50 Cool Websites

[mrtonguetwista]

BBC.co.uk
This terrific source for war and other world news has other sections worth exploring: BBC Sport offers comprehensive coverage of sports around the globe (including such pursuits as rugby and cricket) plus a snazzy Virtual Replay interactive video tool (Macromedia's Shockwave Player required) so you can experience the winning goal from a variety of angles. In Science & Nature , you'll find a boatload of material about the human body and mind illustrated by top-notch graphics. Study the Nervous System, take the Senses Challenge or play the Skeleton game.

Bloglines.com
If you want to stay plugged into the world of politics, technology, show business or any other area of professional or personal interest, you have to read Web logs, a.k.a. blogs, regularly-updated personal or collaborative online journals. The best ones are in some ways more relevant and more influential than mainstream media outlets. To keep up, let Bloglines track your favorites and deliver their latest posts in one neat package. Other good blog-aggregator services include Kinja.com , a similar though somewhat shaky service (it just launched a few months ago) that shows promise as a tour guide for those entering the blogosphere for the first time, and Blogdex.net , MIT Media Lab's study in "contagious media" that lists the fastest-spreading ideas and news items based on how many blogs are buzzing about them.

Ehow.com
The site for tips and step-by-step instructions on how to do stuff. There's the practical (how to teach a child how to tie his shoes), the creative (how to make tile mosaics) and the merely suggestive (how to exercise at the beach). The site's ads, supplied by Google and relevant to your searches, were some of the least obnoxious we've seen.

ET.tv.yahoo.com/newslink
Click here to get your daily fix of showbiz and celebrity news. Articles are short and sweet, which works for us: how much do you really need to read about Britney Spears' knee injury or why Tom Cruise was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch?

Factcheck.org
Voters, if you're sick of being spun, take heart: here's a breath — make that blast — of fresh air from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The articles and feature stories pick apart speeches, press releases, TV ads and other public statements by politicians of all stripes — these days, mainly Bush and Kerry — to set the record straight.

Fedstats.gov
Not the sexiest site on our list, to be sure, but incredibly useful for gathering statistics and reports from more than 100 government agencies. Click on Key Statistic next to an agency's name (they're listed alphabetically) to pull up links to other Web pages containing relevant info. You'll have to dig a little, but for many kinds of research this is a great place to start.

Nationalgeographic.com/education
Type "elephant" into the "One-Stop Research" search field to pull up maps, facts and photos from the National Geographic archive. Designed for educators, the site includes lesson plans in various subject areas and a teacher store where you can search for materials based on subject (mainly Sciences and Social Studies, as you'd expect) resource type (books, maps, software, etc.) or grade (K-12). Another must-click: nationalgeographic.com/news.

News.google.com
Keyword searches pull up links to the latest stories, each with a note indicating when it first appeared. The returns are culled from thousands of online news sources based in the U.S. and abroad. You can sort results by date or relevance; you can also request e-mail alerts so you know when new articles are posted.

PBS.org/pov/borders/index_flash.html
If you missed it on TV, click here to catch POV's Borders , a thought-provoking PBS series about the environment. Topics are timely and the content is playfully organized, with layered title pages and lots of video clips, plus a couple of interactive games (see the Earth section).

SEC.gov
An invaluable resource for anyone interested in business, investing and finance, now more than ever, thanks to new search tools and options. See "Filings and Forms" (a.k.a. EDGAR) to access any public company's earnings reports and other public documents, including mutual fund prospectuses.

SSA.gov/OACT/babynames
What were the most popular names for baby boys and girls in the 1880s? The 1960s? Last year? This cultural snapshot provides table after table of popularity rankings by decade, by state, and, starting in 1990, year by year. Data is based on a 5% sampling of social security card applications. The site can't tell you if your Conor will be the only Conor in his kindergarten class, but it can tell you that Connor (spelled with 2 n's) is a far more common spelling.


