Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the December 1998 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Thanks-Giving Square
Inter-religious and multi-cultural shrine and research center
devoted to the expression of gratitude.
Season of Thanksgiving
Information on and links to Thanksgiving-related stories,
recipes, and arts and crafts.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The 72nd annual classic takes place on Thursday, November 26th, 1998! Get the
story on the parade, balloon blow-up, history and more.
Animated Christmas Page
Full of downloadable animated graphics for Christmas.
Christmas Image Gallery
Help some folks in Slovenia build a gallery of Christmas scenery on the Web.
Donate your images, or visit and borrow some.
Christmas Images
Downloadable collection of Christmas related clip art and images: Christmas
Trees, Christmas Lines, Snowmen, Christmas Packages & Other Images, Santa
Images, Other Christmas Images, Angels & Candy Canes, Wreaths & Other Images,
and Christmas Screen Savers & More
Send a Christmas Card
Send a Christmas Card about Jingle Bells, Santa, Snow Stuff, Christmas
Candles, Santa's Elves, Winter Christmas, Santa's Sleigh, Fire Place and
Hearths, Huggable Bears and Sweets, Gifts and Presents, Summer Christmas,
Trees Wreaths and Holly Hocks, Rudolf and Reindeer, Party and Celebrations,
Christmas Stockings
Awesome Christmas Cyber Greeting Cards
Wachowicz's Web World
Hard to tell from the title, but this site is set up for finance students,
based around the book "Fundamentals of Financial Management." If you're not a
finance student you'll still find plenty here; his list of web sites on
financial matters is exhaustive. If you ARE a finance student, you'll really
benefit; he has quizzes, puzzles and more stuff to help expand and tickle
your brain.
311 Humor Mailing Lists
What the title says. If you can't find a humor mailing list that suits your
tastes from this exhaustive index, you don't have a sense of humor. Jokes
ranging from puns to naughty bits, all arriving regularly in your email.
Woman Motorist
For many women, and more men than care to admit it, cars are a mystery. They
don't know how to change a tire, nor can they tell whether a mechanic is
feeding them a line of baloney. And more than one woman can tell you how
charming it is to go to a dealership for a car and have the salesman talk to
the man she's with and ignore her, even if she's the one buying the car. This
site tries to fill in that knowledge gap, with info on shopping for cars,
maintenance, safety, reviews of new models and even info on racing.
Money Origami
Money is always an appropriate gift; it's one size fits all, you don't have
to worry if they like it, the recipient doesn't have to return it. But it's
kinda boring just sitting there in the card, no? Clay Randall has the
solution for you: Instructions on how to fold that $20 bill into a snake. Or
eyeglasses. Or a spider. Boring no more! There are also lots of links to
other good origami pages in case you get the folding fever.
College News Online
Students, parents of students and education professionals will be interested
in this site, the online version of a print publication that circulates in
Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. It reprints news from
college newspapers around the country as well as covers what's going on in
colleges and in education-related news
Business Owner's Toolkit
Are you a small business owner looking for an edge? Maybe you're a new
business owner begging for help. Either way, the Business Owner's Toolkit,
brought to you by CCH, Inc., is one of the best places we can recommend on
the Web for small business owners to visit. Covering everything (in detail)
from starting a business to marketing a product to managing your finances,
the Toolkit gives great advice and contains excellent tutorials and
resources. This site also lists other areas on the web that contain
information of particular interest to small business owners. Nowhere is the
American Dream of owning your own business more alive than on the WorldWide
Web, and this site can help you make a "go of it" in this capitalist society.
SAT's Question of the Day
One of the scariest things facing juniors and seniors in high school isn't
that their clothes are out of fashion but that they'll eventually be taking
the SAT test to qualify for entrance into college. This site gives high
school students a place on the Web where they can come and brush up for those
college entrance exams with a handy SAT Question of the Day, a part of
College Board Online Website. Younger students can also find free early-
awareness software for 7th, 8th and 9th graders who are looking for a way to
gear up for college.
