Please email the URL addresses of sites you've found that
you think we should add to this list. 


Small Business
References
Resources
Food & Fun
Good Cause

Food

http://www.ads.com/

For all the bellyaching people do about TV commercials, it seems they really can't get enough of the little buggers. That would explain the allure of sites like this one, where you can watch television spots from a wide variety of corporate goliaths. In addition to offering broadband streams of ads, the site includes a daily column that dissects the ideas behind the commercials.

http://www.birthdayweb.com
The site sells birthday books, but it also provides birthday cake recipes and free astrological forecasts to send to friends on their birthdays.  

http://www.campbellsoup.com
Campbell's Creative Kitchen lets you list the ingredients you have on hand and gives you a recipe for them. Hmm. Wonder what they suggest for when what you have on hand is ice cream, beer, mustard and soy sauce?  

http://www.candycritic.org/
For the sweet tooth in all of us, the Candy Critic diligently
taste-tests every snack treat that comes his way. From classic bars
like Oh Henry! and salty snacks like Spud Nuts to Japanese sweets
like Pocky and the weird sensations of Parma Violet, the critic
reviews 'em all. Check out his top 10 and learn why Clodhoppers
rank so high. His editorials ponder whether red is really a flavor
and how size sometimes does matter. Other features include a
comprehensive list of gummies from Jujyfruits and a holiday candy
round-up (don't miss the chocolate Easter bunny test). There's even
an educational film about the science of candy. This site is so
chock full of "nougaty" goodness, you may need to brush your teeth
afterwards.

http://fury.com/aoliza/
Kevin Fox has already been barraged with hits after Harper's Magazine excerpted a transcript from his painfully funny web site, but why not share the love? The ELIZA program was developed in the mid-Sixties to "simulate a Rogerian psychoanalyst by taking excerpts from the subject's comments and posing questions back to the subject." Mr. Fox cleverly attached the conversational robot to an AOL Instant Messenger address that receives lots of random hits -- and posted the resulting exchanges right here. Some folks have unknowingly chatted with this program for over an hour! Enjoy. We certainly did. 

http://www.hallbar.com/internetfoods.html/
The Internet Food Directory. Directory of foods available online.  

http://www.happycow.net/
Vegetarians don't love animals, they just hate vegetables. Or so says the humor page at Happy Cow's impressive index of over 1,600 vegetarian restaurants and health food stores scattered across the globe. Vegetarians heading to Jerusalem, Santiago, Cardiff, Christchurch, or Malacca may want to give the Happy Cow a gander before taking off. For that matter, vegetarians going pretty much anywhere may want to check in with the site. Don't miss this week's featured restaurant, the German Bakery, a cute Rishikesh, India. 

http://www.jellybelly.com
Every day the JellyBelly jellybeans company gives out 500 free samples to the lucky people who are the first of the day to answer an online survey of jelly bean habits and preferences. They mix up the times the free samples section is open to give people in different time zones and lifestyles a chance. They ask for your suggestion for a new jelly bean flavor (sorry, they already have "pizza.") You can even learn to say jellybean flavors in other languages. 

http://www.molliekatzen.com
Mollie Katzen, author of "Moosewood Cookbook" and many other healthy eating classics, knows food. And when you visit her web site, so will you. Lots of yummy recipes and links.  

http://www.nytimes.com/library/dining/cooking/
"Duck Breast with Red Wine Sauce" is the fourth in a series of online cooking classes presented by the New York Times in collaboration with the French Culinary Institute. You'll need to register for free at the Times web site in order to access the series. There's a mouth-watering recipe for crispy, moist duck in a classic marinade, an illustrated step-by-step lesson in kitchen knife skills, and a streaming video demonstration. If you're salivating now, be sure to visit the archived lessons on roast chicken, stews, and omelets. It's like having an on-demand cooking show in your browser.  

http://www.zagat.com
This world-famous pocket directory of restaurant reviews is now online. You can access over 20,000 reviews of restaurants in many major metropolitan areas in the US, plus London, Paris, Toronto, and Vancouver. The search feature is powerful, allowing you to locate a top French restaurant downtown with excellent decor and reasonable prices... assuming one exists! If you don't believe or agree with Zagats' professional eaters, then become a member and you can cast your own vote alongside their review. Zagat's time-honored rating system (food, decor, service, price) makes it easy to sort through possibilities. And next to each review, you'll find links to maps and driving directions. There are even interesting top-20 lists of great restaurants, ranked by criteria like service, decor, views, romantic, and outdoor. We're still holding out for Internet Cafe rankings. 

