B-List Archive: March 2001

B-List Archive

March 2001

Postings to the B-List.

Subject: B-List: Personalized Action Figures
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 09:34:09 +1030 (CST)

AndGor Personalized Figures
  < http://www.andgor.com/Personalized_Figures/personalized_figures.html >

For those who see themselves as living dolls ...

"AndGor Toy Company can make YOU into the Action Figure of your
 choice, wearing whatever you want from casual clothes to formal
 wear, authentic military gear, football uniform, and more!"

Hmmm.  I wonder if these figures make good Voodoo dolls.

Subject: B-List: Forwarding e-mail illegal?
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 09:35:55 +1030 (CST)

From yesterday's Sunday Telegraph ...

"Sharing e-mail banned by law"
  < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,1768268%255E421,00.html >

I'm too scared to quote anything from the article, so you'll have to click
on the link to read it yourself :)

And you have my "permission" to forward this e-mail onto anyone you want to.

Meanwhile, back to the real world ...

Subject: B-List: Am I Right?
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 15:12:33 +1030 (CST)

Am I Right
  < http://www.amiright.com/ >

Misheard Lyrics and Song Parodies.  Last year I told you about
"Kiss This Guy", a site containing commonly misheard song lyrics.
  < http://www.kissthisguy.com/ >

Am I Right has even more songs, plus stories about misheard lyrics,
quizzes, song parodies, message board and voting facility.

* Misheard Lyrics
  < http://www.amiright.com/misheard/new/index.shtml >
Broken down by title, artist or decade, with search facility.

Groups With Most Misheard Lyrics Submitted
  Prince                 110
  Elton John             109
  Nirvana                 95
  U2                      88
  Madonna                 80
  Queen                   74
  Backstreet Boys         72
  The Beatles             70
  R.E.M.                  66
  Michael Jackson         66

* Song Parodies
  < http://www.amiright.com/parody/new.shtml >
Also broken down by title, artist or decade, with search facility.

Example - my least favourite song of the moment is "Yellow" by Coldplay.
Here's a parody, called "Jello":
  < http://www.amiright.com/parody/2000s/coldplay0.shtml >

Subject: B-List: Legalese
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 14:35:09 +1030 (CST)

Lessons in Legalese
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/legalese.html >

Real and fictional examples of the special form of English spoken by
Lawyers.

Some amusing bits include:
* A treatise on "How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?"
* A fictitious "Product Liability Suit":
    Wile E. Coyote, Plaintiff vs. Acme Company, Defendant 
* The Lawyer's Motto (quoted below)

Also check out the rest of the site, run by The Allison Law Firm:
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/ >
Contents:
* Stupid Lawyer Tricks
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/stupid.html >
* Riddles
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/riddles.html >
* Jokes
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/jokes.html >
* Quotes
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/quotes.html >
* Real Stories
  < http://www.allisonlaw.com/legally/real.html >

The Lawyer's Motto: 
  "Insofar as manifestations of functional deficiencies are agreed by
   any and all concerned parties to be imperceivable, and are so
   stipulated, it is incumbent upon said heretofore mentioned parties
   to exercise the deferment of otherwise pertinent maintenance
   procedures." 
In Other Words: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Reminds me of Sir Humphrey Appleby in "Yes Minister".
If you want to read actual quotes from "Yes Minister/Prime Minister",
visit:
  < http://www.rubberturnip.org.uk/yesminister/quotes.html >

Subject: B-List: Workplace Survivor?
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 11:29:54 +1030 (CST)

With the current trend of "democratic" game shows and the like
(eg "The Weakest Link", "Survivor"), I wonder if workplaces will
follow suit: will managers/team leaders ask workers/team members
to vote off those who are letting the team down?

Maybe I should submit the idea to a TV network ...

Anyway, here's a link for those who love to hate "Survivor".
  < http://www.survivorsucks.com/ >

Also has links to other PlanetSucks sites such as "Temptation Island"
and "The Mole".

Subject: B-List: Custom iMac design suggestions
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 10:40:01 +1030 (CST)

DIY iMac Designs

If you thought Apple's "Flower Power" iMac was a bit much, check
out some of these ideas for iMac colours and patterns:

  < http://www.macaddict.com/community/artgallery/imacs01.html >
  < http://www.macaddict.com/community/artgallery/imacs02.html >
  < http://www.macaddict.com/community/artgallery/imacs03.html >

I quite like the polished marble look:
  < http://www.macaddict.com/community/artgallery/imacs/imac_Marble.jpg >

Subject: B-List: Seven Wonders
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 12:35:24 +1030 (CST)

In case you've ever wondered ...

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
  < http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/ >
  < http://www.mmmpcc.org/jerrywalkosz/wonders.htm >

The Seven Wonders of the Modern World
  < http://www.wonderclub.com/WorldWonders/ModernWonders.html >
  < http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/modern/index.html >
The second link has more than 7, but who's counting.  Anyway, this
category will probably always be open to debate.

The Seven Natural Wonders Of The World
  < http://www.kaibab.org/gc/misc/gc_7wond.htm >
  < http://www.wonderclub.com/WorldWonders/NaturalWonders.html >

Other categories of "World Wonders" are listed at:
  < http://www.wonderclub.com/AllWorldWonders.html >

A possibly humorous list of wonders:
  < http://anduin.eldar.org/~ben/funny/html/545.html >

Subject: B-List: Earth From Space
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 11:48:12 +1030 (CST)

Earth From Space
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/ >

Spectacular views of the Big Blue Dot, courtesy of NASA.
You'll probably need a fast Internet connection to fully
appreciate this site.  But there is an option to view
thumbnails and lo-res images.

