Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the December 1999 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,
http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, and
http://www.coolcentral.com/day/
Full of downloadable Xmas animations.
Holiday GIF Graphics
Wallpaper and sets of graphics just right for the holidays.
From Christian Today
Features a downloadable animated Christmas tree.
In the past, the stars were used for navigation - but today's world requires greater accuracy. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is an aerospace technology that uses satellites and ground equipment to determine position anywhere on Earth. One of the most significant recent advances in technology for determining position, GPS has drastically changed methods of navigation and is fast becoming important in everyday life - anyone with a small receiver can use the system at no cost. Learn all about GPS at the latest offering of the National Air and Space Museum.
A set of annotated links to really good sites for children's literature, including myths and fables, great books, young adult literature, and master children's literature sites.
Keeping your software programs current gets easier
with a visit to the aptly named Updates.com. A free
service that searches your PC for software that needs
updating.
New hope for the (as it were) terminally addicted traveller. Advice for those with and without computers, a list of cyber cafes, and a helpful reminder that public libraries may have internet access as well.
This "FanSite" on Geocities doesn't stop at gushing love and undying
devotion to America's favorite redheaded comedienne. Check out the
"Bloopers" section and you'll get a very detailed (and colorful, we might
add) list of all the blunders, gaffes, errors and production mistakes made
in nearly all of the episodes that Lucy, Ricky, Ethel and Fred ever filmed
for posterity.
First broadcast in July of 1938 on CBS Radio, one of the finest radio drama shows of the 1930's was The Mercury Theatre on the Air featuring the acclaimed New York drama company founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman. Featuring an impressive array of talents including Agnes Moorehead, Bernard Herrmann, and George Coulouris, the show is most famous for its notorious "War of the Worlds" broadcast, but the other shows in the series are relatively unknown. Listen to them here in RealAudio format.
It provides the current local time in EVERY country in the world, including accurate adjustments for daylight savings time.
Need to keep your feet cool while walking around? How about gravity-powered shoe
air conditioners? Or maybe you chew tobacco in the car and need a flushable vehicle
spittoon. Log on to the "Gallery of Obscure Patents" and you'll see the drawings,
layouts and details of these and other weird and wonderful inventions. There's even a
place to submit a strange invention yourself or nominate one of your friends' or family's
oddball contraptions.
An interesting concept, combining a vocabulary game -- guess the meaning of a word -- with sightings and usages of that word on the web. "Bowdlerize," for example, takes you to a history of book banning and to an explanation of what was wrong with the Communications Decency Act. Includes links to other great word sites, like "notorious Confusables," "Word Pitfalls," etc.
Back in 1995, an idea was born: use the Internet to help students find scholarships for college. That's how fastWEB.com got its start. Match each student's background, automatically, with eligibility requirements for scholarships from around the country and advise them about scholarship opportunities tailored to them. All for free. Featuring an extensive college directory of more than 4,000 schools with information on admissions, financial aid and general information, today fastWEB is the nation's recognized leader in helping students succeed in college and beyond.
Looking for something to get you down? Look no
further than the Living Almanac of Disasters. Just
click on a date and be prepared for a little depression.
As I checked out this site the first disaster listed indicated
that on my birthday, in 1968,
a B-52 crashed 7 miles south of Thule Air Force Base in
Greenland, scattering the radioactive fragments of four
hydrogen bombs over the terrain after a fire broke out in
the navigator's compartment. The contaminated ice and
airplane debris were sent back to the U.S., with the bomb
fragments going back to the manufacturer in Amarillo, Tx.
The incident outraged the people of Denmark (which owns
Greenland and which prohibits nuclear weapons over its
territory) and led to massive anti-U.S. demonstrations.
The really strange thing is that I was
born in Amarillo, Texas (although considerably before 1968).
You don't have to be a professional marketer to enjoy
browsing through InternetStats, a handy search
engine that finds statistics and market data on a wide
range of subjects.
The American Dialect Society speaks Net. This
scholarly association dedicated to the study of the
English language in North America keeps you current
on all things linguistic.
A no-frills site that gives you basic information by continent about what hostels are available, address, phone when available, and rates when available.
Billed as the world's leading Internet destination for premium home design products, HomePortfolio presents a rich, easy-to-navigate editorial selection of top-of-the-line and hard-to-find products and then directs you to the nearest retailers. Helping you make your home a true expression of your personal tastes, values, and aspirations, HomePortfolio is the fastest, easiest way to find the products you want for your home and organize them in your own Personal Portfolio, a powerful online scrapbook that makes it easy to communicate with your spouse, builder, architect, or designer.
One of America's most beloved game shows, hosted by none of
America's most beloved game show hosts, offers up several pages
containing images and explanations of some of their wildest and wackiest
moments on the air. Catch Bob Barker falling over props, prizes that
"attack" models or just plain fall apart onstage and more. As an added
bonus, several of the images are accompanied by audio files so you can
"listen in" on the blunders.
Billed as a "dynamic interactive music museum opening in Seattle in 2000", the Experience Music Project was named in Seattle-native Jimi Hendrix's honor, but it's dedicated to all types and forms of music. Select "Hi-FI" or "Lo-Fi" listening, then take a tour through areas like the "Vault", which looks at a different rock act or musician each day, or focus on one of the world's greatest guitarists ever - Jimi Hendrix. Learn his influences, check out actual images of his songwriting notebook, or learn the Power Chord that made him famous.
When you initially log on to this site you'll be greeted by some great retro-style graphics that take you back to the '50s. Then when you start fooling around with the Answer-Matic Toaster, you'll be reminded of one of the biggest fads of the '60s - The Magic Eight Ball. Ask the Answer-Matic Toaster a question and watch as the timer goes off and your answer comes up on a slice of toast. Fun for all ages, this java-driven toaster is also quite addictive.
A fine example of Java-enabled gaming online, WebSame is a simple game presented in three difficulty levels that tests your ability to think in a vertical plane by deleting pieces in a horizontal plane. Somewhat reminiscent of games like "Connect Four" or "Dots", WebSame awards points for erasing either balls or cones. You can erase same pieces which are connected vertically or horizontally by clicking them. If there are pieces above the erased ones, they will drop down. If all pieces on the vertical line are erased, all pieces on the right will slide left. If you can no longer erase pieces, the game is over. If you clear the entire screen, you receive 1000 bonus points.
Can't think of a name? Have you considered
Ozark Barn or Whiskey Farmers? Or Angry
Pimples or Zigzag Particle or Average
Madness? You can tailor selections to country,
punk, psychedelic, or cool jazz. Kinda fun even if
you don't have a band.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
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times.
Tulsa Computer Society 11/9/99
Don Singleton, President
djs@ionet.net