ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 28, 1996 TAG: 9611290016
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: HOLIDAY
COLUMN: Computer Bits
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
OR FOR COMPUTER FUN for the whole family, kids can connect the dots on the ``101 Dalmatians'' home page.
By the end of today, you'll be a stuffed couch potato. But if you can waddle over to the computer, a variety of distractions await.
Ever wondered, for example, about nude recreation - the kind where you float down rivers or hike with body parts that generally are covered by clothes bared to the breeze?
Here's your chance. "Visit a nudist facility where chic means no fashion at all," proclaims The American Association for Nude Recreation.
The AANR website tells you what to do at a clothes-free club, tells you where the clubs are and even gives glimpse into Palm Springs as a "Nude Bed and Breakfast Capital."
Don't worry about children seeing this site; photographs are discreetly done and the association advises that its members wear clothes when it's practical to do so. And its members "distinguish between nudity and sex and keep the two in their proper perspective," the association says.
Interesting history also is part of the site and notes that German immigrant Kurt Barthel in 1929 formed a group of naturists who met at an isolated spot up river from New York City.
Dalmatians
Participants in the above group probably have no spots that haven't been exposed to the sun, but the characters at another site are full of spots. Fun for all ages, the "101 Dalmatians" site, designed to promote the movies of the same name of course, lets you dabble in puppy puzzles and gives you dog toys that you can download and play dress up with Cruella DeVil.
You can get 101-themed wallpaper tiles and coloring pages here, too.
For tomorrow
When you're all done playing, you might want to get serious about throwing off the day's extra calories and preparing for the food onslaught of the upcoming holidays by checking out Cory Everson's Hardbody Cafe.
At this site you'll find tips for losing weight sensibly, including the suggestion that you do it a pound a week using a combination of workout and calorie-cutting.
Because a pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories, you can lose about a pound a week by burning 1,750 calories and eating 1,750 less. That's 250 calories a day of each. Walking 21/2 miles will burn approximately 250 calories.
The Hardbody Cafe's list of ways to cut out 100 calories just might be worth downloading and displaying on the refrigerator door.
Dreaming ahead
People in need of more inspiration than even Cory can provide should check out Earthwatch and learn all the opportunities where you can vacation and work in special conservation or environmental research projects.
Earthwatch expeditions are going on all over the world and for reasons different enough to satisfy almost any fantasy. A participant can join an archaeology dig at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage in Tennessee or at St. Kitts Fortress in the West Indies. There are bird projects in Alaska and Tanzania, coral reefs to be saved in China and Belize, dinosaur bones to be hunted in Montana and black rhino to be rescued in Zimbabwe.
If you find a project that interests you, you can order more information about it. It makes good couch reading if nothing else.
NUDE SIGHTINGS
http://www.aanr.com
DOTTED DOGS
http://www.101.com
or http://www.disney.com
CORY'S CAFE
http://www.coryeverson.com
WORKING VACATIONS
http://www.earthwatch.org
You can contribute to this column or just comment by sending an E-mail to biznews@roanoke.infi.net or by calling 981-3393 or 981-3237 in the Roanoke Valley, or (800) 346-1234, extension 393, outside the Roanoke area. Previous Computer Bits columns can be found online at http://www.roanoke.com
LENGTH: Medium: 87 linesby CNB