WebExhibits
A couple weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, I found out that it was an hour earlier than I thought it was. I’d forgotten to "fall back." I ran a search for the semiannual time changes so that I could...
View ArticleJumble & other word games
Jumble is my favorite newspaper game — and it’s even better online (requires Macromedia Shockwave). Unscrambling each word, and then using the circled letters of those words to unscramble the punch...
View Articlehistory of zero
Oh, what’ll you do now, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what’ll you do now, my darling young one? I’m a-goin’ back out ‘fore the rain starts a-fallin’, I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest, Where...
View ArticleIDEO Method Cards
Feeling creatively blocked? Try a pack of IDEO Method Cards, a tool that helps designers, innovators, entrepreneurs and others come up with new ideas, approaches and strategies for business and...
View ArticleScattergories
When I was in the eighth grade, my English teacher assigned the class a unique exercise in vocabulary building: an empty table with general categories (cities, vegetables, animals, etc.) across the...
View ArticleSeason’s Greetings
Courtesy of Wikipedia, please have a happy and well-informed: Boxing Day Chrismukkah Christmas Festivus Hanukkah Kwanzaa Winter Solstice Yule other winter holidays and historical events
View Articlesmell and scents
When I was conducting research for my post on scented paper, I came across some interesting smell-related sites: Better Living with Essential Oils: information about and uses for essential oils for...
View Articlefun sites
Googlism: Find out what Google "thinks" of you — or of anyone or anything else. The Dialectizer: Turn the verbal content of a web page into any of a variety of funny dialects, including "Jive,"...
View Articlean American hero
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 –...
View ArticleHow Stuff Works
We use technology all the time — telephones, computers, the Internet, television, cars and so on — but do you ever wonder how these things work? What happens after you press the "on" button or turn...
View ArticleGroundhog Day
If you’re not in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania today, you can celebrate the annual tradition with the next best thing: watching my all-time favorite comedy film, Groundhog Day, which is said to be —...
View ArticleIt really makes you think…
It really makes you think — Philosophy Talk: A couple of Stanford University professors discuss one broad, intriguing topic — such as time, happiness, forgiveness, virtue, propaganda, science, free...
View Articlesquaring the circle
I’d always wondered what the phrase "squaring the circle" meant. I figured it must mean something important, because it’s inspired titles for odd-shaped blank books and an obscure television show, as...
View ArticleBBC World Service: “Mobile Phones”
The BBC World Service produces fascinating radio documentaries on various topics: "Building Beijing": Construction within this Chinese city — the site of the 2008 Olympic Games — is happening at such...
View Articlequote gifts
Sometimes the perfect thing to say has already been said by someone else. Lunch Mail has encapsulated this concept in an attractive product designed to uplift and inspire. Each Lunch Mail pack...
View Articlebook clubs and reading resources
A couple of years ago, I co-founded a major book club in my city. Because I was the facilitator, I felt it was my duty to read not only the chosen books but the study guides as well. It was like...
View Articledo it yourself
Remember "The Future"? When our environment was supposed to have become so technologically advanced that machines would do virtually everything for us, leaving us with many hours of free time to...
View Articlebaby safety
It’s hard to imagine a better — or funnier — gift for the parents-to-be who already have everything than Safe Baby Handling Tips by David and Kelly Sopp. This novelty picture book is basically a...
View Articlebest free audio podcasts
Over the years I’ve developed a pathological fear of boredom, and subsequently a fear of mundane activities that lead to boredom, like waiting at the airport (especially at night), exercising (if it’s...
View Articleelection toys & info
Really? There’s an election? Gee, I had no idea. For anyone living under a rock, the United States is approaching the decision that initiates the peaceful transfer of power (or the Quadrennial...
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