This week's selection of picks fits well into that under-utilized category we all know and love as the Three H's: history, help and hwacky. Sure, it's a stretch, but we do what we can. Speaking of which and plunging right in, see what you can do to help the growth of the Amazing Rubberband Ball. Inspired by Pee Wee's Playhouse and a rubberband fight at the local YMCA, the ball is a 4.5 lbs creation six years in the making. Donate your rubberbands now, not one has been bought for the project and there are only so many a person can steal.
For more on the idea of helping others for a common good, try Car Talk, the official site of Ray and Tom Magliozzi's (aka Click and Clack) funny, useful and thoroughly entertaining NPR talk show about cars and how to fix 'em. Have a wrenching good time exhausting the site's offerings, with the likes of the weekly Puzzler, the law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, Virtually Useful Data and Car Talk Classifieds, which asks: "is 'unemployed Art History Major' redundant?" Click and Clack would have to agree that even if your car runs well you still shouldn't fall into the trap of speeding. But now, thanks to the Speedtrap Registry, a state-by-state index of the most popular highway traps, life in the fastlane is a bit easier. We learned that just south of San Francisco, on U.S. 101 right before Candlestick Park, it's best to behave yourself, but we were planning on doing that anyway.
Speaking of traps, So You Want to be a Parent??.. provides an hilarious look at what it takes to enter the very real world of mother-and-fatherdom. The site offers 13 simple tasks to prepare for the big role, including Shopping, Feeding, Nights and Mess. We particularly liked #8, preparing to take a small child for a walk.
If you want help locating a place to eat, let your tastebuds do the walking at DineSite, an index of restaurants throughout the United States. Search the entire database, or peruse listings by state, city, or restaurant and food type. We're happy to report that there is a Denny's on Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia. (Please refer to last week's picks to realize the importance of this find). In the Land of the Lunchboxes food is never far away. This site exists as a monument to the good old days, when Scooby Doo, Hopalong Cassidy, the Munsters and a whole smattering of other characters and creatures kept your PBJs and cookies safe. One nostalgia sandwich to go, please.
If none of these helpful sites do the trick for you, you may want to visit the Naked Dancing Llama, a peanut-spitting creature at the ready to fix your every problem. We're not really sure about the Grand Master Llama's wisdom and can't guarantee the value of his advice, but he is running for president and thought it only fair that we mention him. Though it offers no counsel, you can learn about the Giant Squid at a site provided by the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Explore the mystery and beauty of the world's largest invertebrate. Through a combination of text and images, learn the myths that surround the creature that is, among other things, an awfully large amount of calamari.
Finally, the history. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France presents The Age of King Charles V (1338-1380), an exhibit of 1,000 Illuminations from their Department of Manuscripts. You can view these magnificent images by theme, manuscript or introductory text; a great resource for anyone interested in this period. Texts and Documents: Europe, provided by Hanover College, offers a comprehensive and impressive index of ancient, medieval, early modern and modern European works that exist on the web. Find links to Sophocles, texts from the Crusades, the Italian Renaissance, World War II, and more. Take your pick(s).
First on the tour is the resourceful Medieval Castles of Wales, which loosely divides the country's historic treasures into three categories: Norman, Welsh and Edwardian Castles. Host Jeff Thomas has created a comprehensive collection of text and photographs that is informative, easy to follow, and a testament to his love of the subject. Also in the United Kingdom, Devizes Castle in Wiltshire, England, has had quite a history of destruction. Originally an 11th Century wooden castle, it was destroyed in 1113. Rebuilt in stone at great expense to Viceroy Bishop Roger, Devizes was destroyed again in 1645 by Oliver Cromwell's army. Visit the site for more on the castellated mansion and surrounding Wiltshire.
The construction of Windsor Castle, official residence of the Queen, was begun by William the Conqueror over 900 years ago. Since then, it has been continously improved and restored by successive monarchs according to taste and style. Today the castle is open year round for visitors; view magnificent collections of art and behave, maybe you'll be invited to tea with Her Majesty.
Torrione Castle, in Sandigliano, Italy, remains one of the few examples of a northern Italian private fortress surviving from the Middle Ages. Visit the Dungeon, a central feature of this historic structure, built before 1147 by a great grandson of the founder of the Vialardi family. Torrione Castle, too, has had a war torn history, but exists today in peace and splendor.
Finally, for further exploration, try Castles on the Web an organized index of web sites that offer information related to the subject. The site includes Castles for Kids, an image archive, a list of tours, an experimental live chat area called The Keep, and more. A perfect springboard into these mythical and mysterious monuments of history.