H.O.B.B.I.T.I.S.H.

Hobbit fans will enjoy this collection of illustrations from various editions of Tolkien's work.

http://pblancho.free.fr/index.html

Money Rules

Follow the link to this video presentation by university instructor Bill Pratt. The 60-minute program explains the basic information that all young adults need to know about managing money.

http://www.educationquest.org/moneyrules.asp

YouTube Copyright School

A fun way to learn about copyright law related to sites like YouTube.

http://lonewolflibrarian.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/new-youtube-copyright-school-04-14-11/

Animal All Stars

"Pig and Pup Find Love" is this week's post on Purina's Animal All Stars -- for animal lovers at http://purinaanimalallstars.yahoo.com/?v=8792935.

Consider Edible Landscaping

Think about these ideas for your garden this year:

http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/edible-landscaping-basics/

Peeps Show

The Washington Post is holding its Peeps Diorama Contest again this year. Check out last year's winners and watch for new winners to be announced soon.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/magazine/peeps2010/index.html

NHLBI Publications

Publications of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Includes recipes. Most publications are printable from the site, others may be ordered. Good stuff for Heart Awareness Month.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/pubs/pub_gen.htm

Hands-Only CPR

Learn the latest technique for saving lives from the American Heart Association.

http://handsonlycpr.org/

TEDTalk

"TED is a nonprofit that's a global platform for ideas. At its events, leading thinkers and doers are asked to present ideas they're passionate about in 18 minutes. "

Listen to a few of these talks about ecology, economics, human behavior and more.

http://www.ted.com/talks

Astro-Weenie Christmas Tree

A nostalgic romp through Charles Phoenix's test kitchen.

http://www.charlesphoenix.com/category/test-kitchen/

Happy Holidays!

Day by Day

The State Library of South Carolina offers a calendar of daily literacy-skill-building activities.

http://daybydaysc.org/December/13

Whitney Music Box

"A musical realization of the motion graphics of John Whitney as described in his book "digital harmony."

http://wheelof.com/whitney/index.php?var=v20

Environmental Health Trust

Are cell phones hazardous to your health? What precautions should you take with wireless devices? See what Dr. Devra Davis has to say.

http://environmentalhealthtrust.org/

Earth911.com

News and tips about ecology, recycling and sustainability.

http://earth911.com/

HealthCare.gov

Find out the latest news about health care reform and what changes may affect you at http://www.healthcare.gov/.

Save the Words

Build your vocabulary with this interesting collection of little-known words!

http://savethewords.org/

Iowa Department of Education

This website will answer lots of questions about education in Iowa -- transportation, homeschooling, etc. A good reference for this time of year!

http://www.iowa.gov/educate/

Neave.com

Just some cool stuff by designer Paul Neave using Flash player.

http://www.neave.com/

Barn Quilts of Washington County

A mini-vacation idea?

http://www.barnquiltsiowa.com/

Obit Magazine

Obituaries and tributes, of course, but also articles about aging, the "death" of things like the TV series "Law and Order," and book reviews. A variety of quality pieces.

http://www.obit-mag.com/

The Happiness Project

Writer Gretchen Rubin spent a year testing out various ideas about how to be happy -- ideas expressed by everyone from Aristotle to Oprah. Read about her experiences at http://www.happiness-project.com/.

National Weather Service Flooding Map

Click on an area of the map to see which rivers are overflowing!

http://water.weather.gov/ahps/

Great Chicago Italian Recipes

This site got great ratings on "Cool Site of the Day!" Good for "armchair cooking," too.

http://www.great-chicago-italian-recipes.com/

What You Need To Know About Energy

The first in a series from the National Academy of Sciences

http://www.needtoknow.nas.edu/

Hello Cupcake!

Some fun video demonstrations of easy cupcake decorating techniques. (Yes. This is a book, too.)

http://www.hellocupcakebook.com/

Privacy Revolution

From ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom -- http://www.privacyrevolution.org/. Notice that Privacy Week is coming up May 2-8!

