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.

Audiobooks were first done to help those with sight problems at least hear the famous books of the time. Now everyone is listening to them on their iPod, MP3 player, or computer. Sites like the Audiobook Podcast Collection - Download Free Audiobooks Open Culture site has a growing collection for you to download and listen to. From Aesop's Fables to War of the Worlds, it's all here. Enjoy.

You have no doubt heard of and use Google Earth but did you know there is a blog about it written by users and a few folk from Google itself? Hop over to the Google Earth Blog 2 and have a look. You might find things here you wouldn't find anywhere else about using this amazing technology.

Getting more spam? Need a new disposable email address to enter as yours when you sign up for something online? The folk at The Spamex Disposable Email Address Service site have just what you're looking for as they offer protection from spam, anonymous email, and much, much more. I'd bookmark this one for future use. You never know what you may sign up for next week.

It is no secret that Australia is in the grip of one of the worst droughts ever seen in this part of the world. We need rain badly, and we all are trying to find ways to conserve water and water use. The site called savewater.com.au which is of course their address, goes into detail of different ways that one can save water. It could be a useful thing for you to have and read as well. The planet will thank you.

If you are planning on making a trip for business or pleasure you might like to have a look at the JohnnyJet.com - Travel Deals, Stories, Tips, Destinations and more! site. I've seen this man interviewed and must say his site does find some fantastic deals and lets you know how to find them as well. Have a look. You might end up saving some money when you travel.

There are quite a few different musical databases online that will show you a lot of information about a particular song or piece of music, but I must admit that the one titled Eric Foxley's Musical Database is just that little bit different. Different how? It is a database of English related folk dance tunes, and there are over 1000 in the database now. Now that may not be my particular genre of music but it must be someone's. Have a look. He's done a great job.

If you sat down and wrote out a list of 30 things you would like to do before you end this part of life, you could then put those into 30 Boxes, and work out how to get them done. Thus, the 30 Boxes it's your life site was born. It in effect says that you can sign up and use this site to organise what has to be done when, in what order and with what priority. Not a silly idea is it? Certainly one way to get you focused on the things you say you wish to do. Give it a try.

I love having friends I can call on to ask "How do you ..." and they normally have the answer as well. So a site that bills itself as a Household Hints and HELP site has to be worth a bookmark to return to when you need that information. Have a look and see if you think it warrants a bookmark. I do.

With the new academic year just starting in the Northern Hemisphere (and ending in the Southern Hemisphere) I thought it might be an idea to find a site that lists things for teachers to see, and I found one. This site called Sites for Teachers is a fantastic list of sites for teachers of all kinds, so if you are indeed teaching the young, why not bookmark this one and have a look when you have time. It could save you lots of work in times to come.

If, on the other hand, you are a student, you might want to bookmark the Science Daily News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology site. Not only does it explain a lot it also opens avenues of thought that you might find useful in the coming year's work. I think this is well worth a bookmark, especially for those who have science, health, technology, or health classes coming up in the new year.

The US is starting in earnest on its next presidential race and Australia is about to embark on its election of a new government within the next few weeks. It might pay to have a look at what other US presidents said when they were campaigning for office and the site called The Living Room Candidate does just that. It is composed of ads used by previous US Presidential candidates to sway voters, and that is a treasure trove of information about how they thought at the time. Doesn't necessarily mean that the subject matter will work today, but the tactic might. If you're involved in either race for the top job, this might be worth a look.

Do you have a friend who is filled with conspiracy theories or is very interested in science fiction? Then they and you might enjoy the Strange Horizons, a weekly speculative fiction magazine site. I love its title - speculative fiction - that's one way to say Science Fiction I suppose. *smile*. It's fun to read so give it a try.

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. ;-)