BREAKING SURF
| I Love Bees |
| Netsurfer Recommendations |
| Cat: The Missing manuals |
| Chicken Fight |
| Satellite Images of Mt. St. Helens |
| Froogle UK |
| "Instant Mess" |
| The Osama bin Lotto |
| Church Sign Generator |
| BOOK REVIEWS |
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| Contact and Subscription Information |
| Credits |
|
|
BREAKING SURF
"Frontline" Studies the Candidates
Do you want to know even more about the US election? "Frontline", the PBS news documentary series, recently aired "The Choice 2004", an impressive look at George Bush and John Kerry and how they came to this point in time. We caught it and were engrossed - and TV doesn't do that to us too often. The Web site that accompanies the documentary not only supplements the TV show, but lets you watch it in its entirety. All those who want to learn more about the two major candidates for President in an objective, intelligent, reasoned manner owe it to themselves to set aside an hour (or is it two?) to watch this. Afterward, surf through the additional material and participate in discussion groups if you wish. NPR has a story on the making of "The Choice 2004". Republican or Democrat, decided or undecided, American or foreigner, all can appreciate this sober look at the two men vying for the most important job in the world."The Choice 2004": http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/
NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4105667
Berkeley Hack Places 1.4 Million Californians at Privacy Risk
A hacker broke into a University of California, Berkeley research system that houses personal records of 1.4 million people who participate in California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. The state's IHSS program pays workers who provide home care for disabled or elderly people. Although bound by a recent California law to reveal the hack, the university has provided practically no technical details about the intrusion. The law, SB1386, requires an organization to notify the public if the confidential personal information, like social security numbers and birth dates, it holds have been compromised. According to university officials at Berkeley, at least a month passed from the time of the hack to when they discovered it. Given the huge size of the data set revealed and the vulnerable population it represents, it is important that information about the hack be disseminated far and wide, to allow people to take precautions to prevent identity fraud. SecurityFocus has the details.http://www.securityfocus.com/news/9758
Privacy Advocates and Regulations Better Avoided in the Bahamas
Remember that suggestive ad campaign: it's better in the Bahamas? Ben Bell obviously agrees with the slogan. In his case, better means unrestricted by American and European privacy and information-access regulations. Bell developed the infamous US airline-passenger screening program, which attracted so much flak that he has deferred further work on it until after the American election. In the meantime, he has joined the Bahamas-based Global Information Group (GIG) to work on combining information from different sources into a database of personal histories, this time for commercial purposes. GIG envisages using such information to help companies check on potential hires. Such information could also be used to screen maritime workers or to check out foreign customers who open US bank accounts. Despite any legitimate purposes of such data-mining, civil libertarians are understandably nervous about turning on such systems without robust safeguards in place. Operating offshore puts GIG beyond the reach of US legislation, even if its primary customers are US corporations and governments. Security wonks argue that such work is necessary to deter and prevent crime and terrorism. Yahoo carries the Washington Post story.http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/washpost/20041016/tc_washpost/a36853_2004oct15
David Gross is undoubtedly a happy scientist, what with just having won the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on quark confinement. Gross also happens to be on the board of directors of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, a science think tank on the California coast. The institute has just concluded a conference on the future of physics. Gross closed the conference with a lecture that addressed the titular topic. Specifically, he identified the 25 key questions that physicists feel are most important right now. Along with the concrete physics questions you'd expect - like "what is dark matter?" - Gross posed many questions of surprisingly philosophical abstraction. Can we understand big things by understanding little things? Is quantum mechanics the ultimate description of nature? Can we measure the onset of consciousness in an infant? Clearly, nothing is out of the sphere of physicists' interests. All the conference's talks, including Gross's, are available in audio and video, a treasure trove for science fans.
