Wheelbarrow Freestyle

Over the past few months, the Warped site has found some very unique ways to using everyday items to create unusual objects, or different ways to use those objects. Remember the huge rubber band ball? Or the baseball with almost 20,000 coats of paint? Today we find a use for one of the more common yard utensils that everyone household has, but I will bet that every household doesn't use it this way.

The name of the site is Wheelbarrowfreestyle.com . Within this website you will find out about the latest extreme sport, and all of the trickery that it takes to be involved with it. The types of tricks that can be done are well described, as it the best type of wheelbarrows to use, and why they are the best. There is a brief history of the sport, but I had a hard time understanding it. The videos are the highlight of the site, showing the actual tricks being performed.

After viewing this site, all I can say is what next? I have found unusual uses for everyday items all over the Internet, but this one is one of the most unique. Warp-o-Meter rating: 8.5.

http://www.wheelbarrowfreestyle.com/main.html

Vanity Plates

Customized or personal license plates on automobiles have been around for years. Our family car still has the set that my wife gave me for the first birthday we celebrated together. Some of them are very cute and clever, and often have a message with them. That message could be a political statement, or advertise a business. Some of the best ones are on today's Warped site.

The site is called Vanity Plates. This page is a list of hundreds (1008 at last count, to be exact) of actual car plates that were or are currently in use. Some of them require some thought to understand, but explanations are provided for all of them. They are arranged in alpha-numerical order. Here are some of the good ones:

SPDGTKT Speeding ticket, on a red corvette

Z WIZ On a Camaro Z-28

GDAM8 Good day, Mate! On an Aussie car

GONLOCO Seen leaving mental hospital

OOO LALA What more do you need to say? On a 1991 Red Convertible Corvette with IL Plates

There are many more of them here, as well as some links to sites that feature stories on vanity plates, including Parade Magazines contest results for the the most clever plates. These sites just go to show how creative we Americans can be.

http://www-chaos.umd.edu/misc/origplates.html

East Side Mall

Today's Warped site is one that caught my eye mostly for it's design, before I discovered the content. It looks like a visual or pictorial crossword puzzle. But once you get past the design, you see that the subject matter here compliments that design in several ways.

The site is called East Side Mall, and you can rest easy and put those credit cards away, it is not a shopping site. It is one that features humor, satire, culture subversion, and non-sense. You start exploring the site by simply clicking on a picture. That is linked to another web site that the picture is featured on.

For example, clicking on the sea shell leads to the web site for Shift Journal of Alternatives, an online magazine. Clicking on the Seal of the President of the United States takes you to a satirical site on the war on terrorism. Hit the alarm clock and you go to the joke of the hour site. Click on the word Satire and it takes you to a site called SatireWire. I love their slogan: "Because you and read, and we have a web site".

This is a pretty simple site, but there is enough variety here that will keep any visitor interested. Every picture tells a story, or at least has a message that is thought provoking. Warp-o-Meter rating: 8.0.

http://www.eastsidemall.com/

Dave's Web of Lies

As children, we learned it was better to tell the truth than to tell a lie. We were taught in school that our first President, George Washington was famous for admitting that he chopped down a cherry tree, rather than lie about it. Times have changed, and today's world seems to be filled with more false hoods that truth. Today's Warped site shows just how far some of those false hoods have gone to become common place.

The name of the site is Dave's Web of Lies. Here you read the Lie of the Day, A Week of Lies, Database of Lies, and visit a Celebrity Liar. There is even a spot for a guest liar (currently Mr. David Gollub).

Some of the examples of the lies that you will find here are:

"Starsky and Hutch first trained to be architects but dropped out of college due to their allergies to spoons."

"People from Equatorial Guinea are unable to hear music."

"Welshmen are allergic to pajamas." (courtesy of guest liar Stephen Fry)

If you are daring, you can even try the Random Liar generator, or use the database to find a particular favorite lie. Really daring visitors can even submit their own unique lies for consideration.

http://www.davesweboflies.com/dwol.htm

Disney Tattoo Guy

When I was in the Navy, it was considered macho to get your self a tattoo when you went overseas. It was considered a rite of male passage, so to say. That is one passage I missed. Today, it seems that just about everyone I know has one. Both of my daughters got one after they became legal age, small ones on their ankles. Being a father, I guess I just don't understand. But many people consider tattoos an art form, a way of expressing themselves. Today's Warped site is one that brings that fleshes out that expression, in a most unusual way.

