sree.net > tips > newsletter march 2001


From Sreenath Sreenivasan
Columbia University journalism professor 
http://www.sree.net * sreetipsreax@sree.net



Sree Tips 
March 2001

A free monthly newsletter of tips and tricks about useful/fun Web sites
and more.

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Feedback: sreetipsreax@sree.net


o o o o o


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


Check out the links and tips below. As always, I look forward to YOUR
tips, feedback and suggestions: sreetipsreax@sree.net


Can't wait a month for the next newsletter? Visit the constantly
updated "smarter surfing" links at
http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html



NEW-ISH (to me) USEFUL SITES...


Xrefer
http://www.xrefer.com
One-stop search for 50 reference titles from publishers such as Oxford
University Press, Penguin, Bloomsbury and Houghton Mifflin. Includes 
the serious (Oxford Paperback Encyclopedia, Penguin International 
Dictionary of Finance, Compact American Dictionary of Computer Words) and the fun
(Penguin Rhyming Dictionary).



TVEyes
http://www.tveyes.com
Keep track of topics as they appear on U.S. television. Enter a keyword
and the service will instantly e-mail you a transcript as soon as it is
spoken on a station it tracks. For instance, I always thought that
countries like Pakistan almost never got mentioned on American TV. I
started tracking "Pakistan" on this site and soon got several mentions
over the course of a day.



Speech & Transcripts Center
http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/speech.htm 
Here's an excellent site with free transcripts of speeches and 
broadcast programs. U.S.-centric, but has a growing number of international 
items. Those you have to pay for are easily found on paid services such as 
Nexis; this site, however, is the better place to start.


Hoax sites
http://www.sree.net/tips/hoax.html
A list of sites that can help you evaluate information on the Web. You
will find examples of Web hoaxes and a useful guide to quality 
information online. Visit this site before you decide to retire because you 
received an e-mail message saying Bill Gates wants to give you money. 



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NEWISH (to me) FUN sites...

iPing
http://www.iping.com
If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you have to try this site. It's like
the traditional phone wake-up services, but just more versatile and
updated for the Internet age. You can use the site to, among other 
things, schedule wake-up calls, birthday and anniversary reminders, and 
voicemail messages for other people. You can even record a message to wake up 
to, in you own voice. So when I need a backup to my clock-radio, I am 
awakened to my voice yelling "WAKE UP, YOU SLEEPY-HEAD, WAKE UP!" 
The "Dr. Dose" reminds me to take my vitamins every day (haven't missed a day since I 
put the service to work). It's free -- but remember, you get what you pay 
for, so no guarantees.


GlobeExplorer
http://www.globeexplorer.com
Thought satellites were only for big governments to spy on one another?
Here's your chance to join in on the fun. Type in a U.S. street address and you will get a free, 
archived satellite picture of that neighborhood you can zoom in on. There is limited access to non-U.S. images. 
The company makes its money from big corporations paying big money for real-time images of places around the planet.


Vindigo
http://www.vindigo.com
Owners of Palm-based personal digital assistants should download this 
Free software that gets you info on 19 cities. It's a great way to find
information while you are away from your PC and the Internet. There are
plenty of sites and ways you can get, say, restaurant listings, movie
reviews, store guides and such while you are sitting at your desk, or 
at home. But this is a way to access those details on the road, when you 
need it most, without paying for wireless access.


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MY DEFAULT SUCH & SUCH...
(my starting points for various things; may change monthly)


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. Or at all.


Reference Site:
Refdesk
http://www.refdesk.com
Excellent reference site. Don't just take my word for it. Colin Powell
told The New York Times it is his favorite Web site. Run by Bob Drudge,
Matt's dad (though no rumors on Refdesk).


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. Period.


Atlas:
National Geographic's Map Machine
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/
Leave it to National Geographic to make the best online atlas with its
dynamic maps and more. Did you know there were three towns named Santa
Claus in the U.S. or that my father's village in India is an easy find?


Dictionary:
Merriam-Webster
http://www.m-w.com
In offices, dictionaries grow legs and walk. Hence an online dictionary 
is a must. It 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. Plus, nice etymology.


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SELF-PROMOTION...


Must-Sree-TV
http://www.sree.net/tv/wabc
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 link
includes my "site of the week."


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


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


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)


"Improving Your 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? Details, costs and more.


[Syndication requests: syndication@sree.net]


That's it for now. Remember, you can track my "smarter surfing" links 
at http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html


See you (your inbox, actually) next month.

Cheers, Sree
www.sree.net

o o o o o 

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Copyright 2001 Sree.net
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