Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the November 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/
Celebrity recipes, coloring pages and games, virtual cards, and more.
This site is designed to generate tailored reading lists using only award-winning books. In addition to entering a subject search, you can if you wish also specify the age range, the ethnicity and/or gender of protagonists, the time period and geographical setting of the story, the format and/or genre of the story. The response time is sometimes slow, but it's a wonderful service anyway.
Finally, someone has come up with an easy-to-use, easy-to-learn online tutorial for kids that covers creating their own webpages and websites. WebMonkey, billed as "the fun way for kids to build websites", allows children to easily master the intricacies of webpage design and creating a site through online lessons that cover everything from the bare-bones basics to adding gadgets and gizmos to their pages. There are also great sections covering individual projects like creating online greeting cards or self-portraits, and a great toolbox that gives kids help with writing code, creating graphics and getting their sites posted online.
EarthCam is a complete guide to live Internet cameras and webcam events from around the world, including the first searchable directory that specifically locates live images from thousands Internet cameras. An extensive database allows users to search by keyword or browse through categories and subcategories, or search via 16 local U.S. City Guides. Camera sites are categorized under several general subjects including Events, News, Scenic, Traffic, Weather, Weird & Bizarre and more.
This is especially useful not only in linking you with a wide range of news and opinion, but also with information about regulation and legislation, FEC reports on campaign contributions, the diplomatic community, the budget, Congressional hearings, and more. Much though not all of this is free.
A guide to various online subject experts suitable for K-12 level. Experts available for such topics as construction, ESL, dentistry, grammar, homework help, parenting, and lots more.
If the anniversary of the moon walk got you excited about being an astronaut, here's where you can find out about the job requirements and selection process
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts its information about jobs in an accessible form to help kids think about career choices that match their present interests (librarianship is described as a career for people who like reading -- would that we had time to!). Jobs and career preparation and outlook are briefly described.
Meet the muppets and the creatures, read about the life and achievements of Jim Henson, find out all about the movies, TV shows, and Sesame Street, shop for memorabilia and e-cards. If you've still got questions, "Ask Henson."
Making the believable claim that Duct Tape is "The Ultimate Power Tool", the two guys running this site convey duct tape's many uses (both real and bizarre). You can also enter contests, send them your uses for duct tape, but most of all, have fun. Join the hundreds of thousands of world citizens who count on duct tape to hold their lives together each day. Remember, it ain't broke, it just lacks duct tape.
Curt Davis, a reviewer for Net Happenings (and member of Webaholics Anonymous), offers a get started page that starts people with a few very good indexes, and leads you to a variety of general and specialized search engines while reminding you that there are different ways of searching on them. An interesting model for guiding user searching.
Selections from the Fox Movietonews newsreel collection of the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. The donation "was the starting point for what has become one of the most significant academically-housed archival newsfilm libraries in the United States." Film clips (requiring download of Real Player) include Hitler addressing a Nazi rally, WWII newsreels, Babe Ruth rounding the bases after a 1932 home run, George Bush discussing Watergate in 1973.
Secretaries of State gather a lot of useful information about the companies operating in their states, and this site gets you to them, as well as to a couple of national registries for nonprofits.
Everyone knows that snacking is a real gamble: can you eat what you want without gaining weight? Brought to you by "Phys." Online Health & Fitness, a production of CondéNet, give the Snack Bandit a spin to see if it's your lucky day. Just pick your favorite snack food from among the detailed listings, tell the Bandit how many servings you'd like, choose your punishment for indulging then click "Go" to see if you hit the jackpot.
Daryl Cagle's page has moved to a new site, and now has even more cartoons. Accessible by theme -- the Littleton shootings, Kosovo, etc. -- or by cartoonist -- Mike Peters, Jeff MacNelly, Mike Luckovich, Chris Hiers (the Fox cartoonist whose caricature of me is my ExLibris icon), and lots more. An unusual feature is the lesson plans using cartoons to teach current history and politics.
Sociology professor Michael Kearl has put together another fantastic resource, with documents, statistics, bibliographies, full texts of research on many aspects of aging: community impact of aging, the elderly and religion, ageism in the workplace, medicare and the medicalization of old age, stereotyping of the elderly, and much more.
The site for anyone who's ever read Bill James Baseball Abstract and wondered where they could find more intelligent historical analysis of baseball. The best part of this site is the archive of articles from their publications, on such topics as "The Bernice Gera Story: The story of baseball's first female umpire", "Baseball Playoffs: The Wild Card Impact," "L.A's Godfather of Black Baseball: Remembering Mr. Brewer," etc.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
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Tulsa Computer Society 10/10/99
Don Singleton, President
djs@ionet.net