LAST UPDATED ON MON, JAN 28, 2001
![]() The Idea: "Inexpensive, yet surprisingly powerful laser pointing devices have become ubiquitous in America. Millions of people own such a device. Laser light stays coherent over vast distances, the beams spreading very little. In theory, even a single laser pointer could reach the Moon. The idea behind Paint the Moon is to organize millions of people in North America to try and shine their laser pointers on one area of the Moon at one time, to see if we can create a temporary visible field of color on our nearest celestial neighbor. On October 27th at 11:00 P.M. EDT (10:00 P.M. CDT, 9:00 P.M. MDT, 8:00 P.M. PDT) and again on November 24th at 11:00 P.M. EST (10:00 P.M. CST, 9:00 P.M. MST, 8:00 P.M. PST)." Check out what the Space.com and the Columbia Tribune had to say. I think the notion of a bunch of people joining in a silly, futile, anonymously-bonding experience is charming & hilarious! |
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![]() Still curious? Well, here's a mass media account of the event from the Memphis Times, and a very amusing account from a guy who took his disapproving girlfriend. Here's a new addition to my list of links, as well as a Newsday article.. Obviously, there are detractors. Here's The World Socialist Web Site's introduction to some of 1998's competitors, PETA's letter to the Governor of Louisiana, and an article from College Students' Resources for Psychology. |
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Toronto's "Green Map" of eco-tourism is part a worldwide system of Green Maps, and Toronto's the first city in the world to have an Eco-Tourism Guide Book! | |
A few years ago, Elvis (Andy Parkhill) & I got a book called Roadside America, which has become THE mandatory reference for every roadtrip he & I take. roadsideamerica.com is their online guide to offbeat attractions, and is chock-full of odd and hilarious travel destinations! Also, check out Road Trip USA for VERY cool descriptions of suggested trips across the States.
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The folks at Infiltration.org illegally explore forbidden locations (ie... demolitions sites, abandoned landmarks, subway & bomb tunnels, rooftops, hotel pools, and more) and document their escapades.
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The Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory is stupendous! I can honestly say that I've never experienced such a feeling of wonder and humility. I've commited myself to going at least once a year!
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A "micronation" is any number of things:
...a model country that exists solely as work of fiction, ...a small group of people who are seeking sovereignty from another governmental power, ...a collection of brave souls who are trying to establish a new country, ...a tiny sovereign jurisdiction that may have escaped the notice of other major powers. "Why not start your own country? Who among us has not dreamed of a "new" country, free of all the taxes, bureaucrats, regulations, and idiocy that often make life all but unbearable in today's established nations? Political reform is impossible." |
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"How To Start Your Own Country, (Revised Second Edition)", is a whole book dedicated to the topic! | |
Tropical-Islands.com is an on-line real estate company dedicated to "Your Own Kingdom In Today's Developed World"!
