ASK BOB!

Do you have questions about your computer or the Internet? The new AskBobRankin website may have the answer. If not, go ahead and ask! He can't answer every question that comes in, but will select the best, most interesting, or most common ones to address on the website. For example, did you know... ...that simply deleting files on your hard drive doesn't actually remove them permanently? ...that the font for printing emails in Outlook Express is controlled by a setting in a completely different program? ...that there is a dictionary of computer terms that explains those strange acronyms and geeky words in plain English? Pop in and browse around, you'll find details on these topics and other questions as well.

http://www.AskBobRankin.com

PIGGY STRESS RELIEVER

If life is getting you down and you need to let off steam, visit this site and click on the Piggy. You’re bound to have some sort of reaction!

http://members.cox.net/ladysarakat/piggy.swf

OLD STUFF, COOL STUFF

I really enjoy Public Television’s ANTIQUE’S ROADSHOW. The show is staffed by an impressive group of antiques experts. The show’s format highlights a pleasant conversation between the antique’s owner and an informative expert, at the end of which the audience (as well as the owner) finds out what the piece would be worth at current-day auction. It ‘s fun to try to guess the piece’s value, but it’s even more fun to watch the response of the owner when they find out exactly how much (or how little) Grandma’s oddball knickknacks are worth.

A recent show was from a 2004 road trip originating in St. Paul, Minnesota, where one collector brought in a 1914 Patek Phillipe & Co. pocket watch that had been handed down to his father by his grandfather, and eventually to himself. According to the owner, the watch had been appraised at $6,000 fifteen years prior to the show. The expert appraiser successfully withheld his professional enthusiasm until the final moment of truth had arrived: the watch is now worth $250,000 or more.

I visited the PBS site and discovered the following link that features this particularly lucky fellow: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/index.html

BOTANY PHOTO OF THE DAY

Inspired by NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, the gardeners and plant enthusiasts at the University of British Columbia's Botanical Centre have grown their very own photo blog. The first entry, on April 5, 2005, of a Chinese parasol storax, let it be known that these pictures would be painterly and lush. From a close-up of ferns, a Himalayan blue poppy, or this delicate fragrant granadilla, the diverse plants of Canada and the plentiful holdings of the UBC garden bloom forth. Categories include mosses, conifers, and the always-popular flowering plants. If you're the type who thinks fungus is don't-touch-that gross, dare to view these beauties. The garden syndicates its content through RSS, (you’ll have to ask Mick or David what that means!) so plant a feed and see a new picture blossom each day.

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/

Kooky Chow

The Kooky Chow website is a fun photo gallery of absurd food from all around the world. Each section of the site contains items that are enjoyed by people of various countries and taste preferences, but that are not normally found on your average American dinner table.

The gallery of esoteric and eccentric foods at Kooky Chow is more about curiosity than criticism. You will be astounded by some of the foods on this website, such as the Instant Jellyfish, the canned Kraut Juice, and the Gator Stew. Don't miss Section six, the last but definitely the best selection of strange foods.

http://kookychow.com/kookychow/

TRIVIA LIBRARY

I got really fascinated with this site and spent a lot of time there. You will want to bookmark this cool site, which is a virtual library of interesting and eccentric facts on a variety of topics. The Trivia Library houses hundreds of articles on subjects ranging from Utopias to United States History.

The seemingly limitless supply of fascinating facts in this online library makes it a site well worth visiting. You will learn random facts about History, Religion, Words, Love and Sexuality, Psychics, Film, Sports and many other topics. Be sure to check out the Lists section of the library, which contains obscure lists, facts and figures such as 20 Only Child's and 9 Famous People Who Died in the Bathroom.

http://www.trivia-library.com/Trivia Library

POLAR INERTIA

I’m not too sure about this one. Polar Inertia is a self-described journal of nomadic and popular culture. This cool online magazine is updated bi-monthly with visuals and articles that observe the ever-changing landscape of modern urbanism. It appears to be a lot of arty photographs that highlight a particular type of building.

The current issue features a host of interesting submissions, including the scooter-crazed citizens of Ho Chi Minh City, the typology of old car washes, and the modern phenomenon of the Cellular Tree. If you are left wanting more, check out the site's section on past writings and journal archives.

http://www.polarinertia.com/