It's clear that I am no longer able to keep up with my pita duties. Sadly, I no longer have the Internet research job that brought most of these links to my attention. (Damn you, about.com, for acquiring my company and then firing us all.) At some point, I hope to return to the land of the fractured lorax. Until then, enjoy the archived links, and thanks for visiting.
Hats of Meat!
"Though hats fashioned from various meats are currently enjoying a renaissance in this new millennium, few people realize just how long this alternative haberdashery has been in existence."
WNO
Now this is the kind of organization whose t-shirt I'd be proud to wear. The surveys are interesting.
Njarka
"Njarka is a site suitable for the whole family, since reindeers are gentle creatures that at most are mildly curious about what new visitors smells like."
I want. To go. To Njarka.
yikes!
Now where did I leave that tin-foil helmet?
sounds of the world's animals
What does a donkey say in Sweden? (Don't worry; I didn't know either. Actually, I'm still not sure I know.)
Hindi Sound Toy
Click on the Hindi letter to hear it pronounced. I found these little buttons very soothing…sort of like a synthesizer function of some kind. Hindi is cool.
Adopter un Escargot
I know the first page doesn't look like much. Just click on stuff. It's all good.
For instance, this and this.
Ok, so this is the part of me that enjoys those really dumb elephant jokes. (Note: some elementary high school French is necessary to enjoy the site.)
Lightning Injury Facts
Am I the only one who is morbidly fascinated by the possibility of being hit by lightning? I can't be. (The fact that I almost DID get hit by it on a recent trip to the White Mountains only increases my fascination.)
Jotto
Weirdly compelling cartoons and animated art. "Mr. Lunch" is my favorite. There is an odd off-kilter quality to the writing on this site--my guess is that it must be by a non-native English speaker. But damn, the little bopping penguins and things are cute.
You'll just have to see for yourself.
Maybe the name of this convenience store looks perfectly normal to you if you live in the area…but I doubt it.
Bible Gum
"It is hard for me to describe how much this gum draws the little ones to church. I don't know how many (times) this gum has been helpful in them receiving Christ as their savior but it is a goodly number. I thank you for your part in it. Bible Gum becomes more popular each week. I have had many ask me, "How can I buy some of this Bible Gum?"
What I like about this is that they seem to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. The art, in particular, is priceless.
Freedom2Measure
If you haven't decided on your favorite righteous, anti-government movement yet, why not join the crusade against the evil tyranny of the metric system? After all, "Our way of measuring is UNDER THREAT!" (Yeah, tell that to the Mars Pathfinder.)
White Mana Diner-Cam
This is me getting back to my roots here, I guess. Or something.
Moomin Character Guide
"A Hemulen reaches almost double the height of ordinary bracken. Snout protruding and slightly depressed. Pink eyes. No ears, but instead a couple of tufts of ginger-coloured or blue hair. The Hemulen isn't outstandingly intelligent and easily becomes a fanatic. Her feet are terribly large and flat. She cannot learn to whistle, and so dislikes all whistling."
You'll have to forgive me for this one...I'm going through a Moominvalley phase.
Other Moominfacts and Moominlinks can be found here. And for the already Moomin-obsessed, an amazing world of Moominmerchandise awaits in the Moominshop. I would like my Hattifatteners corkboard now, please.
Meanings of International Maritime Signal Flags
I think it would be a really excellent thing if everyone, not just ships, could hoist little brightly colored flags to indicate how things were going. Maybe on their hats or something.
("Keep clear of me; I am maneuvering with difficulty.")
the grim reaper
The Ol' Reaper will try to guess your age here. I scored 31, which is a few more gray hairs than I've really got, but I think it was that "Rum Raisin" question.
Note: even though you'll be tempted to check that "Receive Telepathy" box on the first page, don't. (It's an email newsletter, not the bestowal of the power.)
Zobo's Adventures
"This story begins in Tokyo, Japan.
Many, many people live in Tokyo.
And there are many flowers in Tokyo.
However, there is only one flower in Tokyo that can talk.
His name is Fred the Flower."
A lot of bad shit seems to happen to Zobo, but he takes it in his stride.
toomuchcoffeeman
I can't believe I haven't linked to Too Much Coffee Man (and Too Much Espresso Guy, and Too Much German White Chocolate Woman with Almonds) before. The interface is a bit annoying, but it's worth it.
An Interview with AskJeeves
All right--maybe the fact that this had me giggling uncontrollably means that I am a total search-engine geek. What can I say? It's my job.
( Ask Jeeves is a so-called "natural language" search engine, which you use by asking "real" questions. I find it profoundly useless.)
The Ball
Who knew that a giant aluminum foil ball could be so beautiful? My favorites are the ones where the ball is just plain silver.
I also recommend the strangely stylish site of Megaball and Microbuddy, the rubber-band siblings of the Ball.
The Penguin Place
Do you like penguins? Do you like penguin…trivets? And penguin sponges? And penguin thermal carafes? And sheet sets? And inflatable clothes hangers?
Yeah, me too!
Slow Wave
All right, I know I had this one up before, but that page just got archived, and I have to brag about this: he's going to draw my spaniel dream! Woohoo!
(Slow Wave is a collaborative comic strip: people from all over the world send in their dreams, and the artist creates comic strips based on them.)
The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit
Haunting and sometimes spectacular images of ruins and demolition in downtown Detroit. The author's occasionally flippant tone doesn't diminish the guilty awe and final emptiness you feel as you page through the photos. This site actually brought tears to my eyes--but then, I'm funny about buildings that way.
America's Cheese Profiler
With all due apologies to the vegans out there, how could I not include an interactive quiz that claims to divine one's "cheese profile"? (I'm a "Trendsetter", if anybody's wondering.)
Cryptozoology
"Strange, out of place, or unknown animals." Sure, it's got Nessie and the Yeti, but it also features Waitoreke, the mysterious New Zealand otter-creature.
The Orphanage of Cast-off Mascots
Forgotten mascots that didn't quite make it, including Mr. and Mrs. Corn-Soya, Plywood Pete, and Mr. Coffee Nerves, just to name a few. Includes thoughtful commentary. (On Mr. Happy Egg: "…(I)n the second - the most chilling tableau of his career - he contemplates matricide, about to smash in a head of a chicken, the very species that gave him birth. Oddly enough, while he is an egg himself, he has grown to dimensions no normal chicken could excrete.")
