Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the July 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
RXList.com's Internet drug index, a ranking and dossier of the 200
most prescribed drugs, is a veritable hit parade of ailments and
disorders currently preying on America's health. From high blood
pressure to depression, we seem to be falling apart
Search by city or keyword or desired amenity, browse through listings (with prices), click to B&B link for more info, and if you wish, book
online.
This PBS site educates kids on advertising and becoming smart consumers. There's
also a quiz to help kids distinguish between TV fact and fiction.
Can something be an urban legend if it's demonstrably true online?
The buzz around many watercoolers this month has centered
around this site, which shows the eerily prophetic vision depicted if
you fold a $20 bill a certain way.
A handy Web surfing companion, the new Alexa Web Search
quickly pulls up the stats on any Web site, as well as reader-written
reviews and a 'people who visit this page also visit' index to similar
sites, courtesy of venture partner Amazon.com.
Their data must not be that current, because they still think http://tcs.org is hosted by Galstar.com.
Site Stats: Traffic Rank: 669,793, Links Pointing in: 890, Online Since: 05-May-1994.
In comparison the site stats for http://apcug.org are
Traffic Rank: 793,636, Links Pointing in: 702, Online Since: 04-Jan-1995.
They say people who visit this page also visit: Gorilla Systems (http://www.gorilla.net/),
Tulsa Area United Way (http://www.tauw.org/),
Cottage Software Inc. (http://www.cottagesoft.com/),
Redirect (http://www.busprod.com/),
Greenwood Chamber Of Commerce (http://www.greenwoodchamber.org/),
Greyhound Pets Of America Oklahoma Chapter (http://www.gpaok.pair.com/),
Goodwill Industries Of Tulsa (http://www.goodwilltulsa.org/),
Humanist Association Of Tulsa (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/8666/tulsahumanists.html),
Community Service Council Of Greater Tulsa (http://www.csctulsa.org/), and
Tulsa Audubon Society (http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ok/tulsa)
Did you know there are over 2,000 file extensions? With this search engine, you can look
up any extension to determine its file type.
With tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters rearranging the
American landscape, the government's Hazard Maps site may just
come in handy. Pop in your ZIP code to see what forces of nature
are currently threatening hearth and home.
At last, a reason to dig your chatty Billy Bass out of the hall closet.
This site gives you all the computer code and instructions you'll
need to expand the vocabulary of your annoying little novelty fish
by using the power of Linux. Try that with Windows
Find news and research on hundreds of topics, from the environment to race relations
and more. Registered users can also voice their opinions. This site provides information
on both sides of an issue.
Modern archaeology meets online obsession at AirlineMeals.net,
where pictures of sumptuous (all right, maybe not sumptuous)
airline fair are categorized by carrier. Click the pictures posted or
contribute some of your own.
If run-of-the-mill chat rooms leave you cold, why not check-in at
the Habbo Hotel? Here you can create your own two-dimensional
digital face and body, and move it around from room to room to
chat with other visitors.
Dogs are man's best friend, but some make better pets than others. Take a quiz and let
this site help you decide which pooch is best for you. There are also links to breeders
and trainers.
Gary Burghoff made a name for himself in the sitcom M*A*S*H
as 'Radar O'Reilly,' but who knew the fellow was such a dab hand
with a paintbrush? Check out his many wildlife portraits, as well as
sound clips, photos and more.
Why do eggheads continue to churn out handheld computers and
high-tech scooters when what every honest tech geek really wants
is an android? Fortunately, this site gives you all you need to know
(instructions, schematics, etc.) to whip up your own mechanoid
Created by NASA and the California Institute of Technology, this interactive site provides
a deep look at space. Tour an observatory, explore black holes or check out the atlas of
planets outside our solar system.
An orbiting X-ray telescope this week discovered two stars that appear to be denser than nuclear matter, a finding that challenges
some fundamental laws of physics. While scientists scratch their heads, you can view closeup images and animations of the
strange phenomenon.
This site lets young people compose 'Wacky Web Tales' by blindly
supplying adjectives, nouns and other parts of speech, which are
then woven into a 'wacky' tale. (In other words, MadLibs.)
"Bigger is better" does not work on this site. Artists are confined to a 250 x 250-pixel
canvas. Check out these amazing works. You can even submit a work.
Can't understand why the nation's school children had such a poor
showing in the American history test results out this week? Thanks
to the Web, you can at least review the questions yourself. The
answers, however, aren't so readily available for some reason
A shoe-in for the 'Game Most Likely To Get You Held For
Observation' award, Antcity hands you a magnifying glass, a hot
sun, and a city full of tiny people at your mercy. What you do
from there is between you and your conscience.
Looking to add a little spice to your Internet searches? Why not
give the search routines brewing in Google's lab a whirl? From
'colorful' keyboard shortcuts to a search involving your voice,
your telephone and the Web.
Journey through the week-to-week development of a human fetus,
from zygote to full-term baby, with Visembryo.com. Includes
images, measurements, as well as a blow-by-blow report on the
changes that take place during each stage.
From the basics of bacteria to the psychology of shoplifting, Tim Hunkin's
Rudiments of Wisdom delivers quick dollops of information about the world
around us, all in the guise of crude-but-effective (and always entertaining)
doodles.
A site sure to inspire a few choruses of 'Why didn't I think of
that,' DVD Tracks is a depot for alternate DVD audio tracks (MP3
files, actually) recorded by movie fans for playback during
particular movie scenes
'Cool' is a judgment call, of course, but this site's hip, informal
run-down of a coronary-bypass operation is definitely unique. Ideal
for those about to undergo such an operation, one can read the
brief case histories of the patients, meet the surgical team, and
view video clips of the procedure.
Ever wonder what the world looks like to those who are color
blind? Vischeck's vision simulator lets you view any image file or
Web page through the eyes of a color blind person. (Someone
please try this on a picture of a traffic light.)
A graphically absorbing new way to search the Web, Kartoo gives
you dozens of settings to tweak your search criteria to better zero in
on the information you're looking for. You might even forget what
you were looking for in the first place
Paper mâché, human anatomy; two phrases you don't often see
together. But this Smithsonian exhibit shows how ideal a medium
paper mâché is for displaying the intricacies of the human body.
Also includes plant and animal specimens.
How lucky we are to have the likes of Sir Charles Grandiose to
keep us in line. Each week, his good self (fictitious we hope)
dispenses such ever-so-polite put-downs as 'Adrift in the gene pool
without a flotation device, are we?'
When you love something, set it free. And when it's a good book,
maybe somebody else will find it and love it as much as you did.
That's the idea behind Book Crossing, where readers purposefully
leave books lying around for others to find and enjoy, while posting
directions to these literary treasures online.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 07/02/2002
Don Singleton, President