Courtesy Milt Lowe

Fun

http://www.armytank.com
This twisted site bills itself as "A Fun Site for Your Dark Side." So watch out: You might just enjoy seeing a few well-placed tread marks on the happy icons of American consumerist pop culture. Indeed, Army Tank seems obsessed with gratuitous stuffed animal violence. Furbies, Teletubbies, Pokemon, and Purple Dinosaurs all blown to bits for your guilty viewing pleasure. Even Hawaiian Barbie isn't safe. She was chopped in half by an axe. Take part in the devilish fun by suggesting a method of dispatching these critters. With a new execution scheduled for every week, you have plenty of opportunities for input. Each execution is chronicled with a script of imagined pre-death dialogs, graphic photos, and videos. A gallery of past victims preserves each beloved character, including the Pokemon Pikachu being ever-so-ironically electrocuted.   

http://www.bell-labs.com/project/cineblitz/
New cutting edge technology from bell labs.  

http://bl.net/forwards/menu.html
The classics are well represented in this simple, text-only collection of urban legends, one liners, and drinking games. The Neiman-Marcus Cookie Story continues to annoy, Bart Simpson's Chalkboard Exercises still features several zingers, and Things You Would Never Know Without The Movies remains a delight. And you can always count on Interesting Facts for clever cocktail party banter: goldfish have three second memories, it's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open, an ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain, etc. Browse and enjoy, but whatever you do, don't forward. 

http://www.chickenhead.com
An off duty web designers wacky e-zine has personal appearance advice from Kenneth Starr, prom planning tips from Julio Iglesias, fake business cards and funny fake ads. Great place to take a break. 

http://www.combovers.co.uk/
The Web has a long tradition of poking fun at the hairstyle misfortunes of others. For example, the lust for all things mullet spawned numerous web sites lampooning the business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back 'do. In that spirit, this site devotes itself to the oft-overlooked stylistic disaster known as the combover. Designed to fool others into thinking a man has a full thicket up top, this sad ruse of a hairstyle can be found in all corners of the world. Read the FAQ to learn about the many ways to comb over a few, then browse the galleries to enjoy examples of the combover in all its thin glory.

http://www.customerssuck.com
Welcome to the Web site where the customer is NEVER right. If you have a customer service job, then this is the perfect place to vent or share "war stories" from the front lines of retail. The message boards are full of personal accounts of encounters with some of the most pushy, rude, cheap, thieving, idiotic customers around. Read horror stories about customers who abuse every system they can find. If you're a thick-skinned consumer, then you might just find this site informative. Don't miss the surprisingly in-depth "Rules for Ordering at a Drive Through." Sometimes it's a good idea to put yourself in the shoes of the person on the other side of the counter.

http://www.dumblaws.com/
Big government. Small brains. Dumb laws. That just about sums up this site. Andy Powell and Jeff Koon have spent untold hours collecting existing laws that range from useless to downright unexplainable. Their archive covers the United States, sorted by states. For example, in the progressive state of California, it is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale. In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. This site also covers a smattering of other countries, from Australia, where a life sentence is 25 years, to Thailand, where it is illegal to step on any of the nation's currency. There are even moderated online forums where you can post your reactions. Most laws are verified, but some leave you wondering. Sure, reality is stranger than fiction. But some of this stuff is so strange you almost hope it isn't true.

http://www.gaijinagogo.com
Webmasters take note -- get a cease-and-desist from Arnold Schwarzenegger and you're a shoe-in for Picks of the Week. Gaijin A Go Go presents, for your viewing pleasure, a bunch of well-known actors performing in extremely silly Japanese television advertisements for what we assume is gobs of cash. The gang's all here: Leo pitches credit cards, Demi sucks protein paste from a tube, Keanu knocks back a liqueur, Antonio zips around in his new Subaru, Meg pretties herself with a facial cream, and Sean admires the new Mazda. The Demi advert, in particular, has to be seen to be believed. Apparently selling out in Japan doesn't count.

http://ishouldbeworking.com/
It looks like companies are finally starting to crack down on workplace cyber-slackers and would-be Web hogs, but don't fret, now we have a site of our very own. Ishouldbeworking.com has endless links to good excuses, desktop toys, jokes, travel, and anything else your slacking heart desires. If you're unsure how to follow the slothful path, there are loafing tips, and if your boss should drop by for a little chitchat, there's a panic button that will give you search results for a business-related query. And if you start feeling guilty about your poor productivity, you can always follow one of the many e-commerce links and boost some other company's profits.

