Archive for May, 2008

sawtooth mountains

The Sawtooth Mountains are a range of low, serrated ridges situated on the North … The Sawtooth Mountains rise from Lake Superior at angles between 8 and 20 …

Sawtooth Mountains … Streams flowing from the Sawtooth Mountains merge in the valley to form the … Meadow Creek Inn and Spa, Sawtooth Mountains (Idaho Rockies) …

The Sawtooth Mountains rise from Lake Superior at angles between 8 and 20 degrees and drop off steeply on their north sides. They received their name as a result of their relatively uniform size, angles, and regularity of spacing; …

Thus we thought we’d show you one of the more beautiful American regions, the Sawtooth Mountains which are located in the Sawtooth National forest in beautiful Minnesota. The mountains rise up out of one of our Great Lakes, …
One vast way to enjoy the Sawtooth Mountains is by organizing a modified tour. As there are so many diverse activities that can be enjoyed in the Sawtooth Mountain range, and due to its somewhat remote location, it can be obliging to …
And this section will usually comprise the Fourth Act, together, in some cases, with a Idaho Web Cams Sawtooth Mountains of the Third and a part of the Fifth. Shakespeare was so masterly a playwright, and had so wonderful a power of …

japanese translation free,Japanese to English or English to Japanese Translation

Japanese for free…
If you’re just looking for a Japanese word or phrase, you can try your luck with machine translation, here.

  accept translation of any documents written in Japanese Language. I accept tutorials for those who want to learn Japanese Language from basic up to 3rd level. I can also provide interpretation for Japanese. …

The translator currently supports 11 languages and lets you translate to and from English, Russian, French, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese. Go to http://m.mikebrittain.com on you mobile browser …

Free Japanese Translation, Online Japanese Translation, Translate English into … to find a free online English-Japanese translation tool to instantly translate …

ree Japanese Kanji Translation. Enter First Name. Last Name. Business … You can have only one Kanji name for free by using Japanese translation service. …

Free Hobby Lobby Printable Coupon,free printable hobby lobby

Thanks to Kelly G. for sharing this great tip.  If you like crafts, scrapbooking, or have other hobbies, be sure to take advantage of the printable 40% off coupon you can get from the Hobby Lobby website. And if your craft store accepts competitors’ coupons, this is an easy way to get one to use at your store.

obby Lobby Creative Centers Home Page For Crafting and Hobby Materials, Supplies and Projects Home Accents Furniture weekly ad coupon gift cards

Hobby Lobby Bead Coupon Online community for hip off-beat DIY craft projects. … Hobby Lobby has a coupon for 50% off jewelry beads this week: …

you like crafts, scrapbooking, or have other hobbies, be sure to take advantage of the printable 40% off coupon you can get from the Hobby Lobby website. And if your craft store accepts competitors’ coupons, this is an easy way to …
If you go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby go to the framing section and ask for these supplies. SUPPLIES:. Foam Core; Spacers (if framing with glass and without a mat); pins; masking tape; mat (acid free); glass cut to fit the frame …

