Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the August 2001 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Including links previously reviewed at
http://www.komando.com/,
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/arch.htm,
and http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
The folks at PC World Magazine "pick the top sites for PC users in 33 categories -- from free tech
support to essential Web services"
The Office of Accountability:
Expand your financial event horizon. This advanced stock charts
feature spits out time frames ranging anywhere from one minute to
one decade. Fun to play with even if your portfolio's temporarily in
the dumps.
From preventing car battery corrosion to soothing an earache, products you use every day have dozens of helpful,
alternate uses, and you can discover them all at this site. You can also learn the history and bizarre facts behind a
wide range of products, as well as discover fascinating science tricks, like the Glowing Pickle.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, Monthly Sky Charts, Special Sky Events, etc.
Miles to kilometers? Stones to pounds? How about dress sizes, temperatures or cooking measurements?
Whatever your conversion needs, this site has all the answers, with easy-to-use automated tables so you don't
even need to learn the formula! Just input a base amount and pick the conversion!
This important study by BrightPlanet (a tool for searching the deep web) examines the size of the deep
web (550 billion individual documents versus the 1.5 billion on the surface web ), usage (deep web sites
receive 50% more traffic than most surface web sites and are linked more frequently than most surface
sites), and comparative quality of its resources.
"Contains about 3700 pictures of plants native to several parts of the world." Access by plant
families.
Imagine you're stuck in traffic or waiting in an airport and you want to check your e-mail. No laptop? No
problem! Just navigate to HearMyMail and sign up for their free audio e-mail service. Now you can use any
phone to listen to and answer e-mail, using your existing POP3 or IMAP-based accounts. HearMyMail converts
your text e-mail to speech, and plays them on demand. If you want to reply, it'll even do that, sending your
message as and audio attachment.
Interesting article on a new discipline and key articles and web sites on it.
There are times when the e-world just won't work right. Drop by
the Internet Help Desk for some handy troubleshooting tips.
America is filled with beautiful national parks and historic national monuments, and you can find information on all
of them at this site, with listings by State and alphabetically. You can even make online reservations, find out about
volunteer opportunities and purchase an annual pass, good at any National Park that charges and entrance fee.
An intriguing listing of imaginary books referred to in real books.
A research guide from the New York Public Library
What's the person in the next cube over searching for? If you've ever wanted to know just what it is other people
search for, then cruise to this site for a look into the MetaCrawler search engine.
Why send a regular e-greeting when you can create a singing e-card from AcapellaFella? Choose from online
singing telegrams, electronic greeting cards and animated greeting cards, with 18 song parodies for birthdays,
anniversaries and other special occasions.
History and timelines for such achievements as electrification, automobiles, water supply,
agricultural mechanization, household appliances, and more.
Tired of having your April Consumer Reports new cars issue ripped off? They've put the info online, their
top 10 picks in each category, as well as car-buying basics, car care myths and realities, negotiation tips,
used car good bets, and lots more.
Where for art thou? On the Internet, of course! William Shakespeare was born in April 23, 1564 in
Stratford-upon-Avon, about 100 miles outside London. Here, you can experience a time line of Shakespeare's
life and more. Be sure to click on the “Other Sites” link for a wide range of diversions including e-greetings,
movies, and even a Star Trek Shakespeare site. Really.
What can you expect during chemo, coping with side effects, eating well, questions to ask your doctor,
etc.
We've all seen outrageous auction items and wondered who would buy that. Now there's a place that patrols
auction sites and serves as a one-stop resource for the weirdest gems out there. Why? Why not!
The Hubble Space Telescope has recently produced some breathtaking new celestial images so spectacular that
words cannot sufficiently describe them. See shots of galaxies being born, planet close-ups and more at the
Hubble Heritage Project site. You can also learn about the project, how the images are created and meet the
astronomers behind the scenes.
Who says the good things in digital life aren't free? Download a new
freeware version of H@rdcopy, a tools-packed screen-capture
program that lets you save Web images to your hard drive or print them out.
Decision tools for credit cards, home and auto loans, banking, insurance
Here's where you search newsgroups now that Google's bought deja.com/.
There are hundreds of billions of Web pages on the Internet, and sometimes the big search engines just don't cut it
for finding information on special interests. What to do? Use a search engine dedicated to your particular interest,
and here's a site that lists more than 200,000 specialty engines, from art to shopping and business to sports.
