Make your own freeway sign

"This Java applet formats freeway signs for you. You provide the route numbers, town names, exits, and your choice of arrows - and SignMaker draws a sign for you. Since SignMaker uses the authentic 'freeway font' (FHWA E(M)), provides over 40 route markers to choose from, and mounts the sign on metal supports against a blue sky, the effect is quite realistic."

SignMaker Lite - Make your own freeway sign

Christo's Wrapped Snoopy House

"Snoopy's Doghouse gets 'Wrapped' By Christo, World famous Environmental Artist

Wrapped Snoopy House on Exhibit at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.

An admirer of the extraordinary environmental artworks by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, PEANUTS creator Charles M. Schulz paid tribute to the artists in a 1978 comic strip that depicted a wrapped Snoopy doghouse.

25 years later, Christo has completed Wrapped Snoopy House, a life-sized doghouse wrapped in fabric that is on permanent exhibit in the Museum. Christo and Jeanne Claude presented the piece to Schulz's widow, Jeannie Schulz on Wednesday, October 8th, 2003."

More photos and info at: Charles M. Schulz Museum ~ Christo's Wrapped Snoopy House

Lord Whimsy : Mammal of Paradise

"Lord Whimsy, also known as Breaulove Swells, is a noted dandy, raconteur, cape enthusiast, rogue, poison dwarf, contributing writer and associate editor for the PHILADELPHIA INDEPENDENT, founder of the Hermetic Order of the Bagatelle, renowned lepidopterist, editor of the AFFECTED PROVINCIAL’S QUARTERLY, exemplar of male splendor, connoisseur of borrowed wit, doyen of culture, impresario, professor emeritus of the inconsequential and subculture critic. Whimsy is a walking contradiction; a degenerate voluptuary that wishes to reintroduce ancient charms to the den of ubiquity that is modernity. He rails against the leveling effects of the blind egalitarianism that mows down all flowers that dare peek above the crabgrass. He is a perfumer of curls that wishes to reawaken the poetry of the human soul. He does not seek to destroy modernity – he just wishes to make it hospitable. He is, in short, an ambassador of Heaven."

Lord Whimsy : Mammal of Paradise

Fold-and-Cut Examples (Erik Demaine)

"Take a piece of paper, fold it into any flat origami, and make one complete straight cut (i.e., a cut along a line). Now unfold the pieces, and see what you get. Are all shapes possible? Refering back to the original sheet of paper, what patterns of cuts can be achieved by this process?

The crease patterns at this site all have the property that, when folded up, a single complete straight cut can simultaneously cut all the bold lines and no more, producing the desired shape or shape."

Visit: Fold-and-Cut Examples (Erik Demaine)

The Uffington White Horse in Juárez

"An oversized reproduction of one of England's most famous ancient artworks now gazes down from a mountain near the Mexican border city of Juárez.

The Uffington White Horse is a 110-meter (360-foot), highly stylized image of a horse created on a hill in Oxfordshire, England. The turf and sod was scraped away to expose, in the shape of a huge horse, the white chalk underneath.

By the time it reached Mexico, El Caballo de Uffington had grown to 960 meters (more than half a mile) in length. It was painted over three years and with 2,600 gallons of whitewash by Juárez architect Hector García Acosta and his son, Carlos."

Learn more about the The Uffington White Horse in Juárez

Ban Trans Fats: The Campaign to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils

"It is now universally accepted that partially hydrogenated oils should be removed from our food supply as soon as possible. Partially hydrogenated oils contain trans fats that contribute significantly to premature heart attacks and other health problems.

About 40% of products in supermarkets contain them. Some health conscious markets such as Whole Foods will not sell any products containing partially hydrogenated oils. If the words "partially hydrogenated" or "shortening" are in the list of ingredients, don't buy that product, and if you've already bought it then just throw it away. You can always find an equivalent product which is just as tasty, without the partially hydrogenated oil."

Learn more: Ban Trans Fats: The Campaign to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils

FLASHFICTION.NET d'oeuvres for the intellectual appetite.

150 to 1,000 words is all it takes to write a short short story. If you can do it, it may end up on a coffee mug.

FLASHFICTION.NET d'oeuvres for the intellectual appetite

Overheard in New York

Have you ever over heard a conversation and found it interesting. Here's a whole site about what was over heard in New York City.

"Guy: Ma'am, does the split pea with ham soup have wheat in it? I can't have wheat. Do you know if it has wheat in it?
Soup Lady: Meat? It’s got ham, man! Says so on the sign!
Guy: No, wheat! Wheat?
Soup Lady: Oooh! Lemme check...HEY SAM, DOES THE SPLIT PEA HAVE WHEAT IN IT?
Sam: Meat?
Soup Lady: No, wheat!
Sam: Nah. It don't have no wheat!
Guy: Okay, good. I'll have a large cup of the split pea soup.
Soup Lady: Would you like a wheat roll with that?

--Juilliard cafeteria"

Visit: Overheard in New York

Mappr! Where It's At.

"Mappr is an interactive environment for exploring place, based on the photos people take. By adding geographical information to the wealth of photographs found on Flickr, it allows new ways of looking at spaces and images. Mappr adds place to pictures.

Mappr takes advantage of the cornucopia of descriptive information provided by Flickr's users to organize their photos. Flickr's admirable policy of openness with its data provides a way to anticipate and envision a future where cheaply-available GPS technology generates this placement as a matter of course. There's no reason to wait for this technology to become common; by mapping the millions of photos that Flickr makes available, we can start looking at its broad scale potential now."

Mappr! Where It's At.

Wine CellarTracker

"Participate in a vibrant community of wine enthusiasts: 4,243 users with 495,787 bottles in their cellars

See what others are collecting, buying, drinking, and enjoying; 18,833 community tasting notes

Manage your wine cellar inventory

Learn more about wine

Anytime, anywhere access that browses well from a PDA or even a cell-phone"

Visit: CellarTracker

Fascinating Facts About China

"Welcome to Fascinating Facts About China. You can find out about the Abacus, Chinese Inventions, Chinese New Year, or the Harvest Moon Festival."

Learn more about China

Planet Twinkie

All things Twinkie. Check out the Twinkie Sushi recipe. What is the difference between a Ding Dong and a King Don? When Hostess introduced Ding Dongs in 1967, the advertising campaign included a ringing bell: hence the name Ding Dongs. However, the eastern United States Hostess opted to package the cakes as King Dons to avoid confusion with a competitor's product. Hostess consolidated the King Don and Ding Dong name in 1987, packaging the cakes as Ding Dongs in all regions. Six months later, Hostess decided to go back to using the King Don name in the eastern U.S., again, to avoid confusion with a competing product. But, today the issue has been put to rest and only Ding Dongs are sold nationwide.


Planet Twinkie