Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the August 2002 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
Snoop through the medicine cabinet of a bygone era with this
Medicine and Madison Avenue exhibit, featuring advertisements
for the products our parents and grandparents couldn't live
without.
What would happen if you set an unattended Internet kiosk in the
heart of a New Delhi slum? That's what an Indian technology
company did in the first of its many 'Hole-in-the-Wall' experiments.
The results suggest that, in many ways, people are alike the world
over.
This educational site teaches word games with lots of cute, wacky characters. The
graphics and animation are amusing for grown-ups and kids.
Scrambling to pay for higher-education costs? Broke Scholar lets
you search its database of more than 900,000 scholarships, and
even provides a 'deadline calendar' of your most promising
prospects sorted by their application due dates.
For those bleary-eyed slaves to the coffee bean (you know who
you are), the Coffee Research Institute offers a crash course in the
history, preparation and science of the Nectar of the Employed.
Also includes info on the politics and economics of The Bean
The National Safety Council has developed this site to educate the public on sun
exposure. Learn about the danger to your skin and how to protect yourself.
A practical site to be sure, this online collection of product-failure
notices also has a certain comedic value: 'UL warns of entrapment
hazard when using automatic garage doors.' And why was the
vanilla ice cream recalled? 'Because it contains peanut butter ice
cream.'
Recent headlines hint at the terrible price to be paid by those ignorant of the
deepest beliefs of others. This site offers access to the complete texts revered
by many of the world's religions, as well as works of myth and magical
traditions.
The American School Directory contains data on any school. Enter the school's name
and its state to see its vital facts. You can view the event calendar and locate alumni.
It's that time of year again, when the insect world renews its
commitment to bedeviling mankind. For a more positive spin on
these little critters check out BugBios, which turns a loving
microscope on moths, flies and all your favorite 'miniature
marvels.'
Finding himself commuting via subway trains in 10 cities around
the world, António Jorge Gonçalves passes the time by sketching
the passengers around him. Clicking through the drawings here,
you'd swear you've seen some of these characters before.
From adding machines to PDAs, toy trains to video games, this site documents 20th
Century technology. The gadgets, toys and tools are organized by period and use, with a
decade-specific diorama serving as an index.
The American Religion Data Archive helps researchers and novices
alike draw a detailed picture of the faithful in the USA, providing
information on churches and church membership, religious
professionals and religious groups.
Some Web sites present what they have to say so attractively, you can't help
but be drawn in. This guide to the biological function and allure of skulls —
animal and human — is an interesting exploration of what lies beneath the skin.
Soup in the news? Who knew there was soup in the news ever?
Well, you did if you're a regular at SoupSong.com, which also
ladles out a heaping helping of soup recipes, anecdotes, jokes and
songs.
The Web provides a digital soapbox to all comers, and God bless
'em, some real oddballs take full advantage of the opportunity.
Meet the VHEMT. Its mission statement? 'Phasing out the human
race by voluntarily ceasing to breed will allow Earth's biosphere to
return to good health.' (Um, you first.)
TVNow.com's searchable 'Stars on TV' database lets you know
when and where your favorite movie and television actors and
actresses will be popping up on network TV and cable. Includes
schedules and episode summaries.
In what is either a great labor of love or an obsessive-compulsive
fit, Rulers.org provides an ever-growing index of nearly every
congressman, member of parliament, president and grand
pooh-bah ever to hold the reigns of power in countries great and
small.
Ever wonder what goes on inside the head of a computer science
grad student? Wonder no longer as David Coppit gives you the
guided tour thanks to a number of rotatable MRI scans of his own
skull. Fascinating in a morbid sort of way.
Like a Salvador Dali vision come to life, the jelly fish shown here
are some of the strangest sea life you'll find. Includes images, fun
facts, and video clips illustrating the creatures' unreal undulations.
(Quicktime required.)
Milk-guzzling idols and Madonna statues that weep crimson tears
— the faithful are forever trying to interpret these signs and
wonders from the divine. The Miracles Page explores these and
other phenomena guaranteed to leave believers and nonbelievers
alike shaking their heads (if only in different directions).
Chances are you or someone you love will slip under the knife for
open-heart surgery at some point. Shake some of that pre-scalpel
apprehension by conducting the procedure yourself in this virtual
operating theater.
More and more state and local governments are making
once-hard-to-find data available online. Hunt down public records
— including tax data and real estate info— with this easy-to-use
guide to government sites.
Tulsa data is at http://www.netronline.com/states_db/Oklahoma.htm#Tulsa. There
links that don't seem to be responding when I tested them.
Celebrate the centennial of photographer Ansel Adams with this
American Experience companion site. See the nation's untamed
wilderness through Adams' eyes via photos, video clips, as well as
a tutorial on what goes on beneath the black cloth of a vintage
camera
View the animal world in a strange (and educational) new way
courtesy of an infrared scanner. Puppies, tigers and other members
of a diverse menagerie parade before you in a psychedelic display
of body heat.
Described as a 'memory palace for the nerd-inclined,' the DigiBarn
features such antiquarian compu-oddities as a mysterious Mac
specially designed for intelligence work, pages from old computer
magazines, and a Cray supercomputer.
Americans pay millions of dollars in taxes each year, and most of
that money goes to fund programs designed to help those who
need it. GovBenefits gives you an easy way to see if there are
funds, training, or other benefits available for you.
Cranky because you missed a day of your favorite newspaper
comic strip? Swing on by Comics.com to check out the last
30-days' worth of more than 90 of the nation's top cartoons. From
Tarzan to Big Nate.
Scholastic.com's special on the Middle East conflict features
first-person accounts by young people of life in the disputed
territories — all excellent material for parent-child conversations
stateside
Aimee Sealfon is taking pictures of one person each day
throughout 2002. Check out the lives and smiles of those who've
drifted into her viewfinder so far.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 08/02/2002
Don Singleton, President