Kavli Institute: http://www.itp.ucsb.edu/
Conference: http://online.itp.ucsb.edu/online/kitp25/
Physicists Doubt Feasibility of Missile Shield
The US has for many years entertained the concept of shooting down rockets during the boost phase - i.e. right after they launch. The American Physical Society suggests in a report published in Modern Physics that this approach isn't really feasible. Noting how short a boost phase lasts, the report suggests that interceptors would have to be placed within 400 to 1,000 km of launch sites and triggered nearly immediately after rocket lift-off. Obviously, positioning such systems so close would have political consequences, but even leaving that aside, the report notes that you have a window of only seconds to decide whether or not to attempt to shoot down a rocket. The report suggests that a system of a thousand or so space-based interceptors might be able to do the job - against a single missile - but doubts the US currently has the capability to put that many satellites in space. The report does conclude that it's feasible to defend against missiles launched from shipping near the American coasts with Earth-based interception.http://www.aps.org/media/pressreleases/101504.cfm
British Boffins Develop Murphy's Law Formula
Earlier this month, a panel of experts commissioned by British Gas developed a mathematical formula for the famous Murphy's law ("anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"). The formula, which calculates the odds of the law striking home, depends on six factors: urgency (U), complexity (C), importance (I), skill (S), frequency (F), and aggravation (A), an empirically determined constant. The probability that things will go wrong is determined by a formula you can view in the British Gas press release. If you want to estimate the Murphy potential for your project without all that hard math theory, save yourself some time with the online Murphy's Law CalculatorMLC: http://www.breakingnewsblog.com/discoveries/murphys_law_calculator.php
Murphy's Laws Site: http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-true.html
Imagine, if you will, a small remote with only one button, a remote with the ability to turn off virtually any TV set you happen to find. You have entered the TV-free zone. This is very much a real gizmo. Inventor Mitch Altman noted that less conversation takes place between people when a nearby TV set is on. Far from considering this a good thing, he decided to do something about it, and he created the TV-B-Gone as a result, though he confesses that "What I really want is Life-B-Here." The remote is fiendishly simple in concept. In sequence, it sends out 209 different infrared codes, each used by a TV manufacturer as a proprietary signal by which its remotes turn off its televisions. Walk into any electronics store, push the TV-B-Gone button and marvel at the results. This act of telerebellion is not illegal, but we're sure some lobbyist is already working on changing that. The device has been so popular that the TV-B-Gone is already out of stock. While you wait, read Wired's interview with Altman.
TV-B-Gone: http://www.tvbgone.com/
Wired: http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65392,00.html
Apple Releases New iBook Laptop Models
One of Macintosh skeptics' persistent arguments is that Apple hardware costs more than comparable Intel-based machines, particularly for laptops, even though it's widely acknowledged that Apple makes some sweet portable machines. This argument just lost currency, however, as Apple has released a new line of iBooks, its entry-level laptop machines. A very reasonable $1,000 will now buy you a machine equivalent in power to one of Apple's more expensive Powerbook models, which sold for more than $1,500 only ten months ago. That's progress, and feature for feature, the new iBooks arguably outcompete anything with that price in the PC world. Our only tip to buyers is to go to third-party suppliers and double your memory for far less than you'd pay Apple. Your iBook will thank you and make you a very happy user. Incidentally, Apple is aggressively targeting the educational market with the iBook, evidenced by the nifty iBook Wireless Mobile Lab. Cool.iBook: http://www.apple.com/ibook/
Wireless Lab: http://www.apple.com/education/cart/
The widespread adoption of a new communication tool can have fascinating and often unexpected effects. In Japan, NTT DoCoMo's i-mode, a mobile Internet platform, has changed how people communicate. A lengthy Japan Media Review article shows - with an academic tone and language often jargony - how. The Web-enabled mobile phone has become ubiquitous in Japanese society. As of March 2004, i-mode had over 40 million subscribers. Currently, more than 56,000 sites provide content specialized for the service. DoCoMo's i-mode customers heavily use e-mail and text-messaging, and the exchange of image files is increasing rapidly. Because the service is so widely used, fairly elaborate behavioral conventions have sprung up to regulate use in schools and other public places. Many of the ways in which people have come to use i-mode are intriguing. For example, many youth stay in almost continuous contact with friends and acquaintances while engaging in other activities. The technology also facilitates dating and sexual liaisons - file that under "duh". The article describes the evolution of the service, explains why it has succeeded so well, and explores a wide range of uses. One of the article's greatest strengths is its study of the surprising differences in the evolution of the information society in Asia and in the West.
