Mac's Picks is a collection of family friendly interesting and useful sites, updated weekly. These sites may be search engines, medical resources, household hints, educational resources, recipe sites, sites I call "head scratchers", and/or new sites dealing with all kinds of things of use to the general internet community. To find the criteria I use, simply click on the "Why and How Info" link on the right side of this page.

This page is updated on a weekly basis, each Tuesday evening Australian (Queensland) time (GMT + 9 hours according to the world clock). Please come back and visit us often.

Important Note: If you are returning to my page, welcome back! Please click your "Refresh" or "Reload" button on the top of your Internet browser to ensure you are seeing the current week's page of my "Picks of the Week". Also, I would love for you to make my site your home page. Simply click on Tools - Options in Explorer, or Edit - Preferences in Netscape, and click Use Current and it's done.

Women in some developed countries seem to have a much better climate for personal and career growth. Unfortunately that isn't the case in a lot of the countries on this little green orb. However the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women Homepage will show you that at least they (the UN) are aware of the problem and are trying to work towards a better situation for women everywhere. This is really worth a look. You might even find ways of helping your sisters around the globe here. Give it some thought.

My grandson loves stories. In fact, I would venture to say that most kids like good stories. They are a way to learn about things in an enjoyable manner. Thus, the StoryPlace The Children's Digital Library site is a wonderful place to bring the young ones to and introduce them to the enjoyment of good stories. See if your young family members enjoy it as well.

Men at times, get a bad rep. Mind you, some males deserve it as well. There are, however, those trying to change the male psyche and thus change the way men see things and do things. The Victoria Men's Centre seems to have excellent goals and principles in helping men realize the right way to be and thus the right way to run society in general. I recommend it to you, and suggest that pointing it out to male friends/family members isn't a bad idea either.

Remember the television series "Star Trek - The Next Generation"? If so, you'll remember young Wesley Crusher (played by Wil Wheaton). Well, it seems that Wil is a bit of a computer buff as well, and even has his own blog. If you want to catch up with this young man and what he's doing now, hop over to WIL WHEATON DOT NET and, *dare I say it?* Make it so. *smiles*

Remember all the fuss about those who turned television shows into almost a cult thing? Take shows such as M*A*S*H, or even Coronation Street for instance. Well, the BBC - Cult Television - Homepage site seems to have it all covered. From Buffy to 24 it's all here. Enjoy.

No doubt, at some point, you've seen, if only on TV, the Segway motorized scooter? Well, someone is taking the use of it a bit further and you can follow their exploits online at the American Dream Segway across America at 10 MPH site. Ok, it may not be everyone's favorite mode of travel across country, but you have to admit, when the journey is done, you've seen about all there is to see along the way. Good luck to them, and I'll wait to see their reception in the west coast.

You've no doubt, at some time, tried to find a recipe for a dish you had somewhere or someone in your past made for you that you simply enjoyed so much you wish you could make it yourself? Next time that happens, bookmark, and then go to the Cafe Creosote Search site and see if you can find it there. Why it's called creosote I fail to understand, but hey, the search engine is still good. Give it a try, and enjoy your meal.

You'll have heard that former President Clinton had a successful quadruple bypass surgery within the last week, and if you've visited this site for any length of time, you'll remember that I had one over a year and a half ago. The healing process is long drawn out affair and the patient can feel lonely and somewhat vulnerable at times. Therefore, why not send him a personal greeting at the Clinton Presidential Center Contact Us site. Will it be seen by the former President? I'm told that it actually will and he himself has requested that he sees any well wishes sent to him. *shrugs*. It can't hurt, it takes a couple of minutes out of your day, and it might make him recover faster. Politics aside, send one soon.

You'll know that I recently put up a site (see the right side of this page) where you can browse and read about and find out about various religions in the privacy of your own home, without someone knocking at your door. I now have found an interesting site called Godchecker - Your Guide To The Gods. Mythology with a twist!. Now that has to be a site to browse around. It lists hundreds of various gods from mythology and legend. Interesting site, and though some religions still believe in multiple gods, personally I will stick with one single one for all of humanity, who is simply worshiped or even acknowledged by mankind in various ways. *shrugs* Still, interesting to see what others believe. Have a look.

When I run classes on searching the net, I ask how many use what search engines. Most use Google, Yahoo, or MSN search. Many have never even heard of AltaVista, Black Stump, Hot Bot, InfoSeek, DogPile, or even WebCrawler. Want to see what they do, and how to choose the right ones for the type of search you are doing? Then hop over to the How to Choose a Search Engine or Directory site and have a read. Not only is it interesting, but it will help you to understand how to find what you are looking for. Great education site.

You will, undoubtedly, know the painter van Gogh. Did you also know that he was a prolific letter writer? He wrote about almost everything at one time or another, and you can read the unabridged versions of his letters at the van Gogh's Letters - Unabridged site. He was certainly an interesting man with a complex mind. Good site to have a cup of whatever and sit and read for a while.

Ever play the "I can stare you down" game? How about playing it with the CyberStare site? Go ahead. You know you want to see if you can win. *chuckles*

Rebecca Game of "Digital Women - Women with their modems running...", is a graphic designer who is superb to say the least. Rebecca designed this "new look" web site specifically for me, and I can't praise her work enough. 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. ;-)