Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the April 2003 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Including links previously reviewed at
http://www.educationindex.com/index.html,
http://www.komando.com/,
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/arch.htm,
and http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
An ongoing project.
Once in a great while, a work of art comes along that challenges your intellect, and sets you to reflecting on the wonders of life and what it all means. For many, such was the case with Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. This Flash presentation, which cleverly interprets the movie's obscurer bits, is equally groundbreaking.
Have a yen to watch a good movie set against the familiar backdrop of your home state? Hop onto USA-Movies.com to track down a flick shot on your home turf. Browse film entries by county, title, and general geographic location.
Includes online field guides to birds, butterflies, native plants, seashells, and more. Also, regional wildlife guides by zip code, "bird of the day," "ask an expert," and more
There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Your wireless plan has expired and you're ready to toss your crummy phone for a better model. But which one? By indicating the carrier, battery life, and other features you're looking for, PhoneScoop.com suggests the perfect phone for you. You also can compare models side by side
Those who've never seen Dragnet may want to catch an episode or two at LikeTelevision.com before viewing ABC's remake next month. Jack Webb's gutsy cop drama is just one of the classic TV shows available on this amazing site. Other offerings include The Jack Benny Program, One Step Beyond, and many more.
"The U.S. government interagency Kids' Portal." There's some neat stuff here. See also Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids at http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
Googling yourself in person is soooo last year. Rather than using Google's search engine hands-on to find references to yourself online, Googlert.com will e-mail you links about you (or any other subjects you specify) it finds on Google a few times each week
Though it's no secret that the USA's image overseas has taken it on the chin these last couple of years, this Pew Research survey places those ill feelings in a broader context. While some have indeed had it with the USA, many others are just as fed up with their own countries and the world as a whole. Feel better?
A valuable set of links and strategies for locating public records, online or not.
Have a need to know? Bibliomania gives you easy access to more than 2,000 texts, including articles, interviews, and a wide variety of classic novels, short stories and plays, all for free. Also includes study guides, biographies, reference works and more.
Fame, fickle mistress that she is, has a habit of whisking flash-in-the-pan celebrities from view once their 15 minutes are up. Whatever Happened To ... takes an admittedly half-hearted shot at keeping tabs on the Family Ties cast, Life cereal gourmand Mikey, and the rest of those now remembered for being so quickly forgotten.
Browse by subject, search by title or author, or browse by the country reviewers come from to find what books are popular with kids in other countries.
Those who've grown weary of mind-bludgeoning Flash graphics will appreciate the charming minimalism of MythWeb, a fantastic resource for anyone looking to brush up on their knowledge of Greek mythology. Simple illustrations, several of them animated, bring these whimsical — and still very much relevant — stories to life.
Before the newsstands were choked with photo-packed magazines, there was Life, whose eye-catching covers so deftly summed up what was on the American mind of any given era. View hundreds of these classic — and at times puckish — cover images, from the '30s to the '90s.
The National Wildlife Federation unleashes an astonishing amount of information via eNature.com. Includes several field guides to flora and fauna around the country, information on identifying animals by their tracks, and handy "ZIP Guides" that let you see what's living in your area based on your ZIP code.
To bring about a more satisfying distribution of entertainment, Swappingtons.com lets users trade books, CDs and DVDs they don't want for books, CDs and DVDs that they'd rather have. A welcome addition to the online strip mall, especially since this service is a free one.
Have a yen for picture frames, vases, and other items to spruce up the ol' homestead, but haven't a lot of cash to throw around? Thrift Deluxe provides several cheap and easy do-it-yourself projects including: a Coca Cola vase and photo frames derived from cans of baked beans.
In the time it takes you to earn a lousy 7 cents, Friends star Lisa Kudrow's pocketed a cool $36.12; Michael Jordan's slam dunked $87.36; and Stephen King, $103.88. These are just some of the maddening insights you'll find courtesy of Monster.com's "Salary Timer."
Throwing open the doors to its collection of historically-significant photos and illustrations, the New York Public Library offers the Image Gate, an online searchable database boasting at least 80,000 images. From Ellis Island to the art of the cigarette card.
After turning out culinary masterpieces for more than 40 years, the kitchen of Epicurean luminary Julia Child has found its way into the Smithsonian. Tour this custom made kitchen and listen to audio clips from Child herself.
The Internet is truly a worldwide phenomenon, though quantifying just how much of one can be tricky. CyberAtlas takes a crack at it here, breaking Net access down by country, and making some generous projections for 2004
In one of those bursts of scholarly silliness that the Web seems to encourage, this site slaps comicdom's hottest superheroes smack dab alongside their real-life namesakes, presumably so that we might all bask in the clever contrasts between them.
Threatening to surpass Yahoo as the coolest Internet portal in geekdom, Google provides users with a special page for searching the Web in pig Latin. And for those truly beyond help, might we suggest its Klingon search?
While some bite their lips over clone claims, RYT Hospital's Dwayne Medical Center churns out one scientific miracle after another. Now the institution that brought you the first male pregnancy asks you to match wits with Clyven, the first transgenic mouse with human intelligence. One of the most stylish sites online. (Flash required.)
Explore the world of politics, history, comedy and more with Stafanki.com's eclectic roundup of streaming audio programs from around the world. Also includes a host of helpful links to audio sources around the Web
As the arms gap between nations narrows, it seems it will be the armies that can do the most damage from afar that will emerge victorious. This PBS site offers an in-depth look at the pilotless warplanes that have proven so pivotal in the Afghanistan campaign, and will doubtless be crucial to battles of the future
Despite the rapid extinctions plaguing the animal kingdom, there still is a great multitude of fascinating birds and beasts keeping our world interestingly diverse. These online "Natural History Notebooks" provide knowledgeable nuggets about most of the planet's furry, feathered and scaly denizens, all with interesting line illustrations
Watch those proverbial seeds of democracy blossom into the land of the free in AnimatedAtlas.com, an online Flash presentation that demonstrates the USA's growth from its 13 original colonies to the 1950s, and all years in between.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 4/02/2003
Don Singleton, President