The site is called the Disney Tattoo Guy. The site is dedicated to his obsession with the art of Walt Disney, and all the derivatives of his empire. His name is George C. Reiger, Jr. and is proclaimed by worldwide news media as the #1 Disney fan of all time. And he has the proof to back up that claim. He lives in a custom-built 4200 square foot home that is filled with over 24,000 Disney items. You can visit that home if you contact him ahead of time. Don't just drop by, because he may be at one of the Disney theme parks, which he visits several times a year (he is at DisneyWorld every month!).

But what sets him apart from other collectors of Disney items is where he keeps some of them. As of April 1, 2005, he has over 1700 tattoos on his body. Just about every square inch of him has some sort of artwork, even some places only his wife (and the tattooer) has seen. He is adding 3 to 4 tattoos a month. The site includes pictures of him with celebrities, as well as Disney cast members.

This guy is my kind of guy! He has taken his love of the Magic Kingdom, and is sharing it with the world. The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 9.5, proving that George has indeed put the super in supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

http://www.disneytattooguy.com/home.htm

Jib Jab

Today's Warped site is one that made a name for itself during the last presidential election. To say these guys have a warped sense of humor is an understatement. But they are my kinda site, so I hope you'll enjoy it.

The site is called Jib Jab. This is site that abounds in political satire. It is the home of the famous "This Land is Your Land" parody, along with other interesting videos. But they have expanded their horizons to allow users to submit their own videos. Another new feature is the My Jokebox, where visitors and members can share their jokes. My favorite is the Two Arabs and a Marine. Be sure to read it.

This is a great site that remains on the cutting edge of political satire and parody. It will be interesting to watch them in the coming years.

http://www.jibjab.com/

Fan Mail For Our Troops

When I was in the service it was always great to get a letter from home. When the ships I was on deployed overseas, it was even more important. Heck, it was great getting junk mail. Today we look at a site that helps get our troops messages from home, to let them know that we support them and the service that they are providing to our nation.

The site is called Fan Mail For Our Troops. This is a site where you can send fan mail to the soldiers, sailors and marines that are on the front lines around the world. This organization has undertaken this task to help keep up the morale of our troops. The impact of mail from home has a profound affect on that morale, more than you can imagine.

"My son is deployed... I submitted his name and address to your web site, and he just e-mailed me today saying that he had received over 300 'troop fan mail' letters. He was so touched, as well as his entire unit. As a Mom, I want to say a huge, big 'THANK YOU, YOU ALL ARE GREAT!' I appreciate your making my son feel appreciated and sharing some happiness. Thanks again."

"Thank you each and every one of you. Don't let anyone stop you. You are doing a smashing job. God bless you all. Happy Holidays."

"Thank you for your letter about your organization's...efforts...

I commend all...who have participated in this program. Many of the American servicemen and women must be away from friends and families for long periods. I know that the mail they receive provides an important link to home and can ease the loneliness of being away from loved ones. Best wishes...

Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH"

So take a few minutes out of your harried everyday world, and drop a line to one of our servicemen or women. It will be more appreciated than you realize.

http://www.militarymail.org/

Wooden Nickel Historial Museum

There is a saying that was popular when I was growing up, and is still in use today. That saying is "I wouldn't give you a wooden nickel for that...." or words to that affect. Believe it or not, there really was a wooden nickel, and today's Warped site is proof of that exsistence.

The site is called the Wooden Nickel Historical Museum. Here is a complete history of this unique for of currency. The story has it's roots in the Great Depression of the 1930's, when a bank in Washington state failed, and created a shortage of money in that area. The local Chamber of Commerce bridged that lack of currency by authorizing the printing of wooden money. In Blaine, Washington, the first nickels were issued when their bank failed (lots of banks failed in the thirties).

