January 2002

I'm not really sure if this belongs in the Fun and Games category, or if I need to start a Just Plain Weird category… The Milko Exercise Video Maker gives you the tools to fulfill that fantasy of directing a best-selling exercise video. One teensy little detail: your star is a cow…

Not certain you know your DRAM from your SDRAM from your VCSDRAM? Is high memory anything like a high dudgeon? Understanding PC Memory can help you sort out the terms and concepts of computer memory.

Science fiction is the literature of ideas, it's been said. Infinity Plus helps keep those ideas around for a while longer, by republishing SF stories on the web. You'll also find interviews, reviews, and a nicely stocked online bookstore, as well.

Spyware, scumware, exploitationware… whatever you want to call it, it's nasty, nasty stuff. Many freeware programs support themselves by installing hidden programs that may pop up ads, insert advertising on web pages, and generally make the online experience slow and irritating. The exploitationware detection page scans your Internet Explorer installation for some common bits of scumware and alerts you to its presence.

Got a little extra folding money? Learn how to really fold it at the Money Origami page. Projects include a gift box, ring, eyeglasses, and sailboat. Or, just relax on a windy day with your homemade pinwheel.

Okay, Mom, I know that CatBat was a cheap shot. Perhaps I can redeem myself with Orisinal Games. They're cute, mostly nonviolent, and the game design and artwork are really quite extraordinary.

My mom really liked the Flash Minigolf game I featured a few days ago. Somehow, I don't think she's going to find CatBat quite so engrossing. My boys will probably get a big kick out of it, though.

The TechTV program Call for Help is the savior of bewildered PC users everywhere. But even the mavens on the show have to have somewhere to turn when they need their own questions answered. Check out the Call for Help list of Net Resources to see where the geeks turn for assistance.

Fans of Wallace and Gromit rejoice! The addled inventor and his faithful pooch are set to return in a series of twelve short films to be released on the Internet later this year. If you've never seen this famous duo in action, I envy you the treat you have in store. Go right out and rent or buy their films: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave.

Look closely at the menus for Word (or Excel, or Powerpoint, or any of several other popular Microsoft programs). See all those Ctrl abbreviations? Those are keyboard shortcuts, quick ways to execute menu commands. Many Microsoft programs have literally dozens of hidden shortcuts – all of which are available via this handy search engine.

If you need an eye-catching banner for that web site in a BIG hurry, hustle on over to the free Create a Banner service from Adobe. Select text size, font, color, background, and an animation effect, and you'll have a spiffy banner in just about no time at all. Experiment until you get just the look you need, and then download the banner for your own unrestricted use.

Writing for the web isn't quite like writing for any other medium. With a few general principles, and a lengthy list of acceptable conventions in online prose, this web style guide can help make you a better web writer.

If your earliest memories of computers date back to the 70s or so, you'll recall the pictures made from teletype characters that you could print out and stick on the wall. For some cosmically obscure reason, I seem to have stumbled across several utilities in recent days that can help you make these ASCII masterpieces out of any image. BG_ASCII and ASCII Generator are freeware Windows programs, while Picture to HTML and Picture to ASCII do the job online.

Eric Harshbarger has a serious LEGO mania. I mean really serious. Visit Eric Harshbarger's LEGO pages and marvel at the amazing things this man does with the humble LEGO: sculptures, chess sets, even a full-size, usable desk. Unbelievable…

Grab your putter – it's time for Miniputt! Eighteen holes of pure time sink are waiting for your enjoyment. (Alternate sites: 1, 2, 3 )