Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the May 2003 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
Though Princeton's 3-D model search engine would be far more impressive if it actually did what it was supposed to — namely find images based on those you sketch with your mouse — it does do a reasonable job of finding graphic renderings of those items you request the old fashioned way. A potentially indispensable tool.
Those who routinely sniff that modern technology allows any idiot-come-lately to cobble together a music group have no idea just how right they are. With a little Flash magic, CreateBands.com lets you put together a rocking band with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Share Little Bo Peep, Jolly Jingles and many other 19th- and 20th-century story books with your children, courtesy of the Rosetta Project. View lavishly-illustrated pages online one at a time, or download each book complete with a single mouse click.
Picture a petulant Yoda answering Luke Skywalker's endless questions with a swift lightsaber to the kneecaps and you'll get the idea behind GameFAQs. This site provides a library of handy tips for mastering today's hottest video games, even as the author chides people for submitting stupid comments and questions
In a move heaven sent for genealogists and other researchers, the National Archives and Records Administration has placed more than 50 million historical documents online. Its Access to Archival Databases System allows you to search records by subject, geographic area, time span, and other criteria.
There's an entire universe of performers who bring hours of fun into our homes everyday, yet seldom receive their due. These are the unsung voice actors — unsung, that is, until now. Voice Chasers offers a database of voice actor credits covering cartoons, movies, video games, and other venues for the heard-but-not seen.
Not even the giants of the news reporting world can compete with the power and poignancy of one good photograph. Designed as a resource for professional photo journalists, this site features hundreds of pictures from around the world, ranging from the tear-jerkingly dramatic to the hauntingly human.
Bask in the presence of (or maybe just listen politely to) today's most respected minds in the fields of art, science, mathematics and history, with this Web tie-in for the TV series Big Ideas. Explore the birth and death of a star, the theories underlying Rock, Paper, Scissors, and more, courtesy of these interactive features.
The more our foreign policy whisks us around the world, the more valuable the Voice of America's pronunciation guide becomes. Whether you're stuck on 'Qatar' or even 'Saddam Hussein,' this searchable guide offers audio clips to help you get it right and fit in ... with the folks at the VOA, presumably.
You probably know James Watson and Francis Crick as the discoverers of DNA. Nova's Secret of Photo 51 site makes a good case for including Rosalind Franklin in that DNA pantheon. Its greatest achievement, however, is 'Journey into DNA,' a Java presentation that clearly demonstrates where DNA is and what it does.
The recent — and by most accounts, unprecedented — discovery of a nearly-intact giant squid off the coast of New Zealand has much of the scientific world elated. Though it does not reflect that discovery, this site does offer a treasure trove of information on the mysterious creatures of the deep.
If you're planning a trip to just about anyplace (most of the U.S. excepted), you'll find that it pays to be familiar with the public transportation system waiting for you on the other side. Here you'll find links to subway information around the world, from Amsterdam to Zürich.
If classical music is your preferred brand of aural entertainment, you might think you've died and gone to Vienna when you log on to the Classical Music Archives. Though a paid subscription is required for some features, you will find free streaming-audio recordings, detailed composer biographies, and much more.
In an interesting (if somewhat disjointed) approach to learning more about cultures of the world, this site examines how kite flying has developed in different countries. Includes words for 'kite' from just about everywhere, photographs of kites in action, and (just a tiny bit) more.
Phil Spector and Robert Blake investigated for murder. The strange kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. The Dixie Chicks' one-step-too-far war protest. There's no shortage of tabloid-headline fodder, and the Tabloid Column offers a handy means for keeping track of the latest news on these and other odd news stories.
Relive the golden gaming days of the '80s and '90s at ArcadePerfect.com. Share your fondest (or not so fond) memories, top scores, and better-late-than-never reviews of games that captured your heart (or at least a fair number of your quarters).
In a too-close-to-be-completely-kidding online presentation, design company Ideo envisions five "social mobiles," cell phones meant to address the social impact these ubiquitous devices have had on our lives. One highlight: a model that delivers mild electric shocks to users when they talk too loud. (If only.)
'Is Big Brother in your grocery cart?' Well might you ask — as, indeed, this privacy group does at NoCard.org. Its beef? Those merchant 'loyalty cards' that offer you discounts in exchange for personal data that this group says they have no right to track. 'Big deal,' you say? The info here may have you saying 'Big Brother' instead.
Take a seat in the visitors' gallery of the Old Bailey, Great Britain's most famous courthouse, with this online database of over 22,000 trials dating between 1714 and 1759. Read the actual transcripts from historic proceedings, view the original documents, and discover where the cases fall in the context of British law
In these uncertain times, it's nice to know that somewhere in this land there is a light bulb that has burned consistently for more than 100 years. Seriously. The 4-watt light, currently installed in a Livermore, Calif., fire station, has its own Web site, complete with history, photo gallery and, of all things, a 'bulbcam.'
Proving once again that no one is ever satisfied with the speed of their computer, this site keeps track of the constant arms race between technology companies to create the fastest computers on the planet. Includes detailed entries on the top 5, highlights from the top 10, and trends to be found amongst the top 500.
Take a trip through time with this searchable collection of Time magazine's memorable covers. From a young and confident Franklin D. Roosevelt gripping a pipe between his teeth in 1923 to the grinning 2003 visage of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
There's nothing like science to give you a new perspective on a world you thought you knew inside and out. The Infrared Zoo rounds up a diverse menagerie of warm-blooded and cold-blooded beasts, revealing the differences in temperature each creature's body exhibits, all with the help of NASA's infrared technology.
Aiming to slap a mathematical stethoscope across the chilly chest of the Internet, Keynote offers "The Internet Health Report." This matrix of performance numbers analyzes the top providers of the Internet's infrastructure (Verio, UUNet and company) to determine the overall "health" of the network.
Tired of feeling like filling stations are raising gas prices the moment you roll into their lots? The Gas Buddy portal helps you locate the least expensive gas in your area. You can also compare prices in your town to what they were yesterday, last week, last month, and last year.
Space.com brings you recent satellite-eye views of key locations in Iraq, including downtown Baghdad, Tikrit, and several Iraqi oil fields, too. The site's "Zoom Your View" feature also brings you close-up satellite images of North Korean nuclear reactor sites, and other newsworthy areas of the world.
Photo and graphics programs have come a long way, which seems to be the point of this online challenge. Examine the images presented here, then decide whether each is real or an example of graphical wizardry. Determining this isn't as easy as it used to be
How Sixties! How free spirit! And at the same time, how wonderfully elitist. Envisioned as an exclusive community of heretofore unimagined proportions, the Freedom Ship project seeks to create a mix of business and residential areas that can float around the world. Reserve your deck chair today!
There are senior citizens all over the country who could benefit from an e-mail pen pal, and this site hopes to match willing e-scribes with elderly persons eager to share their experiences. Pen pals can also post recipes, share poetry, and more.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 5/02/2003
Don Singleton, President