A great place to browse or search for a good quote or a lyric you vaguely remember.
Information and assistance for people who want to network multiple computers and/or information
appliances. Start with the "Easy How-to's." Also includes news and reviews, and a forum where readers
answer each other's questions.
One of the consciences of journalism has also added some useful features like the Language Corner, the
Inflation Calculator, the Media Finder, and "Who Owns What" (useful in the fast-changing world of media
consolidation)
What do you get when the folks from Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop team up? Noggins, an all-ages kid's
site for playing games, learning about news, science, crafts and other topics, and of course, it's a place for
entertainment and having fun. Kids can also chat while they watch live TV, check out the Noggin Radio Crew and
send in their own questions, stories, poems, ideas and suggestions, which are highlighted on Noggin TV and
online.
Tufts University presents a Child & Family WebGuide, a
comprehensive source for online info about child development,
activities and resources. For parents and students.
Includes Heloise's Top Ten Hints, her stain-removal calendar, tips on clutter control, monthly best buys,
and lots more.
This article from American Journalism Review points out how, once a piece of misinformation is
published and makes its way into Lexis-Nexis, it lives forever, repeated endlessly by lazy reporters and
researchers.
A new journal on an always hot topic. In addition to full text of articles, it includes current developments
and useful links.
If you'd like to get into photography but don't know where to start, click over to this site for easy-to-understand
explanations of everything you'll need to start shooting. There's information on selecting equipment, tips for
improving your technique and plain advice on choosing subjects, from aerial photography to shooting sports or
underwater.
If this movement catches on it would do much to make research done with public funds available to the
public for free.
Everybody complains when they catch a cold. The folks at
commoncold.org decided to do something about it, compiling a
comprehensive reference source on prevention, treatment and
complications.
Log onto eblots, get your color-coded screen name and enter the world of cheap online blot-therapy. What do
you think it looks like? Once you submit your opinion, you get to see what others thought as well. Very
entertaining, and yet somehow soothing, too.
Wanna get away but don't care to stay at a corporate-style hotel?
Finding a cozy bed-and-breakfast is a user-friendly experience at
USinns.com, which boasts a database of more than 27,000 inns.
Can't tell whether anyone actually reads your e-mail? Now you can,
with iTraceYou.com, a free service that sends back a notification
when an e-mail recipient opens your message. Registration required.
Good information on routers, presented as if various celebrities were telling the story, such as
Gary Coleman on Priority Queuing, Alicia Silverstone on ISDN, Charles Manson On Static Routes,
Mister Rogers on the RS 232, Tonya Harding on the 700 Series, Don King on IP Access Lists, 7 of
9 on OSPF Part 1, 7 of 9 on OSPF Part 2, Darva Conger on the Config Register, Juliette Lewis
Troubleshoots Frame Relay, Gillian Anderson on LAN Switching Part 1, Gillian Anderson on LAN
Switching Part2, Gunney Sgt. Hartman at CCNA Boot Camp, Paul Hogan Tells Us About HSRP!,
Elizabeth Hurley On the Cisco 2600 Series, Anna Nicole Smith on the Cisco 1900 Series, Drunken
Dwarf Dissects DHCP!, HRH Prince Phillip on Easy IP, Cisco Psychic Helpdesk, Robert Downey Jr
On Ethernet, Fabio on IGRP, Trinity on IP-Helper addresses, etc.
Interest.com wants to help put mortgage-rate info at your fingertips
and show you some financial options. Calculator included.
Kids publish stories and art for other kids. Young writers and artists
should feel right at home with a wide range of activities here.
If nothing else, Internet entrepreneurs have helped make us laugh,
as this eCompany collection of the "Dumbest Moments in
e-Business History" richly reminds us.
Search for science information on Agriculture, Alternative Sciences, Animals, Astronomy,
Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Environment, Health Sciences, Math, Physics, Science
Reference, Social Sciences, and Technology
PDF files are very convenient to work with and they contain a wealth of information in
a compact form. This site will scour the web for PDF files on all subjects.
The Voice of America produces and broadcasts more than 900
hours of U.S., world and regional news and information programs
every week to a worldwide audience of 91 million. Thanks to the
Web, you don't even need a radio.
Fishing just got easier — or at least, the planning part of it —
thanks to the aptly named FishHoo! A search engine and directory
that offers a pool of more than 3,567 links for you to, ahem, fish
around.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 8/04/2001
Don Singleton, President
