It's Friday Night...What Are You Watching on DVD?

Hi All,

I'd like to help solve a long-time problem that folks have: What to watch on DVD after a long, hard tiring week of work?

Well, back in the day when we had Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, customers could just go to the store and peruse...and peruse...and ask their friend or spouse (or whomever they went to the video store with) and then you would ask each other 'have you seen this movie?' or 'have you seen that movie?' (fill in the title with your movie of choice...)

Let me tell you, that gets old fast and there is definitely some sort of 'video law' that states the more people from the group you want to see the movie with, the more difficult it is to choose a movie that everybody likes - let alone find a movie that no one has seen...

Alas, I've come to your rescue with a fantastic website. I've mentioned it before - probably back in August or September in another movie or entertainment related blog entry.

IMDB

Yes, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) can come to your rescue. Click here to visit the site
What can the site do for you? Well, you can search for movies (and television series by the way), actors, subjects of movies, get television or movie news and much more.

But (I imagine you are asking yourself, 'how can this help me pick out what movie to watch on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday night?)

Indeed, users who click on this link will go to a part of the IMDB (which, if you haven't already guessed is a great way to get movie reviews, summaries and actor/actress information) that has the Top 250 movies by genre - as voted by viewers.

So, for action movies click here, comedies click here, crime click here, history click here...you get the idea.

By the way, the link to all the subjects is on the left side of the page and you can click on any of these subjects and you'll go to the specific page. Pretty darn cool because then you'll see a list of the top 250 movies as voted by viewers. Click on any of the titles and you'll link to that particular movies' site. Info on the site includes cast information, plot summaries, box office receipt information and much, much more.

If you are a movie buff or if you are just looking for a movie that you've never seen on a particular topic you'll definitely want to use the Internet Movie Database!

Regards and happy movie watching!

Stu

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Celebrity Look-Alikes and How Much Do They Make?

Hi All,

Yep, this is the second entry for the day...I just couldn't resist posting this when I was looking for celebrity phone numbers. That search didn't pan out too well because many of the sites wanted users to sign up and pay for the information. Nope - paying for this type of information is not necessary. In any event, during the search I somehow ended up using Google and typed in 'celebrity look alike'. Darn - that is a very, very funny search. Click here for a link to the actual search - you'll enjoy this!

Now that you've seen who looks like who...maybe you want to see how much they got paid? Then you can decide if these famous celebrities are really worth all that do-re-mi!

Click here to find a list from the Parade magazine slideshow for celebrity salaries!

Finally, click here to compare your salary to the lifestyles of the rich and famous athletes and celebrities. Very cool website that puts things in perspective...

Enjoy,
Stu

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Stu

Part II from 8/10/10 Entry Entitled ‘Alphabetically a List of Fun Websites’

Part II from 8/10/10 Entry Entitled ‘Alphabetically a List of Fun Websites’ (I hope its fun at least...)

Hi All,

Way back on August 10^th I generated a fun entry with the first half of the alphabet…here is a link to that post if you missed it. This entry is the second part of the alphabet – L-Z. Enjoy – there might be some interesting sites that you haven’t heard about or tried yet.

Stu

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L: LinkedIn – great networking resource for job searchers

M: MySpace – social networking forerunner that has been overshadowed by Facebook

N: Netflix – great site for downloading movies or having them mailed to you…pay site!

O: Orbitz – make travel plans here…Overstock – online shopping at clearance prices

P: Pandora – listen to free internet radio and find new music…Paypal – send money or pay online

Q: Quicktime – view internet video , HD movie trailers, personal media in a wide range file formats – free

R: Realtor.com – get real estate listing, school/neighborhood information and other important info you need to know before you move or buy a house/co-op/apartment

S: Skype – internet calls for free…SparkNotes: study guides and discussion forums on various academic subjects…

T: Translator-free online language translation service via Google Twitter-what is going on in your world in 140 characters or less TMZ – celebrity gossip and entertainment news and Hollywood rumors Travelocity – great travel site for airline tickets, hotels, flights vacations

U: Urban Dictionary – streetwise lingo posted and defined by readers/viewers

V: US Department of Veterans Affairs – provides patient care and federal benefits to veterans and their dependents

W: Weather.com – find weather across the country Wikipedia.com – free encyclopedia that anyone can edit

X: Xbox – games, uploads, info about the amazing Xbox

Y: Yahoo.com – news, weather, sports, business, science and much more …Youtube – homemade videos and some commercial videos from Google – easily searchable and lots of fun!

