USA

The first Site du Jour of the Day reader to achieve the designation of Site Scout, Basil Stetson has made a number of great finds. Added to the list is the site for Alligator Records. Home to what is probably the best roster of contemporary Blues artists on the planet, Alligator Records is what many believe a label should be.

As Basil wrote, " I got turned on to Alligator Records when I found the 20th Anniversary (1971-1991) CD set at a friend's house. It is a rockin' set of Blues tunes. Alligator is a pure blues label started on a shoestring in 1971. The original goal was to promote unknown Chicago blues artists. The company has met with great success over time and features some of today's greatest Blues players."

The Alligator Records site has audio samples, images, biographic information, tour dates, and more. The company history is well worth reading before exploring the site. With several titles from the Alligator catalog in my own collection, I cannot help but agree with Basil — the label does rock. (Back to top of page)


(020721) Filmmusic-Composers ...and we still like them!
http://www.mettlerweb.de/composer/

Andreas Mettler
Moenchengladbach, Germany



Site du Jour of the Day reader Kevin Clarke (Inconstant Moon: multimedia tours of the lunar surface (http://www.inconstantmoon.com/) (SdJotD 980630) (SdJotD 990720) (SdJotD 010531), PlanetFusion - your link to the world (http://www.planetfusion.co.uk/) (SdJotD 010815), and Selenographia - the Inconstant Moon Atlas (http://www.inconstantmoon.com/atlas.htm) (SdJotD 020227) writes, "Remember the movie 'The Right Stuff'? I always thought the main theme sounded a lot like part of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, and I was not alone. Andreas Mettler has made a collection of discoveries like this at Filmmusic-Composers ...and we still like them! Some cases of 'inspiration' are more obvious than others, but some are breathtaking... erm... homages!"

RealAudio files are grouped in pairs for visitors to decide for themselves just how similar they are. Listening to each score is the name of the game, with a healthy dose of compare and discover added for good measure. The lack of expressed opinion from Andreas Mettler keeps everything simple. What the heck is next, Classical music in cartoons? (Back to top of page)


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(020722) The Langley Schools Music Project - ''Innocence And Despair''
http://www.keyofz.com/keyofz/langley/

Irwin Chusid
Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

From Johnny Dixon who has suggested a number of sites that may have been missed all together by Site du Jour of the Day episodes — PopEx - Free music trading game (http://www.popex.com/) (SdJotD 000625) and Modern Living (http://www.hoogerbrugge.com/) (SdJotD 010207) to name a few, comes this charming time capsule of popular culture. The Langley Schools Music Project - ''Innocence And Despair'' is a series of sound recordings made during the 1976-77 school year by Hans Fenger and the students of Lochiel, South Carvolth, Glenwood, and Wix-Brown Elementary Schools at Langley, British Columbia, Canada. Originally intended for the students, teachers, and family members, two long-playing records were pressed of the recordings. Twenty five years later the material is available all cleaned up on the modern marvel known as the Compact Disc.

Johnny Dixon wrote to suggest the site and the album, giving it the highest recommendation one can give an album. It's a guarantee that I respect because I'll periodically make it myself — Johnny offered to buy the CD from me if I didn't enjoy it. That guarantee is unfortunately not being put out to Site du Jour of the Day readers, but The Langley Schools Music Project - ''Innocence And Despair'' gets a high recommendation. Audio samples are available at the site for The Langley Schools Music Project - ''Innocence And Despair''. The following, from the site pretty much sums up the whole package:

"I knew virtually nothing about conventional music education, and didn't know how to teach singing. Above all, I knew nothing of what children's music was supposed to be. But the kids had a grasp of what they liked: emotion, drama, and making music as a group. Whether the results were good, bad, in tune or out was no big deal — they had elàn. This was not the way music was traditionally taught. But then I never liked conventional 'children's music,' which is condescending and ignores the reality of children's lives, which can be dark and scary. These children hated 'cute.' They cherished songs that evoked loneliness and sadness." — Hans Fenger, Langley music supervisor/arranger. (Back to top of page)


(020723) Exploring the Apollo Landing Sites
http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/landing_sites.html

Dan Durda
Southwest Research Institute
Department of Space Studies
Boulder, Colorado, USA

It's a treat to get site suggestions from people who have had their own site featured as Site du Jour of the Day. The high quality of sites suggested by Kevin Clarke often share the enthusiasm and insight offered by Kevin's Inconstant Moon: multimedia tours of the lunar surface (http://www.inconstantmoon.com/) (SdJotD 980630), (SdJotD 990720), (SdJotD 010531), Selenographia - the Inconstant Moon Atlas (http://www.inconstantmoon.com/atlas.htm) (SdJotD 020227).

