Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the January 2001 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://www.yahoo.com/picks/,
and http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
Search through 25,000 biographies of notable personalities from
antiquity to the present. Find out who was born on any particular
day. Or check out Biography.com's Top 10 bios.
This ambitious and educational project's goal is to visit and document every latitude and
longitude integer degree intersection in the world. Photos and descriptions of each intersection
posted here, creating a unique catalog and worldview of interesting--and not so
interesting--spots around the globe.
"A Call For The Discovery of All Life-forms On Earth." A site that acknowledges how much we don't
know yet and calls on us to help discover it.
You may never have to scrounge around for a local ATM machine
again. VISA offers an interactive tool to help find the closest one.
The respected search engine Google does its part to help people
around the world understand each other better with this handy
Web translation service. (Still in beta but worth a try.)
An e-zine that takes comics seriously as an art form. Includes reviews, news, interviews, and
essays. One interesting feature: their staff's competing nominations for the Top 100 Comics list.
Here is the ultimate movie trailer website, with old trailers archived back for several years. Pop
some popcorn and check out the hottest new movies before they hit the theaters.
Avoid food poisoning and other yucky problems with a visit to
the aptly named Home Food Safety site. Tour an interactive kitchen,
pose a question at the Ask The Experts section and watch a public
service announcement. As the site says: "It's in your hands."
Review an extensive backgrounder on the technology that may one
day help free our economy from the stranglehold of oil. Fusion
Power includes a promising new device, (smaller than the traditional
reactor) called MAST.
If you couldn't tell a Colt from a Ruger, or a bolt-action rifle from a Winchester 23, this is a
good starting point. Clickable thumbnail images and brief description of manufacturer, caliber, feed,
mechanism, etc.
Do you live on the edge? Is "Danger" your middle name? The author of this website wrote the
book on danger. Go here to learn about hazardous and treacherous places around the world.
There are also tips on how to travel safely in foreign places.
Planet Earth is turning into a virtual light bulb. As amply
demonstrated by these illuminating maps from the World Atlas of
the Artificial Night Sky Brightness.
Sysadmins will find this useful: news, links, tools and articles on each major operating system,
including comments from readers.
American Cowgirl honors the lives of women who exemplified the
pioneer spirit of the American West. Includes a photo gallery,
historical backgrounders and movie clips.
Get better results from your camera with some help from
PhotographyTips, which bills itself as the Net's number one guide to
better photos. Find out such things as the best uses of light and
flash, along with a section about "whacky tips that work."
Here's an online source for motivational quotes, stories, desktop
backgrounds and e-cards. The categories at World of Inspiration
include success, life, leadership, friendship, love, enthusiasm and
sports.
This useful military information portal comes from the Dudley Knox Library of the Naval
Postgraduate School.
The threat of identity theft is in the news. Protect yourself with a
visit to the Privacy Leadership Initiative site, which offers a long list
of tried-and-true tips on how to increase your ID security.
Karaoke has found its way to the Internet. Now, you don't even have to visit your local
karaoke club for some singing action. Just check out this site, where you can sing along with all
of your favorite songs.
The Trail Database aims to help your feet enjoy the outdoors in
what remains of this summer, boasting the world's largest collection
of hiking links. Along with resources that provide handy references
on everything from maps to weather.
A database of over 1,300 species of House and Greenhouse Plants which provides 18 categories
of care, from watering to lighting. Also includes a chat room and bulletin board.
Don't have time to hang around the stove to make a tasty dinner?
Let your crockpot turn out a variety of meals with a recipe index
that spans everything from breakfast cobbler to quail.
Learn more about the wide and troubled world we live in through
the highly respected CIA Factbook. The 2001 edition not only
includes the standard demographic and geographical info but also a
new listing that inventories Internet users.
The out-of-this-world images taken by the Chandra X-Ray
Observatory come to a desktop near you, courtesy of the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Wallpaper,
screensavers and even e-cards.
Where you can find screams, coyote howls, laughter, cheers and boos, etc.
Office 2000 users can impress their friends with their perfect
spelling, thanks to this free Microsoft update that includes some
13,000 addittional words. Among the additions: Computer
technology terms and geographical place names. A fairly quick and
easy download.
The hype is already building for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and the Official
Star Wars Web site is the place to find an online trailer as well as other insider information on
the next release. The film won't be out until May 2002, but there's no reason you can't feel the
Force before then!
Big Tobacco is fuming over the hard-hitting public-education efforts
of the American Legacy Foundation, which, with a certain
exquisite irony, gets funding from tobacco companies. Ain't it kool?
PDF brochures from the Department of Education tell parents about current research on helping
children read, write, improve their test-taking, get ready for school, learn responsible behavior, and
do well in specific subject areas. Some are in both English and Spanish.
Need an eye protector for your chickens? A pat-on-the-back
apparatus? Or maybe a self-waiting table? Some people thought you
did, as you'll see from the aptly named and ever-expanding Wacky
Patent of the Month site.
Find out where real science ends and pseudoscience begins.
Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction, a free e-book, examines
UFOs, extrasensory perception and other examples of so-called
science.
The Golden Gate Bridge is pretty, but those who know, go below. Welcome to the official web site of the Golden Gate
Tunnel, the brand-new and previously unpublicized underwater roadway that passes directly below the Golden Gate Bridge.
