sree.net > tips > newsletters > January 2002
Web version: http://www.sree.net/tips/200201.html

Sree Tips
A free monthly newsletter of Web tips and tricks

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

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

January 2002: http://www.sree.net/tips/200201.html
Archive: http://www.sree.net/tips

Subscribe: sreetips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (just one message a month)
Feedback: sreetipsreax@sree.net

o o o o o

Manhattan, Jan. 31-- Welcome to the latest issue of the "Sree Tips" newsletter. As you may know, this newsletter started as an offshoot of the "Smarter Surfing: Better Use of Your Web Time" workshops I teach around the U.S. and abroad. If you are interested in having me do a session for your organization, civic group, school or hamlet, please visit http://www.sree.net/web

As always, I look forward to YOUR tips, feedback and suggestions: sreetipsreax@sree.net. This month's tipsters include: Jay Anand, Tara Calishain, Al Tompkins and Mervin Block (Merv, my TV writing guru, has recently launched http://www.mervinblock.com -- take a look).

Why wait a month for the next newsletter? Visit the constantly updated "Smarter Surfing" links at http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html
Also see new "Web Tips" published every Tuesday on Poynter.org: http://www.poynter.org/web/Archive2001.htm

Reminder: Your friends can add themselves to this once-a-month mailing list by e-mailing sreetips@sree.net

{Cheers, Sree}

New-ish USEFUL SITES
(sites I find useful in some way)

4MyEmergency -- keep track of critical emergency information
http://www.4myemergency.com
This is a free site meant to help families keep track of emergency and other vital information. The events of Sept. 11, which left hundreds of families with deceased relatives, showed us the importance of having good family records when emergencies occur. For too many folks, the fact that they couldn't locate vital information about medical and insurance records added to the pain. That's where 4MyEmergency comes in. Anyone who wants to have their vital information in one place can go to the site and enter information they have handy. Details such as first relatives to call, home insurance policies, special notes about children, etc. Once the information is filled out, it generates a printout of the data that you can then store (I would make multiple copies). The key here is that the site does NOT store any of your information. It is just a form generator. Your computer and your paper files keep the information. And that is what makes it safe and worth using. The site is a nonprofit project led by Asha Blake, the nationally-known TV anchor who used to host NBC's Later Today and ABC's World News Now. I recently reviewed this site on the air for WABC-TV and you can see a Real Video version of the segment here: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/WABC_techguru_011602emergency.html

FEC Info -- see who's been contributing and how much
http://www.fecinfo.com
Amidst all the Enron-related news coming out of Washington, there is (for now) a renewed interest in trying to understand how U.S. political donations work. The site I turn to try to make sense of this arcane world is FEC Info, which is run by PoliticalMoneyLine, a Washington watchdog group (the Federal Election Commission site is FEC.gov). Through the use of campaign finance data as tracked by the FEC, the site has helped to advance the discussion and debate over campaign financing. A useful section is the donor lookup, which allows you to search contributions of anyone who has given over $200 to Federal campaigns since 1980. Put in the name of a friend, neighbor, colleague or enemy name and you just might learn something.

Bloomberg University -- free investing classes
http://www.bloomberguniversity.com
Bloomberg.com, the Web site of Bloomberg News (named, of course, for its founder, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg) offers users free investing classes. Topics include: investment basics, saving for a first home, teaching children about money and retirement planning. The classes are free to anyone anywhere in the world with access to the Web and you can register and start whenever you like. Now, if only I had some money to invest.

AskOxford.com -- all about English
http://www.askoxford.com
"Passionate about language" is the slogan of this site, run by the folks who publish the Oxford English Dictionary (it's different from the full OED.com site, which costs more than $500 a year for an annual subscription). It is filled with tips about writing and the use of English. You will learn a lot about words, their origins and how you can improve your writing. It's called AskOxford because Oxford University Press staffers answer questions online. If your have a question that isn't among the ones already answered online, you can submit yours.

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

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New-ish FUN SITES
(proof "fun" is a subjective word)

The Dialectizer -- create parody sites in other "languages"
http://rinkworks.com/dialect
Don't like a particular site? Here's a way to have some fun: put the site's address into the Dialectizer and you can create an instant parody. Pick from such politically incorrect choices as "redneck" and "jive." My favorite: "Elmer Fudd" -- which turns pages into a good impression of that wabbit-hunter's unique speaking style. To see an example: http://www.sree.net/wabbit.html -- that's my site rendered in "Fuddese." I wonder what Warner Bros. makes of all this.

GuinnessRecords.com -- the famous book, online
http://www.guinnessrecords.com
I spent way too much of my pre-teen years reading a yellowing copy of the Guinness Book of World Records. And unless I am careful, I could end up wasting time at this site, which brings alive many of the records. Instead of just a short text entry and perhaps a photo, here you get plenty of bells and whistles. Including videos, audio clips, and even chat rooms. The power of the Web is made clear as I went searching for one my perennial favorites, the record for "longest fingernails," which always seems to belong to an Indian gent. The current record holder, Sridhar Chillal, of Poona, India, is featured with a photo, background information and a video of him unveiling his nails (which have a combined length of 20 ft, 2.25 in).

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

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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. Be sure to download the free Google toolbar; it will change the way you search: http://toolbar.google.com/ (no Mac version right now)

Reference Site:
Refdesk
http://www.refdesk.com/
Excellent reference site. Don't just take my word for it. The New York Times quoted U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell saying 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 $7.95 a month, or $50 a year). I also use, to a lesser extent, Encarta.com from Microsoft (many free articles, pay for others).

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. Also see the new button for your browser; once you download it, you don't need to go to the site itself in order to lookup a word. You can do it right from whatever site you are in.

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. I had no idea there are three towns named Santa Claus in the U.S. or that my grandfather's village in India is an easy find.

Driving Directions:
MapQuest
http://www.mapquest.com/
For U.S. driving directions, MapQuest remains the best site. But I also like the new "straight-line" maps from MapBlast <http://www.mapblast.com>

World Time:
TimeAndDate.com
http://www.timeanddate.com/
The best set of world clocks and calendars. I like the personal world clock, which allows you to set and track time in up to 16 cities at one glance.

Software Downloads:
Download.com
http://www.download.com
No need to hit the store to buy software. Almost everything you need is online and has free trials.

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.

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SREE-DOT-NET STUFF

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 -- now includes Real Video versions for the newer segments.

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

Poynter.org Web Tips
http://www.poynter.org/web/Archive2001.htm
Every Tuesday, I write a short Web tip for Poynter.org; MSNBC technology editor Jonathan Dube writes one every Friday.

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 handling information overload (yes, I am a major info polluter).

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 2001 at Ball State University.

[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

See you (your inbox, actually) next month.

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

o o o o o

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Copyright 2002 Sree.net

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sree.net > tips > newsletters > January 2002



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