http://ojr.org/japan/research/1097446811.php
The imminent release of Firefox 1.0 and Thunderbird 1.0 means one very important thing - it's time to party! Back in 2002, when Mozilla 1.0 was released (you do have the T-shirt, right?), some 135 parties celebrated the event all over the world. This time around, as of press time, already 183 parties were gearing up to mark the 1.0 release of Mozilla's children. You can find a nearby party and sign up to attend on the Mozparty2 site. Naturally, the Bugzilla bug-tracker has threads on the Firefox 1.0 Party (Bug 262292) and the Mozilla 2.0 Party (Bug 175194). Bug 262292: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=262292 Bug 175194: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=175194
Mozparty2: http://www.openforce.at/mozparty2/
National Museum of the American Indian
There's a new museum on the national mall: the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Like any hip new museum, this one has a new Web site to introduce itself to the Web. The Flash-y site provides an excellent introduction to the museum and its collections. Especially moving is the video of the opening celebration and Native American procession that accompanied the museum's dedication. If you plan on visiting D.C. and the museum, this site provides you with a wealth of information to make the most of your visit.http://www.nmai.si.edu/
If you know that NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, you've done this before. NaNoWriMo urges folks to churn out words without worrying about fine tuning, editing, or any of the other activities that turn writing into a chore. Just wind up and let go, and try to crank out 50,000 words during November. Think quantity, not quality. Last year 25,000 people participated and 3,500 succeeded. What happens to all these literary gems? Well, there's no literary agent waiting to sign you at the end, alas; the main reward is just doing it. The idea for NaNoWriMo came to founder Chris Baty in 1999. That year, he and 20 other idiots went at it and found it, surprisingly, quite fun. The next year, 140 people took part, half of them folks he didn't know. Since then, the number of people crazy enough to try to squeak out a novel in a month has grown by leaps and bounds, and NaNoWriMo is now reaching out to schools. So clear the calendar for November. Oh, and don't forget to register. It's not mandatory but that way you get to participate officially and your effort will be counted.
http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=2
Just a week after the not-yet-released Halo 2 found its way into the wilds of the Net, another highly anticipated game is turning up online before its release date. Various reporters are having fun with the idea that at least one copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTASA) has been stolen and posted online, along with images of the game manual. Gamespot has rather terse coverage, which at press time did not contain any information on where the leak may have occurred.
GTASA: http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/
GameSpot: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10/20/news_6111057.html
Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 made Internet Explorer invulnerable to pop-up ads - for a few days. Although around half of US netsurfers have installed blockers of one sort or another, ad publishers have developed workarounds. In what browser developers call a cat-and-mouse game (and what evolutionary biologists would call the Red Queen hypothesis), the technologies continue to compete stepwise, and the mice are breeding like, well - rats. CNET has a link-filled story on the battle. We can't help but think that those who resort to workarounds to bypass the blocks that people set up are really just shooting their businesses in the scrotum.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5408453.html
Got MP3? Apparently, you have less of it, according to a recent (presumably voluntary) survey of hard-drive contents. The MP3 format is slowly losing ground to Apple's AAC and Microsoft's .WMA formats, but "slowly" is the operative word. The MP3 format, which came of age with file-sharing, still commands a 72% share of the music on hard drives. Regardless, the study indicates that consumers view MP3s as disposable files rather than as integral parts of their music collections - but any software that doesn't play MP3s is not going to make it in the marketplace. CNET has the word.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5409604.html
We Know Slashdot, and Regular, You're No Slashdot
Hoping to become a Slashdot for political issues, the Regular rears its head. It's off to a bad start, as measured by the potential for jokes at the expense of its title. Ideally, a site like this would make an effort at fairness, but the site's contributors clearly lean Democrat. That doesn't really bother us, however, because we believe in giving you the straight poop, and letting you make your own decisions. We're sure that you all have your own favorite mouthpieces, and this one just happens to slant one way. Top stories when we visited last include an analysis of material deleted from the White House Web site, a pointer to an article that tells how Bush supporters misperceive his stand on issues, and former CIA chief George Tenet's assertion that Gulf War II was a mistake. You probably still want to visit Slashdot - say, its political pages. At least people there comment.Regular: http://www.theregular.org/
Slashdot: http://politics.slashdot.org/
ONLINE CULTURE
An alternate-reality game is a computer game that deliberately blurs the line between the in-game and real-life experiences. Perhaps the most well known and successful of these was the game associated with the movie "Artificial Intelligence: AI", whose plot points reached players via e-mail, the Web, and mysterious phone calls. Recently, another such game earned a bit of gratuitous (or was it?) publicity when a poster of a grinning bee appeared in the background of CNN's coverage of the aftermath of the final Presidential debate. Much like the "AI" game, this game, known as I Love Bees, ties in to a commercial product. In this case, the game wraps players in the world of the upcoming game, Halo 2. Wired has the story behind I Love Bees, while the deceptively simple - and odd - game site is clearly designed to suck you in.Wired: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65365,00.html
I Love Bees: http://www.ilovebees.com/
|
Items our staff likes and you might too. Click on the image or title to order at a hefty discount from our affiliate Amazon.com, and send a few pennies our way as well.