The idea soon caught on, and became popular. The problem was that there was no real money behind them. Hence the saying, "Don't take any wooden nickels" became popular, since they had no buying power. Over the years, they have become basically a ceremonial item, created to commemorate a person or event. At this site you will learn about these items, and some of the more popular and unusual ones created. The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 6.5, but then it is made of wood, and probably feels a kinship to them.

http://www.wooden-nickel.net/

Marc Sheehan's Distinctive Mascot Collection

Watching sports games can get boring, especially if the game that is being watched is boring. So you turn your attention to other things. Like, how did this team get it's name. Or why is their mascot a 1) cougar, 2) hillbilly, or 3) a rainbow. Well, today's Warped site can answer some of those question, and make you a hit at your local sports bar or watering hole.

The site is named Marc Sheehan's Distinctive Mascot Collection. It is one of the most complete catalogue of team names and origins of those names that I have ever seen. This is a compilation of hundreds of unusual and out-of-the-ordinary mascots and nicknames used by schools across the country. Background information and facts, including their origins in many cases, about the mascots are also included. The high school and college sections have been divided into five parts: schools starting with letters A-E, letters F-J, letters K-O, letters P-S and letters T-Z.

There is quite a bit of trivia here, especially with the well-known college teams. It is interesting and, like I mentioned, it can be a great conversation starter at your local sports establishment. You can also submit your suggestions for schools to Marc via email.

http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/mascot.html

BarStoolRacing.net

Yesterday the Warped site visited a site that saluted NACAR racing and the enormous fan base that it has. Today we look at another racing sport, one that is not as well known, but whose fans and participants are just as fanatical as the ones from NASCAR.

The site? BarStoolRacing.net. The sport? BarStoolRacing. HUH?!?! This web site is dedicated to one of the most unique sports evolving across America today. A sport that can truly be admired not only by young men, but also the rest of the guy's who may have lost their 32" waist line. Yea, that's right... this is the perfect sport.....and "fashion accessory" for slightly overweight, (and a bit more aerodynamic) middle age guys. (less hair = less drag).

This site is clearing house for those interested in this activity. There are pictures, plans, resources such as where to get a stool. Or better yet, what is the best kind of stool to get. There is also information on joining NOBRA (National Organization of Bar Stool Racing in America). There is also a featured Bar Stool of the Month, along with a lot of other useless stuff (their words, not mine).

So to echo the word from yesterday's site "gentlemen (and ladies) start your engines". Rev'em up.

http://www.barstoolracing.net/

NASCAR Moments

Gentlemen, start you laptops! Okay, to be politically correct, I should add "and Ladies" to that saying as well. It is finally spring, baseball season has started, and another American tradition is starting to get into full throttle as well. NACAR racing is coming on, and the Warped site today visits one that is totally, 100% everything a gear head could want.

The site today is called NASCAR Moments, and is a wonderful fan site for them. Here you can see what the true fan of racing does in-between their spectator activities. There are many personal photos of the family, as well as many, many pictures of the drivers. So many in fact most drivers have their own page on the site. Personal anecdotes make looking at the site a real pleasure. But the most fun part of the site is the personal pictures of the drivers, caught while making appearances, or going to and from the races. Really gives that personal touch to the site.

So tune up your car, get the ice chest stocked with your favorite libation, and head for the race track. That is where the Warp-o-Meter is, giving this site an 8.0 rating.

http://www.nascarmoments.com/

History of Hard Hats

School is in session at the Warped.info site. Now pay attention, there may be a test at the end. Today we have a history lesson. Not your ususal run-of-the-mill lesson, but one that can help protect your head if you're not careful.

The site is called the History of Hard Hats. A hundred years ago, the hard hat didn't exist. And fifty years ago, head protection wasn't widely required for workers. But, thanks to advances in safety, the hard hat has evolved over the decades. The hard hat concept comes from a company called Bullard, a hundred-year-old, family-owned manufacturer of personal protective equipment, specializing in industrial head protection, including hard hats, firefighter head protection and supplied-air respiratory protection. Established in San Francisco in 1898, Bullard sold carbide lamps and mining equipment to gold and copper miners. I'm sure they came in handy during the reconstruction after the 1906 earthquake. The original 'Hard-Boiled hat' was manufactured out of steamed canvas, glue and black paint.

