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.

You've probably heard someone on TV saying they watched a podcast, or a friend has said something similar. However if you have never seen one it would be nice to find one to watch that you might have an interest in. Thus the PodcastDirectory.com - The big directory site is set up to allow you to find them by genre or subject. You can watch them on your computer or even download them to your iPod if it has video capability. This is definitely an interesting way to spend the time on the bus or train to and from work.

Exercise is one of those things you either love or can't stand. I recently saw an ad in a movie theatre that shows an overweight young man sitting in front of a television. A book launches itself off the bookshelf and hits him in the back of the head, and suddenly the doors to the outside world open up. The message displayed is "Get the hint? Go outside". All well and good, but the next scene shows his local movie house. Does that make sense to anyone? Not me. Leave one building watching a movie to go to a bigger building and watch a movie. Maybe I'm just getting past it. Having said all that, exercise need not be the daunting task many of us thinks of when we hear that word. For instance, if you hop over to the Everyday Tai Chi site it will show you Tai Chi exercises for everyone, any time, any place. And they don't involve knocking yourself out. Have a look. This could be a better answer than going to your local movies.

One of the safe places for the young folk to meet others online is the Club Penguin - Waddle around and meet new friends! site. It's free to join but $5.00 per month to own pet, and that is the name of the game. However, you don't have to own one. You can simply adopt an avatar and meet the other young folk there. Why not take your own young family members there with you and have a browse around. It looks like a good place to me.

We all look up at the night sky occasionally and have a good look at the moon. As you know it has many phases it goes through but do you really know anything about those phases? You might like to have a look at the Phases of the Moon and Percent of the Moon Illuminated site which is not only informational but fun. You'll learn the various terms for all of the different phases of the moon, and understand how it shows more or less of itself as the month passes. Have a look.

Thankfully it is becoming more socially unacceptable to simply expect everyone to drink alcohol. Indeed, in my own home, alcohol is simply not consumed, be it my family or guests. But when entertaining what can you make that is different and nice to serve to your guests? First off, head over to the Non-Alcoholic Recipes site and have a look at those. I also suggest that most supermarkets now sell non-alcoholic beer (less then 0.5% alcohol - just like fruit juice) and also non-alcoholic wine (have a look at Ariel Organic Wine and ClearMind Premium De-Alcoholised Beverages for a better explanation). Consider serving your guests things that you know won't harm them or others on the way home.

I have a friend who is a Professor of Mathematics and with my abysmal math, that impresses me. However I would venture to say that not many of us know the name Ada Lovelace - Known as the Enchantress of Numbers but this site should solve that lack of knowledge. She was an amazing woman who did more for the science of mathematics than almost anyone has done before or since. Need a role model? Read about Ada and follow her lead.

Occasionally one becomes ill either from a disease or a condition. Not many of us have the knowledge to really know much about the disease state and that's where sites like the National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health come into their own. This site is well worth a bookmark for future use. When you or a friend or family member falls ill, this is a good place to look up what they have and understand what that condition really is and how you can help in their recovery. This one also deserves a bookmark or favourite.

Lots of folk have problems keeping their house clean. For instance, young children may have a penchant for drawing mommy a picture with their crayons - on that big wall in the spare room. If the artwork really needs to be removed, one of the hints at the Household Hints-Head site will show you how to do that, as well as a number of other household hints that could save you time and effort. Good site to browse through and learn from.

My lovely daughter is a crossword fan. I know she's not alone and that many enjoy the challenge of a good crossword. Thus, the Crossword Solver from AllWords.com site is definitely worth a bookmark if you're into crosswords. It's a great solver and it includes other languages as well. Have a look, enter the letters you already know, and let it help you with some choices.

Here in Australia, if you have Foxtel or Austar (cable and satellite television) you most likely also get the regular broadcast channels through the same service. The problem is that most of those "free to air" channels don't supply the cable or satellite companies with program schedules so you're always trying to find out what's next on those channels. The Australian TV Guide - Australia's Number 1 Online Television Guide site is there to show you free to air and the cable schedules as well. Just enter the day and time and which channel you're looking for and it will tell you. That has to be useful. I'd bookmark this one as well.

One of the things that Australians do well is help those in need. Thus it should come as no surprise that a site called Home goodcompany is set up to help volunteers offer their help to charity groups. If you have some time on your hands, why not pitch in and help out these groups? They do deserve your time and effort and they will welcome you with open arms. Enjoy.

Did you know that in the film "Ben Hur", in the chariot race, if you look really closely you can not only see a car in the distance, but in another place in the film you'll find Charlton Heston wearing a watch? What about the fact that the very first bomb dropped on Germany in the Second World War killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo? Sound strange? If you think those are strange, hop over to the Strange Things You Likely Didn't Know site and see what other gems they have there. You could be the absolute bore at the next party you go to if you try hard enough. I think I might be as well. lol

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. ;-)