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Welcome to the 457th issue of the Cool Tricks and Trinkets Newsletter
offering weekly insights into new, cool, useful, fun, unusual and
interesting sites on the Internet.

- Mind-Boggling Ideas
- Notes from the Road
- Best Friends
- Short Takes
- New Encyclopedia of Earth
- The Reel Classics
- First Names
- The Law According to Murphy
- Song Facts
- Subscribers' Sites

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Mind-Boggling Ideas

An annual conference that recognizes the world's most fascinating "thinkers
and doer's", we have proudly featured the TED (Technology, Entertainment,
Design) website in previous years. The organization is based on the belief
that powerful ideas carry with them an innate potential to inspire people
and, ultimately, to create positive change in the entire world.

It is in this extraordinary spirit that the official TED website is
expanding its reach, compiling an archive of over a hundred videos of
inspired individuals who have given an 18-minute "talk of their lives" at
previous TED conferences. Highlights from this self-described
"clearinghouse of free knowledge" include talks by the first female Finance
Minister of Niger Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the genius inventor Dean Kamen, DNA
pioneer James Watson, as well as more public figures like Bono, Al Gore,
and Bill Clinton. Do not miss this site!

http://www.ted.com/index.php/
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Notes from the Road

A truly great travel website is a rare find, for it must strike that
delicate balance of genuine passion, original content, and practical
information. "Notes from the Road" may not be the single most practical
website, but it one of those rare personal travel sites that will have you
gazing at your map or spinning your globe and dreaming of far away lands
and adventurous destinations.

A self-described "project in experimental travel writing", Erik Gauger's
site is filled with personal stories, beautiful photography, and a
signature style that will inspire even the most ardent couch potatoes to
get up and go. Browse the blog of his current travels, or search by region
to read about exciting journeys to places such as the "Howling Coast" of
Southwest Nicaragua, Northern Europe's "Pomerania", and the Southern swamps
of Okefenokee. Happy Trails!

http://notesfromtheroad.com/
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Best Friends

Somewhere between 15,000 and 100,000 years ago, human beings befriended and
domesticated the species Canis lupus familiaris, more commonly known as
dogs. Since then, "Man's Best Friend" has played intimate, diverse roles
in our lives as a companion, fellow hunter, herder, protector, and guide to
the blind, therapist to patients, soldier in combat, bomb detector, and
rescuer. Such beautiful, capable, and loyal creatures deserve our love and
respect, but unfortunately are often subject to abhorrent neglect, abuse,
and abandonment by their owners.

Caring for our furry friends is the noble inspiration behind Best Friends
Animal Society, a non-profit animal sanctuary that has a long and proven
record of providing love, care, and shelter to thousands of homeless dogs
around the country. With its national reach, Best Friends is able to use
their official website to work with shelters, individuals, and humane
groups around the USA to save dogs, as well as cats, horses, birds, rabbits
and other abandoned pets. Check out the site, read the latest news, take a
virtual tour of their Utah sanctuary, browse the section on adoptable pups,
and, if you are inspired to do so, learn how you can help!

http://www.bestfriends.org/
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SHORT TAKES

Charity Navigator

Few acts, if any, are as honorable and as beautiful as the act of
giving. Picking an ethical and effective non-profit organization is just
as important of a choice as the specific cause you choose to
support. Charity Navigator is a free tool you can use to navigate the
philanthropic world, as well as an independent charity evaluator that will
ensure that the money you donate will avoid bureaucracy and overhead and go
straight to those in need.

http://charitynavigator.org

<><><><><>

The Virtual Star Wars Memorabilia Museum

In honor of the 30th Anniversary of the legendary film "Star Wars", we
invite you to visit this virtual museum dedicated entirely to memorabilia
from a galaxy far far away. The Virtual Star Wars Memorabilia Museum
(VSWMM) has photos and information on nearly every "Star Wars" toy, doll,
action figure, key chain, t-shirt, game, and poster ever made, including
the awesome Darth Vader Carrying Case your mom threw away when you left home.

http://www.vswmm.com/

<><><><><>

Web Pages That Suck

We often hear about the best sites on the Internet, the innovative Webby
Awards winners and popular fan favorites, but what about the really
terrible websites? This wonderfully critical site held nothing back when
creating their list of the "10 Worst Web Sites of 2006".

http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/404.html

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New Encyclopedia of Earth

Welcome to The Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE), a modern online resource that
has a wealth of information about our beautiful p***t and its diverse
environments. The site is filled with insightful articles written in
"non-technical" language by scholars, experts, and educators about the
Earth and the interaction between its ecosystems and our rapidly growing
society.