• Petco Pals Members: Printable $5 off $25 or $10 off $50 coupon (Exp 10/25/08)
• Printable Buy 1 Get 1 FREE coupon for Pedigree Butchers Select Canned Dog Food
• Sign up for the e-Newsletter & get Up to $35* of savings in coupons and other offers AND a Printable $1 off coupon on Del Monte Fruit Cups (Thanks Freebies 4 Mom)
• Kirkland’s: Printable $10 off $50 or more coupon (Exp 10/1/08)
• Lane Bryant: Printable $15 off $50 or $25 off $75 or $50 off $150 coupon (Exp 10/7/08)
• Lord & Taylor: Printable coupons to save up to 20% (exp 10/7/08)
• JoAnn: Printable 40% off coupon (Exp 10/4/08)
• Printable $2 off coupon on Midol products
• Hobby Lobby: Printable money saving coupon *Changes weekly
• Printable $1.25 off coupon on Progresso Broth product
• Printable $1 off 3 Hershey’s Snack Size Candies coupon
• Printable $2 off coupon on Bertolli Oven Bake Meals
• Printable Buy 1 Get 1 FREE coupon on Ziploc Big Bags
• Printable $2 off coupon on Soleil Razor or Cartridge Refills
• Printable 25¢ off coupon on Bar-S products
• Printable $1 off coupon on Wish-Bone Bountifuls
• Printable $7.50 off coupon on Eucerin Redness Relief Anti Aging Serum & ANY 1 Redness Relief Moisturizer
• Printable $4 off coupon on Eucerin Redness Relief Moisturizer
• Printable $3 off coupon Nature’s Made SAM-e Product
• Printable $3 off coupon on Fresh Pet Select Dog Food
• Printable $3 off coupon on Deli Fresh Dog Food
• Printable $3 off coupon on ameal bp® product / Redeem at Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy, Longs Drugs, or Raley’s
• Printable $2 off coupon on Sudacare Vapor product
• Printable $2 off coupon on RID product
• Printable $2 off coupon on EUCERIN REDNESS RELIEF SOOTHING CLEANSER
• Printable $2 off coupon on Bayer Heart Advantage product
• Printable $2 off coupon on Citracal product
• Printable coupon offers for various health conditions from Health Care Products
• Printable money saving coupon offers from Bausch & Lomb products
• Printable Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Coupon for O’Charley’s Dressings
• Bob Evans: Printable coupon for a FREE Kid’s Meal & Drink (Exp 10/15/08)
• Printable $1 off coupon on Nature’s Bounty products
• Printable $1 off coupon on Windex products
• Printable coupon for Buy 1 Get 1 Free Glade PlugIns Gel Warmer product
• Printable coupon for $1 off 5 Weight Watchers Smart Ones Product
• Printable $2 off coupon on ANY Triaminic product
• Printable $2 off coupon on Dimetapp product
• Printable $2 off Veet coupon
• Taco Johns: Printable coupon for a FREE Cini Sopapilla w/ a purchase of $5 or more (Exp 11/23/08)
• Rite Aid: Printable coupon for 25 FREE Digital Prints (Exp 12/31/08)
• Home Depot: Printable coupon for Buy One Shrub Get One for Half Price (Exp 10/1/08)
• Home Depot: Printable 20% off coupon on Scott’s Lawn Care (Exp 10/1/08)
• Lane Bryant: Printable $25 off $75, $50 off $150 or $75 off $225 coupon (Exp 10/7/08)
• Printable $10 off coupon on Alli product
• Printable $1 off coupon on Nestle Candy
• Printable $1 off coupon on Any Soy-Free Rice® Product
• 7 Eleven: Printable coupon for FREE 2.07 oz pkg of Starburst w/ a 22 oz. Slurpee purchase (Exp 10/15/08)
• Printable $3 off coupon on 5 SOYJOY Bars
• Printable Simple Green money saving coupons
• Printable Blue Bunny Ice Cream product coupons
• Printable $1 off 2 coupon on Easy Mac products
• Printable $3 off coupon on Preparation H Medicine

free hobby lobby printable coupon17 May 2008 by nospam@example.com (Stephanie)
if you like crafts, scrapbooking, or have other hobbies, be sure to take advantage of the printable 40% off coupon you can get from the hobby lobby website. and if your craft store accepts competitors’ coupons, this is an easy way to ..

Best Western Esperia Palace Hotel Athens,Best Western Dakota Ridge

The newly renovated (Completed in January 2008) Best Western Dakota Ridge Hotel in Eagan, Minnesota is located only minutes southeast of the Minneapolis St.

The Outer Hebrides/Western Isles of Scotland are an archipelago of such isles and islets with marvelous countryside and picturesque beaches. Possibly the prettiest of areas is Harris.

