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 Monday evening Australian (Queensland) time (GMT + 9 hours according to the world clock). Please come back and visit 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 memory serves there was once a character in the Popeye comic strip by the name of Wimpy who simply could not get enough hamburgers. This fellow, were he real, would no doubt have absolutely loved the A Hamburger Today blog, which is a blog about all things burger. Makes me almost start looking for a Big Mac somewhere close by, almost... *smile*

And, on the opposite side of the spectrum we have the Vegetarian Recipes Around the World site which has, I must admit, some very interesting sounding temptations. Maybe eating healthily isn't such a bad idea after all. *chuckles*

Have you ever had your home page in your browser hijacked to a site that you don't even know? Unfortunately that can happen all too often on the net, but now there is a wonderful piece of freeware called SpywareGuard which you can download and install to prevent it from ever happening to you again. In their own words, "SpywareGuard now also features Download Protection and Browser Hijacking Protection!" and all of that for free. Get protected now.

If you have younger members of your family close by, why not suggest the two of you hop over to the Bananas in Pyjamas site and have a look around? Yes, I know that may not be the way you spell it but it's what they call it. You're liable to find all kinds of activities and fun things to do while you're there. Have a look. It could help with those rainy days as well.

No doubt you already have, or at least know folk who use, I M type software. There are many different varieties including MSN Messenger, AIM Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger (my personal favorite). Instant Messenger software usually allows you to have a list of friends who also have it on their computer, and you can talk (type) instant messages back and forth in real time, and have a virtual chat online with those who are far far away. You might be interested to also know that Google has just released its own IM called Google Talk and it looks pretty good. I have downloaded it and installed it but haven't chatted on it as yet though I plan on trying it out soon. And yes, it is still in beta (testing) stage but then again, so is ICQ, and it apparently always will be. So, don't be put off because of that. If you know folk you would like to converse with online, why not give this one a whirl? You both have to download it and install it but then you will have an IM of note, including one that has voice and webcam capability as well. If you are looking for a new IM this could be it. Have a go at seeing for yourself.

There are parts of the net not normally open to the general public or so obscure or singular of purpose that they simply are not utilized by the general Internet population. One might call that section of the net as the "Invisible" web or net. Now there is a service called Invisible-web.net - Searchable databases and specialized search engines which might be worth a bookmark if you are doing more academic type research online. This site is well worth a look and I suggest bookmarking it for future use if you don't have an immediate need.

Confession time. I freely admit that my desk is a disaster area. Were it not for my wife and her secretarial skills it would be even worse. I therefore have bookmarked, so that I can visit and revisit, the Quick Tips for Work and School site as it deals mainly in things like "How to organize your office?" and things of that nature. Maybe you should consider a look and read their tips as well? If not, maybe you know someone who you could pass this site onto to make their life more organized. If so, pass it on.

Libraries, public and private, contain an immense amount of knowledge contained in the books and other writings they house. More and more they also use the Internet to ensure they are doing the best job possible for people like you and I, people who need to know something for some particular reason. Might I suggest that if you ever use a library yourself, that you hop over to the Librarians' Index to the Internet - lii.org site and have a look around. I'm sure you will find things of interest there. This one definitely deserves a bookmark or favorite.

With the growth of the Internet now estimated to be approximately 1.4 million new sites generated each and every day of the year, one would think that you could find literally everything somewhere on the net. Well, that's not entirely a true assumption and the KidsClick! Worlds of Web Searching - Comet What's NOT on the Web site has an absolutely wonderful explanation of this situation. Therefore I suggest all have a look at this site so that you can understand the reasons why it's not a library but is a method of communication. Have a look. Don't be put off by the fact that it was written for children. The information is still valid for adults. Enjoy.

Having said that, all of us occasionally need a good dictionary or encyclopedia to gather information about something or to find out the meaning of or the correct spelling of a word. Thus the Online Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus. Free access.site is well worth a look and also a bookmark on your own system so that it's easy to find again when you need it. I have.

The recent devastating hurricane in the US, and various bombings in different parts of the world by religious zealots has brought the plight of children internationally to our attention once again. In searching out different organizations that try to help children in particular, I found the Plan, an international development organization working with and for children site. I do hope you find it as interesting as I did. I also hope that those of us around the world do all we can to help children in need, no matter their race, country of origin, or education, Have a look and support this organization for the betterment of all of humanity.

If you're a frequent visitor you'll know that I love Space and am an avid follower of things in our sky. Thus, I found that I could almost empathize with the person in the story from the BBC titled BBC NEWS Europe Astrologer sues Nasa over probe, almost. Now I've heard of tries in the past, and this was certainly one. Not a particularly well thought out one but one none the less. Have a read and you'll see what I mean. *shakes head and chuckles to himself*

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. ;-)