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.

It has been a while since I've added anything to the site I call Mac's Musings but this week saw an event that made me write yet another of these musings, titled This Is Not Cricket and I suggest that if you are a cricket fan as I am, that you read this musing. Then make up your own mind if you wish to take the action I suggest. I know I will and encourage any who love the game and detest racial slurs of any kind to follow suit. I am aware that many may not agree with what I say but I have the right to my opinion and have no problem stating it on my own site. Enjoy your read and join me in protesting this injustice.

A new and interesting site was launched this week called Qtrax - free and legal music downloads and though it's not completely working yet it's something you might want to have a look at. You download a browser/player for use on their site, and you then are able to download thousands of tracks with no restriction or cost attached to them. If you are trying to fill the mp3 player of yours, this is certainly one site you'll want to visit.

Almost all of us have homes to keep clean and households to maintain. Sharing tips with each other how to do that is a nice hobby to have. So hop over to the Household tips & tricks and see if you can find something you didn't already know? You might pick up a trick or two here.

One of the hardest things to do is to get reliable television guides for the normal Australian broadcast channels. However the Australian TV Guide for Free-To-Air television site goes some way to solving that problem for us all. Have a look. If you live in Oz, this could be worth a bookmark.

When I teach groups about searching on the net one of the pieces of software I always mention is the Copernic Agent - More Than a Simple Web Search Engine software. First of all, though there are various paid for versions, there is also a free version that is excellent. This software queries several search engines at once, and brings you back the results. Remember, no one search engine covers the entire net. It's virtually impossible to do, so you do need more than one search facility if you're serious about finding what you're looking for. This one fills part of that bill admirably.

You will no doubt have heard of the problems in China with folk trying to get home for the New Year's celebrations. Well, those who are already home are no doubt preparing bountiful feasts to celebrate the year of the Rat as it fast approaches. You might like to have a look at the ChinaVista's Recipe Corner site for some yummy sounding recipes for your own next celebration. Some of these sound absolutely gorgeous. I think I'll try some as well.

And if you're looking for things to keep the young folk busy with the approaching celebration you might want to have a look at the Chinese New Year - Children's Activities site. Remember, it is celebrated on the 7th of February this year. To all our Chinese friends around the globe, the happiest and most prosperous New Year to you and your loved ones from my family to yours.

If you've bought a CD and want to make a backup copy, and find that the DRM on it won't let you, you need to read Bob Rankin's article called DRM removal. Now before you get all bent and twisted he isn't suggesting anyone break the law, but he feels, as I do, that you deserve the right to at least back up your music in case of disaster. Have a read. It might save you a few dollars in the future.

Getting organized, on your desktop, in your office, in your car, whereever you do business, can be a daunting task. However the site named Get organized and stay organized Backpack shows you a site that is geared to helping you do just that, get organized. There are various levels of involvement dependant on what you really need, but this might be just what you're looking for. Have a look.

If you're one of those who owns and uses an mp3 player, and who also happens to love good literature, you might want to have a look at the ManyBooks.net - Free eBooks for your PDA, iPod, or eBook Reader site. And yes, just as the title says, these are free to download and use on your mp3 player. Now that has to be a good thing.

And finally this week, one of the real Aussie Icons is the well known entertainer Rolf Harris. If you love this character, hop over to The Rolf Harris Jukebox, turn up your speakers, and get out your wobble board.... Enjoy.

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. ;-)