the Pitch and Pick Issue

Test your Tone-Deafness
This UMass medical student came up with an accurate on-line test for screening subjects for Tone-Deafness while studying at the Music and Neuroimaging Lab at Beth Israel/Harvard Medical School
Web Time: 7 min
Notes: needs speakers

The Locksport International Guide to Lock Picking
As a truly democratic blog, I like to offer guidance to the good citizens and the hooligans alike. This handy visual guide will take you through the anatomy of locks, the tools you'll need to pick them and even how to make some of those tools yourself.
Web Time: 3 mins to review
Notes: Guide available in PDF format and HTML

Another Music Issue

Pandora
Started by the Music Genome Project, this site takes your favorite music and plays compatible based upon it. It does this through studying beat rates and tempo, mood, harmony and slight editorial input from those archiving it. I've gone to the site twice now and both times, the first thing it played were Leonard Cohen songs, so it seems to somehow detect your preferences off the bat (perhaps through iTunes). Otherwise - just enter one of your favorite artists.
Web Time: 4 mins
Notes: Needs Speakers

Musicovery
A programmable (don't be scared) internet radio station (don't be bored) that plays music based more on mood than genre.
Web Time: 3 mins
Notes: Needs Speakers and Flash

Drop Kick The Faint
A website for the punk band, The Faint, this game lets you take out your aggression. Run (spacebar) and when the moment is right, kick (spacebar again) the lead singer as far into the parking lot as you can.
Web Time: 3 mins
Notes: Starts with loud music (can be turned off). Requires Flash. Doesn't seem to work in firefox on Mac too well.

Bonus Media Link:
Submarine Channel's Music Video Archive

A World Issue

Hi All.
I'm sorry that I have not Kooked for the past couple of days, but it is because I am busy working on what can best be described as The Daily Kook 2.0
Due to launch soon it will be based on the idea that each issue provides 10 minutes of enjoyable, informative, or entertaining web surfing. Please feel free to give any feedback, as the posting below closely reflects what the new format will be.

Their Circular Life
5 scenes from Italy in which you control the time of day.
Web Time: 2 Mins.
Notes: Requires Flash

From the LinkDonkey Blog
A photographic documentation of the world's highest railroad in Tibet.
Web Time: 2 Mins

Where's Waldo
The online version of that damn book.
Web Time: 2 Mins or bust.

Worldwide Faux Pas
Look for etiquette explained by region at the bottom.
Web Time: 4 mins

Another Art Issue

Drawing Lessons from Drawsapce.com
Sketch Swap
Drawbot

Media Link of the Day:
Sand Art

The World Issue

The New 7 Wonders of the World
The Fresh Logic Atlas (an all in one)
Iraqi Sandstorm (pics)

Media link of the Day:
The Miniature Earth

List of Unusual Deaths
Elastic Enthusiastic
Barcode Yourself

Media Link of the Day:
Yellow

"A Year on Earth" Promotional Issue

Some of you may know that I spent about a year and a half between 2004 and 2005 working on a documentary film. Well, it's finally hitting the airways starting on Discovery Kids on 12/3 at 5pm and 9pm (soon to move over to Animal Planet and Discovery HD).

*Note - I know that you might not typically be able to check out the media link due to lack of time or noise at work, but today's peice was personally edited by your's truly. So please check it out when you have a chance.

The EarthWatch Institute's "A Year on Earth" Site
Discovery Kid's "A Year on Earth" Fan Site
Earthwatch Expeditions - Travel the world and help save it at the same time

Media Link of the Day:
"Yellow Butta Sunshine" by Pop Music Video for "A Year on Earth"
...Also found on Youtube

Love the Internet Issue

Media Fire - Upload Files of ANY Size for Others to Access (and no sigh-up)
Ms. Dewey - Putting a Face to Internet Searching
Online Drawing Application - From Cumulate Labs

Bonus Link:
Print Planner Pages - From Organized Home

Media Link of the Day:
Love the Internet

Time for a Beer Issue

Late today, sorry...but just in time for happy hour...

The Funky Games at Stella Artois
Make Your Own Beer Label at Brewtopia
Find The Nearest Happy Hour at Unthirsty

Media Link of the Day:
The human Domino Effect

A Welcome Back Music Issue

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Here's some music related links to ease you back into the "swing" of things.

