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.

Note: Though this page is updated on a weekly basis, each Monday evening Australian (Queensland) time (GMT + 9 hours according to the world clock), this week's page contains twice the normal amount of interesting sites to click on and see. The reason is that I will be away until the 20th of this month and would not be able to publish a new site next Monday. After this week my site will once again revert to being updated weekly. Please come back and visit often. My apologies for any inconvenience caused.

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 browse around my site you'll find all manner of interesting and hopefully, useful things to read and learn about. One such thing is listed on the right side of this page, called Religions of the World. On that section you will find links to most of the world encircling religions and their beliefs. One other site which any student of religion might find useful as well is the site called ReligionFacts.com - Just the facts on world religions. This site is just as it says, no rhetoric, no one sided view, simply the facts on most of the religions in the world. Have a look. No one but you will ever know you did. After all, I do believe in the Baha'i statement that "it is incumbent on each individual to investigate Truth for themselves". Enjoy.

It is amazing how much food is a part of all of our cultures. We use foods to bring us together and for certain celebrations in our daily and/or religious life. When one thinks of the Fast of Ramadan, and the end of the Fast celebrated in the Baha'i Faith, and Passover, and Christmas, one naturally thinks of food. Much of the food used in our cultures can be found in the Yahoo! Directory Cooking Recipes site. And, it's not only restricted to religious celebrations either. Have a look and celebrate the fact that we have diversity in our foods. What a wonderful way to taste things that others consume regularly. Worry about that diet later. *smiles*

I am so pleased personally to see that many of us at least read magazines and newspapers. And, you are not restricted to those sold locally either. For instance, if you hop over to the AllYouCanRead.com site you will find approximately 26,500 magazines and newspapers to read from around the globe. This is a great way for ex-pats to keep up with news from home. Stay informed.

Some folk enjoy playing the stock exchange. Some do it as a method of livelihood and some for the sheer pleasure of trying to outguess what the market will do in one or more categories. However, not everyone has stock - that is until now. If you hop over to the Welcome to the Hollywood Stock Exchange site you will find that if you register (free) you can participate in an online game about the movies and the movie business. No, it doesn't cost real money but it does give you a chance to experience that feeling of playing that particular sector of the market. Sign up and enjoy.

Our young folk have a hard time of it at times. We, as responsible adults, wish to protect them from some of the seamier sections of the Internet, and rightfully so. My thinking is "What adults want to do is their own business, but what our children and grandchildren do is ours". Thus, the KidsKonnect site is "a safe Internet gateway for kids...created and maintained by educators". Now that has to be a great way to start the younger members of our society on the right roads of the Internet. Have a look and see what you think. I think it's sterling effort on the part of the educators who run this site. Well done.

My wife is a keen gardener. Just this past week she completed an area just outside my office window so that we could plant three trees that, hopefully in time will block some of the sun's rays from frying my office. If you are also one who enjoys getting into the garden, hop over to the Dig in Dirt Garden Blogs site and participate in this blog. Yes, you can actively participate in it and yes, it is free. Enjoy.

Feel like a change for dinner tonight? If so, hop over to the Recipes, Food and Cooking site and browse around their recipes for something to tantalize your taste buds. Yummmmm.

There are so many blogs on almost any subject you can think of, but I personally enjoy blogs that deal with life in the home. Those that have the occasional recipe or gardening hint also have a special place in my blog reading. Thus the Sweetnicks blog, written by someone who does both, is a lovely one to read. Have a look and see if it is of interest to you as well.

Do you use rechargeable batteries in any appliance or tool around your home? If you do you should know that there are some simple rules that will help you prolong the life (not the charge - the actual battery life) of the rechargeable battery. Thus, if you do use some form of rechargeable battery the Do and don't battery table site will certainly be one to bookmark and take heed of.

Sometimes you may have need to know about some particular medical condition or need. Either you or a member of your family may fall ill in some way and you wish to know more so that you can assist them. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) site is geared to providing you with basic information about almost any medical condition and also to put you in touch with (USA) organizations who deal with that particular form of problem. Have a look and if you don't need that info now, bookmark it as you might need it one day in the future.

I've been told that I'm a "people watcher". I enjoy sitting in my favorite Starbucks or Gloria Jeans coffee lounge and watching the masses pass by on their way to do their shopping. Thus, the EarthCam MetroCams site, which lists cameras online from far flung places, is a great opportunity to do just that, watch folk in various parts of the world. Look up and smile. You could be on an EarthCam soon.

