Google, I'm going to give you an idea. I won't even charge you the normal consulting fee you pay when you ask me for ideas. This one's on the house. I like how I can get directions from one point to another and I like how I can search an area of the map or a zip code for businesses, but sometimes I want to use those two together. Sometimes I want to see all the places to eat that are on the way from point A to point B. I don't want to wander very far from my route. Businesses that are just off of the highway are ideal. My route might take me through several zip codes, so the normal business search doesn't narrow the results down enough. I think Mapquest used to try to show hotels that were along a route. Anyway, Google, I'm giving you permission to use this idea for free.

Tangramz! is a puzzle game where you have to put together those tanagram things you did in elementary school. The cool part is you are going head to head with someone else. Don't worry if they finish before you, you can still keep going to get points.

Hat tip to Random Good Stuff

I was already planning on posting this tip, but it's also relevant to Dave's question. He's right, Firefox's method for searching within a page is very nice. You type cmd+F (or ctrl+F on Windows) and a little bar appears at the bottom of the page. In Camino, as in most browsers, the search window appears on top of the page, sometimes getting in the way.

But instead of using cmd+F, try tapping the / key. They just start typing your search term. It will be found as you type. If the highlighted word is not what you want, push cmd+G to find the next instance. Even more useful: Tap the ' (single quote key) and you can find as you type, only this way your search is limited to links on the page. As soon as the link you want is highlighted, just press enter and you follow the link. Both of these tips work on Firefox and Camino.

This provides another way to keep my hands on the keyboard, which I can operate more quickly and comfortably than a mouse. It would be even better if I could use cmd+Enter to open the link in a new tab. That works in Firefox but not Camino.

Update: This bug was first reported for Camino in 2002. Holy crap, can it be that hard to fix?

I saw Bridge to Terabithia about a month ago at the dollar theater, not long after seeing The Last Mimzy. Again, here is another movie that is best seen by older kids, but this one's a little bit more about growing up than about fantasy (contrary to how the commercials showed a lot of the fantastical images and little story). The movie is about two kids who become friends when they're not really accepted socially at school. They spend a lot of time in the forest near their homes and create an imaginary world called Terabithia, where they battle evil beasts and admire their beautiful kingdom. Of course, if you read the book, you know that, while splashed with these fun and creative images, it's still a pretty serious story with an unexpected turn towards the end.

I loved both of the kid actors in this movie. Josh Hutcherson plays Jesse, the only boy in a family of small means, who gets picked on at school for wearing his hand-me-down girl's shoes. AnnaSophia Robb plays Leslie, a young girl whose creative nature tends to alienate her from the other kids. Both kids provide the other with the type of friend they need, and both actors portray their characters perfectly. Hutcherson is incredibly sincere in his role, and Robb shines with her liveliness. The two are a perfect pair for this movie.

Other great kid roles are played by Bailee Madison as Jesse's little sister, and Lauren Clinton as the perfect vision of a female bully. Robert Patrick and Zooey Deschanel round out the cast, providing us with a great father-son dynamic (Jesse is always trying to please his dad, who's stressed out about money) and a teacher who brings out the creative side in Jesse. I like how Deschanel always manages to find roles with a bit of singing. I wonder how realistic it was for her to be teaching a classroom of kids to sing "Why Can't We Be Friends?" Haha.

My only qualms with Bridge to Terabithia came when the kids discussed the existence of God and heaven, which seemed a little bit out of place. If this conversation took place in the book, I hope it fit in more than it did here. Unfortunately, in this instance, I think the scene could have been edited out and left the audience feeling more comfortable (especially parents who might be looking to show their kids a good story without having to have theological discussions).

Anyway, I got into the characters of this movie and the stories of their relationships. Jesse has a lot on his plate with school, his sisters, Leslie, and his father, and in just an hour and a half, the movie manages to capture a lot in his character. The mixture of emotions at the ending was handled very well. It's been a long time since I read the book, but from what I remember of it, I think this was a good adaptation, or at least a strong addition to the genre of older kids' movies. I really enjoyed it.

Since Jericho was the clear winner of the season finale poll, beating out Lost by about a hundred votes, I've picked a new poll. Since this summer seems to be the summer of threes (Spiderman, Pirates, Shrek) I figured we should vote on our favorite number three. Note that these aren't necessarily movies from trilogies. Feel free to add your own choices. I'm guessing we're going to see a battle between Star Wars and LOTR fans, but as far as that goes, I'm in agreement with Dante. All Jedi had was a bunch of Muppets.

Sad news:

It is with deep sadness that we regret to inform you of the passing of Don Herbert - the one and only "Mr. Wizard". Don lost his battle with cancer today, June 12, 2007, at 9 AM - slightly more than one month shy of his 90th birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family, who are at once, saddened by his passing, and relieved that he is no longer suffering.

We all feel lucky to have known and worked with Don and we have been honored to carry on his legacy as an original and truly legendary figure in the worlds of both Television and Science Education. He has been inspirational and influential in so many ways and on so many lives and we are comforted in the fact that his ground breaking work and legacy will continue to inspire many more people for years to come.

I loved watching Mr. Wizard's world on Nickelodeon in the morning before school. It's what made science the least bit interesting to me. I'm sure I'm not the only one. They actually sell the Nickelodeon show along with his older show at his website. It sounds to me like the guy lived a long and meaningful life. Here's to you, Mr. Wizard.