So it is now test time. If you paid attention, it should be no problem. If you didn't, there'll be detention, and you'll have to stay after school.

1) When were the first hard hats manufactured?
2) How has the design changed through the years?
3) Who manufactures the six million "skull buckets" sold each year to protect workers' heads?

Now remember, no cheating, and don't copy off your neighbor's computer screen.

http://www.bullard.com/company/hardhathistory.shtml

The Mother of All Excuses Place

Everyone has a reason for why something did or didn't happen. It has been around for years, and it is called an excuse. When I was in school, "the dog ate my homework" was a favorite. Nowadays, excuses seem to be more common, or I maybe getting older, or a combination of the two. Whatever the reason, today's Warped site is one that will help to put that special spin the next time you need one.

The site is called The Mother of All Excuses Place, and believe me, it is a mother! For just about any occasion, you can find the proper and appropriate answer to your procrastinations here.

Need an excuse to break a date: "I can't come out tonight coz I'm trapped in a small dingy off the coast of Paraguay.'

Don't want to come to work: "I cant come to work today, I coughed three times in succession. Though I have no other symptoms, I 'd better stay home just in case."

Stopped for speeding: " So I'm driving to work (I'm late) and the police stop me for speeding so I told them that I fell down the stairs and hurt my ankle and that I was going to the hospital and couldn't control the pedal they let me off and told me next time call an ambulance."

Kid's won't go to bed at night: "But all my friends don't have a bed time!"

There are many more subjects, and many more excuses to be heard. Read'em and put'em away, who know when you'll need'em.

http://madtbone.tripod.com/

How To Repair a PC

The growth of the Internet has made it possible for all sorts of How-To sites, and Do-It-Yourself sites to take off and become very popular. With that thought in mind, it is this site that we submit for your approval as today's Warped Site.

The site is called How To Repair A PC. It is a very informative and detailed site on just what you need to do to keep your system running at it's peak level of performance. Have a bad hard drive? No problem, just head over to this site. Upgrading your video card? Help is just a click away. Pesky virus or too much spam? This is the right site for you. It has everything that you could want that will help make the average person into a techno-geek. Even detailed safety instructions are included.

The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 9.0. After you have visite it, and spent some time there, I am sure you will agree with it's reading.

http://www.cpu.lu/~gkes/pcrepair/

Nature's Harmonic Simultaneous 4-Day Time Cube

Every so often, I amaze myself at what I find when I am searching for sites to feature and share with you. Every so often I find that I am at a total loss for words on how to describe a site that is so in resonance with what this site is all about, that all I can do is introduce the site, and let it speak for itself.

Today's site is just such a site. It is called Nature's Harmonic Simultaneous 4-Day Time Cube. Following are a few quotes from this site that really describe what it is all about (and in a way that I can't even begin to match):

"The half of Earth seen from space, cannot exist without the opposite half not seen... existing as opposite values. Earth entity does not exist - for it is composed of opposite hemispheres which rotate in opposite directions - equating to a zero value existence, and to nothing as a "singularity".

"Mathematically impossible for a Genius or any God to match my Cubic Wisdom. Educators fear me, they cower and run. "

"My wisdom so antiquates known knowledge, that a psychiatrist examining my behavior, eccentric by his academic single corner knowledge, knows no course other than to judge me schizophrenic."

"I have been informed that the academic pedant hirelings are conspiring to defame my character, as a means to discredit the Time/Life/Truth Cube Creation Principle. "

Now you are starting to get a flavor of what this site is really like. I am sure that once you visit it, the message will become easier to understand.

http://www.timecube.com/

Gum Wrapper Chain Champion

Recently we have featured sites that showed the world's largest rubber band ball, and another ball with more coats of paint on it than anything else in the world. What could we find that would rival or even make those sites pale by comparison. It took a little looking, but today's Warped site may just qualify.

The site today is the official site of Gary Duschil, the Guinness World Record holder for a Gum Wrapper Chain. He has been working on it since March 11th, 1965. Now, thirty one years later, the chain has reached a length of 48,077 feet, and contains 1,124,044 gum wrappers. To help put that into perspective, that is 9.1 miles, 160 football fields, 32 Empire State Buildings, or 26 CNN Towers.

