Note: I'm forgoing my usual formatting this week to get this to you. It's a little faster, and I'm behind schedule. Hope you don't mind...
It has become a tradition for media to post “Best of” lists as the old year folds into a new one. I’ve found two worth noting this week. Also, as we look forward to February, many of us will be watching the Winter Olympics on the tube. Knowing how each sport is judged is easy enough with a mouse click. Plus, I’ve found two wacky websites to put a grin on your face.
MSNBC Year in Pictures (www.msnbc.com/modules/yip20005/). Get ready for some spectacular photojournalism. In this slide show set to music, you’ll see some photos that are downright pretty, and others that are difficult to look at. All capsulize the year we’ve put behind us. Let’s hope that 2006 brings us all pretty-to-look-at pictures of major news events. At the end of the slide show, you’ll have an opportunity to vote for your favorite.
Best of Online Games (www.jayisgames.com/best_of_2005.php). I have no idea how many office workers find time to play video games on the clock. I have to guess that the numbers are large, based on the shear numbers of “best games” found at this website. The games could keep a person busy for an entire year, nonstop. One redeeming factor is that there are a few categorized as “Games for the Brain.” That ought to keep senility at bay.
2006 Winter Olympics (www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/). The athletes who participate in the Winter Games learned long ago that if you can’t beat the cold, snowy winters, you might as well get out there and enjoy a winter sport. The rest of us who waited to long to pick up on that philosophy can sit in our warm homes and watch the action in snuggly comfort. This website is the official Olympics organization site with plenty of stuff to click on. It’s a good place to get information about how each sport “works,” or is judged. The site provides links to Turin’s official Olympic website, too. You can keep track of athletes and scores by country, too.
M-Law’s Wacky Warning Labels (www.mlaw.org/wwl). This website is officially the “Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch,” where outrageous litigation within the state is monitored by a nonpartisan organization. Go ahead and wade through the litigation examples, or if you’re not up to it, just skip over to the wacky labels. They’re more fun, anyway.
Kooky Chow (http://www.kookychow.com/). When I first saw this site, I thought that it would be perfect for our food writer, Carolyn McConnell, to review. There are some very strange concoctions on the market. Bloater pate is one of them. Tuna jerky is a treat for dogs, cats, and yes, humans too. The pickled fiddleheads do not sound too outrageous, though. Have fun looking around this online grocery sampling.
Consumer Reports Webwatch (http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/). The slogan for this information-packed site is “Look Before You Click.” This is a good place for anyone new to the Internet to begin learning the dangers of surfing and possibly messing up a perfectly good computer system.
