June 2006

man.splitbrain.org is a paradise for Linux geeks. It presents a web-based interface into more than 46,000 pages of documentation for Linux commands. There is even a Firefox extension for searching the pages.

Sweetie is a set of "150+ clean and clear icons to use in your nifty web application. They are licenced under a Creative Commons licence, so commercial use is fine. Also feel free to make derivatives with the included Photoshop documents."

MiniScience provides educational supplies and kits for science teachers and students. They have a sizable inventory of science kits and science fair projects.

"SCIFIPEDIA is a wiki devoted to all things genre-related: science fiction, fantasy and horror subjects related to print literature (books, comics, magazines) and media (movies, TV, games) as well as related subjects of interest including UFOs, ETs and the Paranormal."

Make your own customized Google map with quikmaps. "Draw pictures and label things on a google map using simple clicks and drags. Easily move the map to anywhere in the world."

"What do you do when your hard drive dies or is so small it is no longer useful? Easy, rip it apart and make something cool out of it! Here are 5 ideas to get you started."

Something I've always suspected: Our grip on reality is slim, says UCL scientist… "Dr Jon Simons and Dr Paul Burgess led the study at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. Dr Burgess said: 'In our tests volunteers either thought they had imagined words which they had actually been shown or said they had seen words which in fact they had just imagined – in over 20 per cent of cases. That is quite a lot of mistakes to be making, and shows how fallible our memory is – or perhaps, how slim our grip on reality is!'"

"Snacksby is a different, easier kind of recipe site. You tell us what you've got in your fridge, in your pantry, or just what you're looking to find in a recipe, even how much of each ingredient and wham!, we let you know what your options are."

Like Girl Scout cookies? I do. Are the Thin Mints your favorites? Mine too. I haven't tried it yet, but this homemade Thin Mint Recipe might be an acceptable substitute in the off-season.

My sons are fanatical World of Warcraft players. This'll give them a good laugh…
 

Google is the world's most popular search engine, but an it also entertain? Read 55 Ways to Have Fun With Google and find out.

If you need to juice up your next science fiction story, or your next Dungeons and Dragons session, try this handy list of Stupid Plot Tricks.

Stop whining about your sinuses, or your aching back. Be grateful you don't suffer from Ondine's Curse, or hypertrichosis, or any of several strange and rare afflictions.

Data Mining using Google discusses the advanced search syntax of the world's most popular search engine.

My son, the paintball wizard, pointed me to this collection of chain reaction machines shown on Japanese TV. Does anyone know what the slogan that appears at the end of each machine's run says?