Entertainment Web sites want writers and audiences alike to know that the Internet isn’t just for TV reruns and film downloads. And with the writers strike forcing many productions to shut down, many sites see opportunity. Here’s a sampling of sites that relate to the strike or offer alternatives to now-in-reruns TV. (Some of these sites use strong language.)

“The Office is Closed” features actors and writers from the hit NBC comedy “The Office,” on which production has shut down. You can find it on YouTube by searching for the title.

MyDamnChannel features work from performers such as comedian Harry Shearer, the voice of several characters on the “The Simpsons,” and David Wain, a founder of the comedy show “The State” on MTV.

Some A-list actors have even joined the effort and appeared in the strike-related Web series “Speechless,” where Sean Penn, Ed Asner and others demonstrate the helplessness of actors without a script.

Even the strike itself has gone virtual. MySpace members can join a virtual picket line.

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A powerful earthquake in the Caribbean on Thursday triggered a series of false quake alarms in California. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey said a wave of seismic energy confused computers that try to triangulate the location of earthquakes along the West Coast. But even though those weren’t real, hundreds of others in California in the last week were. You can find out where and when they hit from the U.S. Geological Survey, which also links to shaking maps that are updated within 10 minutes of temblors with a magnitude of 3.5 or more.

And if the ground moves for you, pop over to the site and tell them where you were when the quake hit and what you felt.

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A report published today warns that millions of Americans are being exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation during CT scans. While some say the need for concern is exaggerated, most experts agree that the use of such X-rays ought to be curbed, especially for children. But when they are needed, you can be prepared by reading up on what to expect and how to prepare for procedures, and how to reduce radiation risks.

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The Audubon Society has released its latest watchlist of endangered birds, and the news isn’t great for California — many of the 217 fowl on it are native to the Golden State, and 35 of those are known in the South Bay.

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A massive San Pedro calendar covers everything from meetings of the Harbor Area planning commission and neighborhood councils to parades, POPS concerts and movies. The site also includes contact information so you can get your event listed for free.

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Julia Scott, a reporter over at the Daily News, blogs compulsively about shopping bargains. Sometimes her stuff is Valley-centric, which makes it useless to us in the South Bay, but lately, she's had a treasure trove of holiday tips and online shopping codes, like one for free gift wrapping at Nordstrom online or free shipping from Macy's or 20% off at snapfish.com.

Below are some Web sites our own bargain hunters use on their internet quest to find inexpensive gifts:

http://dailydeals.com/ offers daily updates on computer and electronics deals, as well as coupon codes that will save you when you check out online. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts on specific items you're looking for.

Overstock.com sells name-brand items for 40 to 80 percent off their original price. For the clueless, they have a holiday gift finder and #1 top sellers section, and for the super cheap, they have a clearance bin with their best-valued items.

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Movie director Steven Spielberg began the Shoah Foundation archive in 1994 -- a year after completing "Schindler's List." The archive, which is housed at USC, includes the videotaped testimonies of nearly 52,000 Holocaust survivors -- Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses and others -- in 56 countries.

While the Shoah institute maintains the largest archive of its kind in the world, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., houses the largest registry of Holocaust survivors in the United States.

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The Million Book Project has completed the digitization of more than 1.5 million books. All of the books, which range from Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” to “The Analects of Confucius,” are available through a single Web portal of the Universal Library.
From the press release:

“Anyone who can get on the Internet now has access to a collection of books the size of a large university library,” said Raj Reddy, professor of computer science and robotics at Carnegie Mellon who has spearheaded the project. “This project brings us closer to the ideal of the Universal Library: making all published works available to anyone, anytime, in any language. The economic barriers to the distribution of knowledge are falling.”

Continue reading "Amazing library resource " »

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If you're still studying health plans for next year, there are plenty of online guides to help you determine the type and amount of coverage that is right for you and to help you sort through some of the mumbo jumbo. Try some of these reputable sites: WebMD; Consumer Reports (subscription required for some items); and The New York Times Health section's Money and Policy focus.

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Explore Mars now to see what life might be like there tomorrow. The Diomedes Mission, set to launch in 2017, plans on inhabiting Mars. Using current technology, take an interactive tour of the base camp.