This Virginia Beach man offers to let visitors into his piece of history. Send him your signed used wrappers and he will use them in his chain. If you include your email address, he will send you information on where they appear in the chain. There are also instructions on the site on how to create your own chain, just in case you want to make one of your own. If you think about giving Gary a run for his money, you had better get started, he doesn't look like he's going to be slowing down in the near future.

http://www.gumwrapper.com/

Location Earth Dog Tags

Growing up, my parents purchased my brothers and myself ID bracelets, so if we ever got lost, at least anyone who found us would know who we were. That concept still continues today, and is more important given the times we live in. But have you ever given any thought about what you or your loved ones would do if you were abducted by aliens? I don't mean foreign nationals, but actual flying saucer, space suit wearing little green people. If that thought has crossed your mind, then have we got a site for you.

The site is called Location Earth Dog Tags, and is sponsored by Earthbounddog.com. There are wearable dog tags, just like members of our armed forces wear. You wear them a chain around your neck, and if you are ever lost or abducted, then at least your captors will know where you are from. In case of alien abduction these dog tags may save your life. The crucial data an alien will need to get you back to Earth is die stamped into these dog tags. The design is based on NASA research for the Pioneer 10 Space Mission that used a gold plaque attached to the
craft to inform any Extraterrestrials of it's Earthly origin.

The cost is quite reasonable, given the amount of protection they offer. They also come with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Should you ever be abducted while wearing these tags, and not returned safely to Earth, then you are entitled to a full refund of your purchase price. What have you got to loose? Whether you believe in aliens or not, what could it hurt to cover all of your bases, just in case you have visitors, and wind up taking a long trip, boldly going where no man has gone before.

http://www.earthbounddog.com/

Furnace Sticker Museum

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is good artwork. One man's treasure is another man's junk pile, and vice versa. What goes around comes around. All of these thoughts came into my mind today (and went right back out) when I found the Warped site today. It has some very interesting qualities.

The Warped site has visited lawnmower museums, among other sites, that were somewhat eclectic in their subject matter. Today we take a look at furnace stickers. For those of you who may not know what I'm referring to, most home furnaces (and business ones as well) have a sticker on them so that owners will know whom to call when it doesn't work. That is because most furnace manufacturer's rely on local servcie companies to fix them.

The stickers here are all real live, honest to gosh, right off the walls of furnaces, direct to your computer screen. Just looking at these stickers you can get a feeling of what and how service organizations were once run in this country. There are slogans, and services rendered, phone numbers and street addresses. I can bet when you called these companies, you didn't get put on hold and had endless streams of voice mail and menu options to sort through. Come to think of it, when these were new, there were only rotary dial phones, and party lines were common (don't laugh, I used to have one, and it was better than Saturday Night Live).

As you look at these stickers, just keep in mind they were a form of advertising that is not with us much anymore. Now we rely on the walking fingers in the yellow pages, and the Internet to get things done. Maybe we aren't so much better off, after all.

http://www.nwlink.com/%7Epkrogh/museum.html

Ball of Paint

Several columns ago we featured a site for the largest rubber band ball in the worl. It was huge, and best of all, the site gave you instructions on how to do-it-yourself. I thought I had seen everything. And I had, until I came across today's website. This one takes the saying "gotta get a life" to a new extreme.

The site is by Mike Carmichael, and his wife Glenda, who live in Alexandria, Indiana. Now, imagine an ordinary baseball...Now imagine that same baseball with over 19,100 coats of paint on it. Getting the picture? Good, because that's exactly what they have done for the past 28 1/2 years. Now what was once an ordinary baseball that weighed less than one pound now weighs in around 1,700 pounds (oh, and it's not white anymore).

This is not Mike's first attempt at this. He did his first one while in high school back in the 1960's, when he accidentally upset a gallon of paint while playing catch with a friend. one thing led to another, and 1000 coats of paint later, he had enough and gave it to his instructor. So in 1977, he started again, and with his wife and family's help, he now has the only roadside attraction in Alexandria.

