Hello and welcome to Mac's Picks of the Week. If you are interested in why this site exists, how it operates, and a little about Mac, then click on the Why and How Info link and see what is there. When you have finished please return to this Home page and see what sites I have chosen this week to receive a Mac's Picks of the Week award. Thank you for visiting and please share this site with friends, family, and colleagues who you feel will enjoy it.

This page is updated on a weekly basis, each Monday Australian (Queensland) time (GMT + 10 hours according to the world clock). Please come back and visit often.

With everyone talking about the new operating system Vista, you might wonder why I would suggest a site known as Desktoptwo, which essentially allows you to build your own desktop, not on your computer but on the net, to be used anywhere you happen to be. The answer is simply that a) it could be useful and b) many are, like me, waiting for SR1 for Vista to be released before we jump on the bandwagon. See if this might be useful to you as well.

At times you need to define a term, or alternatively, you need a term that defines certain concepts. The next time that happens to you, you might consider having a look at MetaGlossary.com simply because, being a definition search engine, it might be of use. Worth a bookmark for future use?

Do you recall the dire warning given to you when you were younger to avoid "fast company"? Well, that still may be true in many cases, but you might want to have a look at the Fast Company Now blog to determine if it is for you or not. Some interesting stuff here, though may not be to everyone's taste.

How do you go about forming a democracy? It's not as easy as you might think, and for that and historical reasons as well, the site called Documenting a Democracy, by the National Archives of Australia shows us one hundred and ten key documents on how the democracy that is now Australia was formed. This might also be suitable for those teaching history in our schools to have a look at.

Acknowledged as one of the most noteworthy mathematicians in the past 100 years, Albert Einstein Online gives us an interesting look into the man himself. His theories are still being debated today and not many folk from history can make that claim. An interesting look into a complex man.

Some spots in the world are more geologically active than others. By that I mean that the ground shakes more in some places than it does in others. New Zealand, where my family and I spent over 30 years before moving to Australia, is one of those and is known as "The Shaky Isles" because of it. However it is far from being alone in this distinction. Indeed, if you happen to live in the southern part of the US State of California, you might find the Southern California Earthquake Data Center Home site both informative and scary. How much do you know about the ground under your own feet?

Did you hear the one about the two people sitting on a beach one evening with a full moon shining overhead, when one turned to the other and said "Which do you think is closer - New York or the moon?" to which the other replied "Duhhh, can you see New York?" Ok.. a long way to get to the point of asking did you know that NASA is making plans to return to the moon? They are, and you can have a look at the thinking involved at the Welcome to NASA.gov site. Here you can be kept up to date with any preparations involving a return to the moon. Interesting stuff.

You know, the net continues to surprise. One of the most visited sites online is the site known as YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. where you can upload and share video of you, your family, and as much silliness as you can imagine. Is it because we collectively enjoy watching other people? Or because television is so boring we will look at almost anything? If you haven't caught up with the craze in watching other people do silly things, have a look. You'll be surprised if nothing else.

If you have your own website you will have learned by now not to simply put your email address on the site in text as it does nothing but draw hackers and crackers to your email inbox, as well as spammers. Spam-Harvest-Proof Email Link is an application that creates an email address for you to use on your website, with the added security that it labels where spam email is originating from. If you have a need for such a secure email address in html then tell this site your email address and let it create a fake one for you, and then add that html to your email address. Go get 'em.

One of the things of interest to many Western folk is Eastern food, in particular Asian food. However not being familiar with the various ingredients and spices used, one is faced with trying to figure out a whole new way of making things taste as they should and that task can put a lot of people off. The Thai Food Blogs - Pictures, Recipes and Menu Decoders from Thailand site was recently passed on to me from one of our regular contributors and I have to say I am VERY impressed. This site not only shows you different Asian food, and recipes of how to make them, it even teaches you how to pronounce different things. Have a look and listen to the pronunciations. Then the next time you visit a Thai restaurant you can order like a local *smile*.

Trying to make learning science subjects easy and interesting is a big task. Thankfully there are some educators out there who really do a great job at it. You can help as well if you take your younger folk to the Make Homemade Science Toys and Projects site and try out some of the projects with them. Have a look and see if it might interest your young people.

I enjoy musical and performance innovation. I may not always understand it but I enjoy it all the same. Thus, when I came across the Lejo dj site I thought it was cleverly done and something you should see as well. Turn up your speakers and have a look. And remember - innovation is the key. *smile*

Rebecca Game of "Digital Women - Women with their modems running...", is my web designer and a graphic designer who is superb to say the least. Her site, dedicated to women on the net, is worth seeing and bookmarking for future reference. If you are looking for links of interest to women, please visit her site. And if you need the best graphic designer on the planet, I seriously can't recommend her more highly. Oh yes, and when you visit her site, tell her Mac sent you. Thank you Rebecca. I am eternally grateful for your assistance and expertise. ;-)