Celebrity E-mail Addresses
Ever wish you could e-mail your favorite celebrity just like you do your family or
friends? With this site's detailed list of star-studded e-mail addresses, now
you can. Presented in an easy to navigate A to Z format, the list covers
celebrity e-mail addresses from several categories, (movies, music, sports)
and several levels of notoriety. As an added bonus, the site purveyor has
included some notes detailing the lesser known names on the list and whether
or not given celebrities are fan-friendly enough to reply to messages. With
direct links to each e-mail address and a database containing hundreds of
individual celebs, you'll be able to write to each and every one of your
favorite stars.
Travel Secrets
This site gives excellent advice that can turn what is normally a very
stressful and tension-filled experience into a "sleepwalk." While the site
may not appeal to those looking for flashy graphics or animations, the tips
provided by Travel Secrets are very concise and make a lot of sense. Covering
everything from getting the best possible seat on an airplane to hassle-free
check-in at a hotel hosting a convention, the wizards at Travel Secrets have
put together a list that should be required bookmark for every business
traveler that has access to the Internet.
Best Fares
Best Fares Online offers a generous array of FREE travel bargains to guests
and has another section for subscribers with even more travel bargains.
Sections include News Desk, Hidden Travel Deals, Weekly Net Specials, Air
Travel Bargains, Snooze You Lose Fares, Maximize Your Miles, Scam Watch,
Hotel & Lodging Bargains, Air Travel Information, Car Rental Bargains, Hotel
Reservations, Cruise Bargains, Savvy Seniors, Cruise Travel, Rail Bargains,
Leisure Travel, Money on the Road, Steals and Deals, and many others.
College Fight Songs
Listen to College Fight Songs, some in WAV, SND, MOV, AIFF, or AU format.
Includes Boomer Sooner - Oklahoma (932K WAV),
Ride'Em Cowboys! - Oklahoma St. (13K MOV),
Ride'Em Cowboys! - Oklahoma St. (WAV version), and
The Eyes of Texas - Texas (278K AU)
Bad Fads
Fashion Fads like Afro Haircut, Bellbottoms, Bermuda Shorts, Bouffant Hairdo,
Conk Hairdo, Coonskin Caps, D.A. Haircut, Glassless Glasses, Hot Pants,
Ironing Hair, Leisure Suits, Mickey Mouse Items, Miniskirt, Nehru Jackets,
Pillbox Hats, Platform Shoes, Poodle Skirts, Sideburns, Tie Dye, T-
shirts, Turtleneck Sweaters, Twiggy Look, and Zoot Suits
Collectible fads like 8 Track Tapes, Baby on Board Signs, Cabbage Patch
Dolls, CB Radios, Hula Hoops, Kewpie Dolls, Lava Lamps, Mood Rings,
Mopeds, Ouija Boards, Pet Rocks, Rubik's Cube, Slogan Buttons, Super
Ball, Teddy Bears, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Troll Dolls
Activities like Fallout Shelters, Hacky Sack, and Skateboarding
Events like Dance Marathons, Disco, Flagpole Sitting, Goldfish Swallowing,
Panty Raids, Telephone Booth Stuffing, and Streaking
Bullfinch's Mythology
The foibles, misadventures, grand tragedies and great triumphs of the Greek
and Roman gods are outlined here as they were 150 years ago. Learn about
mythology and about Thomas Bullfinch, the Bostonian who made this material
accessible to Americans for several generations.
MapMachine Atlas
Offered to web users by the National Geographic Society, the MapMachine Atlas
is an easy-to-use geographical resource. You can browse a world map and see
progressively more detailed views of a particular region, from continent to
state, or you can go directly to an exact area by utilizing the site's map
index. The maps are as detailed as almost any encyclopedia and show major
physical elements, such as mountains and rivers, as well as political
boundaries. Perhaps the best overall feature is the fact sheet for individual
maps that shows you key information about countries and states, plus pictures
of their flags.
TV News Archives
This site consists of a huge database that makes up the Vanderbilt University
collection of network television news progams. Since August 5th, 1968, The
Television News Archive has systematically recorded, abstracted, and indexed
national television newscasts, and Vanderbilt University now allows anyone
with web access to read through them. While not very eye-catching or
aesthetic, (the entire site looks like an FTP or Gopher area), if you are
interested in what made the news 30 years ago you'll find a lot to keep you
busy. Abstracts of newscasts from the three major networks can be found
either by the specific date or by browsing through entire years from 1968 to
present.