If you go on vacation this year, and if you happen to drive through Indiana, and if you just so happen to go through Alexandria, look up Mike and Glenda, and tell they that you saw their ball of paint here. Maybe they'll even let you add a few strokes to it.

http://ballofpaint.freehosting.net/index.html

One Billion Visits

What is this One Billion thing about, you wonder. I did as well when I first went to it. But after I spent some time here I realized that the concept is pretty cool. So check it out, and I think you will be just as intrigued as I was.

The site, One Billion Visits, is sort of a meeting place where people from all over the world visit the same site for one simple reason: to make the counter reach ZERO.

So what happens when it reaches ZERO? Do you win anything? Does the sun stop rising or the moon stop setting? Not really. But think about this. How many people are in the world? At the last count, over five billion. So when this counter hits ZERO, that means one billion people will have visited this site.

Every time you enter, the counter will move one step closer towards the big ZERO. Check in from time to time and help keep the counter moving. See how the race towards zero has spread around the world and be part of the biggest countdown in the history of mankind! Or at least in the history of the Internet.

You can register to be notified when it hits the magic number. I can only assume that when it does hit the big ZERO, it will be just like a car's odometer, and start all over again. But only time will tell.

http://www.onebillionvisits.com/

Dog Bark Park Inn

It is starting to look like spring. At least in some parts of the country it is. That means that summer is just around the bend, and with it's arrival, vactions will start all over the place. With that in mind, the Warped site has come across a place that may figure in your upcoming vacation plans. Well, at least it looks like it could be fun.

The site is the Dog Bark Park Inn, located in Cottonwood, Idaho. It is a bed and breakfast that has some unusual room accomadations. The guesthouse is in the body of the World's Biggest Beagle located at Dog Bark Park on Hwy 95. Guests enter the body of the beagle from a private spacious 2nd story deck. Inside and up another level in the head of the dog are a loft room for additional sleeping accommodations and a cozy reading nook in the dog's muzzle. This is the home of Toby and Sweet Willy, the World's Two Biggest Beagles. Toby, a 12-foot tall beagle statue, was built by Dog Bark Park artists Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin. Sweet Willy is slightly larger, and is where you would spend your time.

The Inn theme plays on a bit of nostalgia. Dog Bark Park Inn is one of America's latest additions to a type of roadside architecture popular in the early days of automobile vacation travel when travelers would often buy gas, eat meals or stay overnight in a building that looked like something else. Remember coffee pot or teacup gas stations, milk bottle shaped restaurants or the shoe and duck houses? For today's travelers Dog Bark Park Inn offers a glimpse into those bygone days with all the comforts of our modern days. Not only do you get a good night's sleep, you get a chance to slow down and relive the comfort of a by-gone travel era.

The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 9.5. I guess it just goes to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

http://www.dogbarkparkinn.com/

Sleeping in Airports

Having traveled a lot in my professional life, I have spent hours in airports. Sometimes I spent a night in one, due to missed connections or weather. Tom Hanks was in a movie about a man who wound up living one for several years. If only I had known about today's Warped site, it could have made my life easier.

The site is called Sleeping in Airports. For travelers who are really on a budget and are looking for a way to shave a few bucks off their travel expenses, why not consider sleeping in an airport? Many airports are actually better than local lodging. And to top it off - IT'S FREE (which is a very good price)! Your friends and family may look at you funny when you return with your airport stories, but that's only part of the fun. So now, sit back....get out your travel itinerary and plan which airports you're going to sleep in (or avoid altogether) during your next trip.

This site serves as a clearing house for all the goodies that go into making an airport a place hang out in, if you ever have the need to. It isn't just limited to the United States, but also covers Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. Among the items reviewed are sleeping locations and quality of seats, photos of the best and worst places to fly into and out of, and the quality of the food. The high light is actual user reviews of the airports from people who have claimed to have actually slept in them. If you are so inclined there are also links and information about accommodations outside the airports as well.

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/airports.htm

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

The town I live in has had a 24 Hour Church of Elvis. I thought that was a pretty unique place. That was before I found today's Warped site. This site puts a whole different meaning on the word "church".