Flower Garden

Click anywhere on the blank page to see your flowers sprout up!

http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

Name Engine

Ever wonder how to pronounce the name of a celebrity, athlete or other well-known person correctly? This site can help.

http://thenameengine.com/

Haiti Earthquake 2010

An index to information about the recent earthquake and about Haiti in general. From the MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research) Center at the University of Buffalo.

http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoservice/disasters/Haiti-Earthquake-2010.asp

39 Photo Effects and Tools

Tuxpi Picture Editor -- gives you special effects for your jpg png or gif images.

http://www.tuxpi.com/

Academic Earth

Free video courses from leading universities.

http://www.academicearth.org/

All Things Christmas

This site has information about traditions, recipes, games to pass the time until Santa arrives, etc.

http://www.allthingschristmas.com/

Most Over-Looked Tax Deductions

Check this list when you're ready to prepare your income tax returns for 2009!

http://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/108262/the-most-overlooked-tax-deductions

Nature Watch

90-second radio clips about wildlife and nature subjects

http://www.naturewatch.com/

"60 Seconds in the Life of . . ."

Video clips of all sorts of things -- birds, crabs, machines, etc. Just for fun!

http://www.ironicsans.com/60_seconds/

United States Global Change Research Program

"Integrating federal research on climate and global change" -- http://www.globalchange.gov/

GreenBiz.com

Business and the green economy -- http://www.greenbiz.com/ -- articles on greener plastics, creating green jobs, America's 10 Greenest Brands, etc.

H1N1 - What To Do If You Get Flu-Like Symptoms

From the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm. Also notice the YouTube video link near the bottom of the page.

Academic Info

An extensive list of educational resources including online degrees, education blogs and subject guides for research (examples: environmental organizations, film studies, Russian history, Victorian England).

http://www.academicinfo.net/

Curriki

Learning resources for primary and secondary education. Over 55,000 educators share curricula using wiki technology. Includes ice breakers for the first day, Power Point presentations, and complete lesson plans.

http://www.curriki.org

United We Serve

This website connects volunteers with service opportunities. Get involved!

http://www.serve.gov

WORD! A Glossary of Medical Words for Kids

The KidsHealth site has other health information as well -- and is available in Spanish!

http://kidshealth.org/kid/word/

Rebecca's Pocket: Summer Reading Lists

Lots of reading lists gathered together in one spot at http://www.rebeccablood.net/archive/reading_lists/summer_2009/.

How Products are Made

Fun educational site for kids. Find out how marshmallows and golf balls are made. Includes inventor biographies as well.

http://www.madehow.com/

Henry VIII 500th Anniversary

The Royal Collection Exhibit at http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/henryviii/
The British Library Online Gallery at http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/henryviii/

Hubble Site

All about the Hubble telescope. Good site for youth interested in astronomy.

http://www.hubblesite.org

Internet Crime Complaint Center

A partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this is the place to report possible cyber crimes. Also features current schemes and prevention tips.

http://www.ic3.gov

Swine Flu Resources

HealthInfoIowa (provided by the State Library of Iowa)

Swine Flu Resource Guide (from the Hardin Library at the U of Iowa)

Centers for Disease Control

The Encyclopedia of Earth

Read one of these articles in honor of Earth Day!

http://www.eoearth.org/

Mirage Bookmarks

Like bookmarks? Here is a site with lots of unusual and collectible ones.

http://www.miragebookmark.ch/

Running the Numbers

An American Self-Portrait by Chris Jordan. A graphic way to understand the huge numbers of things like packing peanuts, airline plastic cups and plastic bottles used in the U.S.

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php

Marketplace Whiteboard

From American Public Media -- Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch explains financial terms like "cramdowns," "toxic assets," and "quantitative easing."

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/videos/whiteboard/

Hot Topics from the Jackson Library

Selected articles on how current events (the bailouts, the Madoff scandal, "going green," etc.) affect business from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford.

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/jacksonlibrary/articles/hottopics/

"TIME" for Kids

Time magazine's site for kids -- with news, homework helper, etc.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids

RAGBBRAI

Is coming to Southwest Iowa!

http://www.ragbrai.org/

Green Recovery

A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy

http://www.peri.umass.edu/green_recovery/

artdaily.org

An online newspaper about the arts -- also features short artist bios, puzzles, etc.

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp

Librophiliac Love Letter

Curious Expeditions' collection of photos of beautiful libraries. (Thanks to Ken Davenport at NEILSA!)

http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=78

Dealing with Clutter

The U of Illinois Extension offers help to get organized at
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/clutter/.