Home Ideas
If you've been putting off that special project around the house or just feel
inspired to make some improvements to your existing abode, Home Ideas can
help. Formerly known as "Home Mechanix Magazine", this revamped site will
give you inspiration and the knowledge you need to tackle almost any home
improvement job. At this site you have access to archives of articles to help
you plan home projects as well as discussion groups, free product broshures,
learning applets and a complete online Do-it-Yourself Store. So quit putting
it off - get started on that home project with help from the good folks at
Home Ideas.
Zip Code Lookup
Have you ever had someone's street address and city but didn't know the ZIP
code? Or maybe you've lost a valuable address and can reconstruct every part
of it except that pesky code. Well, now finding ZIP codes is a piece of cake
at the USPS's Zip Code Lookup and Address Information page. A very useful
onsite tool allows you to type in the address, city, and state, and the USPS
looks up the ZIP+4 code and sends it your way. The system also works in
reverse, allowing you to input a particular ZIP code and find out what city
it represents. A handy little service that's much faster than calling the
Post office or looking it up in a book.
The Thomas Register of American Manufacturers offers online info on more than
155,000 companies. You can also search by brand names -- all 124,000 of them.
Registration is required, but free.
How many times have you suffered some injustice and thought, "I'm going to
write my Representative about this!", only to discover that you had no idea
of who to write to, let alone how to get it to them. Provided as a service by
the U.S. House of Representatives Website, this is a simple yet very
effective tool that will give you the information you need to do just that. A
stark and simple tool that allows you to enter your ZIP code, the service
finds your local U.S. Representative and then tells you how to get in touch
with him or her.
Cartoon Web
The Cartoon Web brings together 350 of the world's top cartoonists from 50
different countries. The site has a large library of cartoons and caricatures
archived by date. There is also a complete area on information about
cartooning and becoming a cartoonist, links to to other sites of interest for
cartoon buffs and a complete online store featuring reprints, books and more.
SETI@Home - The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
The ever-contemplating minds at the University of California-Berkeley have
done it again, creating what they bill as "a grand experiment that will
harness the spare power of hundreds of thousands of Internet-connected
computers in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI)." Their aim
is to get Internet users from around the globe to use a special kind of
screensaver that when left unattended does something very unique. While you
are getting coffee, having lunch or sleeping, your computer will actually be
helping the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence by analyzing data
specially captured by the world's largest radio telescope. As an added bonus
you have three different views of the data analysis program to choose from.
Who knows? Your machine may end up being the first in the world to detect the
faint murmur of a civilization beyond Earth.
Calendar Generator V2.0
Print your own personal calendar.
Just fill out the events you want to add to your own calender pages,choose
your own title and press the Calendar Generator button.Immediately the
calendar page will pop up. Just press print and there you are!
Laundry Disk 2000
A humorous website spoofing Multi Level Marketing with a product that proports
to be the the most exciting new laundry cleaning device of all time; and it
consists of disks of Plutonium Dioxide Pu-238 to irradiate and ionize billions of water
molecules creating the "SuperStructured Water" which is then able to mimic the cleaning effect of detergent and those
old fashioned Laundry Balls, Discs and Solutions, without detergent, chemical
agents or even water. The site even includes a fake "article" from the Tulsa World.
World's Largest Roadside Attractions
For fans of highway art and roadside architecture, a collection of more than
200 roadside attractions which have been proclaimed the "world's largest."
The only one in Oklahoma is the World's Largest Totem Pole - Foyil, Oklahoma
Texas, on the other hand, boasts the World's Largest: Bee, Killer (Hidalgo,
Texas), Crab (Galveston, Texas), Horseshoe (Marfa, Texas), Jackrabbit
(Odessa, Texas), Mosquito (Clute, Texas), Oatmeal, Box of (Oatmeal, Texas),
Pecan (Seguin, Texas), Rattlesnake (Amarillo, Texas), Rattlesnake (Freer,
Texas), Roadrunner (Fort Stockton, Texas), Shovel (San Antonio, Texas), and
Soup Can (Paris, Texas).
Microsoft Carpoint
Bill is not really trying to take over the world, but Microsoft has now
entered the Auto business with a site proporting to be the complete source
for car buying information.