Z: Zillow – more free real estate information, search for homes for sale, home values, recently sold homes, mortgage rates, condos, co-ops, apartments and much more…Zip Code Lookup – find a zip code by entering an address (from United States Postal Service)

The Post Post Thanksgiving Blog Entry

Hi All,

So we all made it through Thanksgiving 2010. Congratulations and aren't you glad that you weren't born a Turkey right about now? I thought so...

So, now that you've eaten more than your fair share of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, muffins, gravy, apple pie and what not....it might be time to.....

No, not shop. We did that yesterday and well, we've all heard about Black Friday, Small Businesss Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

No, I'm talking about exercising and working off all that extra food we've all eaten.

Click here for a link from About.com entitled 'Post Holiday Recovery'. The site (more like a blog entry) has links for readers who have, how shall I say it? 'overindulged during Thanksgiving. Some links in the entry are 'I have a Food Hangover', 'I Want Something Simple, and "I Feel Bad About How Much I Ate'.

Okay, next interesting site: Gym Finder from Men's Health. No, I am not endorsing the magazine...I'm just using their gym finder so users who are serious about shaping up can actually find a gym in their area. FWIW (For What Its Worth), the site (and magazine) is pretty darn helpful for men who are want to live life more healthy. Note that Men's Health has links (at the top of the page regarding Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss and more).

Well, now that I've covered half the population; what about the other half: women?

Correct: women have their own magazine and website entitled 'Women's Helath Magazine'.
Click here to find the site. As you would think the site covers many, many health topics including fitness, weight loss, food and Lifestyle. Basically is is the companion website and magazine to Men's Health.

Finally, if you're not sure if you are overweight, click here for the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute website for the BMI calculator. What exactly is the BMI? It is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. Site is easy to use and is pretty informative!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend - and I'll blog on Monday. I'll remember to make it a lighter, more entertaining entry.

Regards,

Stu

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Tech, Tech, Tech....(Part 2)

Hi All,

Just changing it up a bit more today. I originally planned on doing another Thanksgiving Day related entry...but as I was driving to work today, I heard story on the news about PC World and their top 10 list of various computer resources (Iphones, downloads, computers. cellphones, smarphones, you get the idea...)

So when I realized that back on October 1st I wrote a blog entry whose topic was technology and when I realized that their was a good amount of interest in the entry, I put two and two together...bingo. Blog entry.

So here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving 2010 talking about tech...

The main PC World website can be found by clicking on this link. The site itself is phenomenally useful since it has current technology industry news, reviews of products, a large collection of How-To's for users (everything relating to pc's, laptops, smartphones and other devices is included), downloads for all these devices, apps, and a very helpful shop and compare section (if you want to compare prices on pc's for example). There is also a search box available so users can find what they want.

But the main reason I wanted to talk about the site is this: The Top Rated Tech Products page. PC World's editors review products like laptops, printers, camera's, HDTV, storage devices, phones, audio and visual theater components, camcorders, and e-Readers (a library favorite).

Many of the review articles are labeled 'Top 10..." That is pretty helpful for busy readers since it means that you don't have to sift through reviews on 25 (for example) different products. The PC World editors have taken the work out of it for you by picking the top X products.

When users click on a category a new window opens up. The top products in the category appear. Each item is separated in tab form so the whole table is easy to read. Once in the table itself though users can click on a link to a full review of the product, a test report link and the specs of the device/product. In addition, users can compare the product, check prices or buy directly at Lenovo (no - I am not endorsing them....)

Finally, on the PC World site users can have free newsletters sent to the them via email. Click here for the link.