Pjotro's Musical Suit
Tourfilter - who's playing in your 'hood
Stairway Interpreted

Media Link of the Day:
From the movie "I'm Your Man"
Rufus Wainwright: Chelsea Hotel #2

Hiatus

Sorry folks - The Kook (and your mailbox) is on hiatus for the next week.

Happy Thanksgiving.
-j.

The Science Issue

Psychology & Genetics: The Face Research Lab
Intellect & Design: Da Vinci's 10 Best Ideas
Physics & Imaging: Redlake Video Gallery

Media Link of the Day:
That Amazing Honda Commercial Utilizing Physics and Consequence


Bonus Environmentalist Media Link:
A Video Portrait of E.O. Wilson

The Kiss and Tell Issue pt 2

The Philosophy of Sex - a take from the celebs
Fish Kiss Body Art
Forbes: The Benefits of Sex

Media Link of the Day:
The Kiss

The Kiss and Tell Issue pt 2

The Philosophy of Sex - a take from the celebs
Fish Kiss Body Art
Forbes: The Benefits of Sex

Media Link of the Day:
The Kiss

The Kiss and Tell Issue (pt 1.)

Hello - no it's not that I forgot to send out The Kook today...um...it's just that I thought this issue would be best distributed after the sun goes down.

Where I Had My First Kiss...mapping the world's early romance
The Axe Feather
Borat's Top 10 Tips for Sexy Time

Media Note of the Day:
For those who just can't get enough of it - my wife and I are getting married again in reruns this week.

Media Link of the Day:
How do Porn Actresses Remember Their Lines?

The Gizmo Issue

The Toast Printer
The First Demonstration of an Actual Invisible Cloak
The Modern Day Boom Box (iPod integrated, of course)

Media Link of the Day
Make on Blip.TV: Tutorial videos for your weekend gizmo projects.

Bonus Media Link:
Gizmo

Media Link Replacement

Hi all.

For those of you who missed the media link on Friday, it's been taken off youtube by NBC, but it's a good one, so here's an alternate performance.

Beck on German TV with "Clap Hands"

Another Music Issue

Whitney Music Box - crank the speakers and turn the handle (or try some of the automatic variations to the right)
Classicat - your gateway to royalty (and fiscally) free classical music
Splicemusic - Mix your own songs online (see example here)

Media Link of the Day:
Beck's "Clap Hands" on SNL (the dinner table version)

The Commandments Issue

Apologies for the late posting - there were some technical difficulties today and I only just realized it hadn't gone out.

The Church of Google and their 10 Commandments
The 10 Commandments of an Ethical Atheist
God: Frequently Asked Questions

Media Link of the Day:
The Goon Bible Project - Book of Job


Bonus Media Link:
Richard Dawkins interviews Ted Haggard

A Very Pongy Issue

Pong Game #1: CurveBall
Pong Game #2: Jeu Chiant
Pong Game #3: Super Small Pong (this one should be safe to play at work)

Media Link of the Day:
Life is an 80's Game

The Animal Issue

Animal of the Day
Sticky Bunny (click on him)
I Am An Animal

Media Link of the Day:
Crazy Fish Video (This one is worth checking out - thanks Chad)

The Midterm Issue pt 2.

Radar Ranks America's Dumbest Congressmen
(or see Rolling Stone's 10 Worst Congressmen)
Smartizen: Know thy Congressman
Governments Fund the Darndest Things

Bonus Link:
A Graph Representation of National Debt by Administration

Media Link of the Day:
Ze Frank: The Political Smoothie

The Midterm Issue pt.1

Fantasy Congress - Like Fantasy Football, except the the players have even more padding.
Majority Watch - See where we are as opposed to where we may soon be.
A Political Pigeon Hole

Soapbox Link of the Day:
Every time you vote Republican...

Media Link of the Day:
The 10 Commandments and Public Buildings

The Efficiancy Issue

Writing: How to get yourself to work
Animated Knots - click on a knot to see how it's tied
Bugmenot - avoid giving EVERY website your info

Media Link of the Day:
(4 sec video) How to tie your shoes quickly

The Feline Issue

Catster - where every cat has a webpage - including Chad's cat, Daisy Fuentes Maria de Llagas
Just Kittens...just lots and lots of kittens
Cats in Sinks

Media Link of the Day:
Funny Cats