This week we've learned that "Anything becomes a pleasure if one does it too often." Thanks to the Wisdom of Oscar Wilde, a quote generator chock-full of witty Wilde aphorisms, we've also learned that "Nothing succeeds like excess" and that "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." That said, let's talk about the latest installment of Picks. There's an excess of 'em. It'd be our pleasure.
Oscar Wilde also said, "To be popular one must be a mediocrity." Clearly he never played Dark Horse, the new virtual campaign game from NBC News, The Microsoft Network and Byron Priess Multimedia. Although we're told the game is a pre-release version of what's due out later this summer, we had great fun campaigning our way across the country, answering the question, "Do you have what it takes to win the presidency?" You're asked to choose platforms before hitting the Decision '96 campaign trail, earning votes and visibility, gaining points through strategic advertising, travel time and well placed campaign headquarters. We think the educational value of the whole thing lies in the political trivia questions and scenarios you face along the way. Make sure you know how to spell potato before you plunge in.
Speaking of plunging right in, we're flush with excitement to tell you about Toiletology 101, which exists as an answer to that eternal question: "Do you have what it takes to fix the Can?" We're not pulling your chain either, the site covers it all: emergencies, anatomy of a toilet, how to troubleshoot the lazy flush, preventive maintenance and even a section titled Just for Fun. Never again will you run screaming from the house; now, instead, you can stand your ground and utter with certain authority, "It's simple, all we need is a toilet auger and to increase the water pressure. Have no fear."
While on the subject of, you know, water closets, let's talk reading material. The National Geographic Society is now online, bringing in its first issue sunken treasure, survivors of the Titanic, ice treasures of the Inca and South Africa's Game Parks to a computer screen near you. Here, you can also access other classics from the Society, such as World Online for kids and Traveler Magazine, as well as information on their television programming. The National Geographic has "spent 108 years exploring the surface of the earth, the depths of the ocean, and the reaches of the universe." This web site welcomes you "to a new kind of journey."
As if that weren't enough, The Washington Post has also created an impressive online presence, offering a veritable smorgasbord of local, national and international news. Read the latest on thunderstorms battering the D.C. Area, or follow news from Moscow on the Russian Elections. You also have the chance to search the Post's archives, as well as enjoy features like Chapter One, which allows you to peruse the first chapters of select new fiction and non-fiction, or Talk Central, a place to enjoy conversations on related matters with fellow online readers.
It's enough to make you want to go cook up some Spicy Turkey Potato Boats, which, by the way, you certainly can do, thanks to Kellogg's Rice Krispies Recipes Galore. This dream boat recipe calls for "4 large baking potatoes, baked", "2 teaspoons chili powder", "1 pound lean ground turkey" and "2 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies", amongst other choice ingredients. We're thinking, this has to bring new meaning to the phrase "Snap, Crackle and Pop." The Kellogg's site offers a vast array of recipes that include their famous Krispies, everything from cookies, to breads, treats (see above), side dishes, dinners and more. Seems, afterall, that you don't always need milk.
And while on the subject of serials, it's time to play the Simpsons Dating Game. It's quite simple, really: answer a series of pertinent questions based on what you're looking for (sex, age range, demeanor, that kind of thing) and you'll be matched with a suitable Simpsons character.
It didn't take us long to realize that Homer Simpson could very well be the next Studmuffin of Science. (As if you didn't know that already!) It just so happens he was busy when they shot this year's calendar of "delectable dozen PhDs." Here's a call to action: do you know "of a hunky science prof or cute guy in the lab"? It's your civic duty to let the folks at Studmuffin know. Next year's calendar is still in the works.
This just in from the shameless plug department: new to Yahoo! is Yahoo! San Francisco Bay Area, a local version of the mother ship directory that empowers you with the ability to say "Why yes, I do indeed know the way to San Jose." Besides appeasing the concerns of Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick, Yahoo! SFBA also provides links to upwards of 10,000 Bay Area sites (from Marin to Milpitas with everything in-between), local news, weather and traffic reports, classifieds (a job, a home, a pet, a lover) and community message boards. It's a community thing; only, parking is oh so much easier and there's very little in the way of fog.
From the Golden Gate to Ghosts of the Gold Rush, a treasure trove of information, history and narrative about the frenzy, starting in 1849, that drove over 100,000 gold hungry individuals from around the world to Canada's Yukon. This site has it all: a brief background of the Klondike Gold Rush, a searchable database of records of and by folks who were there, anecdotes, chronologies, and stories that reveal the spirit and people of those difficult times. The site exists as a way to promote a CD-ROM on the subject, but whether you're interested in buying the product or not, you'll find the resources presented here to be truly informative and certainly well worth the trip.
Finally, a memorial to Ella Fitzgerald, the "First Lady of Song", who passed away recently at age 78. Increasingly it seems the web offers people around the world the chance to come together and gracefully mark the passing of those who have added something to their lives: musicians, artists, authors, celebrities, sixties folk heroes, among others. Such is the case with Will Friedwall's appreciation of Ella, which began as an essay for a program book of a forthcoming tribute to take place at Carnegie Hall on July 9th and 10th. After Miss Fitzgerald's death, the essay found its way online and includes a discography, liner notes, sound samplers and rememberances by fans. Take your pick(s).