sree.net > tips > newsletters > August 2001
Web version: http://www.sree.net/tips/2001aug.html

Sree Tips
A free monthly newsletter of Web tips and tricks

From Sreenath Sreenivasan
Columbia University journalism professor
WABC-TV's "Tech Guru" on Thursday mornings in NYC area
[ Tech Guru text archives at http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/ ]

http://www.sree.net/ * sreetipsreax@sree.net

Sree Tips Newsletter
August 2001: http://www.sree.net/tips/2001aug.html

A free monthly newsletter of tips and tricks about useful and/or fun Web sites.
Archive: http://www.sree.net/tips

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o o o o o

Greetings, and welcome to the latest issue of the "Sree Tips" newsletter. As you may know, the newsletter started as an offshoot of the "Smarter Surfing: Better Use of Your Web Time" workshops I teach around the U.S. and abroad: http://www.sree.net/web

As always, I look forward to YOUR tips, feedback and suggestions: sreetipsreax@sree.net
Among this month's tipsters: Mervin Block, Jonathan Dube, Mindy McAdams, Abhijit Roy, Al Tompkins.

Why wait a month for the next newsletter? Visit the constantly updated "Smarter Surfing" links at http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html

• YIL Useful Sites Archives -- dozens of useful sites
  http://www.yil.com/daily/useful/archive.asp
  From Yahoo! Internet Life magazine comes a growing collection of what it calls "incredibly useful" sites. The serendipity of the Web is certainly on display here. Over the last couple of weeks, I have learned about dealing with the phone company at http://www.phonecompanycomplaints.com and avoiding mosquitoes at http://www.skeeterbites.com
  
  
• Cyberjournalist.net Reporter's Supersearch -- multiple searches
  http://www.cyberjournalist.net/supersearch/index.htm
  This is the latest addition to Cyberjournalist.net, a site run as a labor of love by MSNBC technology editor Jonathan Dube. It brings together on one page most of the search boxes that journalists (and others) find useful. The distinct searches you can conduct include Web search engines, U.S. government statistics and medical dictionaries, among others. Bookmark this site and it will save you time when you need to find information in a hurry. You can also sign up for a mailing list for site updates: cyberjournalist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
  
  
• WABC-TV's Tech Guru -- technology tips
  http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/
  Yes, this is my site, but it is still useful-ish <grin>. Recent segments include how to deal with those annoying Web pop-up and pop-under ads; suggestions for laptop shopping; avoiding viruses; and ways to keep kids safe online. More than 30 columns, plus my "sites of the week." Click on the link above or try this: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/WABC_techguru_home.html
  

ENCORE: Last month's NEW-ISH USEFUL SITES
from http://www.sree.net/tips/2001july.html

• Internet Public Library's Pathfinders -- research guides
  http://www.ipl.org/ref/QUE/PF/
• The Economist's Country Guides -- information on various nations
  http://www.economist.com/countries/
• HistoryWorld -- explaining history
  http://www.historyworld.net/
  
  Site Update:
  In May, I wrote here about FindSame.com, a free online plagiarism finder. Turns out the site, run by a company called Digital Integrity, died a dot-com death last week. I am now in the hunt for another free service that does what FindSame did: confirm whether certain content can be found elsewhere on the Web. Sites like Plagiarism.org and Plagiarism.com charge for their services. If you know of a free plagiarism finder, please tell me: tips@sree.net.
  

• Google Zeitgeist - track Web trends
  http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html
  Curious to see how your fellow Web surfers use search engines? Google.com offers its new Zeitgeist service, which gets its name from the fact that the Google folks believe it reflects the general cultural climate of our times. Once a week or so, Google publishes lists of the 10 "most gaining" search terms and 10 "most declining" search terms. For this week, hot topics included the Code Red virus and MTV, while celebrities like Anna Kournikova and George Harrison lost momentum. The Lycos 50 -- http://50.lycos.com -- which has been featured in this newsletter, is similar. It provides in-depth analysis about the Lycos search engine.
  
