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.

If you are a frequent visitor you may know a part of this site is called Mac's Musings located on the right side of this page. In there I write about those things that tend to bother me in the news or in society as general. I never expect anyone to actually agree with me as these are, after all, just my musings. However this past week saw some drastic changes take place here with my little website and with whom I have been using in Australia as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). These changes have been so fraught with drama and stupidity that I simply had to write yet another "musing" named Nightmare On The Internet. I seriously invite everyone to read what's been happening in the background, and if you happen to be an Australian as well, to be warned by this tale of woe. Suffice it to say all is well (indeed - better than it has been in ages) though you personally may never see a difference. Have a read and be warned.

One of the fascinating things about the net is the ability to keep up with all kinds of things - news, events, things that change or affect all of us at one point or another. One of the sites that can help keep you up to date with the latest is the Science Blog - Science News Stories site. Yes, it's a blog, yes, it is informative, and yes, it's worth a look. :-)

Last Friday I gave a talk here to a room full of people about how to use search facilities on the net. That sparked me to include the Find search engines across the world with Search Engine Colossus site in this week's collection of sites to see. If you have a specific country that you would like to search, have a look here and see what search engines there are available in that country that might be of use. Great way to add new search capabilities to your bookmarks or favorites.

If you visit my website often you'll know that I love good food. In my past I have met many folk from the Middle East who kindly introduced me and my family to Persian Cuisine Recipes and now I would like to introduce these wonderful tastes to you as well. These recipes are simply delicious, and such a different way of putting things together that they are a delicious art form in their own right. Enjoy.

This weekend my wife and I hosted our two and a half year old grandson for a sleepover at our house, all on his own. It was so much fun that it was a joy to both of us. And on Sunday morning he and I watched TV and while doing that, I saw a site that shows parents of pre-school age children how to interact and help them learn. It's called Nick Jr. Parents- things to do with your preschooler and is certainly worth a look if you have children that small. Of course, Kaitoa and I also sat on the sofa, side by side, and watched Nick Jr. Parents--Play to Learn with Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, Little Bill and More! and helped Dora the Explorer find where the big blue bush was so that the mommy bug could feed her baby bugs. Was I happy? You have got to know I was.

"... the sun, and you and me, and all the stars that we can see, are zooming at a million miles a day, ..." Yes, that is a quote from the old Monty Python sketch. However, the sun, our nearest light and heat source, is so bright we really can't see it by looking at it directly without doing serious damage to our vision. Thus, the NASA Sun Earth Media Viewer Live Solar Images site, though slow to load if you are on a dialup connection, is worth the wait for the magnificent images it shows. Have a look and enjoy.

Leo Laporte is a man I have mentioned in the past because he has been involved with TechTV for a long time. You can see the things Leo has talked about on their show at the G4techTV - Features - Leo Laporte site. It is worth a browse because he does point out things that can be of use to almost anyone owning a computer. Great information here by someone who knows what actually is worth knowing.

Remember Polaroid cameras? Well, one photographer decided to turn this type of photograph into an art form. If you hop over to the Polaroid photography by Mark-Steffen Göwecke site, you will see, for instance, where he took a picture with his Polaroid, then one with that one in it, then another and another, etc. I must admit, it looks interesting. Have a look and see what you think.

Women look at things differently than men. *shrugs* It is simply something we should all be aware of. The WWWomen.com! Search Directory for Women Online! apparently came about just because of that fact. Women want to see things of interest to them, and also look at things in different ways than men do. Interesting search facility for the women on the net. Give it a try, and if it works for you, add it to your list of search engines in your favorites or bookmark folder.

I'm sure most of you have tried a new browser, be it Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, FlashPeak, or the new one at the Meresoft Com site. It certainly is a new browser worth looking into and incorporates some nice features. *shrugs*. Give it a try and see what you think. And where do you find the other ones to try? Many too many places on the net to mention only one, so do a search for them and they all should turn up. Enjoy your browsing. Internet Explorer isn't the only browser available, nor, necessarily the best one.

Ever wondered how we learn? I mean the actual processes we go through? The folk at the Visible Knowledge Project Home Page site point you in the direction of various studies that are trying to figure that out right now. Interesting site with some very useful ideas for those involved in education of any kind. And face it, if you are ever trying to get your point across to someone, you are too *smiles*.

The net is such a diverse place and there are so many demographics of the people on it, it also is changing, almost daily, in its presentation. The Pew Internet & American Life Project America's Online Pursuits site shows "the changing picture of who's online and what they do" and has a report that pretty much summarizes it. Keep in mind that any study is only relevant until the day it is written. Things, globally, change so fast that it is almost outdated information the next day. Interesting report though, and worth your time reading it.

You know CNN and you know world news sites. Well, now there is the CNEWS - Weird News site. These are stories that might turn up on page 6 of your newspaper, maybe. But, there are some that you should know about as well. No, apparently they aren't fake. But they do make you sit up and wonder why we don't know more about what is happening around the world. Certainly a different slant on news and though some of it may be of questionable value, some of it is important to know. Have a look.

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. ;-)