The site is called The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. What this site is about is the theory of Intelligent Design, and that it be offered in schools along side the theory of Evolution. They feel that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them.

Some of their beliefs are the evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. They have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of them, and they are growing all the time. They tend to be very secretive, as many people claim their beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence.

There are facts and figures at the site to substantiate their beliefs, and they make a good case. In the end, you have to decide for yourself. But the Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 10.0 for really capturing the essence of what makes a truly warped site.

http://www.venganza.org/index.htm

You Tube

So you want to be a rock star, but don't have a venue for your music? Sites such as LimeWire and WinMX let you share your music, but in this day and age, it is music videos that help to sell songs. So you get your camcorder out, put your concept on tape, edit it, and then what? All dressed up and nowhere to go. That is, until today's Warped site came along.

The site is called You Tube. It is where you can upload, tag, and share your videos. There are literally thousands of them here, from all over the world. All you need to do to upload is become a member, and then pass the site out to your friends. Watching is free (I've been checking them out for the last hour).

The subject matter is not limited to just music videos. There are clips from video games put together by members, there are clips of people playing air guitar (ala Tom Cruise in "Risky Business"), and there as some animated subjects as well. There are some that, well defy description. I would recommend using the search engine to find a specific topic or title, and you will be surprised at what shows up. I looked up The Grateful Dead, The Beach Boys, and a couple of others, and you would be amazed at how much material is out there. This is a site that you don't have to be warped to use, but some of the material here is really out of this world.

http://www.youtube.com/index

Horseballs

Now, before you crucify me for having an off color Warped site, read this entire article. If you were thinking what I think you were thinking, then you were thinking what I thought when I first read this site and thought about featuring it. Okay, are we all on the same page? If so, then read on, and prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

All animals need a certain amount of exercise in order to stay healthy. Horses are no exception. Through the efforts and research of Applied Animal Enrichments, they now have a way to run off some excess energy and get rid of some unwanted pounds. They have been the industry leader in Therapeutic Recreation for Horses. Many farms, trainers and thousands of horses enjoy the benefits of their genuine HORSEBALLS products. Now their use is being expanded into many zoos and animal sanctuaries. There is now a strong focus in the animal industries, both in pets and zoological segments, on the need for enrichment for the well-being of animals.

Their products are varied. From the original HorseBall, they are also developing the BigBall, the Eggbutt Horseball and the StallBall. They even have a child's toy called the Hopalong Harrison. That product is now available in adult sizes for the child in all of us.

These products provide therapeutic recreation for a wide variety of animals. It isn't what you thought it was when you first read the site's name, was it. I guess you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

http://www.horseballs.com/index.html

Superdickery

Hickory, dickory, doc, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, and.... well, you know the rest. That nursery rhyme was what came to mind when I came across today's Warped site. While it has nothing to do with children's tales, it dose have some imagination on it's pages.

The site is called Superdickery. It is a site that features covers of classic comic book covers from the annals of DC Comics, the home of such superheroes as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and many more. It is, essentially, a satirical look at these covers, and how ridiculous they seem to today's generation X.

Back in November of 2004, a guy named Mike Miksch started a thread at a message board about insane comic book covers throughout the ages. Initially it was a laugh in at the expense of Lois Lane Comics, but before the responses had gotten past even the first page, Mike had posted a pair of pictures depicting Superman burning a father's day gift from Jimmy and laughing in Lois's face as she begged him to prevent her from being forced to marry Titanman, and inadvertently set the tone for the resulting 30+ pages of responses.

The covers and strips here are very nostalgic to look at. I can remember owning many, many of them (I wonder what landfill they are residing in now 'sigh'). The captions to them show how absurd they seem today, but in the context they were written, they make interesting reading and viewing. The underlying tone of this site, once you find it only adds to the hilarity of the covers themselves.

http://www.superdickery.com/

Sugar Bush Squirrel

When my son was in Boy Scouts, there was a little ritual that was preformed whenever a scout misplaced and item, and it was found by someone else. In order to get it back, he had to do a "squirrelly". It was innocent fun, everyone had a good laugh, provided a minor embarrassment to the absent minded scout, but it encouraged and taught responsibility. Well, when I came across today's site, that ritual came to mind. But let's see what you think of when you meet Sugar Bush Squirrel.

