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.

As you will already be aware there are more blogs out there than you could possibly read in any given day. Thus, the problem is finding one or even a few that deal with things you are interested in reading. I'd suggest hopping over to the Bloglines site where you will find ways to search for blogs that are of interest to you. This is a great place to start searching for blogs of interest and even starting your own. Have a look and I'm sure you'll find whatever you're looking for here.

I know many have made their own "home page" composed of various sources of interest, but recently Google has introduced Google News, and as you can imagine, I'm presently using Google News Australia as my own home page. It is fully customizable and you can add and delete things you wish to truly make it your own. Have a look at this one and you'll get the idea. Great way of personalizing your home page on the web.

One of the chefs on television that I enjoy watching is a young woman by the name of Kylie Kwong, and her site, named Kylie Kwong Heart and Soul lets you find out a bit more about her and about some of the absolutely delicious things she makes. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

When asking the younger folk what they would like to be when they grow up, you would normally get everything from Buzz Lightyear to a midwife. However, someone somewhere along that great path of discovery decided that they wished to become an Astrobiologist. Not too sure what that is? Then hop over to the Astrobiology Magazine Search for Life in the Universe site and see and meet those who are in that field. I wonder - is ET still making that call?

Being an insulin dependant diabetic I know what a chore (and at times a real pain) it can be to restrict what you eat, take a blood sample 3 to 4 times per day, and self-inject insulin 4 times per day as well. It's bad enough to have to do that when you're an adult, but think of doing it as a child? Thus, the Children with DIABETES Online Community site is a welcome addition to the many sites dealing with diabetes. If you know a young person with diabetes, take them to this one, as it shows they are not alone in the world. Indeed, there are millions of children around the world with this condition, and at times, just the knowledge that you're not alone can make it easier. And by the way, when was the last time you were checked for diabetes?

Speaking of young people, one of the sites online that makes learning fun is the Sesame Workshop - Home Page site. Yes, all of the favorite characters are there and it still is one of the better sites for teaching the basic skills of numeracy and reading. Enjoy.

Remember when you were in school? Did your classrooms have a blackboard or a whiteboard? Mine had a piece of slate and a chisel, but you get the idea. The blackboard has, for the most part, given way to the whiteboard with multi-colored markers, but think of the wonders that were developed on blackboards throughout history? You may well find some of the more famous ones at the Bye bye blackboard site, including Einstein's equations on one that, thankfully, were recorded for us all to see. Have a look. It may bring back memories for you as well.

Ever wondered what your house, and indeed, neighborhood, looked like from a satellite? Well, the folk at Google have come up with an experimental way of letting you see that. If you go to the Google Earth - Home site, check to make sure your computer can handle the graphics or not, and if so, download and install this piece of software, you might be able to do just that - see your place from the edges of space. If nothing else, it's a great project for all kinds of uses. Enjoy.

Occasionally one hears of a new item relating to some form of international politics or culture and then wonder about the ethics involved in coming to those decisions. If we keep in mind that different cultures have different ethical backgrounds and that no one form of ethics is more valid than any other, then a look at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University - About the Center site might explain this school. I find it a wonderful thought that finally, someone is teaching ethics and that it is in effect, open to all to see. Maybe this might be yet another way to bring the diverse inhabitants of this planet a little closer? If we understand each other, maybe we can make more sense out of the way we, and our governments, behave. Have a look and see what you think.

The Pacific Rim is also known as the Rim of Fire, and one reason is because of the volcanic activity surrounding and scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, the VRC HOME PAGE site, which means the Volcano Research Center, is located in Japan. Some pretty impressive stuff is to be found here. This little green orb we live on is sure active, that's for certain. Have a look.

Ever tried writing poetry and couldn't find a word that matched one you had already used, or one that rhymed with it? If so, the RhymeZone rhyming dictionary and thesaurus site might be one you'll want to bookmark for future use. Wordsmiths will love this one.

Ok, I know a lot of folk collect a lot of things, but I must admit I would never have thought of making a museum called The Toilet Museum, but obviously someone did. And why not? It's still a useful piece of hardware that much of the world's population uses so why not have a museum to structures of the past? Umm, just not necessarily in my neighborhood thanks. *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. ;-)