Hope this helps feed the inner geek in all of my readers. I'm sure I'll write about tech again in the future. And if you have any comments or thoughts on this entry - or any other entry - that I've written about, you can send me an email by clicking here.

Alternatively you can leave a comment below...

Enjoy the device hunting and Thanksgiving of course.

Finally, don't forget to friend the library on Facebook and follow our Twitter stream!

Stu

The Thanksgiving Day Entry

Hi All,

Well, we all know that Thanksgiving Day is on Thursday. I can't resist blogging about the gobblers (turkeys). It is just to easy and well, fun!

This might be a somewhat long blog entry since I want to discuss some links related to the history of Thanksgiving, recipes and some humor nuggest regarding the holiday. Hold on to your turkey and away we go!

Click here for a brief history of Thanksgiving, courtesy of the History Channel. Click here for a more comprehensive T-day site from a more entertaining link.

So now that you know all there is to know about Thanksgiving, what are you going to serve on the big day? Click here to find some recipes T-day turkey recipes from Allrecipes.com. Click here to see the Foodtv network link - this link has deserts, side dishes, appetizers and much more! Woohoo! Time to chow down folks!

I wanted to make this entry a bit lighter and more entertaining than some others that I've posted. Click here for a link to Turkey humor/jokes. Seriously. You'll enjoy this!

Now, fresh from Google Images are turkey comics/jokes.

Got kids coming over to your T-day festivities and don't know how to occupy them? Well, maybe the'll watch some football, but if they don't (or get tired of watching the games) click here for some ideas and games to play with the kids. You can also click here for more games for kids on Thanksgiving.

Finally, click here to find out about the various football games this coming Thanksgiving Day. The information on the games comes from Yahoo! Sports.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone - and thank you for reading the blog!

Stu

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Photos You Will NOT Believe

Hi All,

I just had to post this site for a blog entry. (I am very jazzed by this site!) I'll post again later in the day, but these photos are truly amazing. Nothing dirty or questionable...they are photos taken by winners of the Olympus BioScapes competition.

What is the Olympus BioScapes International Digital Imaging Competition you ask? Excellent question...as Olympus says on the site (for more info click here), "Olympus America Inc. is in the eighth year of sponsoring a dynamic international photo competition that honors the world's most extraordinary microscoope images of life science subjects..."

Photos are unlike anything you've ever seen! Click here to see the them.

Enjoy and I'll see you a bit later today!
Stu

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What Day of the Week Is This?

Hi All,

Quickie-fun-silly educational post coming up...

How on earth did the names of the week get named? Interesting question - glad you asked!

Click here for the complete and thorough answer from our old friend, Wikipedia. There is a summary chart and there is interesting information on weekdays being named after planets from various historical traditions (Greco-Roman, Hindu, East Asia)...Names of the weeks in various languages also included.

Straight from the Encyclopedia Mythica is this link: Origin of the Names of the Days. This is a quick, concise summary in well, day-to-day format. No fuss, no muss as to how the names got that way.

Enjoy the day (ha - sorry, I had to get that very little bit of humor in...)

Stu

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Customer Service - Or Lack Thereof

Hi All,

Welcome to a Friday morning. Won't you have a cup of coffee with your daily dose of the Farmingdale library reference blog? Please enjoy a bagel with this blog also...

So I had to have an item delivered from a fairly well-known store yesterday. Alas, the item was not delivered when it was supposed to even though said retailer promised delivery between 3pm and 7pm last night. I was waiting until at least 10pm before I just gave up and went to sleep. (I did call the retailer's customer service department to find out where the item was and if was going to be delivered...they said yes on both accounts. Go figure.)

My point is not to bore you with my trevails...my point is to generate an interesting introduction to a blog post. So, what would you do if you needed to lodge a complaint against a store or business or other organization?

Simple, click here to visit the Better Business Bureau main website. Enter your zip code to go to the local chapter of the BBB. You can also click here to visit the New York chapter of the BBB.

Click on the Consumer link and you'll have all sorts of options of checking out whether or not a business is a member of the BBB, if the business has had any customer complaints lodged against it over the last 3 years, ownership information and more.

