Surf's up -
Put up your feet ... or get up on them. Do you want to kick back, or kick it? Your weekly web tour has something for all lifestyles, including British Army advice on getting fit, entertaining blasts from TV's past and free tips on getting more bang from your browser. I'll also introduce you to one of the best photography sites on the web, and it's only a few days old.
Classic TV ads
www.roadode.com/classicindex.shtml
They don't make TV commercials like they used to, which may or may not be a good thing. Old-fashioned and often hokey, these ads said plenty about how we lived. The selection of cigarette commercials, for instance, is upfront about how smoking was sold as something attractive and cool. You'll see Farrah Fawcett sell soft drinks, Ray Charles sell lottery tickets and various celebrities pitch everything from toothpaste to hairspray. The ads here are not embedded, meaning you'll need Real or Windows Media player to see them from the host.
Army Fit
armyfit.mod.uk/
The British Army, that is, which offers its exercise regimen online. Registration is required, but it's free. Right off the bat, you get watch-and-learn exercise tips about basic exercises. If you want, you can set up a much more detailed exercise regimen. A cool feature: click on the models as they do their routines for precise tips on form and body control.
Lens
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/
The New York Times formally launched a new project on Monday: Lens, a blog about photography and visual journalism. Given that the NYT runs several top-shelf blogs involving its reporters and editors, it's about time the paper offered something to show just how outmoded its nickname (the Grey Lady) can be. Video will be on the table as well. Take advantage of the full-screen option for a dazzling impression.
Big Picture
www.boston.com/bigpicture/
Photojournalism blogs, of course, are nothing new. The NYT's sibling paper, the Boston Globe, publishes The Big Picture on its website. Gorgeous, wide-scale photos, usually built around a theme; one this week involved the repairs to the Hubble telescope.
50 Firefox tricks
tinyurl.com/ynqpdl
Firefox is my default browser. I use Internet Explorer and Safari on a near-daily basis, for different things, but I like Firefox best. This list of tricks and tips taught me lots I did not know. Hopefully, you'll learn something useful, too.
Wordle
www.wordle.net/
Word clouds can tell you something you may not have noticed: you plug in a lot of text (a copy-and-paste move will usually do the trick) and you get back a visual representation of what's been said. Wordle is one of the generators that's out there, and it's fun to use.
Sumo Paint
www.sumo.fi/products/sumopaint/
Frustrated or bored or just needing the burst of excitement that a few moments of unfettered creativity can bring? Keep Sumo Paint handy for those moments when you need a lift ... and you won't need to spill any paints and such over your desk. You're given a blank canvas, and it's up to you to pick the designs, colours and tools you'll use to fill it in. Not liking what you just did? Hit "undo." I've never saved anything, but I've always appreciated the chance to run amok for a minute.
Cooking By Numbers
www.cookingbynumbers.com/
Looking for a way to cut down on your grocery bill? Consider not shopping, but getting a bit more mileage out of what's in the fridge and especially in the pantry. Click on all the ingredients on hand, and see what comes back. Among other things, it's not a bad way to spark some ideas for family meals.
HTML to PDF
html-pdf-converter.com/
Need to turn a web page into a PDF? Ta-da. You're welcome.
John Gushue is a news writer for CBCNews.ca in St. John's. Blog: johngushue.typepad.com. Twitter: twitter.com/JohnGushue.
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