Hello and welcome to Mac's Picks of the Week. If you are interested in why this site exists, how it operates, and a little about Mac, then click on the Why and How Info link and see what is there. When you have finished please return to this Home page and see what sites I have chosen this week to receive a Mac's Picks of the Week award. Thank you for visiting and please share this site with friends, family, and colleagues who you feel will enjoy it.

This page is updated on a weekly basis, each Monday Australian (Queensland) time (GMT + 10 hours according to the world clock). Please come back and visit often.

There is an organization online that gives a cup of food to those who are needy, sponsored by food manufacturers and other organizations, and all you have to do is click on yellow "Click Here, It's Free" button to make it work for someone in need. You are then taken to a page showing you who are actually giving the food, but the point is you can do this every single day for the rest of your life. And what does it cost you? NOTHING! So go there now, register if you like (it's not necessary to do so but a nice idea) at the Click to Give @ The Hunger Site site, then bookmark it so you can return at LEAST once a day and click on the same yellow button. With the amount of food held in storage around the globe, NO ONE should starve on this planet, no one. So please do your part and do this now. After all it's only a click and you can afford that to help someone who needs it.

You no doubt run Adaware and the Spybot - search and destroy software on your computer now to rid your system of spybots that monitor your internet surfing. You might also like to add the Computer Repair Free Software IObit Computer Repairs Service - Online Computer Repair software (I know, long and confusing title but don't judge the software by that) and ensure that ALL of the things it offers work for you as well. It's free to use on a home computer and it's worth the download. Give it a try.

It's not often that I get really excited about software but I have to say that the new version of Google Earth, titled Google Earth 4.2 which now doesn't only improve on the previous versions by adding more overlays to the program for you to use and see, but now also includes Sky view too. It's a fantastic FREE piece of software you must have on your system. Ever wanted to not only see your home from space, but also wanted to see ancient cities or modern ones around the globe? You can, in 3D no less, with this software. And yes, it's Free to own and Free to use. This has to be the most wonderful piece of software I've seen in years. If you don't already own it, try it now. You will NOT be disappointed.

Of course, this software is so exciting, not only because of what it can already do, but also because YOU can add things to it for others around the world to see as well. How do you get involved? Hop over to the Google Earth Blog, read it, and then join in the discussion and the fun. Aren't blogs great?

And it's not a bad idea to hop over to the Google Earth Gallery and see how you can see things others have already done. I think the airline flight overlay is great in that it picks airlines starting in the USA and plots their course as they fly around the globe. Now that has to be exciting, especially for those about to embark on an overseas trip from the US. Hopefully others, in other parts of the world, will take the hint and do the same from their country. Any Aussies or Kiwis out there willing to take it on as a project? There must be (hint hint hint).

Teachers face a problem every term in trying to find good safe internet sites to take their classrooms to. One way of finding sites like that so that you can show the wonders of the net to your students, is to visit the Surfing the Net with Kids Guide to the BEST KID SITES K-12 educational website reviews site, browse around it, read the reviews of the various sites, visit them yourself and then bookmark them into a folder for your class. This site could save teachers a LOT of time in their planning. Enjoy.

If you're trying to keep the young folk busy while at your house, there probably are few sites as safe or as much fun as the Disney's Toontown Online site. It has all your favourite Disney characters there to interact with. My only gripe about this site is that it has both free and paid versions. Come on. You have to really stretch it to think that Disney hasn't made enough money from children worldwide to warrant having a totally free site. If you're a parent, why not write Disney and ask them why they still charge for their site? Makes very little sense to Old Timers like me. Enjoy the free version though.

Looking for something different to spark that appetite this week? How much do you know about the Great Cajun Cooking - Recipe Category Index site? You will no doubt be aware that the term Cajun is a derivation of the French pronunciation of Canadian, as the original Cajuns were deported from Nova Scotia by the English settlers and sent south (read Longfellow's poem Evangeline for a story about this historic event). When they landed in the Louisiana bayou and ultimately met people who lived there, they were asked who they were and where they came from. The answer? "Canadian" but spoken with a Canadian French accent. Being either unable or unwilling to try and say the name correctly, it was shortened to Cajun. And the food? All I can say is, a bit on the hot side at times, but YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Give it a try and enjoy.

You're working on a project on your computer. The software you're using for that project doesn't have its own dictionary attached. Stuck? No, not if you've downloaded and installed the free one from the Download WordNetDT 2.6 - WordNetDT - Freeware Dictionary-Thesaurus with advanced search features - Softpedia site. It's simple to install and a great boon when you need it. Give it a try.

Today on our television we saw a news item about US President G.W. Bush asking the US Congress to assist in helping normal people with their mortgage finance and helping them to refinance to keep thing moving at a good and equitable rate. To ensure you know what all the possibilities are, it might pay to have a look at the refinance residential mortgage loans online advice help information site. At least you'll finally understand the jargon they use (hopefully). Have a look.

We all know maps that show land masses of countries and continents. However, there are other ways of looking at this world of ours and the site called How the world really shapes up - the Daily Mail shows you that information in graphic form. For instance, it has maps showing how the world shapes up based on HIV prevalence, housing prices, toy exports, the wealth of nations, and many other criteria. You might just be surprised. Have a look.

And finally, most folk in the world are now more conscious of terrorists and what to do in an emergency. Indeed, many of the government agencies worldwide produce signs that help us all understand what to do when we need that information....... or do they? Have a look at the what to do when terrorists strike - emergency procedures site and see why someone who speaks a different language than you do, and comes from a different culture than you do, might just interpret those signs differently. Must admit, it had me chuckling, and thinking as well. Enjoy.

Rebecca Game of "Digital Women - Women with their modems running...", is my web designer and a graphic designer who is superb to say the least. 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. ;-)