Kevin writes, "I thought you might be interested in a moon-related site I came across a few days back… One question I get asked a lot is whether, with something like the Hubble Space Telescope, it is possible to see the Apollo Lunar Modules and rovers on the Moon. The simple answer is 'no', but on his site Exploring the Apollo Landing Sites, budding astronaut Dan Durda gets close. He's assembled a collection of images from the Consolidated Lunar Atlas (the raw source for Selenographia), Lunar Orbiter and Apollo film archives, much of which is not available to the public, to produce sequences which zoom into each of the six Apollo landing sites. Be sure to check out the Apollo 17 site - where you can actually see the Lunar Module itself!"

Like the sketch books of early voyagers, Exploring the Apollo Landing Sites allows us to look back at one of our greatest accomplishments as a society. (Back to top of page)


(020724) Eric Harshbarger's LEGO pages
http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/

Eric Harshbarger
Auburn, Alabama, USA

Similar in some ways to Brendan Powell Smith's The Brick Testament (http://www.thereverend.com/brick_testament/) (SdJotD 011204), Eric Harshbarger's LEGO pages show off creations in plastic and imagination. Suggested by Eric Goff who writes, "Here's a suggestion: The Lego Guy (Eric Harsbarger). He builds Lego sculptures as art and apparently (he claims) for a living. He has lots of pictures of his work, some of it is very detailed...".

Very detailed indeed, and the subject matter is all over the place too. Images and stories surrounding the artwork, pointers to related sites and more can be found here. And the beauty part of the whole thing? It seems as though one can make a living playing with Legos. (Back to top of page)


(020725) Thunderstruck! Bob Hampton's Photo Album
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Galaxy/9989/

Bob Hampton
Thunderstruck Knob, North Carolina, USA

The Internet has certainly helped people share photographs with others around the world. At times, these images can be the first such glimpse someone has ever had of something. Thunderstruck! Bob Hampton's Photo Album contains just such things. A collection of photographs of people, places, and things that Bob Hampton like well enough to share pictures of. Another fine Reddog suggestion came in the form of the URL to Bob Hampton's Shipwrecks (http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Galaxy/9989/ships.html) with galleries from Guadal Canal, to North Carolina and the coast of Florida — the Florida U-boat pictures are worth a visit on their own. Bob Hampton's Shipwrecks would alone be featured as Site du Jour of the Day if it wasn't for the fact that the remainder of Thunderstruck! Bob Hampton's Photo Album is just as good. Subjects include Astronomy, Missile Experiments, and Orbital Debris and more. (Back to top of page)


(020726) The Baby Name Inventor
http://www.babyzone.com/babynames/nameinventor.asp

BabyZone, Inc.
Watertown, Massachusetts, USA

Available in three flavors, Boy names, Girl names, and a gender neutral Boy or Girl names, The Baby Name Inventor is in the Baby Names section at BabyZone (http://www.babyzone.com/). Suggested by Rebecca who found the following names from The Baby Name Inventor all pretty dang special: Arrbrlan, Berge, Gara, Peggouma, Qunarlex, Smost, Xetyndyo, and Zevetn. There are serious name utilities here, but The Baby Name Inventor is certainly the most entertaining. If you should decide to use any of the names arrived at through BabyZone, Inc. and especially from The Baby Name Inventor, be certain to look at The Funny Name Server (http://www.funnyname.com/) (SdJotD 990801) for a glimpse at just how bad things can get if the wrong name is picked. (Back to top of page)


(020727) Silophone
A sonic inhabitation of the Silo #5 grain elevator in the Old Port of Montréal
http://www.silophone.net/

The User
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

This is one of those crazy cool sites that almost sounds like someone is pulling your leg as they tell you about it. Silophone combines an abandoned grain elevator, 11,000 short MP3 and WAV files contributed by visitors, and a RealAudio stream which combines the whole deal together. The acoustics of the huge structure are such that reverberation times can often stretch to twenty seconds! Have a look and listen, it's an amazing idea and an even better device. Thanks to a suggestion from The Other JohnnyP, I've already spent a good two hours playing with the Silophone. (Back to top of page)


(020728) Yes & No
a dyseducational road movie
http://users.pandora.be/mansie/rijschool.swf

