Site Seeing

By JULES ALLEN
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 21, 2003

Feel free to browse

Physics fun

www.SodaPlay.com/zoo/

Point your Java-enabled browser to Soda Play and be prepared for animated fun -- even though it involves physics. You'll see a showcase of weird, wonderful wire-frame widgets others have created. Rather than messing up your mom's carpet with construction projects like this, you can create your own right on this site. Perhaps the greatest boon is not having to invent antigravity to see how your objects float around in zero-G. Isaac Newton would be proud.

Remember Kilroy?

www.TeacherOz.com/WWIIpropaganda.htm

Getting public support, should you decide to throw a war, has a lot to do with stirring emotions. So, to get a good grasp on the propaganda of today you have to look to the past and see what previous big conflicts had to offer the people. Here's a wonderful collection of propaganda from World War II. I think you'll find it entertaining and perhaps educational. My favorite part has to be the description of why Kilroy was here and why there's a good chance he got there before you did.

Speaking of propaganda

www.ibiblio.org/propaganda/

Tessellating tetrahedrons, Batman! Here's a wild collection of brilliant, interlocking eye candy that is just a right-click away from gracing your computer's desktop. I don't know if you've tried to create an image that seamlessly tiles, but it's an art form in itself. Enjoy the images and certainly enjoy the kooky names such as "Thighmaster Accident" and "Brigadiers Overproduction."

Annoying but fun

www.pc-mascot.com/english/

If you find the daily reboots, lost files, jammed printer queues and surly visits from disgruntled computer support folk not enough to kick you over the edge, why not invest in a parrot-like device that plugs into your PC's USB port? This wonder of modern engineering will utter "cool phrases" that "impress the girls," remind you of appointments and read you your e-mail. Think of it as not quite as cute as a Furby but less annoying than the office bore.

Just add fire

www.CrackerPacks.com/

St. Petersburg is a wonderful city. And while Tampa is often referred to as the Lightning Capital of the World, surely St. Pete might be in the running for Fireworks Capital of the World. I could swear that I hear fireworks go off to celebrate the opening of an envelope (any envelope!) or other seemingly random events. If you live in downtown St. Petersburg, you surely have a healthy interest in firecrackers, so click over to this site. It's loaded with firecracker labels that will interest just about everybody, even nonresidents.

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