The National Council of Dull Men recommends these sites:
By Frankie Edozien
The Internet has spawned a host of new celebrities, but few more esoteric than Bertie the sugar beet, which receives dozens of e-mails a day. Bertie, which now spans 20 inches, is being grown at a Suffolk farm where a webcam has been trained on it since it was planted in April. The website has an international following. Fans of Bertie, an acronym for Beet Report to Interested Enthusiasts, have followed its life from seedling through an adolescent phase — it stopped growing — to its current battle with sapsucking aphids.Bertie was originally designed as part of a weekly Internet information bulletin from the Broom’s Barn Experimental Station at Higham, near Bury St Edmunds, but it became so popular after being featured on the farm’s website that a separate site was set up. Dr Alan Dewar keeps a diary of its progress. He said that Bertie’s fans were worldwide.
“It is as if Bertie knows that he has superstar status because he is coming on in leaps and bounds. He is all green and healthy, but neighbouring plants have been attacked by a virus that turns the leaves yellow. Bertie is a real star,” Dr Dewar added.
Fans have worried over the aphids that carry the growth-stunting yellow virus lurking in his foliage and noticed spiders, larvae, and flies. Bertie’s stardom will, however, be short lived. It will be harvested in October by hand and that too will be on camera.
“I am sorry to say that it won’t be a terribly pleasant end for Bertie. He will be sliced up and then boiled to extract the sugar inside him which will eventually end up on supermarket shelves,” Dr Dewar said. Fans can click on www.bertiethebeet.co.uk.
Iowa Corn Cam Link
One of our seasonal favorites. We look forward to this link each summer.. The site is currently taking a poll . . . asking its fans to vote whether they would rather watch corn grow or paint dry . . . so far, the tell us it is a close race. The only thing missing from this site is audio . . . we like to listen to corn growing . . . we have written to them about this . . . stay tuned
Museum of Condiment Packages
What fun . . . collecting those little packages that ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and other condiments come in nowadays . . . seeing them in the collection brings back memories of the enjoyment we have when trying to open them. Thanks to Bruce Dienes for telling us about this.
Obsolete Computer Museum
An amazing museum. It now houses 65 obsolete computers. The latest addition is an Apple IIgs. The museum has room for more . . . if you have one to provide to them, click on the link for info on how to do it. Thanks again to Bruce Dienes for telling us about this.
The most comprehensive site on the subject. 377 postcards. The cards are mostly from Sweden. Our favorite is the cross walk (zebra crossing) on Main Street in Anderstorp. Thank's to the Weird Wired World column by Roland White in The Times.
The Cambridge Barber Shop Cam
This cam has been described as “The world’s first live cam inside a Gentlemen’s Hairdressing Shop.” The picture caught by the cam is refreshed every five seconds, the view position changes every minute.
A traditionally favorite thing for a Dull Man to do is to go the local barber shop to watch hair being cut. Now, with this cam he can sit at home . . . have an even duller time . . . he can watch all the activity in the barber shop from his computer. And, as a bonus, the cam allows him to see steam being made in the barber shop.
The Cambridge Coffee Pot Cam
Being unplugged . . . stories reported by:
Reuters
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010307/wr/britain_coffeepot_dc_1.html
ABC News
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/abc/20010307/wl/britain010307_coffee_1.html
Headlines: "The Web's most famous coffeepot is taking a coffee break" . . . "Plug Pulled on Web's Historic Coffeepot".
The pot is scheduled to be unplugged this summer when the office where it is situated moves to a new location. Hopefully, this unplugging will be temporarily only . . . hopefully the pot will be replugged once it arrives at its new location.
It all began in 1991 when computer Scientists at Cambridge became frustrated at making a trip down two floors to the Trojan Room where their coffee pot was . . . only to find an empty pot . . . they decided they couldn't take it anymore. They set up a camcorder aimed at the pot and wrote a code that enabled them to watch the pot on their screens up in their computer lab.
Moist Towelettes
A link to a complete display of a collection of moist towelettes -- those little handy little towelettes in packages handed out on airplanes, in restaurants, etc.
http://members.aol.com/MoistTwl/index.htm
A delightful canal running for 33 miles from the canal's junction with the River Trent at West Bridgeford thought the attractive Vale of Beloit to the market town of Grantham. There are pictures of each of the canal's 18 locks. [Thank you Rob Light for sending this to us]
Rose and Earl
A nice website . . . not sure whether or not Earl is dull . . . but we like the song and the dog/fire hydrant, which are not too exciting for us to enjoy
Precision Lawn Chair Demonstration Team
The highlight of the recent Inaugural Parade in Washington DC . . . we are trying to get video tapes and/or DVDs for sale to our members
Norwegian codfish
Mawson Station, Antarctica
Doc Martins
Hush Puppies
Kraft Foods
Milton Keynes Trolleyspotting Society
Pylon of the Month Home Page
Egon Ronay review of motorway service stations
Tramlink
Journal of Mundane Behavior
Interesting things to do with marmite
National Autocycle and Cyclemotor Club
Ice Fishing
Barometerworld
Fiercely Ridiculous Site
Cambridge Coffee Pot
The Empire State Building Tower Cam
National Association of Wheat Growers
Boring Institute
An Ode to Marmite
How To Rake Leaves
Spam
Slowfood