Awesome URL's

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272246.post-38162705352487084042007-05-14T01:54:00.000-07:002007-05-14T15:39:48.323-07:00Awesome URL'sIn today's "Foxtrot" comic strip http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2007/05/13/ the "average" kids get promised rewards for straight A's, but the smart kid doesn't get offered anything because he ALREADY gets straight A's; kudos to cartoonist Bill Amend for making the long overdue point that, while it's fine to reward kids for better-than-usual performance, kids that perform well all the time should get something for it every so often too... even, dare I say it, MORE often than the kids who perform less well. Those of you that're constantly changing your layouts will love this one: http://colorpicker.info/ The topmost picker (there are some other useful ones on the page as well) allows you to select any color and get multiple colors that go perfectly with it, whether you want similar colors or wildly contrasting ones; there are controls (nearly every part of the display is clickable) that allow you to alter aspects of the colors to get you to the desired shades(s)... you can even choose to see how your chosen colors would appear to people with different kinds of colorblindness. The only thing that keeps this from being perfect is that, inexplicably, although you can enter specific #'s for hue, saturation and brightness you can't enter the hex # of a color; Photoshop can translate hex to HSB, and if you don't have it you can go here http://page.mi.fu-berlin.de/boethin/pub/coca/ to get a translation, but be aware that you may have to alter the hue 15-20 points to get the correct hex at Colorpicker-the math for that is a little bit off. Here's a site that, as long as they don't do something stupid, will make a fortune: http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/ Bag Borrow or Steal™ allows you to "Rent the Latest Authentic Designer Handbags Purses Jewelry and Accessories"; they've adopted the Netflix concept (also used by Blockbuster and some game rental companies) of your being able to pick what you want, have it mailed to you, keep it as long as you like, and mail it back when you're done... with the necessary difference that you have to pay for every week/month you keep each item, since these things are worth far more than most DVD's. Unlike with the DVD/game setup, you can't treat these items like garbage (I'm convinced that at least one of my fellow Blockbuster-onliners drags DVD's behind his truck), because they get checked when you return them, and you get penalized if you damaged them; the upside of that is that renters are presumably guaranteed to receive them in usable condition. If, once you've got a stellar accessory, you can't bear to part with it, you can "steal" (aka buy) it... or cross your fingers and hope you snag it when it gets demoted to their online store. What makes this site brilliant is that for a tiny fraction of what it'd cost you to BUY these pricey, cutting-edge accoutrements you can "rent" them for a party or to just be trendy while they're "hot"; I'm betting that this is gonna be BIG... and if they ever offer stock, it'd be an excellent investment. This next one is the coolest thing I've ever seen online, a Shockwave... well, it's not a game really, it's... just go take a look: http://www.lecielestbleu.com/media/pateasonframe.htm Be sure and have your sound on, because it's musical, and I don't just mean a few beeps and clicks; most of the construction pieces are effectively musical instruments, and each one that's part of your maze/machine adds to your orchestra. In addition, the controls on the factory actually do stuff, and for the musical pieces you have the ability to change the pitch of their "songs." My husband and I have had hours of fun with this; my goal is to have as many different actions going on at once as I can, and his is to try to construct and guide it so that he has one "playing piece" trapped in a infinite loop; however YOU play it, I guarantee you'll love it. And finally, here are a couple of great free samples we've gotten recently: My husband loves this cereal, which is as crunchy as you can get without eating gravel (aka Grape Nuts) http://kashi.com/trialevent3/freesample/default.aspx My mother actually laughed with pleasure when she got this and saw how big it was (it contained THREE hair care products, each a full 2 oz), especially compared to the little packets most hair-related samples come in http://www.gethairapy.com/samples/<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6272246-3816270535248708404?l=omniverse.blogspot.com'/></div>Omnihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535142570254270177noreply@blogger.com