Possibly the most important part of the site is this link where consumers can lodge complains against businesses, organizations and other groups. There are other important and relevant parts to the BBB site which are definitely worth looking at. A small effort on consumers' part can make a big difference in preventing a problem with a contractor, company or organization. Think of all the time and agita that could be avoided with a bit of homework! That's good, value added stuff!

Another good site to research businesses and organizations is the Office of Consumer Affairs of Nasau County.

In a way that is somewhat similar to the BBB, the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs has two sections: one for consume resources, another for Business resources. I'm going to give a brief overview of the Consumer Resources section.

First, the Nassau County OCA (Office of Consumer Affairs - I sometimes like to abbreviate things, it saves time and effort...) is a county website. As such the info on OCA is unbiased, pretty darn timely and very, very helpful.

For example, just on the main page for Consumers you can find very accessible links to Consumer Information, Home Improvement Contractors to Avoid (how about that! what a great link!), Consumer Forms, consumer complaints, information on identity theft (that could - and probably will be a blog post at some time in the future), users can check gas and oil prices in New York on the site also, get FOIL requests (Freedom of Information requests) and much more.

Its funny because when I originally thought about writing a blog entry about my experience last night with the retailer I wanted to include some links to other consumer websites....but, as this entry has gone over my normal length, I'll keep you in suspense and include the sites in a future blog. I hope you check back for the part II entry to this post because I really, really think you'll enjoy it. There will be some very valuable nuggets in it!

Regards and have a great weekend.
Stu

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Auction Info 101 - Not Just Ebay

Hi All,

Lots of home owners have attics. And lots of folks use these attics as well, storage and for 'stuff' that doesn't fit in all the closets of the house proper. Imagine all that 'stuff' up in the attic - baby furniture, old suitcases, lamps, tools, wedding dresses perhaps or old pet toys...

But if you click on this link, you'll see how looking in an attic just made two siblings in London quite wealthy - to the tune of $60+ million. Now, I'm not saying that everybody will find something like this rare antique in their attic, but you might just find something that you can get rid of - and sell on Ebay or at an auction house.

Click here for the most important online auction site in the world - Ebay.com. Click on this Help link to find more information on the bidding/buying process, payment/shipping, selling/seller fees at Ebay. The site is very, very easy to use and the explanations are clear and concise.

For those Ebay users who seem to lose auctions by the millisecond, click on this link to AuctionSniper which lets users bid at the last second of an auction - automatically. Presumably by bidding at the last second, users will win more auctions! Note that there is a free trial available but eventually you'll have to pay for the service. I am not endorsing this service however...

Click here to see some of the wonderful auctions at a world renowned auctioneer: Christie's

Click here to view another fantastic auction house: Sotheby's

Click on the following link if you are interested in a brief history of auctions . The link came from the Bay Area Auction Realty.

For more about the history of auctions, click here for the Wikipedia entry for auctions - which is pretty comprehensive and totally interesting.

Finally, I can't help but promote the library, but we have many, many books on antiques and collecting. Anybody who is interested in this hobby would be wise to learn about it before they start collecting seriously. Click here for a link to the card catalog 0n the topic of antiques at the Farmingdale Public Library.

Happy antiquing and collecting.
Stu

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Long Island Lighthouses

Hi All,

Here's a fact I suspect you didn't know: did you know that Long Island has 24 lighthouses located in both counties? Yep - we do. Click here for a map of the 24 lighthouses.

Why a blog entry on lighthouses? Well, they are interesting, and since we live on Long Island we have a lot of them. Plus there has been a resurgence in interest in lighthouses over the past 10-15 years or so.

Also, taking a mini-vacation to visit the various lighthouses can make for a very pleasant break in an otherwise dull week. A trip to a lighthouse or two can break the monotony of the daily grind...

Click here for a presorted list (chronological) of books that the Farmingdale Public Library owns regarding lighthouses.

This page has the name of the lighthouse, the county it is located in, the township and Lighthouse Viewing Guide. Included in this viewing guide are maps and driving directions. Site is neatly organized and pretty darn interesting.