Vladi Private Islands is another "islands only" real estate company which sells islands, but his properties are all over the world, not just in the tropics. PrivateIslandsOnline.com is yet another! Oh, my God! Will this never end? Florida Keys, Caribbean, everywhere, Bahamas, British Columbia |
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Actual Small Countries are not likely considred to be MicroNations, but, I imagine they must be tremendously inspirational to MicroNationalists. | |
Here's a MicroNationalist website which is devoted to either sovereignty and indepedence projects, or governments-in-exile. It includes links to Actual Small States, Soveriegnty Projects & Governments in Exile, Sedition & Sovereignty Groups in the USA & Canada, Confederate (USA) Resurrectionist Movements, New Country Projects, Micronation, Successionist & Homeland Groups, | |
UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation) is an international organisation created by nations and peoples around the world, who are not represented as such in the world´s principal international organisations, such as the United Nations. Founded in 1991, UNPO today consists of over 50 members who represent over 100 million persons. UNPO offers an international forum for occupied nations, indigenous peoples, minorities, and even oppressed majorities who currently struggle to regain their lost countries, preserve their cultural identities, protect their basic human and economic rights and safeguard the natural environment. |
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The CIA World Fact Book has info on some MicroNations. | |
Footnotes To History has info on the nations you didn't learn about in high school geography. | |
![]() One raft, made entirely of scrap, "Vilma B", will be a world-travelling home and school for abandoned street orphans from third world countries. In August 1998, "Son of Town Hall", also made entirely of scrap, crossed the North Atlantic, from Newfoundland to Ireland! |
Just Not Cricket is an on-line cricket game where, in order to save the lives of the opposing team, you beat groundhogs to death with a cricket bat! |
At Milko Music Machine, you create a music video (metal, hip-hop or disco), and you can add musical elements, and add dance moves & special effects. Man oh man, this is hilarious! What a splendidly rediculous way to spend a half-hour! |
This is a pretty cool java app! It fills that desperate need in all of us -- you know what it is -- that urgent and immediate need to TICKLE ELMO! No more of that going to the toy store and buying a "doll." No way. This is the net -- do it virtually. Go ahead.. tickle elmo! Tickle him! DO IT! (Just be prepared to wait half a day for the actual java app to download.) |
If you have three free minutes, I STRONGLY recommend DancingPaul.com. Choose music & a backdrop, then, any combination of "jiggy" & booty moves. |
The Hero Machine is DEFINITELY the cooloest thing I've seen on the web since Rock School! |
Grand Illusions is a site with a BUNCH of optical illusions & counter-ituitive puzzles. We've all seen these kinds of things before, but this site shows the BEST of them, along with a whole whack I'd never seen before. Best of all, the site includes accurate, scientific explainations. I just tried the Dragon Optilcal Illusion, and it was worth all the cutting & gluing! The "Monty Hall" Problem is ENTIRELY counter-intuitive. (If you've read "The Monty Hall Problem", and your instincts still tell you it's wrong, you're certainly not alone. I was so sure it was wrong, that I created a table to prove it. I was wrong --- It was right.) |
Mike Gallay SEEMS to be a fellow Torontonian, and without question, he's REALLY funny! His site is chock full o' original hilarity, and some TRÈS cool links! Some of the links I've recently added have been found through Mike's site. |
At StickDeath.com, you'll find a hilarious bunch of Stick Man death animations. Be forewarned, though, some of this is VERY violent, and there's some very foul language in the music! For my favourite one, go straight to "Wrestling" (which includes a pre-match concert by "Stick Meatillica") and follow the each of the tournament's links in order. |
The Cryptic Message Discombobulator. |nput á s¡ngle sêntén¢e, än entire paràgráph, or êvên ân ênt¡rê stðry ând thèn wät¢h in ãmãzêmènt @s yôµr prêviôúsly lég¡blè w¤rds gét spàt ºút ¡n an µtterly pèrplêxíng d¡s¢°mbobulâted f¤rm. |
Check out the whole ROCK SCHOOL site! It's a real blast! You can even use your "qwerty" keyboard to write a song! This site is the coolest I've seen in a VERY long time! |
Why not create your own conspiracy theory!?! |
ObscureStore.com has daily updates of unusual news stories. VERY fun! |
This-To-That.com exists solely "because people have a need to glue things to other things". |
See in which direction you point on the Political Compass. It turns out that, in political terms, I'm quite similar to Ghandi! How 'bout you? "There's abundant evidence for the need of it. The old one-dimensional categories of 'right' and 'left' , established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today's complex political landscape. For example, who are the 'conservatives' in today's Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher? On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It's not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can't explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as 'right-wingers', yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook." |