The Payphone Project

A site devoted to locating those vanishing pay telephones (and also mailboxes!).

http://www.payphone-project.com/

Paper Snowflakes and Fancy Stars

Easy-to-follow instructions for making paper snowflakes, 5- and 6-pointed stars, and more.

http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

Paper Snowflakes and Fancy Stars

Easy-to-follow instructions for making paper snowflakes, 5- and 6-pointed stars and more.

http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

Visions of Christmas

from the American Antiquarian Society

http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Christmas/

The History of Hanukkah

from the History Channel

http://www.history.com/minisites/hanukkah/

Image and Sentiment

Victorian Christmas Cards -- some available as e-cards.

http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eliblilly/xmas2/

Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database

Check your make-up and shampoo for toxins!

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

2008 Electopedia

from New York Magazine . . . in case you're still undecided!

http://nymag.com/news/politics/2008/electopedia/

CollegeNET

Win scholarships by voicing your opinion on current topics (and search for other scholarship sources as well!).

http://www.collegenet.com

All About Cupcakes

Cupcakes are popular right now, so take a look at this pretty site!

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring07/Ayers/index.html

Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian

Los Tesoros Mexicanos del Smithsonian.
A good site for Hispanic Heritage Month at http://latino.si.edu/Mexican%20Treasures/index.html.

EyeWitness to History

History through the eyes of those who lived it . . .

http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/index.html

PolitiFact.com

The St. Petersburg (FL) Times checks the truth of various political statements.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

The FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings

The latest viruses, phishing attacks, etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm

Beijing2008 Olympic Games: An Insider's Guide

From Budget Travel.

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/beijing2008/beijing_olympics/

Ultimate Travel Library

National Geographic has come up with a list of travel books recommended by world travelers.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/extras/travellibrary/library.html

sporcle.com

Like trivia quizzes? Sporcle.com has lots of them!

http://www.sporcle.com/

Lawn Nation

Art & Science of the American Lawn

http://www.naturemuseum.org/lawn/

Explore! Fun with Science

"Explor-ations" from the Lunar and Planetary Institute at
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/explorations.shtml

Making the Modern World

Stories about science and invention from the Science Museum in Great Britain.

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/

Free Online Courses from the SBA

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers these courses about starting and managing a small business.

http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/

in pictures: Computer tutorials based on pictures

Free online tutorials for Access, Excel, PowerPoint and more -- using pictures instead of text.

http://inpics.net/

Bring Your Own Bag

This California-based site offers all sort of statistics about -- and alternatives to -- paper and plastic shopping bags. Includes tips on how to get in the habit of bringing your own reusable bags, etc.

http://igotmybag.org/why.htm

Free Rice

A game that builds vocabulary while donating funds to the United Nations World Food Program.

http://www.freerice.com/

USASpending.gov

"Where Americans Can See Where Their Money Goes" -- who receives government grant, contracts, etc.

http://www.usaspending.gov

Trip Advisor

Actual travelers share their opinions about hotels, tourist sites, etc.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Learn English With Pictures (or Audio)

A site for those learning English.

http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/

Degree of Confluence Project

Now here's a novel way to pick a travel destination! A confluence is where latitude and longitude integer degrees intersect. There are 16 such locations in Iowa. This site is collecting photos from confluence points around the globe.

http://www.confluence.org/

Roadside America

We've featured this "Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions" before -- a fun site! Be sure to check the Iowa locations.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

National Caves Association

The second in our series of vacation sites.

http://cavern.com/

Sacred Destinations

Site devoted to locations of religious significance around the world -- the first in our series of alternative vacation ideas!

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/

Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info

Get ready for bicycling season. RAGBRAI anyone?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

top 5 myths about downloading internet music

This brief presentation by Messiah College in Pennsylvania, explains the copyright situation regarding downloading music through file-sharing services. A good, simple site for those who have questions.

http://www.messiah.edu/etc/musicdownload.pdf

Rules of Thumb

A collection of rules for all sorts of things from how much to pay for a beginner's musical instrument (twice what you think you should) to how much dirt to remove when digging a grave (take away 17 wheelbarrows full).

http://rulesofthumb.org/

The Secret Life of the Brain

Site to accompany the PBS series.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/

100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English

from Your Dictionary.com

http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html

How to Write a Thank-you Note

A practical guide!

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/how_to_write_a_thankyou_note.php

50+ Professionals

CareerJournal.com's guide to changing jobs after age 50.

http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/fifty/

Natural History of Holiday Plants

Online exhibit from the San Diego Natural History Museum.

http://www.sdnhm.org/research/botany/hp_photos.html

Northpole

Another fun Christmas site.

http://www.northpole.com/

Christmas Legends

The truth about some common holiday ideas -- How many wise men were there? What do the stripes on a candy cane represent? and so on.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/christmas.asp