Websites

I'm continually on the lookout for websites that are practical, as well as those that are just plain fun. Here's a small sampling of the many that I like and/or use. Naturally, if you have your favorites, please feel free to share them with me. And who knows? They, too, may appear on this list in the future. So do check back.

A. Search engine

This first one has become my favorite. If you use it, make sure you put quotation marks around all the terms that you are searching; e.g., "Suzie Creamcheese." That restricts your search to those two terms, not every mention of "Suzie" and every mention of "Creamcheese." And for the winner, please click http://www.google.com.

B. Search engine, part 2

Ask Jeeves. Just type in any question, and it will take a lot of educated guesses as to what you want-some quite good. To get to its now shortened name, please click http://ask.com.

C. Movie reviews

Look up any current movie (or video, also) and get summaries of a whole bunch of reviews on one page. Typically, if 65% or more of the critics like it, I will. And if less than 35% of the critics like it, I'm pretty sure that it will be a bomb. To visit, please click http://www.rottentomatoes.com/.

D. Movie reviews, part 2:

Internet Movie Database. This is the most comprehensive website for any movie information. I particularly like how you can get memorable quotes from many films. To visit, please click http://www.us.imdb.com/.

E. Movie times

So have you gathered that I like movies? . . . I do-all kinds . . . sometimes, though, I can't find a particular film; e.g., a foreign release . . . or I may be going out-of-town and want to know what will be playing when I get there . . . if you also want this information, please click http://www.hollywood.com/showtimes/.

F. Online dictionary and thesaurus

Not just anyone, but the one put out by Merriam-Webster. I've not only bookmarked this, but I have put it in my top toolbar for use most every day. To visit, please click http://www.m-w.com/.

G. ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA There's no such thing as a hard copy of the above. It is only available online. What a reference website! To visit, please click http://www.britannica.com/.

H. Translation site

This next one helped my daughter get through high school Spanish. Almost instantaneously, it translates whatever you want into several languages. It also does this in reverse; i.e., takes the foreign language and translates it into English. I can't believe that it is free. To visit, please click http://babel.altavista.com/tr.

I. Unusual news

Sometimes, when I want a break, I'll check out this website just to see what's happening in the world (that is often not reported by the major media). It often puts a smile on my face. To visit, please click http://www.fark.com/.

J. Travel site

Travelocity is still my favorite. To visit, please click http://www.travelocity.com/.

K. Travel site, part 2

Expedia is a close second. To visit, please click http://www.expedia.com/.

L. Viruses

This is a great website to get current information on viruses. To visit, please click http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html.

M. Hoaxes

Please bookmark this one. Whenever anybody sends me something that sounds too good to be true and/or too terrible to believe, I check this website at once. To visit, please click http://urbanlegends.about.com/?once=true&.

N. About.com

In addition to information about urban legends, you can find so much more about just about any other topic at this useful website. See for yourself. Look around at the homepage or use the search engine. To visit, please click http://about.com/.

O. Books

Although there are other websites out there for book purchases, I still like Amazon because it has so many reader reviews. Much like I do with movies, I often base my reading decisions on what others have said-especially if they tell me they did not like something. To visit, please click http://www.amazon.com.

From time to time, I post reviews of books that I have read (and typically enjoyed) at this website. If you want to see some of them, please click here.

P. CDs

Before buying CD, listen to it. Or at least several of the selections. To do so, please click http://www.cdnow.com.

Q. Phone directory

You don't need to retain multiple phone directories in your household. Not when you can do this online for free. To visit, please click http://www.switchboard.com/.

R. Reverse phone directory

What if you just have a phone number? That's all you will often need to find somebody at this website. To visit, please click http://www.anywho.com/rl.html.

S. Directions

There are several websites for directions, but the one that still works best for me is this one. Use with caution, though. What you get is sometimes just a turn off, but that's enough to drive you crazy. To visit, please click http://mapquest.com.

T. Time

Do you sometimes miss the end of a movie because your VCR time is "off." To prevent this from happening, please click http://www.time.gov/.

U. Interior decorating (sort of)

WARNING: the following website is not for the squeamish! . . . as shocking as you may find pornography, you haven't seen anything yet until you have seen Obscene Interiors . . . two sharp interior designers give their views on the furniture used in various porno pictures . . . but don't worry; the offending images have been appropriately covered . . . if you want a good laugh, please click http://www.justinspace.com/obscene/oiintro.html.

V. Games online

But before I give you this information, please put down the following: 40R . . . you now have my coat size (hint-hint), so when you hit it big, you'll remember the guy who told you about this website where you can play games for free and actually win cash prizes . . . see for yourself; please click http://www.gamesville.lycos.com/cgi-bin/homePage.

W. Dairy Queen

Ever get in the mood for a Blizzard? (My favorite: vanilla yogurt with peanut butter sauce and Nestle's Crunch!) . . . The problem is that you'll be driving around the country and have no idea where a Dairy Queen is located . . . finally, you can find out; please click http://dairyqueen.com.

X. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

A lot of useful advice is available from THE JOURNAL's free site, including information about top business and market news, e-commerce, online investing, technology, small business, etc. . . to see for yourself, please click http://wsj.com/.

NOTE: If you're a student or faculty member at any school, college or university, you can subscribe to THE JOURNAL at an educational rate (about ½ the price of the street copy) . . . this also enables you to have free access to the extremely helpful online version . . . please feel free to contact Blaine if ever interested..