The classics, mercury, wine, and funny greeting cards
So what do all these things have in common? Well actually not a thing, which is why we’ve title this
a little this and that. The Three Tomatoes stockpile interesting and fun web sites and then we share our favorites with you from
time to time. So here are few for your summer enjoyment.
Got a few minutes? Read the classics
So you’re waiting in the doctor’s office and thumbing through two year old magazines, or you’re sitting
at your computer reading forwarded jokes, or you’re in a restaurant waiting for your friends and thumbing thru your Blackberry email.
Well here’s an alternative -- read bite size bits of those classics you’ve been promising yourself you’re
going to read or re-read. Sign up for DailyLite (it’s free) which sends books in installments via email that can be
read in under five minutes. DailyLit currently offers over 400 classic public domain titles that can be subscribed to and
read in their entirety for free, like "The Art of War"
and "Pride and Prejudice". You can choose
how often and at what time you want to receive your e-mails (e.g. every weekday at 6:30am). Books on DailyLit can be read any
place you receive e-mail, including PDAs, Blackberrys, Trios, etc. Each installment can be read in less than 5 minutes, and if you
have time to read the next installment right away, you can request it immediately. We’re reading Edith Wharton’s The Age of
Innocence right now. It’s 124 installments which means if we
only read one a day it will take us until November to finish it, but hey, what else would be doing in those five minutes a day?
Cool idea and it will make you feel so literate. So now instead of saying we’re reading some
trashy Jackie Collins novel, we can name drop a classic. Although we must say, reading these installments from
a Blackberry screen makes us a little nauseous. Is there such as thing as PDA sickness? At least we
didn’t sign up for War and Peace
– the installments could outlive us.
Too much mercury in that fish?
Eating fish contaminated with mercury, a poison that interferes with the brain and nervous system can cause serious health
problems. In fact 46 states have issued advisories for pregnant women and children to avoid eating certain types of fish,
including tuna and swordfish. Which raises the question about mercury for the rest of us as well. So
if you’re concerned about mercury, but don’t want to give up seafood, then check out gotmercury.org where you will find a great little calculator that tells you the mercury content of
various seafood. You enter your weight (or a kids weight for example), pick a seafood, and a typical serving, and it will
calculate the mercury levels. Tuna is high in mercury, but salmon is low for example. Hmmm…we might be
rethinking our sushi choices.
Discovering new wines the easy way
What’s better than a great glass of wine (except the occasional martini of course). But if
you’re like The Three
Tomatoes you find yourself getting into the wine rut with your same old
favorites. You want to venture out, but you’re a little put off by the recommendations from your local wine
shop. Well check out WineLibraryTV, a video web
site hosted by Gary Vaynerchuk , who is only 30, funny and a non-traditionalist about wine. The episodes are
entertaining and informative. Gary has visited every major wine region in the world and he brings his passion
for wine to every episode. He focuses on breaking the stereotypes and providing his viewers with a new outlook on
wine. Winelibrary TV is made for every type of wine
drinker and those who truly want to learn about wine. This week’s episode for example features
four wines from Tuscany (our favorite wine region). Plus the web site has lists of various recommended wines
and other fun stuff. If you love wine, you’ll love this web site and you’ll get a hoot out of Gary.
Not your Hallmark greeting cards
If you want to give someone a good laugh today, check out these hysterical greeting cards from someecards.com, whose motto is “when you care enough to hit
send”. With categories that include apologies, workplace, breakup, and the courtesy hello, you will find something for
everyone. The illustrations are retro line drawings reminiscent of the 1950’s. Some of the lines
that had us doubled over include “Sorry I farted in our shared workspace”, perfect for your office mate. Or
for some one just ending a relationship, “I’m sorry you didn’t dump that dumb prick sooner.” Or words of encouragement like “There’s no shame in unemployment if
you stay inside.” So whether you need a good laugh, or want to give someone else a good laugh, visit their site today. Oh, and it’s free
too.
Well here’s to this and that.
‘til next week,
The Three
Tomatoes
Copyright© 2007. The Three Tomatoes. All rights reserved.