Brunno Bozzetto
Belgium

This Flash animation was suggested by Joanne Traeger. Joanne is on the radio middays at 107.9 Life FM - Spirit Of The City (http://www.life.on.net) (SdJotD 000612) in Adelaide, South Australia. Suggestions from Joanne can either be serious, or not so serious as evidenced by Yes & No - a dyseducational road movie which Joanne simply described as, "A fun site. Driving school…". For entertainment purposes only no doubt, unless the people in Adelaide think it's a legitimate source of driving instruction. It is possible. (Back to top of page)


(020729) Check The Grid
http://checkthegrid.com

CheckTheGrid.com, LLC
Harbor City, California, USA

With the 2002 Minor League baseball season rounding into the last month or so, and the Major League season headed for a mid-September players strike there will be a lot of people spending recreation dollars at the movies again. Almost everybody has a favorite movie reviewer — no matter if it's a newspaper writer, host of a television show, or even some regular person who has an opinion that you trust. I've never been much good at recommending pictures to people, and I like it that way. The last two shows I've seen were Stuart Little 2, as sweet and entertaining as the first installment, however the inter-species romance was a bit disturbing but the voice talents of Melanie Griffith save the device. Star Wars: Episode II which is visually stunning from start to finish and the machines rock. Do not wait for the video or DVD release to see this one.

Deciding on a movie to see can be a bit of a challenge, especially with the shorter runs so many seem to have lately. Combining the opinions of many people, most of them professional film critics can assist in the decision making process and that's exactly where Check The Grid comes in handy. Combining the overall reviews from newspapers around the USA along with the results of a poll of registered users, Check The Grid gives each film a numerical rating as well as a traffic light signal from each reviewer. Complete with short plot summaries, streaming trailers and many other features, Check The Grid is perfect for those times when we are not quite sure. As it stands, Star Wars: Episode II has a Grid Score of 7.2 out of 10 based on a total of 23 reviews. Coming in with a Grid Score of 8.2 out of 10 based on a total of 19 reviews is Stuart Little 2. (Back to top of page)


(020730) Balloon HQ presents: How Balloons Impact Health
http://www.balloonhq.com/guide/health.html

Balloon HQ, LLC
Rochester, New York, USA

On Monday I heard a sad story, an entertainer here in Lee County Florida is in the hospital with pneumonia. This individual is a clown, the birthday party/circus kind of clown. It seems that compounds in the makeup can lead to chronic pneumonia after being inhaled over time. With any luck, this clown will get better.

Curious about the other dangers clowns might face, I happened upon this interesting piece which is a part of The Guide to Balloons and Ballooning (http://www.balloonhq.com/guide/) at Balloon HQ - Educating the World About Balloon Art (http://www.balloonhq.com/). According to this report, "There are a large variety of complications that can occur to the balloonist, including a collapsed lung, hemorrhoids, subconjuctival hemorrhage into the eye (usually not serious), and laryngoceles (outpouching of the larynx similar to what musicians get, like horn players)". Yikes!

Children of all ages are bound to learn a thing or two about the effects of blowing up balloons. Be sure to look at other sections of Balloon HQ - Educating the World About Balloon Art to learn even more. (Back to top of page)


(020731) The No Clown Zone - ihateclowns.net
Serving Online Clownophobia Propoganda Since 1996
http://www.ihateclowns.com/

Rodney Blackwell
Circle R Designs
Davis, California, USA

Sure, for those who have more apathy or tolerance that's easy for you to say, "Walk a mile in their shoes, they are only clowns". A lot of people are just plain wigged-out by clowns, and even for those of us who aren't, it seems a perfectly rational fear. A Site du Jour of the Day reader who we'll call Juggling Jimbo wrote, "The occupational hazards of the pasty-faced smiling vicars of Satan make my day. Die, Clown, die!" Juggling Jimbo added, "However, I do appreciate a good balloon animal". Which is how the whole subject of clowns started — Balloon HQ presents: How Balloons Impact Health (http://www.balloonhq.com/guide/health.html) (SdJotD 020730).

The No Clown Zone - ihateclowns.com is the perfect place for those individuals wishing to learn more about protecting themselves from the evil of clown. Tell your own why I dislike clowns story, and even sign up for the annual mime safari. The commercial aspect of the site has clothing available, the license plate frame that reads "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" is nothing short of wonderful. Secure a new e-mail address that tells the world how you feel about clowns, see the Scary Clown of the Day, and more. If you enjoyed visiting Creepy Clown's Gallery (http://www.creepyclown.com/) (SdJotD 001017), The No Clown Zone - ihateclowns.net will be just right.

Hate is such a strong emotion and it would seem that this site is intended to poke fun at, not cause harm to clowns whether they are professional or not. (Back to top of page)


 

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Copyright 2002, Edward J. Pelegrino. All rights reserved.
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Updated July 31, 2002

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