Categories include:
* Clickable Map
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/categories.html >
* Cities
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/city.html >
* Earth Landscapes
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/land.html >
* Distinctive Features
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/feat.html >
* Hurricanes & Weather
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/atmo.html >

Examples:
* Adelaide (SA)
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/lores.cgi?PHOTO=STS077-741-096 >
* Great Barrier Reef
  < http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/lores.cgi?PHOTO=STS046-077-031 >

Subject: B-List: Federation of American Scientists
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 13:01:08 +1030 (CST)

Federation of American Scientists
  < http://www.fas.org/ >

According to their Mission statement:
  "The Federation of American Scientists conducts analysis
   and advocacy on science, technology and public policy,
   including national security, nuclear weapons, arms sales,
   biological hazards, secrecy, and space policy. FAS is a
   privately-funded non-profit policy organization whose
   Board of Sponsors includes 51 of America's Nobel laureates
   in the sciences."

* Database on U.S. Arms Transfers
  < http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/sales_db.htm >
For example, did you know that from 1996 to 1999, Australia licensed
or agreed to buy US$5.5 billion of weapons from the United States?
  < http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/sales_db.php?regionin=%&ctryin=aus&
       fy1in=1990&fy2in=1999&licin=1 >

* Project on Government Secrecy
  < http://www.fas.org/sgp/index.html >

* Military Intelligence Images
  < http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/index.html >
From satellites, spy planes, etc of Cuba, Iraq, Nicaragua, you name it.

Subject: B-List: WebMuseum, Paris
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 10:41:41 +1030 (CST)

WebMuseum, Paris
  < http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/ >

A bit of culcha today.
An online art museum, with special and general exhibitions.

* Famous Paintings
  < http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/paint/ >
Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionism, Cubism, Pop Art, Japanese Art etc

* Auditorium
  < http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/snd/ >
A selection of Classical Music "hits"

Subject: B-List: Career Questionnaire +
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 15:39:23 +1030 (CST)

1. Career Questionnaire
  < http://cbweb9p.collegeboard.org/career/html/searchQues.html >
A bit long, but could be quite accurate.

2. Are you too smart for your salary?
  < http://work.guardian.co.uk/Career_Aid/IQ_vs_Income/The_Test/0,4620,42346,00.html >
Salary is in UK pounds, but use the exchange rate of AUS$1 <=> 0.3 pounds,
or 1 pound <=> $3.

Subject: B-List: Latest from T-Bone
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 10:03:38 +1030 (CST)

1. T-Bone's Bird Callin' With Jeb
  < http://www.boneland.com/toys/bcwj/index.html >

2. The Court of Judge Hellfire
   Case 1: Common Sense Vs Robert Downy Jr.
     < http://www.boneland.com/movies/cjh/case-1/index.html >
   Case 2: Originality Vs Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs
     < http://www.boneland.com/movies/cjh/case-2/index.html >

As usual, these require Shockwave/Flash.

Subject: B-List: Rock Australia Stamps
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 14:18:28 +1030 (CST)

Rock Australia
  < http://www.2.auspost.com.au/stamps/rock/default.htm >

Australia Post has just released a set of stamps commemorating
Australian music of the '70s, '80s and '90s.

* 10 Hit Songs
  < http://www.2.auspost.com.au/stamps/rock/hitsongs.htm >
Ten songs have been chosen as the subjects for the stamps.

* Products
  < http://www.2.auspost.com.au/stamps/rock/products.htm >
Apart from stamps, first day covers etc, there's also a book and CD.

Subject: B-List: Complaint Letter Generator
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 13:04:03 +1030 (CST)

Scott Pakin's automatic complaint-letter generator
  < http://www-csag.cs.uiuc.edu/individual/pakin/complaint >

Comes in two flavours:
  * Complain about a person
  * Complain about a company/organization
    (scroll down the page to get to the form for the second one)

Also, try the web ring links at the bottom of the page if you dare.

Subject: B-List: Interactive Magic
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 11:05:38 +0930 (CST)

Trendy Magic - Interactice Style
  < http://magic.trendy.org/interactivemagic.shtml >

Some online magic tricks.  This has the original card-picking trick,
here called "The Original Mysterious Rabbit", plus Color Theory tricks
and a Psycho Test.

Check the main "Trendy Magic" site as well:
  < http://magic.trendy.org/ >

*** My bee-in-the-bonnet for the day ...

What's up with "um"?  Why do people feel the need to start sentences with
"um"?  Are they telling us that they need a few moments to get their brains
into gear, and saying "um" fills in the time?  Is there an equivalent non-
word in other languages, or is this a peculiarly English language thing?
I don't mind the occasional "um",  but some people make it a showpiece of
their conversations, to the point where every single sentence they utter
contains the word.  I hope this rant doesn't, um, offend anyone :)

Subject: B-List: ThePuzzleFactory.com
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 10:29:46 +0930 (CST)

ThePuzzleFactory.com
  < http://www.thepuzzlefactory.com/ >

Some puzzles and games to pass the time.  Just don't get caught :)

* Puzzles (jigsaw, sliders, crossword)
  < http://www.thepuzzlefactory.com/puzzles.cfm >

* Games (arcade, memory)
  < http://www.thepuzzlefactory.com/games.cfm >

* Kids' stuff
  < http://www.thepuzzlefactory.com/kids.cfm >

* Screensavers
  < http://www.thepuzzlefactory.com/scrsav/screensavers.cfm >

B!?

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