Neff Zone Column -- May 31, 2008

Print Edition: May 31, 2008

SITES TO SEE ON THE WEB

I was talking to a reader recently and she asked when I was going to do another column about interesting websites. So as a public service here are some websites that I’ve found useful, entertaining, or interesting.

We all get e-mail that falls under the "did you know" category. The problem is, however, that on the Internet these days information is easy to falsify and once falsehoods get spread around they take on an air of legitimacy. This is particularly true in the case of politics, with urban legends and pitches for money close behind.

SNOPES.COM www.snopes.com is where I head if I want to separate fact from falsehood. Snopes researches hundreds of topics each day and labels them as true or false. They also do a good job of explaining the origin of the story. In some cases they label a topic as "multiple," meaning it’s a mix of truth and fiction.

An example of a "multiple" is a recent e-mail I received listing all the uses of WD-40. The message noted that WD-40 is made of fish oil so it has all sorts of "natural" uses. Well, Snopes explains that the lubricant contains no fish oil. Some of the uses on the list are indeed possible. On the other hand, the company warns that some of the uses are not recommended, like spraying cows with WD-40 to keep flies away.

Those who like to be advised of the latest Internet hoaxes can even sign up for a free Daily Snopes e-newsletter.

REFDESK.COM www.refdesk.com is where to go if you’re looking for any type of fact. Once upon a time, these fact compendiums were in books called almanacs. RefDesk is the modern version of this tradition. Want to check when Memorial Day falls in 2020, how many euros to a dollar, the price of gas, what happened on this day in history, the area code for your aunt in Wyoming, or the wording of a Bible verse? It’s all at your fingertips on RefDesk.

With summer here you may want some computer fun to keep the kidlings busy on those inevitable rainy days. I have three suggestions.

CASH CAB is my favorite television show on the Discovery Channel. Basically, it’s a game show that takes place in a taxi where the driver asks the passengers general knowledge questions as he drives them to their destination. Each correct answer earns prize money. The online version of the game is at http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/cashcab/game/game.html. You pick a destination in New York City and answer questions and although you won’t win any actual cash it’s still fun to see if you can make it all the way to the end. Plus, the game is even more fun if several players/riders work together to try to come up with the right answers.

MINI-GOLF http://www.ibogleif.dk/spil/flashspil/minigolf/minigolf.swf is an 18-hole miniature golf course complete with a windmill, clown’s face, and a final hole guaranteed to make you go bonkers. I will warn you that this game is addictive as you try to better your score time after time. It’s also a great opportunity for the kids in the family to take on the adults (although I’ve found the adults cheat by practicing at work).

MAKE BELIEFS COMIX www.makebeliefscomix.com is without a doubt the coolest new website I’ve come across this spring. You create your own comic strip by choosing characters, coming up with a story, adding dialog balloons, and then printing your creation. You could even combine a series of the three panel strips into an entire comic book. Who knows, maybe some day a child who started with this site may become a famous illustrator and we’ll be able to read his/her comic trip in the Cadillac News.

Finally, as we all know, you can find just about anything for sale on the Internet. Sometimes the ideas strike me as pretty good; sometimes they strike me as borderline bad.

GOOD IDEA: We’re all trying to spend less money on gas and that effort might include walking to the nearest grocery store instead of driving. The dilemma is how to get the full grocery bags back home. I’ve seen people using back packs, those small rolling carts that look like old-fashion bike baskets, and even….uh, bike baskets. None of these are entirely efficient because they lack the capacity for anything more than a few light items.

Enter the Hook & Go Urban Shopper which is described as: "The perfect market sidekick—eight hooks carry bags of fresh produce and other groceries up to 70 pounds with ease. Rubber wheels roll smoothly on rough city streets, with a rubber stopper to keep the shopper upright. Folds up for compact transport and storage." Picture this as a simply a golf pull cart but instead of having brackets for a golf bag it has an arm extending rearward where you hang grocery bags. Those reusable cloth bags would be just perfect for the task.

This looks like a nifty gizmo to me. See it at www.surlatable.com and when you get there just type "hook & go urban shopper" in the search box.

BAD IDEA: I’ve been married for 40 years and I love my wife, but there are times when "togetherness" is less than desirable. Such may be the case with the TwoDaLoo, described as: "The TwoDaLoo is billed as the world's first toilet two people can use ... at the exact same time. It brings couples closer together and conserves our water supply all with one flush. The TwoDaLoo features two side-by-side toilet seats with a modest privacy wall in between. An upgraded version includes a seven inch LCD television and iPod docking station."

Okay….well, the "privacy wall" is only about a foot high and the two commodes face each other, so the mystery is pretty much over. That aside, I can’t imagine how having one of these would be a way to improve a relationship. Still, I might be out to lunch on this one, so you can make your own determination by seeing the TwodaLoo at http://www.wiserep.com/productDetails.php?id=5769. The price for your future happiness is a mere $1400.

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.