At eHow, you can find out how to Assist a Surprise Home Birth, Greet the Dalai Lama, Dispose of a Goldfish That Has Died, Avoid Stomach Problems in Less-Developed Countries, Throw an Oklahoma-Style Tailgate Party, and countless other "How-do-I-do-that?" kinda things! |
WordOrigins.org is Dave Wilton's personal web page, and includes an extensive collection of well-researched word and phrase origins, from "Bob's Your Uncle" to the "Whole Nine Yards", and from "Brownie Points" to "Fudge". |
At SoYouWanna.com, you can find out how to give a massage, donate sperm, get a sex change, run a marathon, roll your own cigarettes, rent a tuxedo, get an unusual piercing ... The list goes on FOREVER! |
Here, you'll find recipes for Lemon-Herb Alligator Stew, Sautéed Dijon Kangaroo Burgers, Ostrich Steaks with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Shittake Mushrooms, and Rattlesnake Chile. |
This in the online Museum of Dirt, and includes bottled samples from celebrities, TV & movie locations, historical & cultural locations, natural landmarks, points of interest, sports locations, gay/lesbian related sites, esoteric locations, and gravesites. You can search by colour, texture, elevation, type, city, or country. You can even SUBMIT DIRT for inclusion in the museum! |
Train Hopping is, apparently, a thriving lifestyle choice, and this site includes everything you need, including books, maps, newsgroups, mailing lists, associations, "How Trains Brakes Work", etc... |
An online magazine called HowStuffWorks.com is taking the internet by storm with its approach to demystifying everyday life through clearly written and "cooL articles, such as How A Car Engine Works, How Caffine Works, and How Tattoos Work. You'll even find a future-oriented section called, How Stuff WILL Work! |
What's it like to sleep in a tree? Well ... |
According to the creator of loompanics.com, "I got the idea for starting a mail order book business which would specialize in "controversial and unusual" books ... to twist your heads, to incite and provoke and make you think about things in new ways." I can't believe I found this place before my pals Alky & Marshall! |
Answer a few simple questions, and this'll decide upon the ideal dog breed for you, and here's another. Nope, I'm not kidding. And here's a dog breed comparison chart. |
More than you should ever know about shooting rubber bands with your fingers. |
Here's a GREAT idea for Christmas gifts! | |
Hey! Don't you think it's about time there was an action figure of YOU?!?!?! | |
How to build a match-stick rocket. DANGEROUS! DO NOT TRY THIS! PRESENTED FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! | |
At Dark Star, you can find Austin Powers and Jay & Silent Bob action figures, Dr Who & Planet of the Apes model kits, and X-Files ans Bill & Ted trading cards! | |
Many guests in my home have seen The Incredibly Dangerous Glowing Pickle Machine, introduced to me by Penn & Teller's Book "How To Play With Your Food". Soon thereafter, Gord Reed and I tried it on his living room floor one New Years' Eve. Then, John Lammers made me one, complete with on/off indication, drip tray, and sliding mechanism, all in a handsome, wooden, wall-mount presentation. | |
Before you continue, I want you to know that this can be very dangerous (noted). Do not attempt these projects. The information here is for information and entertainment only. Do not try any projects involving electricity, chemicals, or other potential hazards unless you really know what you are doing. I can not guarantee that any of these projects will work. Some of these are very old, and unfortenately I cannot provide assistance to everyone who writes. | |
There. Now check out Lori's Chemisrty Page (includes a QuickTime movie), The Wonderous Glowing Pickle, Characterization of Organic Illumination Systems, and Investigation into the luminescent effects of high voltage on pickled foodstuffs. | |
Fun With Grapes - A Case Study Using only cheap, readily-available equipment, you can create a spectacular lightshow in the comfort of your very own kitchen, providing hours of fun and excitement for your family, friends, and pets! | |
I've found a wickedly cool online Rubik's Cube! |
M&M Duels is a new fave of mine! "When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes." |
Finally! Proof that girls are evil! This is a work of comic genius! |
Wacky Patents |
FINALLY! The true story of human evolution! You're welcome. |
Wow! The guys at PhoneBashing.com REALLY hate cell phones! |
Economists say the unexpected death of a star of Barbara Streisand's magnitude would translate to a 70 percent sales boost for the $1 billion collectible-plate industry. |
Run The Planet is a legitimate hobby site, but I've chosen their "Weird Running" site. |
Elmwood Magic (Buffalo, New York). Paul, the owner, was a very gracious host, and showed my friends & I lots of cool stuff!
