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.

It is getting close to that time of year when children in the western world start looking for a man in a red suit riding a sleigh drawn by reindeer. If your young folk are caught up in celebrating Santa then a trip to the Santa Claus and Christmas at the North Pole site might be in order. Here you'll find games, puzzles, and a lot of fun. Why not go there with them and enjoy the fun?

If you have a webcam attached to your computer, you might find the GabMail (tm) Email Composer site to be a lot of fun. This site uses your webcam to help you make a visual email from you to send to whoever you wish - and it's free. How's that for innovation? And it is a nice way to wish season's greetings to those folk you know overseas. Enjoy.

Some folk like me are weather buffs. I am interested because the weather seems to also control the Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy that I unfortunately suffer from as well. If, for whatever reason, you enjoy seeing what the weather is doing in your neighbourhood, click on the Google Weather maps site, move the map to your area, then look at the weather maps. This site uses their Google Earth as a background and plants the latest weather maps on top for you to see. I think it's a great way to really see what's going on in your neighbourhood. Have a look and see if you agree.

When looking for an anti-virus or anti-spyware one should try to find the best they can to protect themselves online. Many folk end up with the feeling they need to spend a lot of money to ensure they are well protected when in reality that is not the case. For instance, the AntiVirus, Anti-Spyware, Endpoint Security, - Symantec Corp. antivirus is well known and widely used, as is the McAfee - Antivirus Software and Intrusion Prevention Solutions. However the PC World - PC World Downloads - Avast Home Edition software doesn't seem as bloated with things you may not use as the others, and is free as well and thus, if you are looking for a good antivirus you might want to give this one a try. I personally find it very good. You may as well.

You may also be interested to have a look at the Download Accelerator Plus - Reviews and free Download Accelerator Plus downloads at Download.com software. It speeds up your downloads while maintaining a track of what has arrived thus far, meaning that if you need to terminate the download, it will pick it up again where it left off if you wish. That's not a bad thing to have handy. Have a look and see if it's something you might be able to use. Oh, and did I mention it's also free?

"Do you have a song stuck in your head but wonder 'what's that song'? Record a short sample of the tune online anonymously on WatZatSong. The WatZatSong Community will listen and tell you what song it is!" How is that for a website with a difference? Have a look at the WatZatSong.com site and give it a try. It works, almost no matter how badly you sing lol. Seriously, when you can't get that song out of your head and need to know what it is, this is the place to go. Well worth a bookmark or favourite I feel, don't you?

Do you feel it's time you had your own website and joined the Internet community by doing so? But that pesky HTML language is providing a barrier to realising your dreams? Then hop over to the Jottit site where you can create a customisable website by simply entering your text. Now how easy is that? Ready? Take your idea of what you want and go! Oh, and don't forget to let me know where to find your creation when you're finished. ;-)

If you long for games, possibly from the DOS era though some work in Windows as well, hop over to the Games By Scott - Home of Bowling Blast and other HWF Games! site, have a look around and read of what Scott says, and download one of his free games (scroll down to find them). Personally I also enjoy his Pac Munch game farther down this page. If you enjoyed the old PacMan you'll enjoy this update. Not easy but addictive and a lot of fun. Enjoy.

It issummer time here in the Antipodes and one can smell the barbies being turned on and the steaks, sausages, prawns, and other goodies being cooked. And what about dressing up those ideas a bit? The Australian Good Taste Magazine - Australia's leading recipe and cooking magazine site will help you do just that. Plus you have chances to win prizes and cash as well. What are you waiting for? Go to their site and let the tastebuds start salivating. *smile*

Speaking of reading, the Main Page - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks site is certainly worth a look as well. It is a collection of open-content textbooks that is run something like the Wikipedia site, in that you can sign up and annotate books that are then available to the general public to download and use. Neat idea I feel. Have a look. You might be able to help as well.

In need of something to stimulate that brain, maybe something to wile away the coffee break? Then you might enjoy the riddles online site. It contains many different types of riddles and some are difficult to crack. This is a great way to keep your brain active. Have a look.

I realise this may date me, but I still feel at a loss to understand why humans find it necessary to decorate their skin in a permanent way. The site named The Vanishing Tattoo which contains tattoo designs and meanings, photo galleries, celebrity tattoos, tribal tattoos, tattoo pics and more will show you a lot of ways folk have chosen to do this. I just find it strange and wonder what it will all look like when the wearer is 85. I know who cares right? Personally, I do. Have a look anyway and make up your own mind.

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. ;-)