Click here for a site that discusses the history of Long Island lighthouses. Note that on the left side of the page are Quick Links that includes information about presentations, upcoming events, and more. Note that the author has written 2 books on lighthouses - one called Long Island's Lighthouses: Past and Present and the other called New York State Lighthouses.

Finally, click here to find a link from the United States Lighthouse Society which is located in Washington state. The site has information regarding their membership, tours, resources and much more.

The resources link has a 'National Archives Database', comprehensive Lighthouse Lists, actual lighthouse videos (not for sale - free from Youtube), educational materials, lighthouse facts, and much more.

All in all the USLHS site is almost one stop shopping for everything related to lighthouses.

Enjoy the lighthouses.
Stu

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Tidying Up Tuesday

Hi All,

Forthwith a bunch of unassorted links from the BottomLine - which I had used for ideas to generate blog posts.

Note that I've been collecting these links from the BottomLine with the intent of writing about each site...the title of this entry should explain why this blog entry is so full of unrelated topics! I'm trying to clean out some papers for 'Tidy Tuesday'.

There will more than likely be another potpourri type entry like this in the future! Enjoy!

Public Record Locator
How Healthy is Your County
Happier Cruises
Labor of Love
Smarter Home Improvements
Train the Brain
Back and Neck Pain Relief
Health Insurance For the Uninsured
Mature Travelers With Special Needs
Knots For Everyone
Unique Online Atlas
Calorie Counters
Calorie Burned By Activity

Enjoy the variety of links!
Stu

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That Time of Year! Family Get-Togethers

Hi All,

The weekend might have come and gone, but there is always a next weekend on the horizon.

That means 2 days off from work...and most (if not all) folks have family. And what does that have to do with a blog entry? Simple - todays topic is family entertaining and fun stuff to do with the relatives once they are over at the house.

As frequent readers know by now, I really, really like using About.com. As a matter of fact, if you click on this link, you'll find an article on 'Getting Together For the Holidays - Taking The Stress Out of These Gatherings'.

If you click on this link, you'll find some ideas for things to do once your guests arrive. These are some fun activities and games that you can play once your guests arrive.

Not sure how to put together a family get-together? Click on this link to get the scoop on this aspect of getting everybody together in one place

Finally, because of all the great advice I've imparted to you in this brilliant blog entry (note: humor alert), you will possibly want to photography this event. Click here to find out how to take memorable photos of the event - and to prevent everybody from moving when you take the 'family picture' at the end of the day.

Enjoy - and I hope you have a memorable family get together very shortly!
Stu

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Birding on Long Island

Hi All,

You see them all around - possibly even feeding some of them. They have vibrant colors, sing wonderful songs in the morning and have adorable shapes. What am I talking about you ask? Birds of course!

And Long Island is home for some fantastic birds! Click here to find a small article about Suffolk County birds. The article discusses Dune Road in near Shinnecock and Moriches.

If you are a beginning birder this site from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a must see. Birding Basics, bird guides and more are all available from this very authoritative website. Note that users can find birds by name, bird shape, bird family and more.

Furthermore, when you find a particular bird, users get a picture of said bird, identification methods, a life history of the bird, sounds the bird makes and video of the bird. There is also a range map which describes the locations and geographical places that the bird can be found.

This is a wonderfully comprehensive birding website even for the intermediate birder in your life.

Click here for the Wikipedia entry on birding. The entry gives context to the hobby and is well written. Notice also that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is mentioned about half-way down the article. The SSAS has a wonderful mission statement that can be found on the home page link.

The organization sponsors birding outings and is active in promoting environmental education. Definitely worth looking into if you like birding or if you think you might like birding, click here for a more informal view of Long Island birding from Long Island Birding.com.

Going back to a site that I use often in this blog is About.com. Click here for the About.com birding entry - which, while somewhat similar to the Wikipedia entry, is more thorough and more comprehensive. Click here for About.com entry on '3 Steps to Easy Bird Identification'

Reades should note that there are many, many organizations dedicated to birding, especially on Long Island. Click here for the South Shore Audubon Society webpage.

Finally, click here for a more informal view of Long Island birding from Long Island Birding.com.

