Web Tips #6



*1.  ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, SUGAR IS SWEET,
 AND SO ARE . . . ARE . . . D'OH!            
            
June 25th, 1999            
            
Having trouble completing your couplets? The Semantic Rhyming 
Dictionary may transform you from pathetic poetic to the next 
Dr. Seuss. Point your browser to 

http://www.link.cs.cmu.edu/dougb/rhyme-doc.html 

and type in a word, and you could get scores of rhymes--as we 
did for "suey"--plus links to related words, and even a Web 
search of PICTURES of the word in question (maybe there's such 
a thing as being too comprehensive, after all). And please, 
don't spoil the fun for the rest of us by tying up the server 
with fruitless searches for words that rhyme with "orange."


*2. Z-A-N-J-E-R-O SPELLS ZANJERO--200 POINTS FOR ME, PLEASE            
            
June 28th, 1999            
            
Sure, no self-respecting Scrabble opponent is going to be 
brain-dead enough to let you consult the Web before placing 
your next word. But if you're one of those who is sick enough 
about the game to PRACTICE various scenarios--the ACE Scrabble 
Word Finder is the perfect accoutrement for your sad existence. 
The Scrabble Word Finder is just one of several puzzle word 
finders available at the Puzzle Depot site; stay a while and 
knock yourself out. 

http://www.puzzledepot.com/wordfinder2/scrabble.html


*3. TOWARD MORE TRITE, LESS ORIGINAL SPEECH            
            
June 29th, 1999            
            
Why struggle to say something in your own words when you can 
use a cliche instead? The Cliche Finder, at 

http://www.westegg.com/cliche/ 

makes finding any oft-used phrase easy: Just type in the word 
or words you need your cliche to address, and it returns all 
the matches it can find from its database of 3,300-plus overused 
phrases and aphorisms. The Cliche Finder is also a great way to 
double-check your cliches (because nothing is more embarrassing 
then getting them wrong). It can even help you expand your 
cliche literacy, by displaying ten random cliches or letting 
you peruse the entire database, line by stale line.


*4. GIVING DRINKING A GOOD NAME            
            
June 30th, 1999            
            
They don't come right out and say so, but the folks at Drinks 
That Work, at 

http://www.drinksthatwork.com 

want you to replace the stuff to which you're currently 
addicted--coffee, alcohol, and sleeping pills--with natural, 
nonaddictive drinks. They offer Forza, formulated to help you 
get "up and at it"; Kava, to "relax the body, focus the mind, 
and inspire meaningful conversation"; and Luna, to help you 
sleep. All this sounds great to us. At $29.95 a 12-pack, we 
hope it works as well as it sounds.


*5. CHICKEN A LA THAG            
            
July 1st, 1999            
            
Need to lose a few pounds? More and more former flabbies are 
swearing by something called the Paleolithic Diet--a diet that 
emulates the eating habits of our oldest Homo sapiens 
ancestors. The logic isn't that cavemen were rarely fat 
(because who really knows--and even if we did, running away 
from saber-toothed tigers would keep you thin no matter what 
you ate) but that their diet was humankind's first and most 
natural, and one from which we've only recently (in the grand 
scheme of things) strayed. If you really enjoy fruits, 
vegetables, and lean meats, and can kiss dairy products and 
breads goodbye, start hunting and gathering at 

http://www.paleodiet.com


*6. HOW USEFUL IS THIS?            
            
July 2nd, 1999            
            
How Far Is It? is one of the most bookmark-worthy sites we've 
stumbled across. Enter two cities--ANY TWO CITIES--and this site 
returns 1) the distance between the cities, as the crow flies; 
2) the direction you need to go to head from the first city to 
the second (again, as the crow flies); and--because you're NOT 
a crow (although over the Internet, nobody really knows for 
sure)--3) maps and driving directions! It's easy, fast, and 
comprehensive--in other words, like almost no other service 
on Earth. 

http://www.indo.com/distance/


*7. MOMMY, WHY ARE ALL THE BUTTERFLIES DYING?            
            
July 7th, 1999            
            
The folks at The Why Files, at 

http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/index.html 

claim to present "the science behind the news." Now, the stories 
into which they delve--why corn pollen is killing butterflies, 
what monkeys have to tell us about maternal bonds--aren't 
exactly headlines, but that may be precisely why they can teach 
us more than any news program ever will. Our favorite part of 
the site was the Cool Science Images section, where we saw 
something called a Black Smoker. You'll have to find out for 
yourself what this is.


*8. HERE'S AN IDEA THAT WOULD HAVE FLOPPED AT EPCOT            
            
July 8th, 1999            
            
Don't be scared by the name; FedWorld isn't some Al-Gore-designed 
theme park from bureaucratic hell. It's a complete listing of 
government Web sites, documents, and links available on the 
Internet. Imagine more than 130 government-related bulletin 
boards at the tip of your fingers (if you dare!). Or try the 
GovSearch, which lets you search every government document on 
the Web from one convenient location. 

http://www.fedworld.gov 

Tip-in-a-tip: Don't confuse this site with www.fedworld.com, 
which appears limited to crudely drawn political cartoons.


*9. YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES            
            
July 9th, 1999            
            
The Lycos Image Gallery is probably the largest source of free 
art that you've never heard of--or maybe it's the largest source 
WE'VE never heard of. The gallery contains 80,000 FREE images, 
including clip art (much of it really neat, retro clip art) as 
well as hard-to-find (and difficult-to-scan) photographs of 
athletes, movie stars, presidents, and other folks. (Note: There 
are restrictions on using the photos, so read the disclaimers 
carefully.) No matter what type of Web site you're putting 
together, you can illustrate the whole thing with a ten-minute 
visit to this place. 

http://www.lycos.com/picturethis/


*10. NOW IF WE CAN JUST GET RID OF INCOME TAX            
            
July 12th, 1999            
            
www.daylightsavingtime.com is "The official interactive Web 
site for those seeking to end the practice of adjusting their 
clocks every six months!" Read the history of this absurd 
practice, which should have been abandoned with the invention of 
the lightbulb. Then please, please write your federal 
representative and beg him or her to vote to end this nonsense. 
We don't often take sides on an issue, but in this case, we just 
can't hold back. (Note to Webmaster: Do you really think 
cyberspace needs another site with "X-Files" background music?) 

http://www.daylightsavingtime.com
