Oh mah Gaawd! Gag me with a spooon!

Have you ever wanted to talk like an Australian or a Brit or maybe a Cowboy? Now you can! Maybe your trying to figure out what your teenager is saying? Halloween is coming up, make your costume more authentic with 50s slang, 60s slang, Hardboiled Detective Slang and there is even more cool sayings... from this old jazz slang site and surfer slang site.

Now this is Pedantic Punditry

This PBS site looks at the pivotal moments from the last 40 years of presidential debates through the eyes of those who were there. On this site, you can read, listen to or watch the program as well as browse extended interviews with the former candidates and coverage of the individual debates and campaigns. Please also check out The MBC's History of Televised Presidential Debates and CNN: Presidential Debate History.

Watch the debate tonight 6pm PST. The other two debates will take place on October 8, in St. Louis, MO, and on October 13, in Tempe, AZ. Tonight's debate will focus on foreign policy and homeland security.

The several hundred true rings

What would "The Lord of the Rings" sound like if it had been written by someone else? It started out as what has probably become the most popular thread ever on the Straight Dope Message Board. There have been hundreds of examples written by various contributors every thing from A. A. Milne to Roger Zelazny. Because I work a a law firm, I found the law suits to be pretty funny.

Better living through chemistry

Molecule of the Month "Each month... links will take you to a page at one of the Web sites at a University Chemistry Department or commercial site in the UK, the US, or anywhere in the world, where useful (and hopefully entertaining!), information can be found about a particularly interesting molecule." Among the little-known chemistry stories here: the molecule that "causes fish breath in some people," the chemistry of garlic, the "Zulu poison that can be used to treat cancer," and lots more.

Alabama loves it's Governor ooo oooo ooo

The 2004 Governor's Election Guide provides full coverage of the 11 Governor's elections, it includes profiles, news, and poll data.

Spam, Spam everywhere and not a drop to drink

Spamhaus tracks the Internet's Spammers, Spam Gangs and Spam Services, provides realtime anti-spam protection for Internet networks. Spamhaus operates two spam-blocking systems, the Spamhaus Block List (SBL) and the Exploits Block List (XBL). The Spamhaus Block List (SBL) is a realtime blocklist of spam sources and spam services. The Exploits Block List (XBL) is a realtime blocklist of illegal 3rd party exploits (proxies/worms/trojans). They also maintain the Register Of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) database collates information and evidence on the known spammers and spam gangs, to assist ISP Abuse Desks and Law Enforcement Agencies.

The POP in Pop culture

Lileks.com includes the Daily Bleat, Pop Culture, the Institute of Official Cheer, Urban Studies, Ghost Ads, and more of the sublime and the ridiculous. The Institute - where old pop culture is “subjected to our patented Re-Ironization Process, and converted into chipper, spiffy, feather-light postmodern commentary on commercial culture.” Or, to put it another way: there’s enough here to kill two, maybe three lunch hours.

The Big One

A colleague of mine from the east coast expressed great concern for the safety of California in general and my office in specific. He was worried that “The Big One”™, earthquake that is, might hit California very soon. He had compiled a lot of data and quoted the latest theories on earthquake prediction. I find it interesting that people on the east coast are MUCH MORE concerned about earthquakes than people on the west coast. Maybe were just use to them.

Who let the dogs out?

AmIAnnoying.com has announced its third annual 100 Most and Least Annoying lists, which are based on over 11 million votes cast by visitors from around the world throughout 2003. Visitors were able to vote on over 10,000 different public figures and share their opinions on who they found annoying and not annoying. The addictive and interactive features on the site have garnered a staggering half-billion hits, over 11 million votes and over 2.3 million unique visitors for the year.

The darndest things

People are doing such extraordinary things out there on the web!! Today I present interactive public projects. The goal of the degree confluence project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. Another interaction site is PhotoTag.org, which tracks disposable cameras loosed into the "wild." And the ever popular WheresGeorge.com, which tracks U.S. currency by serial number. And last but not least is Bookcrossing.com where people share, track and review books let out into the “wild” for the largest book club/book exchange in the world.

Turning to the Horoscope and Looking for the Funnies

AltWeeklies.com brings readers the best, most insightful, thought-provoking news and features published in the 125 papers that belong to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. Updated throughout the work week, AltWeeklies.com will help readers find the latest news about politics, crime, social issues, the environment, health, sex, food, film, music, art and books--all with a different perspective from what is generally found on wire-service and daily-newspaper Web sites.

Round Two

It's time for round two of my "have you been reading my blog?" trivia challenge. There have been twenty posts since the last challenge and there have been eight songs referenced in my blog titles and five cultural references. Who can name them and achieve everlasting glory? Praise and adulation to the person who can spot the very obscure cultural reference to a round one cultural reference. Bang a Gong, bring it on!