Regards and happy birding!
Stu

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Rainy Days - What To Do?

Hi All,

I've skimmed over the last few weeks worth of blog posts and a somewhat regular theme seems to have emerged - perhaps I did it unconsciously, or not. I'm really not sure, but I do seem to post a lot about the weather. As soon as I realized this, I thought of yet another weather-related post.

Lots of Farmingdale residents have children...and the weather (here it is again!) isn't so splendid in the Fall. As a matter of fact, it can be downright nasty what with all the rain, wind, clouds and stuff during this time of year. Now, add to this fact that folks might have children - and they probably aren't playing outside during this type of nasty, cold, rainy weather.

So...what to do with children during the inclement weather? Indeed, we'll come to your rescue and find something to at least keep the little ones a bit amused during this time of year!

Click here to find some rainy day activities for your 6-10 year old. This site has divided up the games into memory games, word games, science games and card games (go figure) and guessing games and more...cute and easy to navigate website.

Click here for a site called 'Kids Can Have Fun During Rainy Days - which is more of a summary of what you can do with your kids during this weather.

Brought to you live, from Helium.com is the next entry: Indoor Rainy-Day Activities For Children. I need to explain a bit about this site. The above link is really a link to a list of pages that discuss what to do with children during the bad weather.

Clicking on an individual link will get you to the actual article itself. In other words, there is a built in extra layer that users - this means you - have to click through to actually get to the material you are interested in. Makes sense? I hope so.

So...for example, I clicked on the first entry by Trudy Brown. Note that you have to click on the title of the article that you are interested in once you get to this page. Click here to follow the link from Helium.com

Finally, click here for a site from AmazingMoms.com and an article called BoredomBusters. Notice that at the end of this article they have more games for children to play during the foul weather.

Okay...here is another site that is very, very helpful. It is called Babycenter.com and I typed in a search in the box at the top right side of the webpage. I used the phrase 'rainy day activities' and the results can be seen by clicking on this link. I suspect that you will now have lots of things to do with your children when inclement weather prevents them from playing outside.

I hope these sites are entertaining and keep your children busy during the nasty weather.

Stu

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The Long Arm of the Law and Other Fun Pieces of Information

Hi All,

Government and the law - it is all around us and everywhere you want and need to be - to quote a familiar advertisement.

Law and legal issues affect us in all aspects of our daily life: from driving, to purchasing groceries, to paying taxes, to children being required to go to school, to buying a house or renting an apartment. Without law and legal issues we really wouldn't have much of a functioning society.

That being said, there are some pretty darn silly laws on the books of various states. And that is what this blog entry is about - certainly not some dry, dull, legal issues...nope. Not in this blog!

So...for your entertainment here are some entertaining laws that are on the books in various states of our union.

Click here for an article from Real Funny Dumb Laws. Note that the laws are organized by alphabetically be state.

Click here for a link from Strange Laws in America. This site has laws regarding camels, silly string, mailing entire buildings (?), and folfing...

Finally, coming from boingboing.net comes a List of Weird US Laws

On a completely different note, the library does have access to the New York States Statutes in the Reference section. Why would I put this in the blog entry? Well, regular library visitors can visit the library to search for silly or archaic laws that are still (if any) on the books in New York State. Alternatively, you can visit this site to check out the NYS Statutes online to see what, if any, weird laws NYS has on its' books! Have fun!

Click here to visit the American Bar Association website to learn all about laws, lawyers and much more related to the legal system.

Stu

Hobbies For Your Spare Time

Hi All,

Welcome to a wet, dreary, rainy, windy, cold Monday morning.

If that doesn't make you want to stay in bed nothing will. Alas, the day has started...so what better way to start the week with...not a work related post, but with an entertaining, fun related post.

I'm talking hobbies here. Everything from stamp collecting, to wood carving, to playing the piano to ballet, sports, antiquing and much more is fair game here.

I'm going to post a few links relating to hobbies and where to get more information about said hobbies from the internet.

The web is filled with interesting website on hobbies and each individual hobby could be made into not just a blog post, but into a whole darn website. Such is the nature of the web - there is a veritable treasure trove of hobby information available to users - you just need to know where to look....and that is where this blog entry might help.

