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.

Here in Australia we can occasionally get some very violent storms. Recently the state of Queensland, where my family and I live, had almost half of it under water for a period of time. That type of rain and wind, on a ground that has seen nothing but drought for years and years, causes flooding of magnificent proportions. What is needed is some way for the weather people to notify the population of impending storms such as these in their own neighbourhood. Thankfully the EWN - The Early Warning Network software has recently been released and is totally free to download and use. EWN is providing the Early Warning Network free to the public, emergency service providers and schools. And it provides a Desktop Alert, Mobile phone SMS, Phone, and email notification all for free. If you live anywhere in Oz, you need this free software to warn you of impending weather alerts. Do it now.

Many folk have their own views about the war and situation inside Iraq. More importantly however is that whatever is happening inside that war torn nation should be reliably reported to the outside world. The blog Inside Iraq is unique in that regard. "Inside Iraq" is a blog updated by Iraqi journalists working for McClatchy Newspapers. They are based in Baghdad and outlying provinces. These are firsthand accounts of their experiences. Their complete names are withheld for security purposes but you might like to check it out for yourself. Like it or not, these folk live it.

If you move around a bit, and for business purposes need files available to you that normally you may not carry on your laptop, you might find the Yahoo Briefcase - Reviews and free Yahoo Briefcase downloads of use. It is composed of 25mb of storage using your yahoo account. Don't have one? Simple - take one out for free. 25 MB isn't huge storage, but for most it will suffice. Oh, did I also mention it is free?

If you are in any kind of business you need to be organised. That includes the home commander who shuttles children about and also does the various things that any household needs. Thus, the site called 100+ Ways to Organize Your Life could be the most important site you've seen. The idea? Get organized and thus reduce stress levels. Sounds good to me.

All of us need to keep our brain active. If you're working for a living, or if you're simply now retired and learning how to cope with life on a different level, mental fitness is important to your health, well being, and ability to survive. If you're in a company that statement is even more applicable. Thus the Brain Fitness, Training and Exercise guidance for individuals, companies and institutions. site might just spur you on to improve and help the thinking of your staff as well. Have a look. It could be important for you, your family, your organization, your group, your ..... you get the idea.

When one thinks of putting your photos online for others to see, one normally thinks of the big name sites to do that. However a site that is fast growing in popularity is the Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket site. Haven't heard of it? Then definitely hop over and have a look. Nice site.

Most business people need office software to conduct their business. Some don't really wish to use up their hard drives with enormous programs they may only use occasionally. Therefore the Online Office, Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation, CRM and more site could prove invaluable for those occasions you need such programs but are out of the office. Have a look. Nothing to download - just great software to use online. I'd bookmark this one.

I recently had occasion to phone Dell's Tech Support and I waited for over 45 minutes to talk with a human being, listening to terrible music punctuated by announcements that I was next in line and how valuable a customer I was. Note: was, because they didn't solve my problem satisfactorily unfortunately and therefore my next computer will most likely not be a Dell. However, I did get some help by visiting the PC Support - Free Tech Support - Fix Computer Problems - Free Computer Help site. It works and is a great site to have when you need it. Hop over, have a look, then bookmark this one for that time you need it in the future.

If you visit my site frequently you'll know I love good food. I recently came across a site called Specific Chat & Recipes - Discuss Cooking Forum which is just that, folk discussing recipes and ideas about cooking and good nutrition. Have a look. You might find your own input is valued as well as gaining some insight into some pretty delicious recipes. Enjoy.

If you are in school, and take science as a course of study, have you ever wondered where all the science ideas come from? Well, I can't guarantee that they came from the Science.gov USA.gov for Science - Government Science Portal site but I can tell you that a lot of teachers visit this site on a regular basis. Have a look. It might help you with that homework.

One of the things that parents look for online is a safe place for their younger folk to go and play in., The KIDWORLD!!... by Kids & for kids! site is just that, interesting, fun, and by kids for kids. Need I say more?

You know you're getting old when you hear yourself say "I can remember listening to the radio to *insert name of your favourite radio show here*. However many of us will remember the wonderful things to be found on the Retro Junk Hey I remember that site. And it also has some you may not want to remember. It's fun, but most definitely, be careful.

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. ;-)