http://apps.soe.ucsc.edu/elkaim/archives/2004_02.html

Gabriel Hugh Elkaim, an Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of California at Santa Cruz has posted this blog called Robotica Exotica. This fun webpage contains "musings about robots, autonomous vehicles, and technology." Entries are posted frequently and previous months are kept in an online archive. Recent entries include a bit titled "Educational Robot comes packed with Features" and another on "Cool Underwater ROV." [VF]

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040529/mathtrek.asp

Science News has posted this article about playing PIG -- a dice game you may have seen at the game store. The goal is to be the first player to roll a total of 100 points, but the rules add a little complexity. According to the article, some of the subtleties of the game "got computer scientist Todd W. Neller of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania to analyze the two-player game in detail and find a strategy for true optimal play." The article includes a link to his analysis results, which are posted on the UMAP Journal webpage. [VF]

http://www.spamhaus.org/

The Spamhaus Project is a non-profit organization in Britain that works "to protect the internet networks worldwide." The project tracks the Internet's Spammers, Spam Gangs and Spam Services and "provides dependable realtime anti-spam protection for Internet networks, and works with Law Enforcement to identify and pursue spammers worldwide." The website also includes a definition of spam and news articles on spam around the world. Statistics are posted of the top 10 spam countries, the top 10 worst spam ISPs, and the top 10 ROKSO spammers, updated monthly. [VF]

http://www.omsi.edu/visit/physics/engineerit/

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry offers this website called Engineer It. The website complements an exhibit which lets you "use the same steps as an engineer to design boats, build bridges, windmills, and airplanes and then test their performance in water tanks, shake tables, and wind tunnels." The website offers activities and online games relating to wind, water, and structural engineering. Also available are links to other fun websites and an article on What is an Engineer. [VF]

http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/index.php

Search Engine Watch was created by Danny Sullivan, an Internet consultant and journalist, and is hosted by internet.com. The organization offers analysis of search engines and assistance "to site owners trying to improve their ability to be found in search engines." This section of their website provides tips on using search engines and "some fun facts such as what people search for on search engines." A few articles talk about the behind-the-scenes workings of search engines while others provide key terms to use in searches. More importantly, if you don’t know how to say search engine in Czech, French or Icelandic, you can learn how from this website. [VF]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/education/factsfun/fun6-8.htm

The U.S. Office of Human Resources Federal Highway Administration offers this website with some fun facts about transportation in the U.S. For example, did you know there are more than 160,000 traffic signals or that Americans spend more than 1.6 million hours a day stuck in traffic? Or have you ever wanted to calculate the latitude and longitude of two places and then the distance between them as the crow flies? From this website you can make these calculations using data from the U.S. Census and a supplementary list of cities around the world. Also provided is a link to a Library of Congress website that offers Photographs from the World’s Transportation Commission 1894-1896. [VF]