  
• The Museum of Hoaxes -- examples of hoaxes through the ages
  http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/
  A guide to hoaxes of various kinds, providing background information on famous and not-so-famous ones. The oldest are from before 1700s and there are more recent, Web-based hoaxes as well. Try the "gullibility test" to see if you are the kind that can be fooled easily.
  

• NYT Weekly Quiz -- test your knowledge of the news
  http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/quiz/
  There are plenty of Web quizzes around, but the one on the New York Times site is the best one I have seen. Each Friday, NYTimes.com runs a 10-question quiz based on the past week's news. What makes it better than the others is the style with which it is written and the explanation of the answers. It taught me without making me feel (too) stupid.
  

ENCORE: Last month's NEW-ISH FUN SITES
from http://www.sree.net/tips/2001july.html

• Naked News -- anchors who bare all (MATURE CONTENT; not for readers under 18)
  http://www.nakednews.com/
• I Go U Go -- travel journals from around the world
  http://www.igougo.com
• Guardian Unlimited's Books Top 10s -- unique book lists
  http://books.guardian.co.uk/top10s

o o o o o

Search Engine:
Google
http://www.google.com/
The best search engine out there. 'Nuff said. But here's Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal on Google: "...simply the best search site I've ever used." If you know Walt's work -- and you should be following it religiously at http://ptech.wsj.com/ -- you know that he doesn't hand out such praise often. Be sure to download the free Google toolbar; it will change the way you search: http://toolbar.google.com/

Reference Site:
Refdesk
http://www.refdesk.com/
Excellent reference site. Don't just take my word for it. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told The New York Times this is his favorite Web site. Run by Bob Drudge, Matt's dad (though Refdesk doesn't run rumors).

Encyclopedia:
Britannica.com
http://www.britannica.com/
The Encyclopedia Britannica on the Web -- basic info free of charge (the full-access version, which used to be free, now costs $5 a month, or $50 a year).

Atlas:
National Geographic's Map Machine
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/
Leave it to National Geographic to make the best online atlas with these dynamic maps that will take you to any spot you choose and allow you to change what kind of map you see, on the fly. Did you know there are three towns named Santa Claus in the U.S. or that my grandfather's village in India is an easy find? (For U.S. driving directions, MapQuest <http://www.mapquest.com/> remains the best site.)

Dictionary:
Merriam-Webster
http://www.m-w.com/
In offices, dictionaries grow legs and walk. Hence an online dictionary is a must. This one addresses a major problem I have had with traditional dictionaries: You need to know how to spell a word before you look it up. Not here. Just punch in an approximation, and it will give you a suggested list. And nice etymology.

Media Goings-on:
Jim Romenesko's Media News
http://www.medianews.org/
Hosted by Poynter.org, this is news-junkie heaven. I read it more often and more closely than any other site.

SELF-PROMOTION...

Must-Sree TV
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/
My "Tech Guru" segments on WABC-7 in the New York City area run every Thursday morning on Channel 7 at 6:45 (yes, that's the a.m.). This is a link to archived Web versions of my segments.

Sree Tips -- the Web page
http://www.sree.net/tips
Links to my tips and thoughts on various items, including digital cameras, freelance writing, Web production and more.

"Smarter Surfing" Workshops
http://www.sree.net/web
Smarter surfing for people of all skill levels. Interested in scheduling a class for you and your colleagues? Learn more.

"Smarter Surfing" Links: Better Use of Your Web Time
http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html
Links for various categories of sites, annotated for your surfing pleasure.

Sree Talks
http://www.sree.net/talks
List of forthcoming talks and presentations in various cities.

Content is Still King: Lesson from the Online Journalism Awards
http://www.sree.net/talks/c&w.html
A keynote speech I gave at the "Computers & Writing" conference in May at Ball State University.

Info Overload & Moi
http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/columnists/mediasavvy/savvy1.htm
An essay for USAToday.com on dealing with information overload (yes, I am a major info polluter).

[Reprint requests: reprints@sree.net]

That's it for now.

Remember, you can track my "Smarter Surfing" links at http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html

Cheers, Sree
http://www.sree.net/

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sree.net > tips > newsletters > August 2001

See text archives of my Tech Guru appearances on Channel 7 -- Thursday mornings at 6:45 in NYC area more...