Best Western International, Inc claims to be the world’s largest hotel chain, … Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free Wi-Fi access …

The 10 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicles

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new fuel economy sticker can be found on all new vehicles for sale, giving customers a quick way to compare models before making a purchase. The following photos show the most fuel-efficient 2008 model year vehicles, as determined by the EPA.
 

The Toyota Prius Hybrid
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Midsize Car

Fuel Economy
City: 48 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg

Fuel Cost:
25 Miles: $1.62
Per Year: $970

Annual Carbon Output:
4.0 tons

The Honda Civic Hybrid
No. 2 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Compact Car

Fuel Economy
City: 40 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg

Fuel Cost:
25 Miles: $1.77
Per Year: $1,064

Annual Carbon Output:
4.4 tons

The Nissan Altima Hybrid
No. 3 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle

Fuel Economy
City: 35 mpg
Highway: 33 mpg

Fuel Cost:
25 Miles: $2.19
Per Year: $1,314

Annual Carbon Output:
5.4 tons

Read more…

A Look At The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

The world has been programmed to see larger vehicles as gas guzzlers. Large pickup trucks, motor homes, and SUVs have always been looked at as being bad for the environment and bad on gas mileage. With word that the major automobile manufacturers of the world were contemplating adding hybrid technology to sport utility vehicles, many have looked forward to the first large size vehicle to stand out from the crowd and be fuel efficient and easier on the environment.

Chevrolet was the first company to get a hybrid sport utility vehicle on the market, beating all others in this race to give the public what they wanted. The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is the vehicle that those concerned with both fuel efficiency and environmental concerns have been waiting for. The Green Car Journal, one of the more noted environmental publications, has named the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid as the Green Car of the Year. Usually new technology or new models require a year or two on the market for them to work out the kinks before acquiring such valuable awards as this.

This hybrid sport utility vehicle is available in both two wheel drive and four wheel drive varieties. Years ago it would’ve been unheard of to think of a four wheel drive SUV that embraced and made use of hybrid technology. The hybrid version of the 2008 Tahoe also comes through with relatively the same amount of power and SUV capability as the regular version, but with more efficiency than previously thought possible in a sport utility vehicle.

The hybrid propulsion system of the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is designed to operate in three different ways. It can be operated under electric power, full engine power, or a combination of electric and engine power that offers new levels of efficiency without sacrificing any of attributes that people looking for SUVs insist on their vehicles having. The vehicle has the capability of painlessly utilizing its Vortec V8 when it is needed and also operate efficiently off of its two small 60kW motors that provide more than enough power to get most jobs done.

The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid also offers another bonus. Using what Chevy refers to as its Active Fuel Management system, the Tahoe Hybrid can see up 50% better city fuel economy results than that of the non-hybrid model Tahoe.

When you combine the massive fuel efficiency with the versatility of running on straight engine power, full electric power, or a combination of both without losing any of features drivers demand from an SUV, it is easy to see why there is so much interest in the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. It will be interesting to see what features large hybrid vehicles come with in the future.

Ufc 84 Tickets,Shootin’ With Steve Volume 3

TicketLiquidator has a wide selection of Ufc 84 tickets at lower prices than the competition. More Tickets. Better Service. Lower Prices.

TicketLiquidator has a wide selection of UFC tickets at lower prices than the competition. Get UFC 83 tickets, UFC 84 tickets UFC 85 tickets and other MMA …

He sells tickets and PPV’s but he doesn’t have what it takes to be a top teir fighter anymore and the more losses he racks up, the less popular he’ll become. That’s the point the UFC made by not caving into his monetary demands. …

UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena is sold out for this Saturday, May 24, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

However, our friend “Mr. Sunshine” Steve Cofield over at ESPN Radio 1100 wants us to pass along news that he’ll be giving away tickets, as well as closed circuit tickets and other swag, during his radio show this Wednesday at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria from 1 to 3 p.m. local time.

UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin will also be on hand to talk with fans and sign autographs.

