Cool Web Sites
by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the Special 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,
and http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
CRAYON (CReAte Your Own
Newspaper) lets kids be their own "Editor-in-Chief" and newspaper publisher. Use the easy online form to
choose your paper's name and motto, and then customize it with "all the news that fits."
An excellent reminder to be suspicious of statistics lest we accept not only questionable statistics
but also the arguments they support.
Did you ever notice, the world is run by rules? Games have them, and there are rules to writing, good etiquette as
well as riding in the front seat (otherwise known as calling "shotgun"). It's tough to keep up with all the rules, but
here's a site that tries to make it easy for you, listing rules for just about everything--sports, games, TV
gameshows, gambling and more.
These are great starting points for a wide variety of topics -- indie and punk rock, international
adoption, mutual funds, history of clothing, Down syndrome, literary criticism, genealogy, etc. They
present key print and Internet resources, subject headings to search with, Dewey number to browse
in, and more. Bookmark this address because IPL home page does not make it easy to find the
pathfinders.
Here's a site to get the latest "street prices" on electronics, computers, toys, sporting goods, jewelry and much
more. Strong Numbers tracks real-world transactions and creates a chart for each product showing the average
sale price along with the high and low cost. Be in the know before you bid or buy!
Search by region and state for events within the next 75 days, check out 100 things to do before you
die, the top 10 lists, the big trips, etc. Oklahoma events
are here
A clickable map at the Air Traffic Control System Command
Center give you a quick view of which airports are experiencing
flight delays. And you can drill down for the status of local airports.
Map that includes Tulsa is here.
Before you ever set foot in the sand, pay a visit to the Aurora
Fernández Virtual Boutique, which offers what it calls a "new
swimsuit experience."
Skipping isn't just for kids anymore, and this site's mission is to prove that fact! From upcoming skipping events to
skip reports to fun skipping stuff, iskip.com has all you need to know about this healthy means of self-locomotion.
Or you could just skip it.
A clear, concise and interesting analysis of the distinctions between information and these
counterfeits, of interest to anyone teaching students how to evaluate web sites.
Accessible computers and software programs can make it possible for everyone, including people with varying
degrees of disabilities, to use these technologies successfully in work, education and recreation. At this site you
can learn what Microsoft is doing to make its products more easily accessible, read news and find out about
events, discover Microsoft's accessibility aids and more.
he National Council on the Aging presents BenefitsCheckUp, a
free service that identifies federal and state assistance programs for
older Americans. This quick exercise may leave you surprised to
learn what benefits are available to you or your loved ones.
Includes a glossary of internet terms, a guide to how the internet works, a history of the net,
advisories of internet performance problems, an internet tracemap, ratings of service providers.
It began with a single photo nearly a century old, and now this site has blossomed into a comprehensive database
of family photographs, searchable by name, state, photographer and more. You can submit your own photos for
free, or participate in the "Pick and Shovel" bulletin board.
OLogy means "the study of," and the American Museum of Natural
History has assembled a long list of cool OLogies for youngsters to
study and explore.
Using the power of the Internet to connect volunteer with local opportunities nationwide, this sites online database
allows volunteers to search thousands of one-time and ongoing opportunities by zip code, category, and date.
Organizations post their opportunities, giving volunteers easy access to an accurate and diverse source of activities
including walk-a-thons, beach day cleanups, tutoring, home building, meal deliveries and more. Even signing up is
a snap, using the automatic e-mail sign-up system.
Bandwidth. Everybody want more than they already have, even if they have a T1! But just how fast is your
connection? Here's a site with more than 200 links to Internet connection speed tests, listed by country and state.
Behind all good science fiction is science fact. And the fact-packed
exhibit 2001: Destination Space from The Tech Museum of
Innovation offers a multimedia demonstration of where those two
sides meet.
Charles Fort devoted his life to proving that science was totally unable to explain all the weird things
that happen in the world. Fortean Times carries on this tradition. Possibly the only place you'll read
about the missing tic-tac-toe-playing chickens, or the Dracula cloning plan.
Do you really want to know the nutritional content of a Peanut Buster Parfait (it's good for 730 calories, by the
way) or a Double Whopper with Cheese (a whopping 960 calories)? You're probably better off eating in blissful
ignorance of fast food's nutrition, but if you are interested, this site will give you the scoop on all your favorite
foods from most of the popular fast food joints.
Diggit aims to make searching for images on the Web as facile as
searching for text. It boasts access to more than 12 million online
images. And advanced features let you draw what you're looking
for.
A good place to start if you're thinking about starting up a digital reference desk.
Pictures can be worth far more than a thousand
words when the subject is something as quintessentially arcane as
computer hardware. Click & Learn offers an illustrated guide. (The
site asks for your financial support.)
Earth Science Picture of the Day presents
graphic views of the diverse processes that shape our planet.
Includes photos, imagery and artwork, with brief explanations.
A gateway to more than 5,000 travel sites, Travel Tidings USA links
you to more than 50,000 pages of information on cities, attractions,
events and accommodation throughout the country.
Even in the age of the Net, snail mail still rocks at PostInfo. A
useful international portal to everything from rate calculators to
postal codes to express delivery companies.
Don't pass up a site that promises, "You'll never be bored again."
And, in addition, tells you the exact length of a chameleon's tongue!
Funology.com is designed for kids ages 1-101.
Keep your family safe and safe healthy. This site is like having a doctor online. Get links
to medicine sites, search for medical professionals, or find health tips.
Protect your pocketbook by boning up on some of the bewildering
words thrown about in the world of finance. The Dictionary of
Financial Terms offers user-friendly access to a long list of terms
"in a language you can understand."
Find images, clips, and sound bytes from all over the web. Do a general multimedia
search or get specific and find the type of file you want. Yes, they even have an MP3
search.
Reporters, editors and graphics artists are the primary audience for
The Journalist's Toolbox. But anyone doing online research will
find many a helpful link among the more than 1,850 Web sites in a
wide range of categories.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 7/01/2001
Don Singleton, President