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.

Some folk find it a real challenge to study becoming a professional chef. If that is of interest to you, or part of your career path, then the Culinary Schools website is just what you need to have a look at. It should point you in the right direction to find the school you need to study at.

Some of us however just want to dabble in kitchen and culinary arts. I'm a fan of chicken, for instance, and found that the Chicken Breast Recipe - Chicken Acapulco with Creamy Shrimp Sauce site supplies a tasty recipe that I plan on trying in the not too distant future, and maybe the Chicken Breast with Crab Dressing recipe might make an appearance in my kitchen soon as well. Don't you just love trying new ways of doing things you already know how to use?

If you have been a frequent visitor for a while you'll know that I applaud good blogs, and good websites as well. Well, there is one that is possibly controversial in nature at times, called Spyfood presents geekgirl (r) Welcome page but she is also one of the best new age young women on the net. If you're adult (and by that I mean over the age of 18 in most cases) have a look. You might find her an interesting addition to the sites you watch.

With more and more viruses hitting the net each week, you need a good anti-virus software installed on your computer. One I recently was shown is the AntiVir Personal Edition which is not only free but appears to do an excellent job of protecting your computer from nasties. Give it a try if you think you need a change.

There are some scary diseases out there that just might hit you. That's enough to scare anyone. And I don't necessarily only mean the ones you catch from sneezes either. The Your Disease Risk site will give you good information on some of the scarier ones, and how to prevent getting them, besides testing you to find out how at risk you are. Not a bad idea to spend a bit of time surfing around this site, for your own health sake.

The National Geographic site has some interesting aspects to it, including the Crafts, Science Experiments, Activities, Recipes, Coloring--National Geographic Kids part of their site. It is designed particularly for younger people, but it's not a bad idea to browse around it yourself so you can help with their projects.

How much do you really know about the United Nations and its work in the international community? The Cyberschoolbus - United Nations will take you on a tour of the various agencies of the UN and help you see what they are trying to achieve internationally. Now that has to be good.

You download your email and see something a little strange, possibly from someone you do or don't know. What should you do about it? If you read the Examples of Bad Email Messages site you will have had a good warning tutorial about what not to open. The email could be virus laden and that you don't need. Have a read. It could protect your computer from disaster.

The folk at Google have come out with some innovative stuff recently. Beside gmail (which isn't officially released yet) there is also a desktop search tool for you to try, and a host of other thing at the Google Labs site that you should be aware of and keep track of. Have a look and see what you think. Oh, and as an aside, did you notice that Yahoo has just bought Blomba, the alternative to the Outlook email client? It's not released by them yet, but the purchase has been done. Watch this space. ;-)

If you're an old timer like me you might remember the golden days of Rock and Roll. But have you ever visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Hall of Fame? Well, now you can online, and revisit some of those golden oldies yourself. What else can I say but Shake, Rattle and Roll? ;-)

If you know children's stories, the name Hans Christian Andersen will not be unfamiliar to you. However, did you know that there is an annual contest for a coveted medal by that name? It is held by Northwestern University in the US, and though the exhibit is over now in a physical sense, the Hans Christian Andersen Exhibit Northwestern University site will keep it open for you to visit online. Some interesting entrants to claim the prize and you may be exposed to writers you know nothing about but who follow the style of Andersen. Well worth a browse, especially if you have younger people at your house.

Ok, internet tests and quizzes are not new, but if you have a spare couple of moments, why not take the Rum and Monkey The Election Test and find out which US Presidential candidate you are most like? Is it accurate? Is it fun? *shrugs to the first and nods sagely to the second*. Give it a try and find out yourself. Enjoy.

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. ;-)