Up until about four minutes ago, I never knew there was a Grimaldi’s outside of Hoboken, N.J., and the few scattered throughout New York. It’s fantastic brick oven pizza — some of the best (that says a lot for the tri-state area).

Anyway, Las Vegas residents and guests enjoy … Cofield’s show ain’t too shabby, either.

Sounds like a great time. If you’re in “Sin City” on Wednesday, May 21, definitely head over to Grimaldi’s for some good pizza and great mixed martial arts coverage.

Who knows … you might even win some seats to watch B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk beat each other up.

For more information and details on the event click here. For directions to the restaurant click here.

Post Synidcated from:

UFC 84 Predictions

Welcome to the return edition of Shootin’ With Steve on FullMetalWrestling.Com. In this column, I’ll be covering MMA happenings, including predictions for upcoming events, which you’ll actually find in this exact column. I’ll also cover wrestling when something interesting catches my eye.

But first up will be my predictions and analysis for UFC 84. I cover the three main events in depth and then give a brief analysis of the other fights on the card. My main analysis are structured like this. I first give some background on the fight and then an analysis of each of the fighters, their keys to victory, and what I think their strategy should be. I finish up with my prediction on how the fight will play out.

10 Recommended Toys for Gifted Children

Rearing children is complicated business, but gifted children pose even more challenges. Those who are advanced in their development are often more emotional than the average child and also grow easily bored with toys and games which they have outgrown.Some parents make the mistake of treating their smart kids like tiny adults. Children are not adults, of course, and even the gifted ones need to play every day. Playtime is how children learn about themselves and the world around them. For more on this topic, I highly recommend the book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards by Kathy-Hirsh Pasek.

If you need some toy ideas for your little brainiac, try the following:

Imaginative Play

• Playhouses – Both Step 2 and Playskool design affordable playhouses that will capture your bright child’s active imagination. From just a simple play kitchen to a full-fledged outdoor structure, this type of toy offers open-ended playtime for children whose mind has no limits.
• Puppets – Puppetry offers many benefits, as the art form is both fun and helps to develop social skills. Advanced children can really harness the full potential of puppetry because they will understand the process of acting through the puppets. Melissa & Doug produce high-quality puppets and puppet theaters at an affordable price
• Art Supplies – A gifted child is a creative child and you should definitely be encouraging expression through art. From crayons to more advanced media, artwork should keep your smart one busy for a long time.

Construction Toys

• LEGOs – This classic toy from Denmark is as popular as ever, offering open-ended fun for children of all ages. From early building with Duplo blocks to the more advanced LEGO robotics, playing with these toys will foster a bright child’s imagination and eye-hand coordination.
• Rokenbok – If you have a particularly gifted builder who is growing tired of his or her LEGOs, you might want to give Rokenbok a try. This educational system of construction toys combines remote control technology with the open-ended fun of a classic building toy. Every set is compatible with the next, allowing you to expand your Rokenbok community over time.
• Capsela – Capsela toys are motorized building kits that will teach your children all about physics and how machines really operate inside. The body of these kits are mainly comprised of clear capsules which reveal engines and servos, demonstrating how and why the toys move a certain way.
• K’NEX – Known as “the world’s most creative construction toy,” K’NEX combines the creativity of LEGOs with the challenging aspects of Rokenbok or Erector sets. From working vehicles to giant roller coasters, the possibilities are endless with K’NEX. The company even offers lesson plans that you can integrate with your building, which should be perfect for your advanced child.

Brainteasers

• Rubik’s Cube - Yes, you can still find this 1980’s sensation in stores. It is also just as challenging as you remember and could be a great way to keep your gifted child occupied on long car trips. There is a whole community of Rubik’s cube enthusiasts who are dedicated to learning more about this mind-bending puzzle.
• Jigsaw Puzzles – There are jigsaw puzzles suited for children of all ages and skill levels, so all you need to do is find the right niche for your brainy child. Whether it is fun, oversized puzzles of licensed characters or intricate landscapes, this toy should appeal to advanced children everywhere.
• Wooden Labyrinth – Since 1947, the movable wooden labyrinth has entertained children of all ages. A marble is placed in the labyrinth and it is up to you to control where the marble rolls by moving the board with knobs. Find the toy at any major toy retailer and your child will be both entertained and challenged.