Sugar Bush Squirrel is a real, live Eastern Gray Squirrel who is owned and photographed by Ms. Kelly Foxton. Rescued, as a baby in her nest, from a tree which was being cut down, she is now living the 'good life' with Ms. Foxton in Boca Raton, Florida. A small, lime-green parrot, named Rio, is her big sister and constant companion. Sugar Bush loves to dress up, and has over 1,000 outfits with matching hats and accessories. Sugar Bush Squirrel has her own, posh studio with an elaborate stage and thousands of stage props, and has posed for over 1,000 photos since her modeling career began.

This is a site that shows just how much energy some owners put into their pets. I'm a fine one to talk, since we have a miniature poodle who now owns us, not the other way around. There is a lot of fun at this site, so it is a great one for the up and coming warped cyber visitors. Be sure to check out the ePals pages, and you will see just how many of us are owned by our pets.

http://www.sugarbushsquirrel.com/

Welcome To Calendar Updates

Tomorrow is the opening day of the 2006 baseball season. Going to be a great year, and I managed to get great seats for the Yankees when they come to Seattle in August (9 rows behind their dugout on the field level - WHOO HA!!). But now the season is here, it becomes tough to try and keep all of the games straight, especially with the Final Four, and the NBA going on. But I have found a site that keep those sports separate.

The site is called Calendar Updates. Here you can download (for a small fee) schedules for a wide variety of sports. Not only are major league baseball and football covered, but so is NHL hockey, basketball (both the NBA and WNBA), major league soccer, and the junior hockey WHL. Best of all, they have comprehensive schedules of motor sports including NASCAR, Open Wheel, and Drag Racing.

Not only do the schedules give the date and time, but they also provide the location and venues as well as TV coverage information. These schedules integrate smoothly into Microsoft Outlook, and can be transferred to your PDA, either Palm or Pocket PC based.

While this isn't a warped site (in the strictest sense of the word), it is a site that every warped sports fanatic shouldn't be without. I'm talking about the guy with two or three big screen televisions and subscriptions to both DISH and DirectTV. They are the one that need this kind of schedule help.

http://www.calendar-updates.com/default.aspx

Record Ball

Today is the one day a year where we defy physics, and only have a 23 hour day. At least some of us have a 23 hour day. My grandmother use to refer to Daylight Savings Time as Daylight Stupid Time. With that thought bouncing around my head, I came up with a totally worthless site, since it will only be here for a shorter time period.

Actually, it isn't a totally worthless site. It has some very interesting things to do on it. This site is the home of the World's Largest Rubber Band Ball. Here you can read about the 3,120 pound ball, and see where it has been featured in the media. It has been on the Howard Stern Show, Regis and Kathy Lee, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. It also has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. There is a picture of it here, along with the vital statistics of it.

The author is proud of his accomplishment, as well he should be. But he also offers to show you how to create your own rubber band ball, and, if you are so driven, you can beat his record (his only took 5 years 2 months). The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 7.5, since the subject matter is really stretched to fit the site. So if you have some time on your hands, and an extra $14.99, then you too could find yourself on our site.

http://www.recordball.com/

Alien Elvis

Recently the home of the king of rock'n'roll was designated a national historic landmark. About time is all I can say. But I got to thinking, what does Elvis have to say about that? Many believe that he is still with us, walking among us. And then, as today's site shows, there are others who feel that not only has Elvis left the building, he has left the planet.

This site is one that shows a different side of Elvis. It is a collection of pictures and documents that show an Elvis that has been rumored in the past, but now is documented. Here you can see the first cover design for the record of "Hound Dog". Then there is Karate Elvis, a bad Elvis, and a bungi Elvis.

This site is a mixture of satire and reality. That mirrors some aspects of his life, both before and after his death. Here you can get a few laughs as well as some interesting information about one of the icons of the entertainment world. Like John Lennon was one quoted, "Before Elvis, there was nothing." The same can still be said today.

http://heathenworld.com/elvis/index.html