For more selections, check out: Netsurfer Books: http://www.netsurf.com/nsb/ Netsurfer Library: http://www.netsurf.com/nsl/ |
Hollywood Causes Cancer: The Tom Green Story
Wild East: Stories from the Last Frontier
Gasp! The Swift and Terrible Beauty of Air
GaudeamusSURFING SITES
Ordering Pizza, Hold the Privacy
If you have a strong sense of paranoia about personal information, data-mining, and privacy, don't watch this film. On the other hand, if all you possess is a sense of humor, you'll enjoy this fictional (we hope!) phone conversation between a pizza-delivery telephonist and a hapless, unsuspecting customer. The video portion follows the information software the telephonist uses to access data such as medical records (which allow her to make diet tips), his wife's magazine subscriptions, personal finances, library books, body size, and other potentially embarrassing information that is none of her business. That is the point, blunt as it may be. This is part of the ACLU's online presence, after all. Clicking on the Take Action link opens a page that urges you to tell your congressmen to vote against funding for a government database ("ominously called the Matrix") which would consist of personal information. It's hard to believe that such a bill could make it through Congress, but it's technologically feasible. The film is both amusing and a warning of what could be if people aren't vigilant about their privacy.http://www.aclu.org/pizza/index.html
Explore the tragic life and death of Robert Francis Kennedy (RFK) with this online companion to the PBS documentary, "RFK". There's little doubt that RFK would have become President had he not been gunned down. "RFK" and the accompanying site seek to explore how the US would have changed had RFK lived to fulfill his destiny. In addition to a synopsis and transcripts, the site offers visitors a chance to delve into the events of 1968 through an interactive timeline. An online poll explores the impact RFK might have had on events such as the Vietnam War. A second timeline explores RFK's heritage as a member of the Kennedys, the country's foremost political family. In addition to the plethora of information available, guests will find a gallery of images and a teacher's guide that discusses the people and events of the late '60s. As with most PBS presentations, this virtual trip back in time is both intriguing and comprehensive.
http://www.pbs.org/amex/rfk
O'Reilly's Digital Media Portal
Just as the Web has helped the publishing industry sell books and magazines, so publishers benefit from the rise of digital photography. This is probably the main reason why O'Reilly Media, respected for its popular computer books, has developed the O'Reilly Digital Media - a combination catalogue, e-zine, and blog center - to focus on photography. While the site highlights O'Reilly books and features a persistent shopping cart, the most visible content consists of equipment reviews and industry news. Most of the info deals with digital photography, but DVD writers, filmmaking, and digital TV also enter the picture. The site looks well placed for coverage of events down the road. One nice touch is the photographer-of-the-month feature, which humanizes the site with a minigallery and brief bio. The site's beating heart is a database called the Professionals Directory, where you can search for and browse listings of photographers, graphic artists, and music or audio professionals. O'Reilly appears to be targeting not only media pros but tuned-in adults with money to spend and time to ponder.http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/
Logos must be small graphical masterpieces. In very small spaces and with a restricted graphic palette, they must convey the identity of the organization they represent. That sort of branding is vital in today's marketplace. Millions are spent on logos, with mixed results. Some are great, some just miss. The Corporate Identity Catalogue makes no judgments, but simply shows hundreds of major logos. The site is Dutch and while it emphasizes European organizations, the US is well covered. The site identifies the typeface, source reference, and Pantone colors of each logo on display and includes design data like the designer and design date. The site's only drawback is the small size of the logos. More complex logos can't show off their details.