Apple.com/itunes/
store/
Despite several copycat efforts in recent months, this is still the best place to buy music, legally, and it's more popular than ever, selling 2.7 million songs a week. Choose from more than 700,000 tracks or check out the new celebrity playlists (Mischa Barton is a Guns 'N Roses fan ? Who knew?). Another new treat: music videos (a video link will appear on the artist's main page, if there are any in the offing). Before you can visit the store, though, you'll need the iTunes software, which is free and runs on both Macs and Windows PCs (Macs need OS X; PCs Windows 2000 or XP). Get it at apple.com/itunes/download.

Cancerfacts.com
A great online resource for cancer patients and their families. The profile tool delivers information tailored to a specific cancer diagnosis. Register with an email address to receive news of new therapies and treatment options. Then take a moment to stop by thebreastcancersite.com . Click on the big pink button for a page of ads from sponsors that donate mammograms to poor women based on the number of click-throughs.

Engadget.com, Gizmodo.com
Forgive us, but we couldn't tell the difference between these two competing blogs written by gearheads, for gearheads. Fanatics may want to bookmark both to make sure they don't miss anything about upcoming product releases, trends in tech culture and the like. To fully submerge yourself in this world, make slashdot.org your home page. To avoid looking like a complete geek, stick with CNET's news.com.

FFFBI.com
The home of "The Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation" seeks to teach kids problem-solving and critical-thinking skills while introducing them to other places and cultures. To participate, you must choose a mission, follow instructions and answer questions to help foil evil plots. Cute and clever.

Freshdirect.com
This New York City-based home-delivery service is what every food shopping site should aspire to be. Ordering is a snap, and it's beautifully illustrated with bright and colorful photos (even the raw slabs of beef look pretty). Even if you don't live in the Big Apple, the site is worth visiting for its wealth of information. In the potato section, for example, it doesn't just list 16 varieties; it describes each one in detail, rates its taste and texture and offers serving suggestions.

Kidshealth.org
Produced by The Nemours Foundation, KidsHealth is really three sites in one, with each section written and designed differently to appeal to its target audience. The Parents section offers all sorts of guidance on keeping children healthy and caring for them when they get sick. The Kids section features games and other activities; and the Teens page links to articles about the Body (Finding the Right Bra, Why Exercise is Wise), Mind (Binge Eating, Depression), Sexual Health (All About Menstruation) and Drugs & Alcohol (Are Steroids Worth the Risk?).

Metacritic.com
See what all the critics are saying about that movie you want to see, that album you want to buy or that video game you want to play. The "Metascores" show the critical consensus at a glance; they are a weighted average of all the critics' grades. When you click on a particular title (the searchable database covers the last five years), you'll still get the master index of current releases along the right-hand side, in alphabetical order, with color-coded scores attached. Yellow star, good. Red box, dud.

Mojam.com
Find out when Blues Traveler will be performing in your neck of the woods, or shop around for shows to attend the week you'll be visiting friends in Seattle. You can search the concert database by artist, city or venue. The MyMojam feature allows registered users to save their favorite searches so that they can get the results immediately upon signing in.

Noggin.com
Great games and other forms of "edu-tainment" for pre-school-aged children based on Miffy, Maisy, Oobi and other popular shows from the cable TV network of the same name. Honorable mention goes to pbskids.org, home to Arthur and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Talkingpointsmemo.com
We're always interested in what this guy has to say about politics and the world, and so do a lot of other people, which is why Joshua Micah Marshall — a freelance journalist based in Washington and the site's creator and chief contributor — is one of the most popular bloggers online today. He doesn't rant, he reasons, and he often supports his arguments with source material.

Wordswithoutborders.org
Calling itself the Online Magazine for International Literature, Words Without Borders publishes stories, poems and essays by foreign authors translated into English — a rare opportunity to get a non-American perspective on things, given that so little of these kinds of works get published in the U.S. through traditional channels.

Yoox.com
A huge hit in Europe, this fashion e-tailer is making headway in the American market thanks to a slick site and the best selection of high-end designer clothing for both men and women we've seen anywhere on the Web. Much of the inventory is last season, so prices are slashed. Browse by designer (15 are featured, including Armani, Gucci and Prada, and there are dozens more listed in the search engine's pull-down menu); category (choices include seven different styles of trousers and five types of skirts); and size range (XXS through XXXL).