Students, teachers, environmentalists, and knowledge seekers can easily
browse the EoE website by Author, Title, General Topic, or Content Source
to find current information about the Earth and related-topics. Inspired
by the clear need for a truly "new" reference source as we face challenges
such as Climate Change, Overpopulation, Diminishing Resources, and
Sustainable Living Practices, the Earth Encyclopedia is a valuable tool for
anyone who loves this p***t.

http://www.eoearth.org/

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A complete archive of previous Cool Tricks can be viewed at
http://www.tricksandtrinkets.com/archives.htm
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The Reel Classics

Along with the warm weather, summer brings with it the annual maelstrom of
overly commercialized cinematic fare. Such an overload of big-budget
blockbusters, superhero cinema, unnecessary sequels, "decent" romantic
comedies, and charming animated flicks makes one long for the glamour and
simplicity of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Reel Classics is cool website dedicated to Classic Movies, and boasts a
comprehensive database of information related to vintage cinema. Film
buffs can browse by section to read about the individual "Stars", "Films",
and "Movie Makers" that originally made Hollywood magic. There are also
loads of other cool features including articles, an audio/video gallery, an
online store with vintage merchandise and memorabilia, free downloads and
much more!

http://www.reelclassics.com/


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********************************

First Names

What's in a name? If you truly want to answer that question you can use
Onomastics, a field of study that focuses on the origin, history, and use
of proper names. For those of you who are not seasoned Onomasticians, this
website is a helpful tool for learning a little bit more about the meaning
of your given name.

BehindTheName.Com is a great site that lets users easily access the
Etymology and History of thousands of first names from various countries,
cultures, and languages. Search for a specific name to uncover its
original "meaning", as well as any references or usages it may have within
History, Literature, Theology, Mythology, Astronomy, The Bible, and Pop
Culture.

http://www.behindthename.com/

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The Law According to Murphy

To paraphrase the relatively cynical but realistic theory known as Murphy's
Law, "if anything can go wrong, it will". The original incarnation was
known for centuries as "Sod's Law", with origins in Yorkshire, England, but
the American vernacular began to embrace the concept of Murphy's Law in
1949 thanks to an Air Force engineer named Capt. Edward A. Murphy. This
fun website pays tribute to Murphy and the frequently prescient law that
bears his name.

Browse the site by topic and you'll find that seventy years of evolution
have shaped Murphy's Law into some pretty creative forms. Visitors will
find "Laws" that relate to specific topics including Love ("If the person
isn't taken, there's a reason"), Computers ("No matter how hard you work,
the boss will only appear when you access the Internet"), War ("Never
underestimate the ability of the brass to foul things up"), and even
"Sewing" ("As Ye sew, so shall Ye rip").

http://www.murphys-laws.com/

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Song Facts

Music is one of the purest forms of inspiration, and we tend to listen to
specific songs that stoke our deepest feelings of hope, sadness, love, and
passion. If you have ever wondered if your favorite "love song" is really
about love, what that classic Rolling Stones tune is actually about, or
argued with a friend over the true meaning of U2's hit "One" then you have
come to the right place.

Song Facts is cool website that definitely lives up to its name, providing
fans with insight and insider information about individual songs. Browse
the site's huge database, which is filled with information collected from
the musical minds of radio professionals and music buffs, as well as
resources such as newspapers, magazines, artist interviews, and
books. Visitors can also search for a specific song by Lyrics, Song Title,
Artist, or Date, and then check out the sister site Artistfacts.Com for
info on the singers, musicians, and bands that wrote your favorite music.

http://www.songfacts.com/

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SUBSCRIBERS' SITES - Many of our subscribers have fascinating on-line
projects. This weekly section will introduce you to some of these
sites. Please let me know about your project so that I might mention
it in this section. Write me at ctt@net-market.com

~ Ron Dante
http://www.rondante.com/popentertainment_interview.html

~ Edit Your Own Website
http://www.edit.com

~ The Art of Living
http://www.artofliving.org

~ Raw Food in NYC
http://www.highvibe.com



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( @ @ )
----OOo-(_)-oOOo--------

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the Sun, the Moon, and the Truth"

-- Buddhist Saying

oooO--------( )----
( ) ) /
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\_)


Be Well.

Have a great weekend.

Charles

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