corsinet.com is an excellent, intelligent
way to waste time on the internet: discover unusual facts, learn some
new things, wake up your brain cells and have some fun.
We've been wasting time on the
internet since before there was an internet!
Our collections:
Brain
Candy was first posted on the internet
in 1990, as a way to store the accumulation of word play, riddles and
jokes we had compiled through the years.
Trivial
Trivia is our collection of weird facts and unusual information, much
of it is totally useless unless one is training for Jeopardy or a trivia
contest.
Chicago
Collections is a huge resource about Chicago. A little history, some
quotations and song lyrics, and links to great Chicago area attractions.
DesignWeb
started because people liked our web sites and asked for help in designing
theirs. We are currently taking new clients only on a very selective basis.
TC
is Tony's artwork. He doesn't sell it & doesn't answer his email,
so don't even bother.
Our
Garden is a work in progress. It's what we've learned about installing
and maintaining a koi pond in our back yard. There are lots of pictures
of our pond and plants we've had success with in a shady yard, in the
brutal weather of the Chicago area.
Our "Great Links" are interesting web places we've found:
July 31, 2008
August - Let's get rid of it
August is the Mississippi of the calendar. It's beastly hot and muggy. It has a dismal history. Nothing good ever happens in it. And the United States would be better off without it.
July 30, 2008
Free Chicago!
Here's a list of free, year-round art, music, theater, dance, and walks that will keep you busy in Chicago for days.
July 29, 2008
I Lost at Jeopardy
Isn't it everybody's dream to be on that show? Here's one contestant's experience.
(via)
In To Be Out: Gay Celebrities
Here's a look at some stars who are living openly gay lives, and realizing that it is "in to be out."
July 26, 2008
Postcards From the Hedge: Faking a Vacation at Home
While more hard-pressed Americans are spending their vacation time at home lately, not everyone is happy about it. Barbecues and reruns don't match the thrill of travel. So some are going to great lengths to foster the illusion of a wayfaring vacation. They'll sample foreign tourism, wilderness camping, hotel living and beach-going without ever leaving their living rooms.
July 25, 2008
Rumors & Revolution
Rumors have always been useful for those who wanted to sow discord and trouble, and this was never more true than in 18th-century France. The hothouse atmosphere of the royal court, where factions and rivalries operated secretly to shape policy and undermine sometimes tenuous royal power, created a ripe environment for a thriving gossip mill, presented mostly in the form of cheap, widely-distributed pamphlets that were the equivalent of today's tabloids.
July 24, 2008
Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren't Allowed to See on Google Maps
For all of the places that Google Maps allows you to see, there are plenty of places that are off-limits. Whether it’s due to government restrictions, personal-privacy lawsuits or mistakes, Google Maps has slapped a "Prohibited" sign on the 51 places listed here.
(via)
July 23, 2008
Wearing a mask for the Olympics?
Concerned about the pollution, the U.S. Olympic Committee is distributing a high-tech mask, developed in secrecy, to its more than 600 Olympians.
Batman History
The character of Batman (or Bat-Man) was introduced in comic books during the late 1930s after the popularity of Superman had created a market for other colorful superheroes. Here is a history of Batman through the years in pictures.
and
The history of Batman movies
With the cineplexes jam-packed with anxious moviegoers to catch the latest and best Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," take a couple minutes to stroll down memory lane and look at past Batman efforts from the best to worst.
and
The History of the Batmobile
The Batmobile made its career debut in Batman #5, then appeared on a comic cover for the first time for Batman #20. Because of different artists' interpretations of what the car should be, it changed size, shape, and features frequently.
July 20, 2008
10 Richest People of All Time and How They Made Their Fortunes
The richest people ever belong in their own special club. These people (all men) have built fortunes of legendary proportions when calculated at the peak of their wealth. This is the list of the 10 richest people of all time and how they made their fortunes.
July 19, 2008
A genetic theory of homosexuality
Gay couples can't have biological kids together. So if homosexuality is genetic, why hasn't it died out?
July 18, 2008
Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids Exhibition at Chicago's Field Museum March 19 to September 1, 2008
examine the legend and the science behind some of the most fascinating creatures ever invented. Enter the fabled world of dragons, journey to the depths of the ocean and soar above the clouds to uncover the origins of the powerful, dangerous and magical beings that have been a part of the human experience for thousands of years.
July 17, 2008
The World Heritage List
The World Heritage List includes 878 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.
(via)
July 16, 2008
Licked Toys
The first dog toy graveyard. You send in pictures of your pets' destroyed toys and they'll post them so that your toys may rest in pieces.
What is the Grand Tour?
Even though the basic contours of the Grand Tour were established in the 17th century — as a kind of cultural finishing school for affluent young gents — it has mutated to meet the shifting demands of generations of travelers.
July 13, 2008
10 Bizarre Mating Techniques
If you thought that human mating techniques were awkward or embarrassingly brutal, think again. God definitely has a bizarre sense of humor when it comes to the animal kingdom.
(via)
Fascination with Flickering Fireflies
Few insects have managed to capture the admiration of humans as pervasively as these pyrotechnists of the six-legged world have.
July 10, 2008
Third Reich in Ruins
This page presents photos of historical sites associated with Germany’s Third Reich (1933-1945), both as they appeared while in use, and as the remains appear today. These photos give a "then and now" perspective, in many cases, a virtual tour of the sites.
July 9, 2008
Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French
According to a recent international survey, the French are now considered
the most obnoxious tourists from European nations, behind only Indians
and the last-place Chinese as the worst among countries worldwide.
July 8, 2008
Map of Chicago community areas
A KML overlay map of all of Chicago’s 77 official community areas
(neighborhoods), which can be opened and viewed in Google Earth.
July 7, 2008
Preservation Chicago
Created to raise awareness of what’s
at stake…and to help take action in preserving the irreplaceable
historic architecture that gives Chicago its distinctive identity and
world-wide appeal.
July 6, 2008
Bankrupt!
65 Famous People Who Lost It All
Sometimes people make fortunes only to lose them later, for all sorts
of reasons. Here is a list of 65 famous people who found themselves destitute
despite once having been extremely well off.
July 5, 2008
America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has used its list
of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places as a powerful alarm to
raise awareness of the serious threats facing the nation’s greatest
treasures, and it has become one of the most effective tools in the
fight to save the country’s irreplaceable architectural, cultural
and natural heritage.
July 4, 2008
George Washington's Boyhood Home Found
The foundations of George Washington's childhood house have been found at
Ferry Farm in Virginia, the setting of the legendary cherry tree story.
A half million artifacts were part of the discovery, which will help scholars
fill in large gaps in the story of the first U.S. president's early life.
July 3, 2008
Which airlines serve meals?
The policy of BYO (bring your own or buy your own) isn't a new one, but
options vary among the airlines. If you'd like to be prepared for what
food (or lack thereof) will be available to you on your next flight,
see this guide for a roundup of what's available on some of the most
popular airlines.
July 2, 2008
Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny - A brief history of the bikini
Sixty years ago the world's first bikini made its debut at a
poolside fashion show in Paris. The swimsuit is now so ubiquitous that
it's hard to comprehend how shocking people once found it.
July 1, 2008
The
Continuum of Cute
invites the viewer to arrange 100 pictures of
different animals, all found on the Internet, in order of cuteness.
A giant inter-species beauty contest, the project investigates both
our individual and collective sense of the "cute" at the same time
as it indulges the anthropomorphic qualities that are often embedded
in our sense of the word.