If You Were In My Movie

I count myself lucky if I manage one movie a year these days, having a 3 1/2 year old will do that to you. Back in the "this is my life" glory days I use to go see movies all the time. Now I can at least go through a giant archive of reviews from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The front page has a bunch of recent reviews but I had fun rooting around in the archives. Use the power search to specify genre, star rating, release date, etc. Searching for movies with zero- star reviews got 70 results. Search listings provide the title and a brief excerpt; click the title for the whole review. In addition to the reviews, this site also contains box office gross information, movies coming soon to DVD, and interviews and essays.

I am woman, hear me roar!

Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a battle-of-the-sexes tennis match today in 1973. The feminist movement started with Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the famous 1848 Women's Rights Convention held at Seneca Falls, New York.

Map of the Human Heart

National Geographic's redesigned online atlas, The Map Machine, gives you the world—your way. Find nearly any place on Earth, and view it by population, climate, and much more. Plus, browse antique maps, find country facts, or plan your next outdoor adventure with the trail maps.

Thanks for the memories

Since 1949, the Emmy has represented the pinnacle of prime-time television excellence. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has preserved this rich history here in its awards database. Whether you are simply searching for your favorite actress or researching Emmy trends, this awards search has the answers.

The short form

BugMeNot.com was created as a mechanism to quickly bypass the login of web sites that require compulsory registration and the collection of personal, such as the New York Times. I use this service ALL the time, it saves me from unwanted emails, and the waste of time filling out that, "help us help you" 10 minute form.

I write the songs

I present A-Z Lyrics Universe for use in looking up my references in my blog titles. Or you can try Lyrics World between the two you should be able to find anything. Though the last song I tried to look up was this!

My so called life

Thank you SOOOOO much to Lisa, the author of irks and delights, for pointing me to I Found Some Of Your Life. It’s my new favorite blog. This memory card was found in a taxi in New York City. The pictures on the memory card were taken over the course of exactly one (1) year in this person's life, starting July Twenty-Fifth, Two Thousand and Three (07-25-03) and ending July Twenty-Fourth, Two Thousand and Four (07-24-04). From this blogs author, “Further, in an attempt to present this pictorial information in a more personal manner, and also to better allow for some artistic license, I am going to pretend that I am the owner of the camera. I'll call me Jordan, because that's the name on my birthday cake (you'll see).”

(It appears as if this blog has tanked, having both removed all old posts and commenting that there will be no more... I wonder if the photo's owner caught up with him?)

I'm on a Mexican - whoah - radio

PublicRadioFan.com features program listings for hundreds of public radio stations around the world. Follow the audio links to hear your favorite programs and discover new ones. A directory of public radio stations with streaming audio, featuring a program schedule database for hundreds of public radio stations.

Needle in a haystack

How do you find specialized research tools? Two annotated directories of search engines, directories and databases are GeniusFind and Beaucoup. Geniusfind is a directory of thousands of search engines, databases, and archives organized into convenient categories and subcategories. These resources are specific to a certain topic and will greatly cut down on the time it takes you to find exactly what you're looking for. Beaucoup, on the other hand, functions as a meta search engine; you can search 10 search engines at one time, or you can click on one of the subject links from the main page of Beaucoup to find specialized search tools and databases on specific topics.

And I'll be in Scotland before ye

If you are a whisky enthusiast or just want to experience whisky on a trip to Scotland, SCOTLANDWHISKY.com, is dedicated to promoting Scotland and its national drink. Scotland can be broken into four very basic geographical regions when looking at strong characteristics in whisky they are the Highlands, the Lowlands, the Speyside and the Islands. This is exactly how I would want to travel through Scotland. Where exactly is Glenfiddich?

Mostly harmless

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy returns to BBC Radio 4 in a brand new series on Tuesday 21 September at 6.30pm. The final three books in the Hitchhiker 'trilogy' are being adapted for Radio 4 in two new series starting in September 2004 and May 2005. Twenty-five years after the original radio series of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy exploded into the public consciousness, the further exploits of its bewildered hero, Arthur Dent, are being brought to life in their original medium and with the (mainly) original cast.

Be all you can be

While I am not suggesting you join the Army, especially because there is evidence that the Bush administration may be seeking to draft everybody. But, I will recommend Associations on the Net as an excellent guide to web sites of prominent organizations and associations you can join compiled by the Internet Public Library.

Warning! Warning! Will Robinson

FoodSafety.gov is a gateway website that provides links to selected government food safety-related information. Here is The FDA's recalls, withdrawals and alerts in the last 60 days. This is the US governments Recall Clearinghouse. The Federal Citizen Information Center gateway to federal and industry initiated recalls. And here is Cyber Security Alerts provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits. Last but not least, Internet Security Systems, current internet threat level. Let all be safe out there.

Chocolate lovers rejoice!!

Milton Hershey (1857-1945), the founder of the Hershey Chocolate Factory, and Roald Dahl (1916-1990), who wrote about Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were both born on this date.