Wikipedia link to hobbies.

Ezine Article on Hobbies

Gardening as a Hobby

About.com entry for Hobbies - one of my favorite go to sites (About.com)

Discover a Hobby.com

Hints and Things - Hobbies

Antiquing - Collecting as a Hobby

Enjoy your busy - but fun - spare time!
Stu

Crock Pot Recipe Websites

Hi All,

Fall is here and in keeping with the last few blog entries I'm going to write about something Fall related. This time I'll talk about crock pot recipes. Don't know what a crock pot is (and if you don't, you're missing some really, really good meals - yum!) Click here for crock pot basics.

Click here for some outrageously good - and simple - crock pot recipes.


Click here for links to crock pot recipes from AllRecipes.com - which is a great food website unto itself.

In the market for a crock pot or just want to try a crock pot? Click here for crock pot review from ConsumerSearch.

Click here for some simple advice for buying a crock pot.

Youtube isn't just for silly pet tricks anymore. Click here for crock pot recipe videos from Youtube. Yum.

Finally, click here to see the results (photos) of some really awesome crock pot recipes. This is making my mouth water!

Regards and happy crock potting.
Stu

Finding Fall Foliage on Long Island

Hi All,

Fall is definitely here! Did you see the thermometer temperature last night? Brrrr...time to get your longjohns out, your sweatpants on, and start thinking about snow shovels and the holiday season. But before we get into the holidays maybe you can have some outdoor fun by seeing some local fall foliage on Long Island perhaps?

Click here for a link from Tripcart which has some links to Fall foliage on Long Island. Click here for a foliage color report for all of New York State. Note that the reports are updated and that this entry is from 10/23/10.

I never thought about it but the Weather channel should (and in fact does) have foliage maps. Obviously it is an authoritative site - click here to see the link from the Weather Channel. Notice that there is a legend at the bottom right part of the map that, if you click on, will tell you 'How to Read This Map'.

Finally, you can use this link to identify trees - if that is your interest. The link is from About.com and is called Tree Identification Using a Tree Leaf Key.

Enjoy the great outdoors.

Stu

The Best of Everything on Long Island!

Hi All,

If you are like me you are happy to use lists to make life a bit easier. From food shopping lists, to-do lists, reminder lists, bird-watching lists, places visited lists and more....well, lists can be invaluable in helping you with time management! And we all know that time management means being more efficient and effective with our oh so valuable (and limited) time.

So...without further ado...I present a list of lists from the Long Island Press. Click here to see the article.

Note that the site has a list of tabs at the top of the page so viewers can click on the following headings: Arts & Entertainment, Commerce, Family, Food, Green, Health & Wellness, Not-For-Profit and Sports. (Note that each of the above links will send you to the particular topic if you click on the word...aka these are active links!) Of course you can contact the Long Island Press and vote for the 2011 Best of using this link.

So, what's so great about the site? Well, lets check the Food tab. When you click on the Food tab you come to another link that has further topics like Bagels, Bakery, Barbecue, Burger, Coffee House, Delicatessen, Hot Dogs, Ice Cream and Restaurant. (Note that these are just a random assemblage of categories within the Food tab. There are many, many more lists included - it is quite extensive and well worth your time to skim and pick and choose topics you find interesting! Happy hunting!)

These topics are where you will find the actual list of 'Best of' in the particular topic that you've chosen. Note that Long Island Press (LIP) includes only the top 3 of any particular category.

Further note: winners' contact information is included in the entry. Directions and a brief blurb about the winner are included as well.

Finally users can find similar topics on the right side of the screen when you drill down to the winner level. For example, when I chose 'Restaurants' on the right side of the screen I found 'Other Best Of Long Island Winners' in the following topics: Best Restaurant with a Water View, Best NY Islander, Best Bakery on Long Island, Best Downtown on Long Island and many more.

Essentially this acts as a way for users to find similar categories...which can be very helpful.

Enjoy the site and enjoy the Best that Long Island has to offer!
Stu