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An American Indian proposal to build a Tongva boat house where the public could see how plank canoes once were made by California's earliest inhabitants is being discussed for the White Point Nature Preserve. The original proposal with photos was submitted for Angels Gate Park. The public can also review other master plan proposals for the park, including The Palace of 7 Gardens and the Golden State Pops Orchestra.

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Baen Publishing Co. offers free downloads of some of its backlist in a variety of formats.
The company has been opposed to DRM for years and publishes at least five of its print releases each month in e-book form as well. Buyers can purchase the entire package for $20 or $6 a copy. It is also providing a Web site for other publishers wanting to enter the e-book market.
Its library, which has about 100 titles ranging from novellas to novels both new and some classics, provides an opportunity to check out several different science fiction and fantasy series for free.

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Bruins, Trojans, college football fans, this is the weekend. There's a Rose Bowl berth on the line and a classic cross-town rivalry to be played. Get up to date and in depth with bloggers' entirely partisan and sometimes exhausting coverage of their teams. Plus, check out Breeze bloggers' takes on USC and UCLA football and other sports.
Blue and gold: Bruins Nation; Inside UCLA.
Cardinal and gold: Conquest Chronicles; Inside USC.

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Wildfires have ravaged Southern California this year. Is your home safe from danger? Get tips at at the stat's fire prevention Web site.

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If you've got a dog, you're probably thinking about stuffing its stocking with treats.

The Associated Press reported recently:

Americans are expected to spend an estimated $48.7 billion on their pets in 2007, nearly twice the amount of a decade ago and growing at more than 7 percent a year, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research company in Rockville, Md.

A San Pedro business that bakes homemade dog treats is offering to share the holiday wealth with less fortunate pups. The home-based business has a holiday promotion to donate 50 percent of its proceeds to local animal shelters and rescue groups.

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With a roll of stamps and plenty of time, Tom Locke decided to write to 100 companies and ask for free stuff. His blog details his whimsical and sometimes amusing experience. The experiment lasted about three months and he received over $270 worth of coupons and merchandise. Not bad for a $39 investment.

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Manhattan Beach is pulling up its ice plants in search of greener landscaping (a la Al Gore, not Kermit). But having environmentally friendly plants isn’t the only way to reduce your eco-footprint. Changing your maintenance practices, swapping out equipment and reducing the use of pesticides are a few of the tricks the Environmental Protection Agency says can benefit you and the Earth.

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As of Saturday evening, the wildfire in Malibu had destroyed 49 residences and damaged 27 other buildings. The city of Malibu has posted a list of addresses and descriptions of the structures.

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Anchor Free can help your Internet addiction no matter where you may be with itslist of thousands of free hotspots around the globe. Whether sipping a Starbuck's in Seattle or brunching on a bagel in Boca Raton, you're never far away from the Internet.

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Is King Kong taller than Godzilla? Are white chocolate and caviar tasty together? Test your senses and challenge your instincts.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering a float in the Rose Parade to mark their 50th year in Los Angeles, and they need fans to help build it. Volunteers are asked to complete an online form.

The volunteer dates are:
Today and Sunday: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Dec. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Dec. 23: 8:30am - 1:30pm

According to the floatmaker's Web site, which includes a rendering of the float, "Dodger Stadium will be depicted, complete with 12 Dodger Baseball legends and Nancy Bea playing game-day favorites on the stadium organ. Fifteen fans will also be on board, cheering from the bleachers for the 35 foot tall MLB player with the Grand Slam swing."

Continue reading "Work on the Dodger float" »

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She doesn’t have a name yet (that’s coming Monday), but she’s got a Web show. Watch the San Diego Zoo’s youngest panda — the child of one of the most reproductively successful panda pairs in captivity.

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While there are plenty of games online to play, this one is a bit different. While you're playing, not only will you get smarter, but you'll also help stop world hunger! FreeRice has two simple goals: 1) Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free, 2) Help end world hunger by providing rice to starving people for free. Every time you guess the correct definition of a word, sponsors of the Web site will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. Click here to start playing and feed the hungry.