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Food TV has zillions of recipes & tips from their shows. |
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![]() To quote a few other professional magicians, "Jay's stuff is as good as the stuff anyone's EVER put out." "I was devastated. I couldn't believe it. I instantly knew I wanted to do a book with him." "Jay isn't about money or power or 'the industry.' He's about THE WORK, and that comes through in absolutely everything he does." "Sankey creates magic like someone following the precepts of The Trick Brain while on psychedelic mushrooms." |
![]() "Born the troubled son of Belgian butter magnate, Wilhelm Anuldsen, David Acer's father moved to Canada shortly after the war in the hopes of forgetting the terrible tragedies that were the warp and woof of Butter Society. It was here that Wilhelm founded the Anuldsen Wig & Poultry Co., and ultimately met and spawned with the nameless secretary that was to produce him a son. Now, some 30 years later, that son has rejected all things greasy in favour of a varied career in the arts." Remind me next time I see you, and I'll show his "Mad Card Disease". |
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Pollstar is THE place for concert listings. Search by artist, city, venue, or date, and have selected announcements emailed to you! |
![]() "The blues is my history, my culture. it's always been around me. I always wanted primarily not just to be a blues guy, but a songwriter. but the blues gave me depth." Keb' Mo' is one of the most celebrated bluesmen recording today. His last two releases have both won Grammy Awards for 'Best Contemporary Blues Album' and he is the recipient of four WC Handy Awards (the 'Grammys' of the blues). Keb' has already sold over 1 million albums, established himself as a major touring artist, portrayed the legendary Robert Johnson in a motion picture starred in several tv roles. |
![]() "Monte Montgomery blows people away. There is no other way to describe it... Like Michael Jordan defying the impossible with an air-filled leather ball on the hardwood, Montgomery makes his strings produce sounds that obliterate notions of what one human is capable of pulling-off on this simple instrument. Glance around the room wherever he plays and witness wall-to-wall looks of sheer slack-jawed astonishment." I know, I know. Sounds like the next Eddie Van Halen, but he plays ACOUSTIC guitar! This guy really is incredible! |
Michael Santucci, at Sensaphonics, makes my favourite In-Ear Monitors for musicians, the ProPhonic IV. |
Jerry Harvey, at Ultimate Ears, makes another of my favourite In-Ear Monitors for musicians, the UE-5 Pro. |
The ER-4S is my favourite In-Ear Monitor for audiophiles, and is made by Etymotic Research. (Follow the link, then click on Site Map---> Hi-Fi Enthusiasts---> Micro-Pro Earphones---> ER-4S.) |
The Clark Synthesis TST-329 is a "tactile sound transducer". |
I'm using; |
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Adobe Illustrator to create graphics, including PDF's, | |
Adobe LiveMotion to create Flash animations, | |
Adobe GoLive to create web pages. | |
Here are also a few online resources which I find TREMENDOUSLY useful: | |
Jukka Korpela has a bunch of very practical notions on web page creation, including So You Want To Create A Home Page, and a Web Colour Table. | |
Jakob Nielson also has some very useful ideas, like Top 10 Mistakes In Web Design, Top 10...(revisited), Top 10 NEW Mistakes In Web Design. | |
SiteSolutions.com will give you immensely valuable feedback regarding the "find-ability" of your page by analyzing its search engine friendliness. It gives very specific feedback on the effectiveness of, and recommended improvements to, your page's Title, Description, and Keywords. | |
SearchEngineWatch.com has tons of tutorials on how to make your page easier for search engines to find. | |
Daniel Tobias has some more useful essays. | |
NetMechanic.com has GifBot, which will help you to minimize the size of your web graphics while maitaining their visual integrity. | |
PollIt.com lets you create online Polls, Surveys, Guest Books, Counters, and Mail Forms. | |
Jeffrey M. Glover has a WICKED site called Sucky-to-Savvy which includes tips to hlep you create excellent web pages. He includes tips on what surfers do & don't want to see, which navigation tools are useful, and MUCH more! | |