http://users.ncrvnet.nl/mstol/58.htm
Yves Rossy, like many, always dreamed of flying. He became a pilot and flew Swiss fighter jets and commercial DC-9s and Boeing 747s. Yet his flying itch remained strangely unscratched. In 1990, he took up skydiving and skysurfing. Despite picking up a couple of Guinness world records along the way, his ambitions remained unfulfilled - that is, until this past June 24, when he became Jet-Man! This site charts the 45-year-old Rossy's attempt to become the first person to achieve horizontal flight with jet-propelled three-meter wings strapped to his back. On his Web site, he describes the history of his project and provides photographs of him in action, but the best part is the video (make sure to click the "see complete video" link), which shows him dropping out of an aircraft at 4,000 meters, gliding for a short while, and then firing up his kerosene jets to fly at around 115 mph. He even manages to ignite some smoke trailers for a bit of fun.
http://www.yves-rossy.com/en/jetman.php
This review of the Best Philly Cheesesteaks site was late due to the extensive fact-checking required. Our Philadelphia-based reviewer also required several days' recuperation. After all calmed down, we can reliably report that this site, which is based on reader nominations and comments, is an excellent guide to excellent cheesesteaks. Due to the nature of the site, some sites are missed. For example, our reviewer's local cheesesteak shop, which makes the absolute best cheesesteaks in the area, is not listed. The site is organized geographically, with most of the data drawn, naturally, from Philadelphia. Objects called cheesesteaks and not made within, say, 40 miles of South Philadelphia are also covered. Some of these pretenders incorporate authentic, imported-from-Philly ingredients, but they're different nonetheless. Still, you deal with what you have and even the pretenders are interesting in their own ways.
http://www.bestcheesesteaks.com/
A Fistful of Spaghetti Westerns
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like spaghetti westerns and those who don't know what they're missing. Fans of Sergio Leone - the acknowledged master of the genre - and his works will be thrilled by this fan site dedicated to westerns made in Italy, better known as spaghetti westerns. Despite the name and reputation, exterior shooting took place almost entirely in the Tabernas Desert near Almeria, Spain, although Elios Studios in Rome had a full western-town set. The Italians loved westerns, and when the supply of American-made cowboy movies started drying up in the 1960s, they started making their own, which tended to be darker and more violent than the American flicks. Italians eventually made over 600 westerns, and their take on the genre in turn inspired a whole new generation of film makers in the US and Japan, gave us the wonderful music of Enzio Morrecone, and launched the film career of Clint Eastwood. A Fistful of Westerns has many cool facts about the films, about Leone, and lots, lots more. Remember: when you have to shoot - shoot, don't talk.http://website.lineone.net/~braithwaitej/
"War of the Worlds" Covers and Art
We've all become accustomed to pop culture's constant barrage of alien invasions. Whether benign or hostile, off-planet beings always seem to be on the way - to take over our world, to impart new powers and potentials, or to conduct the occasional probe. While we tend to assume the alien-invasion genre is a product of the late 20th century, a moment's thought will remind you of the book that kicked off the idea in 1898. H. G. Wells's "War of the Worlds" described a Martian invasion of Earth and was an instant success. It's still in print, and it remains the source of the archetypical evil aliens: definitely not your granddad's ETs. Who can forget images of the Martians' giant war machines striding up the Thames as the hapless Brits attempt to defend their capital with 13-pounders and iron-clad gunboats? This War of the Worlds site has assembled 149 images of covers of various editions of this classic, including foreign-language editions and comic books. Other pages display miscellaneous related drawings and renderings, interior illustrations, and more in a loving tribute to this timeless work of early science fiction, all tastefully arrayed and clickably enlargable.http://drzeus.best.vwh.net/wotw/wotw.html
There's an air of excitement and expectation at the Bring Back Kirk (BBK) site. It has for several years lobbied for the return of Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Many hardcore Trekkies felt that his death in "Star Trek: Generations" was needless and served no coherent purpose to the movie itself or to the Star Trek universe as a whole. BBK will not settle for "a hologram, a flashback, a temporary time-travel appearance, a double, an evil twin, a prequel, or a spirit" either - it wants nothing less than William Shatner appearing as James T. Kirk, "one last time so he can have a classy ending where he rides off into the sunset similar to Star Trek VI." So why the excitement? Well, the latest BBK newsletter reports some intriguing developments in negotiations between Paramount, the makers of TV's "Enterprise" and Shatner, which may see the actor appear as Kirk in a number of episodes of the show in 2005. "Right now, don't pop the champagne," BBK advises, "but you're allowed to smile."
