Welcome to our latest installment of Picks - a world of tax forms, velcro drag races, voodoo dolls, fossilized feces and oh so much more - where we know with absolute vehemence that there are so many ways to say I love you. That said, let's get going:
We're pleased to announce that Fred McFeely Rogers and Bob Ross, two staples in the diet of great television, recently made their way online. You know Fred as Mister Rogers. His friendly neighborhood has visited the homes of three generations of children and parents since 1966. Provided by PBS and Real Audio, the site offers amongst its treasures an Internet greeting from King Friday XIII, a history of the series, plan & play activities and (our favorite) lyrics to the show's most popular songs. If you can't already sing every word of Won't You Be My Neighbor?, now there's no excuse. A legend in his own right, Bob Ross has been bringing The Joy of Painting to television viewers continuously since 1983. Brush up your skills with his Wet-on-Wet technique, paint a mountain like you've never painted one before, or learn three ways to depict rocks and stones. After all, as you well know, "painting is not just for the chosen few - it is for everyone."
You'll be singing an entirely different tune if you don't file your tax returns soon. But there's help, thanks to The Digital Daily - provided by the IRS, faster than a 1040-EZ and twice as fun. Learn various tax regulations, download necessary forms, discover how to file electronically, even meet the commissioner at this lively, up-to-date and useful site. Whatever you do, do it soon. You won't know what to do with all the money you've saved.
Here's an idea or two about spending your hard earned cash. A company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, brings a whole new meaning to the term "icons of the past" with their endangered feces, otherwise known as coprolites: fossilized animal droppings, from dinosaurs and their cretaceous companions. "Chosen for color, clarity and character" you can order the ancient excrement as touchstones or paperweights; your choice. If that's not your style, how about trying one of Mavron Inc.'s prisoner and animal transport conversions? We're not sure what to tell you about this, except: if you need to transport animals and prisoners, looks like Mavron is your place. Still not good enough? Need something to blow off steam? Looking for the perfect way to get through tough times? Look no further: YooDooVooDoo offers anatomically correct VooDoo dolls to get back at all those folks you love to hate. But please, be careful out there. And if that still doesn't suit your needs, browse through Total Rebound's catalog of wacky fun, described as "unusual, state-of-the-art interactive games for corporate meetings, special events, company picnics and every conceivable kind of party." Included on the list are Human Darts, Sumo Wrestling, Human Bowling, Water Wars and Velcro Drag Races. We imagine that Velcro Drag Racing is kind of like running the Boston Marathon, only it doesn't necessarily have to be in Boston and, yup you guessed it, it's with velcro. Another difference: the Boston Marathon, run on April 15, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Finally, have you ever wondered what happens to a Yahoo! Pick of The Week at week's end? Is there a final resting place for these gems, much like the Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard, the ice cream equivalent of an elephant's graveyard? Well, glad you asked. As it happens many of these beauties make their way into Yahoo!'s Cool Links category. And, we're happy to say, as of last week Cool Links sports a whole new look. Be sure to peruse the popular category, which now includes Grrrly Stuff and (to be fair to the guys) Bachelor Pad. Other categories include the self-explanatory Geek Things, Our Crazy World and Surfers' Picks - selections of personal favorites from the folks who work here. Take a look at what the likes of Sara, Mimi, Conor, John and the rest think of as cool. The rest is up to you: take your pick(s).
This week's tour is made up of a number of those worldwide goodies featured by surfers in Yahoo!'s revamped Cool Links category.
Start with one of Lobo's picks, the Lonely Planet Online. Designed to kickstart your travels and help you on your way, the site exists as your passport to the rest of the world. Currently featured: the sites and smells of India.
Anne likes the Human-Languages Page, a concise index of human-language resources on the Web. The sites linked here are truly from everywhere, and include dictionaries, language tutorials and spoken samples. The list is growing; feel free to add your own contribution. For more on the subject, try one of Sara's choices, The Ethnologue Database of information on 6,500 languages. Information found at this site includes alternate names, number of speakers, location, dialects, linguistic affiliation, and other sociolinguistic and demographic data.
Bryan's contribution comes in the form of Arch-Cam, a live picture of downtown St. Louis, looking east, updated every few minutes. Say no more.
Tina's collection of links includes: The One and Only Morocco, a comprehensive collection of information about the North African country, and The Italian Internet Winery, the first Italian Internet commercial server for wine enthusiasts. Their searchable index works as a great resource if you're interested in quenching your thirst with the country's harvest.
John includes in his list The Gathering of the Clans, devoted to all things Scottish, and TerraQuest, virtual expeditions to different regions of the world. New from TerraQuest is On Assignment: Ecuador.
Finally, although she hasn't quite finished selecting her surfer picks yet, Srinija promises us that when she's done she'll include The CIA World Factbook. Why? Because it covers everything.