Craigslist.org
Sell your old couch, or buy someone else's. Find a house cleaner, a roommate or a beach house. The free classifieds are grouped by city, category and subcategory (Boston/For Sale/Furniture) and are as easy to post as they are to search. More than just a place to sell things, Craigslist is a true community, a source of gossip, stories and the inspiration for blacktable.com's sparkling "Week in Craig" feature.

Friendster.com
Rather than sift through anonymous profiles to find a date, Friendsters work their personal networks and meet people through mutual friends. Set up your own community and invite everybody you know. (They can be single, married, married with kids or whatever, because Friendsters can also work the network to find new friends, or play matchmaker for someone else.) Encourage them to invite everybody they know, and so on. The farther it goes, the bigger pond you'll have to fish in.

Freecycle.org
Advertise things you want to give away for free on Freecycle.org , where nothing, apparently, is too old or damaged or useless to try to unload. Identify the freecycle group in your area (there are 800 across the U.S.), join the e-mail list, agree to some rules and you're in.

iPodlounge.com
If you're one of the millions of consumers who now seem permanently attached to an Apple iPod, here's your home base. Get the full run-down on all the device's available accessories or head to the Forums to swap tips and tricks. If you recently acquired one of these portable digital music players, iPod 101 (see Articles) offers a primer. The site is independently run.

Meetup.com
A convenient, non-threatening way to connect to other people who share similar interests and live nearby. The gatherings are off-line — what a concept — and can take place anywhere, such as a coffee shop, bar, bowling alley or dog park. Browse by topic/type (graphic design, cat rescue, atheists, moms) or zip code to find a group to join. Members vote on where to meet next.

Sittercity.com
Calling itself the Match.com for child care, Sitter City provides an invaluable service at a reasonable rate: $40 gets you access to hundreds if not thousands of potential babysitters in your area (the site has 50,000 registered users in 10 U.S. cities, including New York, Boston and Chicago, and is expanding into Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore in September). Use Quick Search to cast a wide net or set preferences to find candidates who don't smoke, know CPR, speak Spanish and wouldn't mind the cat. Warning: the site acts as a liaison only, and does not screen.

Tolerance.org
This site is full of ideas on how to fight discrimination and bigotry. Read the articles to learn ways you can battle hate and promote tolerance where you live and work. The Teens tab links to Mix It Up, home base for student activists working to break down social barriers. Articles in the For Parents section suggest ways to talk to the kids about same-sex marriage, gender-bashing and other issues.

Triggerstreet.com
A place for aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters to get feedback on their work and, possibly, some exposure within the industry. Register, upload your masterpiece and subject it to the scrutiny of thousands. The site hosts its own festivals; judges include industry heavyweights like Danny DeVito and Cameron Crowe. You'll need RealOne player and QuickTime to watch the shorts; if you don't already have these free programs, the site provides links to where you can download them.



A9.com
Recently hatched, this newfangled search engine, created by an Amazon.com spin-off, conducts general Web searches but also a separate book search just in case you're wondering what Amazon has in store on the subject. Book results are kept under a separate tab, and include links to full-page views, part of Amazon's nifty Search Inside the Book offering, though you have to be a registered user of Amazon to access them.

Freetranslation.com
Copy and paste a Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese or Russian word or phrase into one field and the English translation appears almost instantly in another. It also works the other way: the site translates English into one of 10 different languages, including two forms of Chinese (though for this, you'd probably need to install what's called a "language pack" so your PC can display the characters). Don't push things too far; longer passages quickly reveal the program's limitations, so if your text is going to end up in a business letter, you might want to put a human translator on the case. The site will provide one, for a fee.

Froogle.com
Before you buy anything online, look for it here. What we like best about Google's shopping search engine is that it limits search results to one product per website, making it easier to see which different vendors carry the product (or something like it) without having to scroll so much. Just click "More from…" to see other items in a particular store's selection.

JiWire.com
Everything you always wanted to know about Wi-Fi but were afraid to ask. This comprehensive guide covers the increasingly popular wireless technology as both a tool for networking your home computers and as a way to connect to the Internet when you're out in the world. Includes product reviews and practical tips such as "Top Ten Ways to Avoid Wi-Fi Hijacking." The handy hotspot finder, a database of nearly 42,000 public places in 60 countries where you can log on, includes pricing.