April Recommended Reading

Some excellent reading this month. I also started a number of books that I couldn’t finish. The authors of the books I couldn’t finish seemed to have no sense of pacing. They wrote beautiful chapters, but the chapters didn’t make me want to read the next chapter. It was strange and a bit discouraging. Good thing I found all this other wonderful stuff.

Balogh, Mary, Simply Perfect, Delacorte Press, 2008. I have loved Mary Balogh’s romances since I first read a novella of hers in the early 1990s. The novella sent me searching for her novels, which I read as fast as I could. Simply Perfect is her latest release, an excellent book that I had trouble putting down.

It’s one of her best. On page 102, she drops a bombshell so stunning that it changes the meaning of every word one character uttered up to that point. The writer in me wanted to go back and reread that opening to see how she’d done it, but the reader won out. I devoured the rest of the book in one sitting, thrilled to be in the hands of a master.

Brande, Robin, Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature, Knopf, 2007. A first novel that’s funny, charming, and impossible to put down. Its heroine, a high school student, has been thrown out of her church for her actions in defense of a boy. The novel starts as the school year starts, in science class with several members of the church protesting—you got it—evolution. Somehow Robin manages to maintain an even balance between hot button issues—creationism and evolution—while writing a strong YA novel. She’s a writer to watch.

Cordery, Stacy A., Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker, Viking, 2007. For years, I’d heard about Alice Roosevelt Longworth. She died in 1981, and even then I’d known about her position as THE hostess in Washington, D.C. As the years progressed, I’d heard more about Alice, as people called her, but I could never find a good biography of her.

Alice is a good biography, although not a great one. I wanted more on Alice Roosevelt Longworth’s years as a Washington power broker (the 1940s to 1970s), but the book mostly focuses on her years as the First Daughter (for those who are confused, she’s Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest child), her marriage to Speaker of the House, Nick Longworth, and her affair with Idaho’s most powerful Senator William Borah. All interesting juicy stuff—she is, perhaps, the first modern feminist—but the last decades of her life get short shrift here.

Still, it’s hard to write an excellent biography of someone so interesting and touch on everything. The book is about 600 pages long as it is—to add what I want would have taken another 200 pages minimum.

I did enjoy the volume, however. It’s well written, which is unusual in biographies. The writing is up to the subject, which is also unusual.

If you’re at all interested in one of American’s great women, read this book. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, for all her pedigree, was always on the wrong side of history—backing the wrong candidates, and taking what turned out to be the wrong position—but she still manages to be someone whom, even now, we can’t ignore.

Deaver, Jeffrey, “Afraid,” More Twisted, Pocket Books edition, December 2007. Deaver has set himself a tough task with me. I love his short stories, but almost all of them rely on a twist. Now that I know that, I’m usually ahead of his twists. But I wasn’t here. The story scared me, shocked me, and surprised me, which I wouldn’t have believed possible.

Deaver, Jeffrey, “Afterward to Afraid,” More Twisted, Pocket Books edition, December 2007. Deaver analyzes the story, “Afraid,” from a writer’s perspective, examining how to create fear and suspense in a short story (and in a novel). Every writer who wants to better herself should look at both the story and the essay.

Deaver, Jeffrey, “Locard’s Principle,” More Twisted, Pocket Books edition, December 2007. I love Deaver’s hero, Lincoln Rhyme, and this is a Lincoln Rhyme short story. Sometimes, writers who take their novel heroes into the short form fail miserably, but Deaver didn’t fail here. The story is a great introduction to Lincoln Rhyme—and it’s a strong story to boot.