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As foreclosures increase and more houses sit untended, the pools out back are growing green and murky -- and drawing potentially disease-carrying mosquitoes, including the West Nile virus. The National Vacant Properties Campaign is among the groups focusing on revitalizing abandoned property.

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Check Santa's schedule for photo-ops at South Bay shopping centers between now and the big day:

Southbay Pavilion, Carson
Instead of a traditional Santa photo studio, the mall will have a "strolling Santa," who will cruise the mall from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Bring your camera and he'll pose for photos with you. Call customer service at 310-366-6629 for more information.

Manhattan Village Mall, Manhattan Beach
Santa Claus will be availabe for photos at the Center Court of the Manhattan Village Mall from
November 23 through December 24 at the following hours:
Monday - Saturday: 11 am-8 pm (Breaks: 1 pm - 2 pm & 5:15 pm - 6 pm)
Sunday: 11 am - 6 pm (Break: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.)

South Bay Galleria, Redondo Beach
Children of all ages can share their wishes and sit for paid portraits with Santa at Level 1, Center Court of the South Bay Galleria. In addition to Santa photos, parents can purchase a special "snow package," which will capture the surprise on kids' faces as snow falls from a nearby snowman.

Studio hours:
Nov. 23: 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Nov. 24: 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Nov. 25: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Nov. 26 - 30: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 1: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 2: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Dec. 3 - 7: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 8: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 9: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Dec. 10 - 14: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 15: 9 - 10 p.m.
Dec. 16: 10 - 9 p.m.
Dec. 17 - 20: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Dec. 21: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Dec. 22: 8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Dec. 23: 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Dec. 24: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
(Breaks are subject to change, but typically they are: Monday - Saturday, 1 - 2 p.m. and 5:15 - 6 p.m. and Sunday, 2 - 3 p.m.)

Pets can get their photos with Santa, too.
Nov. 19, 26: 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 3, 10: 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Dec. 17: 9 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Avenue of the Peninsula, Rolling Hills Estates
The Avenue of the Peninsula offers complimentary Santa photos in front of the tree in the fountain area every Saturday from 2-5 p.m., from Dec. 1 through Christmas.

Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance
The Del Amo Fashion Center Santa Set will be opening in Jo-Ann's Court near Mall Entrance 11 from now until Dec. 24, 2007. Take pictures with Santa at the Santa Set during the following hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Breaks: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. - 6 p.m.)
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Break: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.)

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With the holiday season comes the reminder that it's better to give than to receive. But when it comes to giving to a national charity, be sure you're making a good investment by learning which organizations meet the standards of the Better Business Bureau. The bureau's Wise Giving Alliance at www.give.org offers reports on individual charities, news and alerts on charity scams, tips on giving and more.

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It's hard to resist all the goodies that go with the traditional turkey dinner, but you might find it easier after checking out the brutally honest Thanksgiving calorie counter. Just click on the items you plan on eating. The Web site totals the calories and then shows you how many miles you'll have to go in order to walk them off. Put on some comfy shoes - an average meal could cost you more than 20 miles.

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Every year, readers write to our "Ask Us" editor inquiring about organizations that will reuse old Christmas cards. In last year's answer, which lives on in our Ask Us Database, she reported that the sources we used to recommend no longer takes the cards because they were overwhelmed with donations.

This year, she recommends some sites that will walk you through some creative ways to reuse the cards yourself.

Make bookmarks, gift tags and other projects
Make ornaments
Make candy holds, postcards and other projects

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A simple lab technique can transform ordinary skin cells into the equivalent of embryonic stem cells, according to two studies published online today. To read about the discovery that could distill the debate over the controversial treatment, check out www.cell.com or www.science.com, which include the papers detailing the experiments in Japan and the United States.

But once the transformation is complete, how can the cells be used? You can find out answers to that, as well as details about what stem cells are and where they come from at www.mayoclinic.com/health/stem-cells/CA00081.

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As we get in to heavy duty baking season, ask yourself this deep question: Do you know how old your spices are? Or what their shelf lives are? If you have McCormick spices in your cupboard, you can check how old they are with the age decoder on the company's Web site. It also has a guide for how long you should keep different types of herbs and spices.

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Two South Bay Gold’s Gym locations will offer free workouts on Black Friday as part of a Thanksgiving promotion.