Local.google.com
Google's local search engine asks for keywords and a specific address before delivering the goods — nearby pet groomers, say, or some other person, place or thing. You can save locations, narrow the search by distance and view the results on a map.

Maps.yahoo.com
The cool new SmartView feature points out train stations, movie theaters, hiking trails and other points of interest. Select what you want to see from the SmartView menu and little yellow icons pop up on the map; run the mouse over a particular icon and more information appears. We still like to get our driving directions from randmcnally.com, but two sources are always better than one.

Mobissimo.com
We love this travel search engine for the same reason we loved our Palm Pilot: it does one job really well. Plug in your travel dates and the site will cull options from popular travel sites like Orbitz and Travelocity, travel consolidators such as Airfares.com and the airlines (both U.S.- and foreign-based) so you don't have to.

Photos.yahoo.com
Our favorite way to share digital photos with friends and family. Uploading and organizing images is easy, and there's even a tool for fixing red-eye. Shutterbugs will appreciate the free unlimited storage.

Refdesk.com
All things reference. Be sure to try the Visual Thesaurus; the link is on the left-hand side of the home page, near other basic tools such as a dictionary and calendar. Delve deeper and you could get overwhelmed by all the resources listed, but it's reasonably well organized so you shouldn't get lost.

ResearchBuzz.org/archives/001404.shtml
Why limit yourself to just epicurious or allrecipes.com ? This Google hack scans several major recipe sites to give you as many options as possible, and all you have to do is type in your key ingredients. You can further narrow the search by selecting a specific recipe type, such as Atkins, vegan or seafood.

Testmyspeed.com
How fast are you driving? Find the right test for your broadband connection to see what upload and download speeds you're getting and how they stack up against the norm for your type of service (cable modem, ISDN, etc.) Don't have a high-speed link to the Net yet but want to get one? Broadbandreports.com will list the options in your area, help you compare prices and identify top-rated providers based on user reviews.


Accessproject.net
An interactive art installation created by Marie Sester, a media artist based in New York. Video clips and still images show anonymous individuals tracked in public places by a robotic spotlight that responds to sound and motion. Interesting and creepy at the same time.

Comedycentral.com
Watch the best bits from South Park, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and other faves, both current and classic (there's some great old stuff from the Kids in the Hall). Or try your hand at games like Reno! 911 Petty Theft Bicycle or Insomniac Bar Hopper. For Chapelle's Show fans, there's Sound Board, where you mix and match your favorite character quips to a background beat.

eBay.com
Funniest eBay post ever: A few months back, a tattooed biker from Seattle poses in his ex-wife's wedding dress hoping to raise enough dough at auction to buy Mariners tickets and a few beers, and ends up netting close to four grand.

Newseum.org/newsmania
Try this trivia quiz from the interactive museum of news. There are three levels: intern, reporter and editor, and if you don't answer fast enough, host Rita will scold you.

Puzzlepirates.com
In this multiplayer online role-playing game, you're a pirate that solves arcade-style puzzles to win treasure and further the story of your character, your crew and the virtual ocean world around you. Fans call it addictive; even game snobs admit it's amusing. Yo ho ho!

Sonyclassics.com/badass
A study in how to promote a movie, this highly entertaining site is sure to help turn Mario Van Peebles' new movie, Baadasssss! (based on a true story about his filmmaker dad, Melvin, and the birth of independent black cinema) into a cult classic. Watch the trailer, read the production notes or just let the theme song play.

There.com
A chatroom with a twist: instead of just reading each other's text, you get to meet people in the virtual flesh. Type in what you want to say and it appears in a speech balloon over your onscreen character's head. You can do stuff like shop for clothes and race dune buggies, or just hang out and socialize.

Trevorvanmeter.com/flyguy
A delightful bit of interactive flash. Wait a moment for the page to load then use your arrow keys to send the nice line-drawn guy with curly black hair gliding among the clouds. Stay close to Earth and you'll encounter various other flying objects and individuals, or head straight up into outer space. Eventually you'll find yourself on a tropical island with a girl and a monkey dancing the hula. It's not a bad place to be.