You'll be shocked and amazed at the stunning array of "trainsportainment" amenities the tunnel has to offer: meet Miss Golden
Gate Tunnel, browse the deep-fried options in the Donut Court, or pick up an official permit. You're also invited to meet
Golden Gate Tunnel Employee of the Month Rupert Jacktasty, who greets San Francisco-bound commuters moments before
they plunge hundreds of feet below the surface of the bay. So skip the sunshine, flip on your beams, and get the low down!
Presented annually by the Annals of Improbable Research, the igNobel honors science that makes
you go "Huh?" -- research on such pressing scientific questions as "Why do shower curtains billow
inwards?"
This unofficial site is a great American flag information resource. Learn the background on
"Old Glory," find patriotic songs, get downloadable flags and links to U.S. history sites.
Everyone has questions about language, usage, and punctuation. When you're unsure whether to use who or whom, just call
on Dr. Grammar, an English professor at the University of Northern Iowa who "lives for this stuff." The usual suspects such as
hyphens, colons, and commas are covered, but the good doctor also discusses more complicated issues, such as subjunctive
mood and using a possessive with a gerund. Even if you're uninterested (or is it disinterested?) in grammar, this site can be a
lifesaver when choosing between who or that or which or what.
CrossCurrents, which describes itself as a global network for people
of faith, delves into the relationship between religion and violence.
An online exploration that spans the teachings of Islam,
Christianity and Judaism.
"Scores of items of information and advice about nonprofits are included in this online resource.
The items come from discussions on email lists, in UseNet, and other sources." Topics covered:
organization, management, development, regulation, resources. From INC Magazine, a trusted
information resource.
Loren Winters of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics presents this instantly gratifying collection of
super-duper fast shutter snaps. If you're familiar with the classic shot of a bullet ripping through an apple, you'll appreciate
these variations on a theme: the contents of a water balloon hanging momentarily in the air, a bisected tennis ball squashed
across a racket, or a daisy frozen in nitrogen oxide shattered by a BB. This stuff is just plain cool. If you're interested in the
technical wizardry behind the photos (piezoelectric triggers and such), peruse Ms. Winter's explanatory paper.
Think the war in Afghanistan is spooky? Get a glimpse of what
high-tech warfare is really about with a download of the new Ghost
Recon game from spy author Tom Clancy. Bring along a fast Web
connection.
The aptly named Defense Almanac helps citizens understand the
breadth, mission and complexity of the U.S. military machine.
Focuses on the people, organization, equipment and funding of the
Department of Defense.
Helps us visualize and understand the magnitude of large numbers. How many days/weeks/years is
ten million seconds? How big is 10,000 kilometers? What does the difference between 10 million
and 100 million look like?
Heard a wild rumor and want to know if it's for real? Check out this site for an Internet reality
check. There are urban legends, virus hoaxes, celebrity stories and much more.
Warning: Don't view this site on an empty stomach. Compiled for your culinary edification by Greek-food enthusiast Matt
Barrett, an on-and-off expat, this site whisks you through dining hotbeds of the Greek Isles one minute, gives a lesson in
restaurant etiquette the next, then introduces you to some of the friendly locals. Then it's off to the olive stands for a quick
respite before partaking in the true Greek snack: sardines. Take heart, your guide makes sure you wash it all down with a
good wine or a proper ouzo.
A site inventors should check out regularly, as people post their desires for products that don't exist
yet, like a cheap simple way to dispose of oil, a "noise-suck widget," idiot-proof turn signals. What I
want is an auto-mounted electronic sign system that lets you flash messages like "Thank you for
letting me in," or "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to do that."
Get lost at airports much? Before you travel, pay a visit to the aptly
named Airport Maps site. You'll find alphabetical listings of airports
from Amsterdam to Zurich. A user-friendly service, and free.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics serves up a new National
Compensation Survey featuring a neat search function for
Java-enabled Web browsers. You just pick a region, an occupation
and an experience level — the app does the rest.
At first glance this site doesn't look like much -- just a bunch of linked technical terms like "Fourier Decomposition" and
"Damped Harmonic Oscillator." But once you dig down, the animations that help you visualize concepts concerning acoustics
and vibration are really quite amazing. Check out the animated GIFs and MPEGs that show the behavior of sound waves.
Don't be scared off by the equations -- the site's a perfect place for the non-technical person to learn some basics about the
world of acoustics.
A great place for ideas for keeping kids busy, making paper tissue flowers, dioramas, mobiles,
puppets, dinosaurs, thank you cards, you name it. Includes a special section for crafts for
pre-schoolers and an e-mail newsletter.
If you love puzzles, then this is the place to go for free online jigsaw games. There's a new
picture puzzle every day, or choose one from the huge gallery. You can even select a difficulty
level--from simple to super challenging.
William Jefferson Blythe was the 42nd president of the United States.
Eleanora Fagan was the lady who sang the blues. Demetria Gene Guynes,
star of the movies Ghost and Indecent Exposure, was married to macho
Die Hard actor, Walter Willison. These are just a few of the trivia
tidbits on Famous Name Changes. Some entries include why the person
changed their name -- such as Lucille Fay LeSueur receiving her stage
name of Joan Crawford through a fan contest sponsored by MGM. But some
names defy easy explanation, like U2's David Howell Evans, a.k.a., the
Edge.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 01/02/2002
Don Singleton, President