Who's blogging for who

Campaign Radar 2004 delivers daily analysis on politics, candidates and campaign-specific issues discussed on blogs commenting on the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election. It provides daily lists of top links, key phrases and relevant/sample excerpts that rank the ebb and flow of top issues being discussed in the political blogosphere. Campaign Radar 2004 also will provide two daily trend graphs, one that tracks blog traction on presidential and vice presidential candidates (Bush-Cheney; Kerry-Edwards; Nader-Camejo; Badnarik-Campagna) and a separate trend graph that tracks top issues. The best part is they have a RSS feed.

Future Geeks of America

The Science Project Advisor is one of many programs sponsored by the Center for Precollegiate Education at the University of Florida. I never participated in the science fair at my school. The only person I know who did is now at Harvard. Go figure!

I was lost, but now I'm found

Looking for that Ronco Pocket Fisherman? (Much to my suprise Ron Popeil's Ronco is still around and selling more than you can imagine) Discontinueditem.com™ is a special Directory who list companies that carry discontinued products, hard to find items, and classic articles. Discontinueditem.com™ has been created to help you in finding those "hard to get" products, or parts, that have been discontinued or limited in their production. You can search by Product Category, by Brand Name, by Location (State and City), or by Company Name using the site's Search Engine provided for each searching option.

Just the facts ma'am

Factcheck.org a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. The goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding. We are going to need this resource the way things are shaping up in this presidential campaign.

The Odyssey

All Cliff's Notes are now available for free online. Students from junior high to grad school have been turning to CliffsNotes to save study time since 1958. The original study guides cover hundreds of literary classics so students get the most from the great works with expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background.

Wavin’ your banner all over the place...

... or vexing Vexillology Batman! The Flag Institute is one of the world's main research and documentation centres for flags and vexillology. It collects and provides all kind of flag information, from past and present, from all over the world. And in honor of Patriot Day tomorrow, I offer this American Flag site.

Break it down, It's trivia time

6 out of my last 23 posts have made reference to songs, who amongst my 2 readers can name the songs and artists? And for an added bonus name the source of the 3 other cultural references in my post titles.

One Thousand and counting

While I do normally sound off on my liberal politics, I don't usually link to a blog discussion, this is not the forum I normally choose for such things. But I find myself linking to Running with Lawyers because Rufus speaks to an important topic and he eloquently connects it the socio-political issues that created it. Thank you for taking the time to write such a soul searching deliberated piece, you have stated things far better than I ever could.

In the 2000 election 50,456,002 people vote for Bush representing 47.87% of the voting population and 271 electoral votes. If one thousand people had voted for Gore in Florida (was 2,912,790 for Bush and 2,912,253 for Gore), things would have been very different now (and probably much better).

oh baby just you shut your mouth

Thank you to Alan for pointing out that Project Censored has published it's 2005 list. The Mission of Project Censored is to educate people about the role of independent journalism in a democratic society and to tell The News That Didn't Make the News and why.

Project Censored is a media research group out of Sonoma State University which tracks the news published in independent journals and newsletters. From these, Project Censored compiles an annual list of 25 news stories of social significance that have been overlooked, under-reported or self-censored by the country’s major national news media.

I also found this other minor issue that isn't getting the same press as John Kerry's war record. Nobody is reporting on Bush and the Jesus Factor either.

hit 'em with your best shot. Then fire away.

fotocommunity.de, founded in 2001 by Andreas Meyer, has quickly developed into the largest Europe-wide internet portal for the enthusiastic amateur photographer. The members of fotocommunity appreciate above all the opportunity to present their work to an ever growing audience and to exchange information and experiences with fellow photographers. Roughly 20,000 fotocommunity users comment, critique and contact each other within 24 hours time. Between 3,000 and 4,000 new photos are uploaded daily. 250 new members register everyday, who respectively send comments and fotomails and uploads.

Blinding me with SCIENCE

OJOSE (Online JOurnal Search Engine) is a powerful free scientific search engine enabling you to make search-queries in different databases by using only 1 search field. With OJOSE you can find, download or buy scientific publications (journals, articles, research reports, books, etc.) in up to 40 different databases.

Nextaris

...your personal Internet information toolkit™. Nextaris.com is the culmination of over five years of development at SurfWax, Inc. dealing with leading-edge technology to help with the use of information on the Internet. Search across major engines/sources with just one click, track personalized news automatically from over 4,000 sources, capture web pages and desktop files to secure online folders, share folders securely with friends/social networks/communities, create and publish blogs and web pages easily with a few clicks. Best of all it's FREE!

Find your way back....

My political links in the right hand column have found thier way back, after a detour into cyberspace. I would like to point out that many of these sites have newsletters and RSS feeds (actually very few have RSS feeds, when will they figure it out?). Being a Californiain I follow Arnold Watch very closely. I also recommend subscribing to the Daily Mis-Lead, Tom Paine, The Weekly Spin, and Did You Know?.