Although JavaScripts aren't quite as easy to decipher & implement as HTML codes, here are a few good sources for JavaScripts: | |
Cut-n-Paste JavaScript | |
The JavaScript Source | |
Builder.com's Stupid Web Tricks has some code I haven't seen anywhere else, including JavaScripts, HTML, and DynamicHTML. |
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My brother Rob has a Clan MacLean genealogy site. He also runs the page for the Harrow Early Immigrant Research Society (the Harrow vicinity was a prominent end-point of the Underground Railroad), and the Rainy River District genealogy page, He's a busy guy! |
My cousin Kailey (who I haven't seen in ... oh my God ... about 25 years!) has a flower shop called The Flower Forest. |
Alky (Dave Parkhill) has great pages including links pertaining to family issues, hobbies and humour.Danny, has his own page with lots of cool kids' links!Tammy has a page, too. | |
Steve Parkhill is the only son of my buddy, Elvis (Andy Parkhill), and he's Alky's nephew. Man 'o man! This 14-year old loves cool electric guitars! (Right now, his page is pretty out-of-date.) | |
Don (Parkhill) & Stella have a page for Grab U Graphics, their printing business. |
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Lara (Lovie) has a page which includes stuff about herself, her husband Andy (S*%@head) Anderson, and even their dogs! Lovie's now (Aug 2002) running for City Council in Dana Point, California! |
The Anderson family, now based on the lovely Georgian Bay, in Midland, Ontario, Canada, has a consulting & training company called Understanding Why Inc, and a bookeeping business called Beancounters. | |
Kate Anderson is married to Frood (Dave 5). She has a genuinely quirky outlook, full of innocence, honourable values, and playfullness. |
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My volunteer work with Rovers brought me very close to Jason (Bark) Barker & Rob Shlemkevich. |
Jeff & Dave Campbell (God & Duckie from the old 1st Dorchester Co-Ed Rover Crew) own & operate St Thomas Rent-All. | |
One of Pup & Raz' sons, Sanborn, has a GREAT Star Wars site! | |
The Ontario Rover Council page has TONS of info! |
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Perry Disera is one of the great live-music Audio Engineers. |
I work with Chris Pegg, Jeff Somers, Billy Anderson, and Brian Betsworth. | |
I also work with Chris McHardy (he's the guy in the next office), and he's got a site with info & tunes from his musical projects. | |
Tony Gravis' musical project is FÜL. He's had some success in Europe. | |
Jason Gardash's Thumper Audio does quite a few things, including sound effects for video games, digital music editing, voice-over recording, and much, MUCH more! |
OTHER FRIENDS
My pal, Dr Ray Leibl, at ex-psychiatrist.com provides a TON of high-end services, via his consulting/training companies! | |
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HireRight1 screens sales job candidates to determine if the person has the innate ability. "Companies who plan to hire a salesperson can save literally thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars by using our HireRight1 screening, to avoid the mistake of placing the wrong person in a job. This is a hot item because we can help organizations become very certain that they are making a good choice." |
Dynamic Teamsdoes Executive Consulting, including Image-Creation Literature and Publicity, Executive Coaching, and Executive Mediation. "Of course, both presenting an effective image, and having yourself organized to do so, are both essential for success." |
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MaxitSales teaches the whole range of skills required for selling. "...we say You can sell, or you can just wait! By attending MaxitSales training classes, you can move things along in your life by acquiring the skills and understandings required to take action." |
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Ray and his team also teach NeuroLinguistic Programming. "The fundamentals of communication skill, and well as the elegance, is acquired through the study of NLP. You learn to say exactly what you need to say, and you see why you need to say it." |