Dr. Bob's Hot TipsDr. Bob's Hot TipsNeed a little "spice" in your life? Getting bored with the usual surfing products on the net? Want a little different slant on the Web? Dr. Bob Lade spends a bit of time each day surfing for those unusual yet entertaining Web sites he thinks most of you CyberNetters might find amusing. Some of these links are serious, some just plain fun. We'll try to update the listing monthly,but if a hot URL shows up, it will be added ASAP.
Last month I spent a lot of time on one subject--internet client software. This month we're back to the usual format--my random thoughts on the net and need little nooks to get lost in. I had an impressive response to last month's format, though, so I'll keep a link to it in future newsletters, at least until the stuff in it becomes obsolete (a month or two ;-)
We have had a major breakthrough in the transmission of audio via the
net in the last two months. In the past we had to download a .au or .wav
file (a process that took a *very* long time) and then launch a helper
application to listen to it. Enter
Real Audio. After downloading the helper software and launching it,
you merely click onto a real audio link and within seconds the room is filled
with reasonably good quality audio. There is no practical limit on the size
of the file you can listen to, and much of it is in REAL TIME! Yes, that's
right, real time. For example, I'm a big Marquette University basketball
fan and living down here in SW Florida I can't get much information about
the team even in the newspaper (sorry, News Press) but enter Real Audio.
Now, I just click onto
WISN, a Milwaukee AM radio station and listen to the games in real time.
Want continuous news? Click on the PBN news (get it from the real audio
link above) or try
Radio HK. Just think about it for a minute--perhaps all radio stations will have real audio links to the net someday and the hassle of dealing with radio wave propagation will be gone forever. I don't know what percentage of the radio stations are online, but I'll bet it's significant and growing. Admittedly, the quality of audio, especially when music is involved, is not great. But this is a breakthrough nontheless.
The first thing I do at 4:00 a.m. when I first log onto the 'net is read
the news. Over the last year or so I have enjoyed reading
The NandO Times,
and The San Francisco Gate. I
especially enjoy reading about all the technical stuff going on in
Silicon Valley and elsewhere. The topic depth, especially with hard news
stories always left something to be desired, but you could get the big
picture and do it online.Now a major newspaper is available. If you want in-depth news at all levels (International, national, local, etc), just check out The New York Times. And if you want to limit your self to reading just the technical stuff, go directly to their CyberTimes section.
And it's not just the newspapers that are making their presence felt big-time on the net. For another excellent treatment of news at all levels, try CNN Interactive. Or if you like to work the USA Today Crossword, you'll need to download a helper application to get it running but it's a pretty easy process. And yes, the New York Times puzzle is also available at the NYT link above.
Now that we *all* are using java-based browsers (we are, aren't we?), there's
a new site that is worth visiting. c|net
is a large and interesting location where you can find excellent bargins if
you're looking for new hardware, where you can find software (freeware and
shareware) to download, and where you can find excellent technical reviews
of all sorts of internet-related stuff.For example, they have tested and rated 30 external modems. Want to know which one is best? Click over and check it out. They also have a browser tester. You can put your version to the test and see how it fares out. You can listen to interviews with industry experts on all sorts of topics (using Real Audio, of course). All the while you'll be watching neat java applet news info scrolling across your screen. A real three ring circus of technology right before your eyes!
I do a bit of mailing and I'm always frustrated when I don't have a zip code
to add to the address. If it's a local address, one covered by the local
phone company, you can find a list of street names and zip codes in the
telephone directory (didn't know that?). But what about cousin Millie in
Napa Valley? No problem, just use the Internet
Zip Code Facility. If you know
the person's name and address just punch it in and viola' out comes the
correct zip code. The service is pretty new and they are asking for inputs
to improve on it, but it's pretty amazing. Check it out!
Which section of the newspaper do you read first? The Sports Section? No.
The Front Page? No. Aha! The funnies! You're not alone if that was your
answer. One of the strips I seem to relate well to (hmmm physical
appearance, perhaps?) is Dilbert. He's kind of nerdy, carries a pocket
protector for his pen and pencil, is into computers, etc. I don't really
see any resemblance, but if you're into this little guy and his problems,
I suggest clicking onto
The Dilbert Strip. There you'll find an archive of recent strips. They
are in black and white and don't take up much bandwidth. It's an enjoyable
stop for me each morning after some heavy reading in the technical area.
Just when you think you have all of life's problems solved, along comes an
email from a friend, Sam Ulbing, up in Gainesville, FL. In it he suggests
a site I may want to include in these tips. If you're into problem solving
and don't mind fretting over trivia for hours at a time, I highly
recommend Riddle du Jour.
What will they think of next? Thanks alot, Sam...
Now this last site is an old one, one of the first I ever visited when I
first got on the 'net. I'm including it as a recommendation to show to
guests who don't know what the WWW is and you want a demonstration that
spans many countries in order to show off the features of the 'net.
The Virtual Tourist will allow
your browser to link to computers literally all over the world. The
information at these locations isn't earth-shattering, but the URL is
guaranteed to impress your visitors.
I've got lots more "fun" spots to explore, but they'll have to wait until next time. In the meantime, if you run into something you would like to have me add to this list, give me a URL and short description via e-mail.
Don't forget to contact me if you would like to be put on an e-mail list for announcements for the Internet Special Interest Group (ISIG) meetings in the southwest Florida area. We plan on normally holding them monthly on the first Tuesday of the month. This month's (Feb.) meeting has been cancelled do to loss of a meeting place. I'm looking for another spot, so if you have any suggestions, please give me a shout. The ideal site would have a phone outlet so that we can carry out demonstrations of new software as we have done in the past.
New schedules for the introductory internet course are being drawn up. If you have an interest in this class, or know of someone who is, drop a note to me , or give me a call at 334-3803. Have a friend interested in joining the fun on the internet? Have him call me and we'll get him started with an introductory package.
In addition to the introductory class, I am also available for advanced instruction on the internet, Windows95, Word Processing, or what have you. My rates are $25/hour. Reasonable for individual instruction, I believe. Give me a call at 334-3803, or send me an e-mail message and we can talk about your particular needs.
Comments about this page should be sent to Dr. Bob Lade .Reactions, positive or negative will be carefully considered. You're also invited to visit my Web Page to learn a little more about me, my family and our lifestyle.
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