Anyone wanting to burn calories by working out rather than shopping can visit Gold’s locations in Redondo Beach, 200 N. Harbor Drive, and Hawthorne, 4917 W. 147th St.

Visitors can walk in and inquire about a free workout.

Information about how to exercise at home and stay motivated during the holidays is available on the Web site.

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From staff writer Rick Orlov:

A bobblehead-doll version of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is being sold by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project as part of a fundraising effort.

The SVREP has been instrumental in registering new voters, particularly Latinos, around the western United States and has been seen as a critical factor in the emergence of Latino politicians.

The dolls are being sold for $25, plus $5 for shipping. For information, go to www.svrep.org.

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Want to tune out your relatives by listening to the radio, but not sure which stations come in loud and clear at grandma's house? By clicking here, it's easy to find out which stations have a strong signal whereever you travel. When you enter a zip code, dozens of stations are listed by their signal strengths.

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If you're the family shutterbug, you might want to read up on this site. You'll find tips for taking better Thanksgiving photos, including help with large family portraits.

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Americans are estimated to have received 20 billion catalogs this year. If you feel like they've all come to your house and you want off the mailing lists, there is a new Web site to help.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, nearly 150,000 people have signed up at the site in just 5 1/2 weeks. The paper reports:

Catalog Choice is a project of three environmental organizations: the National Wildlife Federation in Virginia, the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York and the Ecology Center in Berkeley.

The concept is simple: Catalog Choice provides a convenient online process for people to remove their names from specific mailing lists in a way that also makes it easy and beneficial for catalog companies to cooperate. All consumers have to do is register for a free log-in at the Web site. After that, they can check off the catalogs - from a list of more than 1,000 so far - that they don't want and Catalog Choice will forward the information to the companies.

The stakes are high. Those 20 billion catalogs, according to Catalog Choice, are created at a cost of 53 million trees and by using enough energy to power 1.2 million homes per year.

Go here to sign up.

Go here to read more of the Merc's article.

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Want to cut down on the junk mail you get, too? Try this site which will get you off of some national marketing mail for a $1 registration fee. The site also has a form you can download and send to a specific company to get off its mailing list.

This one is the official site to opt out of prescreened credit card and insurance offers.

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Get your kids cranked up for Thursday's parade with games, puzzles and other fun stuff here.

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Need something to occupy your mind while you're waiting for your relatives at the airport? At ManyBooks, you'll find thousands of free eBooks pre-formatted for reading on your computer, PDA, Blackberry, iPod, Sony Reader and most eBook readers. The books, which are in the public domain, range from classics to pulp fiction, as well as biographies and nonfiction. There's a tip jar but no pressure to donate to keep the site active.

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Grist, the environmental news and commentary Web site, has invited the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to the Wadsworth Theatre today in West Los Angeles for a grilling on what they will do, if elected, about global warming and energy issues. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich have accepted. Registration for the event is filled up, but Grist will webcast the event live, starting at 2 p.m.

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Internal Revenue Service officials announced this week that 5,150 Los Angeles County residents didn't get their tax refund checks. The amounts total $5.7 million -- that's an average of more than $1,000. Claim your slice of the pie by going here. If you'd rather call, the number is 800-829-1954. (And tell your friends in Riverside County and O.C. that they're owed money too.) Here's hoping they owe you lots.

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If you want to build some offbeat - and a bit macabre - pit stops into your roadtrip, check out these unusual celebrity gravesites. These are the flippered, furried, and feathered celebrities. Mr. Ed, Flipper, and Elsie the Cow have special resting places and you can visit them, if not in person, at least on the Web.

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AddictingGames is a big source of free online games including arcade games, action games, sports games, puzzle games, flash games and more. Updated every weekday with lots of new games on Friday.

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The remains of a dinosaur with a strange jaw designed to hoover-up food 110 million years ago went on display Thursday at the headquarters of the National Geographic Society, where they will remain until March.

Scientists have completed a full reconstruction of the skull and skeleton of Nigersaurus Taqueti, the odd-looking dinosaur discovered in the 1990s in Niger, Africa. For a further explanation and more pictures, go here.

For more on the discovery of Nigersaurus Taqueti, go here.

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