Gardner, James Alan, “The Ray-Gun: A Love Story,” Asimov’s, February, 2008. A intriguing science fiction story that manages to surprise all the way through. Its ending is warm and touching, yet also made me smile.

Langer, Elinor, “Famous are the Flowers: Hawaiian Resistance Then—and Now,” The Nation, April 28, 2008. Lately it seems that the political magazine, The Nation, contains as much about history as it does about current events. The history here, on the annexation of Hawaii, seemed, on the surface, familiar to me. But as I read, I realized I knew almost nothing about it. What I did know came from James Michner’s novel Hawaii (very big when I was young) and (I kid you not) Magnum P.I. While that example shows the power fiction has in imparting information (and a point of view—different from Michner to Magnum), it doesn’t say much for my history degree. I did have a class in U.S. imperialism. I checked my bookshelf; nothing at all on Hawaii, even though the class covered the years of Hawaii’s annexation. (And it was an annexation; I checked some of the information in the article in books I’ve bought since college, and found enough to show that the article is accurate.)

Fascinating stuff here, both for the science fiction writer in me, and for the historian in me. Lots of cultural change (which both appreciate), a great deal of examination of the goods and bads of U.S. history, and the effect its having now. I have no opinion on Hawaii’s status as a state now; I haven’t even traveled there. But Langer’s article makes me want to see Hawaii for myself and study its history.

Sometimes it seems to me—particularly in an election year—that we on the mainland forget Hawaii. When I watch returns as I do for all of the primaries, I noted that Hawaii’s got short shrift, not just in the campaigning, but in the coverage as well. The time difference from the East Coast is almost insurmountable. I can’t imagine what kind of programming they get. On the West Coast, watching network news is a bit of a joke, since they’re three hours ahead of us, and often miss important stories in the taping. I can’t imagine what it’s like to watch network news in Hawaii.

When I grew up, all things Hawaiian were the rage because Hawaii became a state the year before I was born. The rage lasted until about 1970 or so. Now we rarely discuss the state—even out here on the Pacific Coast. (And folks from my home town often move to Hawaii for the weather or vice versa: we seem to have some sort of reciprocal arrangement with the island.) It was nice to have the state and its unique history brought to my attention. The article’s bibliography will put several books on my “to read” pile.

Lashner, William, Marked Man, Harper paperback edition, 2007. Lashner writes very witty legal thrillers. The voice in these books is so strong that I often read lines aloud to anyone who is nearby. The characters are great and the setting superb. (You should see his send-up of L.A. in toward the end of this book. It’s lovely.) The plots wrap, which is good, but that’s not why I read Lashner. I read him for the human insight, plain and simple. And for his writing which is tremendous.

Lerner, Edward M., “Inside the Box,” Asimov’s, February, 2008. A very short story about Schrödinger’s Cat, the thought experiment, not the cat itself. The story holds together—which is amazing, considering that he’s trying to illustrate the thought experiment—and has a very good point.

Mamet, David, “Helpful Hints on Writing a Screenplay,” Bambi vs. Godzilla, Patheon, 2007. In reality, this essay should be called “Helpful Hints on Storytelling,” but since BVG is a book on Hollywood, Mamet focused on storytelling as its done in screenplays. This little essay (by no means his last word on writing in this volume) contains a nifty mini-essay inside of it, on the need and purpose in the human animal for stories. That analysis alone makes this essay worth reading.

Mamet, David, “An Understanding and A Misunderstanding of a Repressive Method,” Bambi vs. Godzilla, Patheon, 2007. A nice short essay on the reasons why audience testing doesn’t work for the movies. If you extend the analysis, the same reasons explain why critics often miss the best entertainment films/books/television.

Resnick, Mike, “Alastair Baffle’s Emporium of Wonders,” Asimov’s, January, 2008. As you can probably tell from the title, this story belongs to that subset of fantasy stories called the magic shop story. Seventy-eight years before, two 12-year-old boys meet in Alastair Baffle’s. They become lifelong friends. Just before they die, they try to find the story again—and because this is a fantasy story, they do, and the shop has the same proprietor. What happens next is a wonderful reflection on life, aging, and the importance of magic. Resnick is a master at the short form, and he shows it again here.