http://members.tripod.com/fuzzy_naval162
Jokes, useless facts, brain teasers, statistics, and an area for members only 

http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/
DR. SEUSS WENT TO WAR Theodore Geisel was a little-known editorial cartoonist who quietly developed a pen-and-ink portfolio. As chief editorial cartoonist for a New York newspaper from 1941-1943, he drew over 400 cartoons. Theodore went on to become the most recognizable children's book author in the world. Well, at least his pen name did: Dr. Seuss. This Web site draws from The Dr. Seuss Collection in the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego. The subject matter is serious, but the style is unmistakably Seuss! 

http://www.once-upon-a-forest.com
an online art exhibit worth the time it takes for the pages to load (minutes, not seconds.) Created by "Celestial Architect Manuto," the five animations are accompanied by atmospheric and abstract sound. (I usually detest sound on sites, but this fits.) The work is dream-like, beautiful and way cool. Just click on the numbers on the lower left side of the home page to get started and on the word "sound" on the lower right side.

http://www.platinumgrit.com/poke.html
Sometimes it's the little things that get you giggling for hours. Poke the Bunny is one of those sites where you spending clicking, snickering, clicking and then snickering some more. You can't spend your days annoying real animals, but you can sit there and bug a virtual bunny to your heart's content. Go ahead, poke the bunny. 

http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/
He was born Theodor Geisel, but you probably know him as Dr. Seuss, Pulitzer Prize-winning children's book author. No matter how old you are, you're bound to enjoy this fascinating and entertaining site. The Games section features a dozen interactive treats, from Horton's Who Hunt to The Cat's Concentration Game. You can also print all sorts of fun stuff, including The Seuss Word Search puzzle and The Cat in the Hat/The Grinch Doorknob Hanger. If you're a fan, test your knowledge of Seussdom at the monthly trivia contest. Or peruse a list of every Dr. Seuss book ever published, starting with the 1957 classic, The Cat in the Hat.

http://www.sharpeworld.com
This one is for all the cynical nay-sayers who claim there are no interesting destinations left on the Web. The perfect antidote to productivity, Sharpeworld offers diversion with more nooks and crannies than an English muffin. In addition to a colossal number of links to other appealing sites, it presents off-kilter featurettes devoted to pop-culture detritus that will have you clicking with glee. We heartily recommend the very racy and very funny Biker Magazine Ads From the Early '80s, as well as The Hal Morris Museum, a mini-site chock-full of photographs and promotional material for grade-Z magicians and hypnotists from the '60s and '70s. If you have a few hours to kill, visit the Grab Bag Archives and immerse yourself in links to sites both obscure and fascinating.

http://www.stinkfactor.com/
Daring someone to do something no sane person would attempt is always good for a laugh.
Having a little scratch riding on the dare ratchets up the intensity a few notches. In this spirit, the guys at Stinkfactor serve up several outrageous food-based dares for your stomach-turning pleasure. Definitely not for the squeamish, these challenges are accompanied by numerous pictures and blow-by-blow commentary. Start with the mild Saltine Challenge, work up to a borderline-disgusting Cinnamon Challenge, and then, if you dare, take a gander at the graphic Tabasco Challenge. If you have a challenge you'd like to see played out, feel free to submit it

http://www.toddgallina.com
The web site of animator/cartoonist Todd Gallina offers sample of his work and it shows how to whip up some pretty good Flash animation.

http://www.unusualmuseums.org/toilet/
Whomever said art is crap, may be on to something. In this case, art is built from parts of a crapper. Imagine walking into someone's bathroom and seeing a work of art on the toilet seat. On this online museum you can take a gander at artist Barney Smith's endless collection of toilet seats. He has been creating these works of art for 30 years, which add up to over 600 differently decorated toilet seats. Tres chic!

http://www.wreckedexotics.com/
If you're tired seeing beautiful and expensive cars buffed to an immaculate sheen, take a walk on the wrecked side and check out when happens when good cars go bad.

http://www.zippotricks.com/
Did you know there are more than 250 ways to light a Zippo? The folks behind this site want you to spark with style, and they provide detailed explanations on how to do just that. Split into Easy, Medium, and Difficult categories, most of the tricks feature helpful pictures and videos. With intimidating names like "Quasi-Static," "Daisy Duke," and "Bozelmax," the moves can be challenging, but the detailed directions are sure to save some burned fingers. You can even submit a trick of  your own to the database. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

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Have a question? Contact me: Dale Puckett , artdirector.com