Steve Gibson is a name you should know. He runs his own company called Gibson Research and his site, named the Gibson Research Corporation Home Page is full of things (programs and information) he is or has been involved in writing and distributing on the net. The vast majority of his software is absolutely superb. I'd suggest trying some of his free software yourself and you'll see what I mean.

How fit are you? Do you want to simply get a little more aerobically fit, or become the next Mr. or Ms. Universe? Then the Body Fitness Guide site, which was sent to me, is certainly one you need to take a good look at. No punches pulled here and from what I can see, no scams or other nasties attached either. Just good wholesome useful information on becoming and / or remaining fit is here for your use. Have a look.

Do you remember seeing a television show called 20 questions? Or maybe you played the game yourself with friends and family. Well, you now can play it online at the 20Q.net site. You're playing against a computer and it's free to register. Great mental exercise and a great site.

If you need some distraction during your coffee break at work you might try the Shockwave.com The best place to play free online games and download games! site which has fantastic games for you to play online or download to your computer, including puzzles, mind games and even multiplayer games. Just don't spend your whole day there. You do have to work as well. *smiles*

The reason I am away this week is that I will be in Cairns in Northern Queensland tagging along with my wife who has a conference to attend up there. One thing that we both want to see is the Great Barrier Reef just off that coastline. If you are near an ocean, or indeed, simply interested in what happens beneath the sea, then hop over to the Biological Oceanography Links and browse around there to learn some interesting info on the sea and its life. I am fortunate to live next to the Coral and Tasman Seas and not that far from The Great Barrier Reef so you know I will keep a bookmark on this site to ensure I can return to get questions answered after our trip. It's a tough life, but someone has to live it. *chuckles*

You may have seen the planet Mars close to us in the evening sky a week or two ago. That reasonably small red dot was indeed Mars. Have you ever really had a look at that planet? Hop over to the Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS Live from Mars and have a look at their exhibit. This is stuff science fiction writers told us we would be doing a long time ago and now it is happening. You get to see a webcam on another planet on your personal computer at home. Haven't we come a long way though?

Surfing on the net can bring some nasty surprises. I try to ensure that none of the sites I visit and/or recommend to you to see will implant spyware or malware (malicious spyware) on your computer. If you need to know more about this threat to computers that are connected to the net, then have a look at the Malware Help.Org-Malware Removal-Spyware Removal-Malware-Spyware Prevention site. It could come in handy - just in case.

Have you ever considered patenting an idea you have had? Many of the things you and I now take for granted are patented simply because the idea was brilliant and the person who thought of it should be rewarded. Thus, a trip to the PatentRoom.com Early Design and Illustration site will show you patent designs, car drawings, building designs, toy designs, and so much more. Maybe it's time to consider visiting your local patent office, hmmm?

Hands up all who can show me on the map where the Gold Coast of Australia is? (Looks around the room). Ok, how about Palmerston North, New Zealand? (Notices fewer hands rising). The point of this exercise is to Test Your Geography Knowledge of various places on this little green orb that we live on. It still amazes me that many don't have the foggiest idea about the rest of the world outside of their own limited space. Hop over and test your knowledge and really see how much you do (or don't) know. And no - I didn't have any idea where Jammu was either. *smiles*

"When I were a lad"... Does that statement date me or what? However, I can still remember people who collected things like matchbooks and also matchbox pictures. Some of them were amazing in their detail and thus, folk like Dan have put up a site called Dan's Matchbox Picture Pages which show you some of his collection. They aren't for sale, nor does he purport to be an expert, but he has one heck of a collection. Have a look and see if you recognize any of them.

You're working at your computer and you know you need a break. So you get a cup of your favorite brew and settle down and join the Throw Paper into the Waste bin site. It's not as easy as you think because there are two fans blowing wind at various speeds, one on each side of the page. When you think you have it right, click on paper ball in middle of screen and it will sail in the direction of the waste bin. Try your luck and see how many you can dunk in a row. *chuckles evilly* There goes that coffee break.

Many of the world's population use some form of inside plumbing to do away with waste materials. And, some even make use of a toilet seat in, what Australians call " the dunny out the back". Where am I going with this? How many people do you know who have a Toilet seat museum as a web site? Barney Smith has a museum of toilet seat art as well as the toilet seats themselves. Well, I only collect dust so I guess I shouldn't complain. *smiles*

You know that inside you and inside everyone else is a skeleton. It is made of bone and holds everything together while also allowing you to move from place to place. With me so far? Ok, now click on the Le coeur fait boum... Chez Maya! site and move your mouse around and see what you can make the skeleton do. It is a wonderful use of imagination and who knows? You might find the way to do that double back flip 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. ;-)