Robinson, Peter, Friend of the Devil, William Morrow, 2008. I love Peter Robinson’s mystery novels. I started with In A Dry Season, then found the first book in the Inspector Banks series and worked my way forward. Unlike so many series authors, Robinson’s work holds up from the beginning. He has gotten better, but his early works are still good reads.

Friend of the Devil does bounce off a previous book, but I think you can read the new novel without it. Friend of the Devil takes two cases and brings them together in a clever way, but just as important to me, the series reader, is the arc for Annie Cabot, Inspector Banks’ old partner. I’m as concerned about her as Banks is, which is a neat effect—and tells you just how well Robinson’s characters live and breathe on the page.

Roggie, Deborah, “The Mushroom Duchess,” The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2006, edited by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin Grant, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007. I didn’t want to like this story. It’s a fable and I think most modern fables are poorly told. But this one isn’t. I liked the twists. Even the mushroom details were fun.

Sherman, Delia, “Walpurgis Afternoon,” The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2006, Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin Grant, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007. I got behind on my year’s best reading with my trip to Europe last fall, and only got to this volume a week or so ago. The book opens with this story, and it’s just plain charming. It’s about small communities and prejudice and all kinds of deep stuff, but handled in a light-hearted manner. Nice opening to a very thick book. Recommended.

Silverberg, Robert, “Reflections: Aladdin’s Cave,” Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, January, 2008. An unintentional companion piece to the Resnick story in the same issue, only Bob is writing nonfiction here. He reminesces about one of those once-in-a-lifetime bookstores, where he found great treasure that changed his life. A magical memory, recorded in a lovely essay.

Vanity Fair, March, 2008. My very favorite magazine was Premiere, which I read from its first issue to its last one about a year ago. Premiere covered the movies from the upcoming crop to the very first films. Its film history articles were wonderful, and its gossip pages were charming. I miss it. So when I opened “The Hollywood Issue,” about a week ago, I was stunned to find that for one issue, Vanity Fair, achieved about half of what Premiere used to do. And that was good enough for me. I enjoyed everything I read in the issue (and that was most of it). I don’t want Vanity Fair to do this every issue (I want Premiere back instead), but if this is how they handle films once a year, well, then viva la March issue!

Waldrop, Howard, “The Horse of a Different Color (That You Rode in On),” The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2006, edited by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin Grant, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007. Howard Waldrop is one of sf/f’s treasures. He doesn’t write enough and when he does, the story is always worth reading. This is minor Waldrop, which is to say it’s better than 99% of anything else you’ll read this year. Find it. Enjoy.

Walker, Jerald, “Dragon Slayers,” The Best American Essays 2007, edited by David Foster Wallace, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. Walker’s essay is a profound examination of the way that we view ourselves and others, and the expectations we bring to our interactions with other people. While it is, at its heart, a reflection on racism, the essay also touches on writing as well. I’ve been thinking about this essay ever since I read it, which is the strongest recommendation I can give to an essay. Excellent.

10 Recommended Recommendation Engines

Alex Iskold just posted Rethinking Recommendation Engines, a product type that we here at ReadWriteWeb have explored a lot over the past year or so. In this follow-up post, we present 10 recommendation engines that we like. And we don’t include the obvious ones, such as Amazon, Netflix, last.fm, Pandora. So it’s not a ‘top 10′, don’t panic. We invite you to add your favorites in the comments.

Recommendation engines were included in our toolkit for 2008: What’s Next on the Web. Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote that “the future is likely to be even more swamped in data, social and content options than the web is today. From Google Reader’s recent incorporation of both feed recommendations and shared items in Reader from your contacts in GMail to the ascendancy of services like Last.fm, Pandora and StumbleUpon – recommendation is beginning to make a big splash already.”

