Mousetrap - 55

Start here
DebbiesIdea
Long ago, a lady called Debbie Sankey dreamed of a reference work that would recommend which book of any given author would be the ideal introduction to her or his oeuvre. To quote the site, “Start reading an author with a poor or atypical example of his work, she observed, and you would likely never read that writer again--perhaps losing in the process a world of pleasure and knowledge. On the other hand, since there would seldom be one right book to read first, the resource would have to be a compendium of opinions.” And that’s exactly what this site delivers. Search by author or genre, and see what the site’s registered users have to say. With a simple sign-up, you can be one of them too. And what of Debbie? She died two years ago, aged ninety. This site is a vibrant memorial.

Prescribed reading
Hippocritis
Since so many of our medical friends are on strike, here’s a little something for them, with which to spend their spare moments. A nice little play on the name of the “Father of Medicine,” in whose name medics take an oath, gives you a hint that they’re not taking themselves too seriously. “Humor for medical professional and rest for the weary mind,” they say, and every month they deliver a fresh consignment for their readers. Sometimes it can get a little, um, graphic, I must warn you, but hey, it’s usually funny, so it’s all good. At the moment of writing, there seems to be some problem with the links on the menu, so you can’t get to the archives. A little jiggery-pokery, adding month-year (like so: “january05”) to the URL will get you some past issues, but it doesn’t work across the board, alas.

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This week’s blog

Bright sparks
The Daily Sunrise
Run by a couple of teenagers, one in India, the other in the UK, this photoblog started out, as the name suggests, to post a sunrise photograph every day. Along the way, it morphed into a site where the collaborators post pictures with other subjects as well, and discuss technique, image manipulation basics and tricks, and the duo seem to have built up a regular fan base as well. And the blog’s just a couple of months old. Look to your laurels, ye elderbloggers!


Reader suggestions welcome, and will be acknowledged. Go to http://o3.indiatimes.com/mousetrap for past columns, and to comment, or mail inthemousetrap@indiatimes.com. The writer blogs at http://zigzackly.blogspot.com.

Published in the Times of India, Mumbai edition, 28th May, 2006.

Tags: The Times of India, Mousetrap