Soap suds
Do you have the theme to EastEnders going round and round in your head? If so, you might enjoy the World of Soap Themes, where you can not only find themes for dozens of soap operas, but also find bonus segments, some scores and even a forum and chat room. www.wost.org
Count the petals
Hey, July is Anti-Boredom Month! So don't be bored! Not helping? Sharpen your brain and your pencil with AnagramSite. Enter a word or phrase and AnagramSite will give you all the anagrams it can think of. Unfortunately, the only anagram for Web Watch is Watch Web. Still bored? Altoids (yes, the mint) has an arcade on its website. Try your luck with pinball, billiards and more. And if you're looking for something to really challenge your mind, ask yourself: "How many petals are around the rose?" www.anagramsite.com
www.altoids.com
http://personal.baker.edu/web2
Take a Dive
For underwater addicts, try the dive site directory. It offers pointers to diving all over the world, including six sites in the UK. Locations are divided into wrecks and reefs; site information is thorough and, in some cases, includes reader photos and reviews. www.divesitedirectory.co.uk
Legions of Lego
Andrew Lipson either has plenty of free time or he just really, really likes Lego. His website shows some of the brilliant creations made using Lego, including Lego Hoberman Sphere, a machine for turning itself off, Rodin's Thinker and some Escher drawings rendered in Lego. Many have descriptions, discussions on how they were done and additional photographs. Don't miss the additional Lego links at the bottom of the first page. www.lipsons.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/lego.htm
Game grooves
Do you bop out to PS2 music even when you're not playing Dance Dance Revolution? For game music aficionados, visit Over-Clocked ReMix for remixed versions of your favourite video game tunes. Remixes has a forum for reviews, and there's an RSS feed so you can keep up with the latest additions. www.ocremix.org
Mood swings
Busy writing in your weblog and want the world to know your state of mind? Register with Unkymoods, which has a selection of icon faces reflecting different moods - everything from Accomplished to Zen-Like. Paste the code into your weblog and the icon appears in your blog. Feeling good now? www.unkymoods.com
Defective Yeti
People laugh at the funniest things. When you're reading Defective Yeti, which is an odd mix of board games, news about a newborn (known as The Squirrelly) and general musings on life, you may wonder how a posting about really large Cokes and XMen2 could be so funny. Topics include a rant about Outdoor Survival, purportedly one of the worst board games of all time ("It's like Hi-Ho Cherry-O, except, in the end, raccoons eat your desiccated corpse"). www.defectiveyeti.com
FeedBurner
Have an RSS feed? Wondering if people really use it? You can find out with FeedBurner, which tracks viewings of your RSS feed and counts the number of clickthroughs each item gets. It can automatically insert Amazon affiliate code into Amazon links, as well as reformat your feed so it is viewable in a browser. It is only in pre-alpha, so more is on the way, and it is free to use. www.feedburner.com
New & noted
eBay's Solutions
Usability Effect
Blogory
www.findory.com/cgi-bin/blogory.cgi
Six of the best: Unusual holidays
Talk Like a Pirate Day
www.talklikeapirate.com
Vinegar Day
www.vinegarman.com
Men Make Dinner Day
www.menmakedinnerday.com
System Administrator Appreciation Day
www.sysadminday.com
Web Holidays
www.web-holidays.com
World Hello Day
www.worldhelloday.org