Without further ado, here are our 10 picks, compiled from previous ReadWriteWeb posts:

MyStrands

How do you navigate a nearly infinite world of digital data to find the best content for your tastes and needs? Our collective answer to this question is in its infancy, but Oregon based recommendation service MyStrands has raised a whopping $55 million to build on the existing science of recommendation. Definitely the dark horse of the recommendation engines – one to watch.

MatchMine

MatchMine, a Massachusetts company building a cross-platform media recommendation engine, received a $10 million investment from The Kraft Group. The company released an early product called MyMovieMatch in July. See RIA expert Ryan Stewart’s review of the original product for background from this summer.

Zync

Zync, a Massachusetts-based startup, operates a local event recommendation engine based around the city of Boston. The site currently lists 30,000 events across 20,000 venues. And even though it only has 355 users, they have amassed almost 9500 ratings.

According to Zync, their recommendation technology uses patent-pending algorithms to recommend events, activities, and restaurants to users based on the input of other, like-minded people. Theoretically, as with any peer recommendation system, this one would get better and more accurate the more people use it.

SeeqPod

The team behind SeeqPod, a music search and recommendation engine, believes strongly in what they call “playable search.” SeeqPod trawls the web, indexing all the music files it finds, and then offers them for playback direct from that location. The company knows that because they are not hosting any music files, but are merely offering links to them, they can neatly sidestep copyright and legal concerns.

Scouta

Scouta is a web app that provides you with media recommendations, based on preferences and interests you display by your selections within the application. If that sounds complicated, think Pandora, but for all media on the web (including media available outside the US). Or think Last.FM without the fuss about neighbors. To be honest, neither of those comparisons is quite right either. It’s more like YouTube, except all the side column content is actually interesting to you.

TuneExplorer

Music recommendation and discovery engines are hot stuff but what if you could use some of the same juju to better organize the music you already have in your collection? The newly launched Veenix TuneExplorer for Mac does just that. By looking at qualities the company says include “pitch values, pitch variance, fundamental strengths, and a host of other sonic qualities” – the program acts like Pandora within your music collection.

TheFilter

The Filter, a social music recommendation service backed by rock star Peter Gabriel, has released a new version of their software – featuring an improved user interface, a Facebook app and a partnership with Nokia. The Filter is a “playlist creation suite” for iTunes, iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. It works across Windows and Macintosh and it basically allows you to build playlists from the music stored on your PC, Mac, iPod or Nokia mobile phone.

The Filter’s user base is reported to be growing at 25,000 a month. The engine can identify 5 million songs, 4.5m of which have clips (short samples). The Filter works by using Bayesian mathematics and it was developed by physicist Martin Hopkins.

Criticker

Born out of a closet dislike for “Shrek 2,” Criticker is a new movie review community and recommendation engine that aims to match users with like-minded individuals who share the same cinematic taste. Once you’ve rated 10 movies at Criticker it begins to form what they call a Taste Compatibility Index (TCI) that matches you up with not only other users, but also professional reviewers who share your taste in movies (though, we found that site really doesn’t start delivering usable results until you’ve rated around 50 flicks).

FeedEachOther

FeedEachother is an RSS Reader built by a former developer from Yahoo! Answers and another now at craft social network Etsy. The interface will feel very familiar to anyone who uses Facebook or Google Reader. The service does a good job of communicating for novice users while offering a feature set that power users will really like.

FeedEachOther recommends feeds “similar” to the ones you’re subscribed to. Recommendation engines are a key way to leverage the network effect of distributed nodes of knowledge – ala social apps online. Big value there for discovery of high value information sources.

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a “personalized content discovery” service, which has grown very popular on the Web. Its main feature is serendipity, finding new webpages by clicking through from other pages ’stumbled’ by users. The app is now owned by eBay and it’s unknown what they might do with StumbleUpon, but recommending new items to buy might be on the cards.

Conclusion