We decided to write this week's selection of picks entirely in iambic feet. (You know, the poetic meter in which one unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable.) How did we feel about this? At first, pretty relaxed. Unstressed, you might even say. Then we stressed. Then we relaxed again. Then we stressed again. Unstressed. Stressed. Uncanny, isn't it? Happened at least five times. We got the idea after perusing The Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1900, part of Columbia University's Bartleby Library. The OBEV site lists its vast collection of poetry chronologically, by author, by title and by index of first lines. You can also search by keyword at this truly impressive resource.
When the whole iambic idea tripped over its own feet, we moved to Plan B: to come up with a picks slogan of sorts. "All the links fit to surf" or some such phrase. But again, we ran into difficulties. Turns out that the New York Times is also in the market for a web site tagline. Difference is, if you can help 'em come up with one, they'll give you a hundred bucks. Here's the scoop: "coin a slogan, in 10 words or less, encapsulating" the mission of The Times's interactive site. Submit your entries here. Do it no later than October 1 of this year. Winner gets the loot.
Somebody should tell Nick Sanders about the The Times's contest. It'll give him something to think about as he and his motorcycle circumnavigate the globe, setting all kinds of goofy records. You can read all about Nick's latest exploits at the Mobil Round the World Challenge. Currently, he's going full throttle in the Pan American Challenge, an attempt to break the existing world record for motorcycling from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to Point Barrow, Alaska. Go, Speed Racer. All-righty then. The site includes a catalog of Nick's past accomplishments, press releases and Nick's daily diary from the road.
We're hoping (shameless plug time!) that when Nick gets to Los Angeles he visits the oh so very new Yahoo! Los Angeles, the latest of our regional sites. Afterall, he can use the directory's maps and views category to figure out where the 5 meets the 405, and whether he can make it in less than ten. That'll depend on traffic, of course, and how long it takes to get a table when he does lunch. Other than that, he may get carried away in the land of showbiz as he chats up a storm with a whole slew of waiters and waitresses who aren't really waiters and waitresses. Who knows, maybe he'll even find a job while he's in town. Yahoo! L.A. also offers daily business reports on the entertainment and music industry, as well as movie and music reviews, with contributions from a number of content providers, including Buzz magazine, Mr. Showbiz, Daily Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, radio stations KNX and KIIS and others.
From the wacky products department we've learned that there is indeed life after basketball. Yes, even for the balls. Now you, too, can outfit your very own corporate dream team with "unique business accessories" that are "handcrafted with authentic pebbled basketball material and graphics." The folks at Sportsforce have run full-court with a slam dunk of an idea that has a lot of bounce to it. Their "briefcases, attaches, cardholders, wallets, memo-pad holders, checkbooks, and 3-ring binders" are all carved from rock, so to speak.
Don't take stock in that idea? Maybe you'll like this one. Literally. One Share of Stock, Inc. doesn't need much explaining: their title says it all. If you'd like to be a part owner of your favorite (or even less than fave) company, but you don't have the moola, start small. Very small. Very very small. Tiny. Buy just one single share. It'll come framed. Currently, OSoS, Inc. can make you owner of at least fifty companies, including Walt Disney, Apple, The Boston Beer Company, Boston Celtics, Anheuser-Busch and others.
Speaking of sharing, you can always share the word, the idea, the recipe, the tip, the joke, the fact, the facts, the news, the dirt, the song, the lyrics, the bargain, the interest, the love, the gossip and a whole smattering of other the's on an email list or discussion group. Trying to find one that covers your concerns, includes your interests? Head on over to Liszt, a searchable and browsable directory of email discussion groups and mailing lists. Last time they counted they had 56,226 of them. That's a lot of sharing.
There is of course a list somewhere of things that you really ought not to share. Topping that list, or at least in the first five, is Bad Teen Angst Poetry. In fact, it's probably unwise even to create a web site that indulges any kind of nostalgic look at the high school years, when words mixed with hormones and made for melodramatic musings. If you are willing to fess up to the fact that you wrote truly awful poetry while locked in the bathroom at a party, you can release the very beast that is a burden to your soul right here: at Bad Teen Angst Poetry.
Finally, food for thought. Or, actually thoughts about food. Something like that. Anne's Favorite Recipes is part of San Francisco's Hawthorne Lane Restaurant web site and includes all kinds of tasty morsels for you to try at home. Make everything from Rare Seared Yellowfin Tuna with dry-fried green beans and garlic chips to Caramelized Apple Cheesecake with walnuts and ginger. The delicious recipes here have been adjusted so that you can in fact make the stuff at home. Only one thing left to do: make sure you've got all the ingredients and take your pick(s).