http://www.bringbackkirk.com/
Skippy of the 213 Army Rules Outs Self
Once upon a time, NSD publicized a list of 213 things not to do in the US Army - in NSD 10.16, to be precise. At that time, we just assumed that some bored comic genius made them up. Well, we lucked into a Web site that claims to publish the tale of Skippy, the originator of the list, and we'll take that at face value. Skippy did spend time in the US Army, with Psyop battalions in Bosnia and elsewhere. He struggled with authority and sent to non-military friends a series of joke e-mails outlining all the things he found he wasn't allowed to do. The list, most of which comes from real discussions, gathered momentum and propagated across the Net. Skippy, now out of the Army, has revealed his identity. Thankfully, he also repeats the full list of the forbidden 213 - the link we found half a year ago is gone.NSD 10.16: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/sub/v10/nsd.10.16.html#FJ1
Skippy: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tempie/71498.html
Over the River and through the Ghouls
If you have a long car ride ahead of you and two kids in the backseat who've just seen "Shaun of the Dead", it's time to let them experience their own zombie apocalypse from the comfort of the SUV. Ghoulash is a Battleship-esque game where players trek across a series of obstacles to a predefined end (usually survival), encountering ghouls along the way. It's especially good for car trips or long boring meetings, because the only required equipment is two game boards, printable from the site, and pencils.http://www.ghoulash.com/
FLOTSAM & JETSAM
Dan's Data's insightful review of juvenile Felis catus reads like a missing manual. In assessing it, we discovered a variety of amusing manuals available for the new or prospective owner of a potentially incompatible feline. Translation: cats for computer geeks.Dan's Data: http://www.dansdata.com/kitten.htm
CAT User's Manual: http://www.andreas.com/catman.html
Handles on kittens: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=handles+on+kittens
How to handle a radioactive cat: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=650013
Clearly running with the legacy of the Subservient Chicken, Burger King has started to promote a more violent chicken happening. While realizing we are toadies to the marketing machine, we can't help but admire the impressive production values and questionable taste in choosing cock-fighting.
http://chickenfight.com/
Satellite Images of Mt. St. Helens
NASA satellites have captured infrared images of the newly bubbling Mt. St. Helens volcano. The images show infrared hot spots that develop as the lava wells up in the crater. There is also a visible light photo taken from the International Space Station.http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_sthelens.html
This week, Google released its online shopping-comparison search engine, Froogle, for use in Britain - just in time to find a decent pair of wellies for the winter.
http://froogle.google.co.uk/
As we report more and more, instant messaging is becoming more and more popular with more and more people. But what will be the ultimate moreness of this trend? Watch this short film to find out. (We don't think it's supposed to be an Apple commercial....)
http://campjinx.pictureshowfilms.com/bls/leonard/im_fight.html
The lotto portion of this site is a simple e-mail, in which you guess when Osama Bin Laden will be captured. Yes, it does have partisan political overtones. The lotto offers no significant prizes; it only offers a Flash movie that will not please President Bush or his supporters. It's a little long in the tooth by now, but that just means your guess will be more accurate.
http://www.ericblumrich.com/lotto.html
Create your own church sign with this online church-sign generator. There are two designs to choose from and an option to order a refrigerator magnet version of your sign. Best of all, you never run out of letters and have to use an upside-down 7 as an L. Wrath of deity not included.
http://www.churchsigngenerator.com/