E-The People
E-The People is America's Interactive Town Hall, a web service that enables
concerned citizens to participate in community affairs. Users can send a
letter or a petition to over 140,000 federal, state, and local officials.
If your car is swallowed up by a pothole the size of Poughkeepsie, E- The
People can help you find the person you need to tell about it. You simply
come to the site, click on "streets," type in your address and they'll
forward your note to the right officials in your city. And if your public
works commissioner doesn't have Internet access, they'll convert your concern
to a fax. Are you an organizer? Why not start a petition about the same
pothole and have 10 friends sign it.
Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usability
This regular column by a professional interface designer suggests how to make
your webpages conform to users' needs and expectations better.
Classic Short Stories
Some good reading that's short enough to read off the screen--lots of Saki,
O.Henry, Twain, Balzac, Poe, DeMaupassant, etc.
Reverse Phone Lookup
Know a phone number but not the person it belongs to? InfoSpace offers a free
"reverse lookup" service. Or pick up the e-mail addresses of film stars,
athletes and other celebrities.
Far Net
Fake web site for an ISP providing Internet service using 2400 baud modems.
Computers on TV
Broadcast schedule for the films airing on television this month that involve computers.
FedStats
Here's a little known fact: Did you know that over 70 different agencies in the United
States Federal Government produce statistices that are of interest to the public?
Neither did we, until we visited this site. The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical
Policy has put together this site to allow the public easy access to the full range of stats
and info that these agencies produce, and the various agencies involved all do their part
by maintaining and updating all their own information from their own Internet servers.
Index page links allow you access to the various agencies, programs, regions and
contacts, or you can use the search tool or fast fact features to get to information
quickly. While not exactly the most enticing site on the web if you're into graphics and
gizmos, it's full of very interesting and sometimes troubling stats about your federal
government in action.
KidsCom.com
Here's a place on the Internet where kid's can play smart, stay safe, and have fun.
Brought to you by the Circle 1 Network, KidsCom contains areas where kids can
investigate foreign wonders from around the world, chat with other kids from all over
the globe or send special C-cards to their new friends and old pals on the web. There's
also a weekly poll where kids get to vote on timely issues or their favorite things, and
the "Mousers" section is especially tailored to the younger KidsCom visitors. Kids also
have the opportunity to win and collect Kid Kash, which they can use in the Loot
Locker to buy various children's software programs and other neat gear. Easy to
navigate and graphically enticing enough to hold any kid's attention, KidsCom is sure to
be a winner that any child will want to bookmark and visit on a steady basis.
Fighting Fraud
If you or someone you know of has recently experienced what you believe to be
fraudulent claims or business practices by a telemarketing firm or phone solicitor, take a
moment to visit this site. It's also a great place for those who want to avoid the tangled
trap of business fraud, as the site exposes telephone solicitors and telemarketing
schemes that are under investigation for or have been convicted of fraud. The NFIC is
the only nationwide toll-free hotline for consumers to get advice about telephone
solicitations and report possible telemarketing fraud to law enforcement agencies, and
in 1996 created the Internet Fraud Watch. Divided into several infor,mative and useful
sections, the site deals with telemarketing fraud, fraud against the elderly, breaking
news reports about current cases and "how to" sections for reporting fraud and helping
stamp out this practice.
New Yorker Cartoons
If you're looking for a daily lift at the expense of the high-brow Manhattan social set,
this is the site for you. Every hour, the New Yorker Magazine posts a different cartoon
from its vast archive of past cartoons. Simple in presentation and fast-loading, the
Cartoon Bank provides those who bookmark it with a daily (or even hourly) chuckle,
or users can opt to visit the entire archive via a link directly below each hour's cartoon.
All entries to the site are categorized, indexed, and cross-referenced for easy searching
and locating, but let the surfer beware - once you get into this site and start wandering
around you won't want to leave, as there is always the promise that the next cartoon
will be funnier than the one you just viewed. Definite site attractions include the work of
legendary New Yorker Magazine cartoonist James Thurber and links that take you
directly to the New Yorker's website for a taste of the high life.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
This page has been accessed
times.
Tulsa Computer Society 11/15/98
Don Singleton, President
djs@ionet.net