Great Websites - September-October

[jamesglewisf]

Google (http://google.com) is the best search engine out there in my opinion. It consistently gives me relevant results.

The Open Directory Project (ODP) (http://dmoz.org) is the best web directory. It is maintained by an army of over 29,000 volunteers.

InfoSpace (http://www.infospace.com) is my favorite place to look up phone numbers and addresses. You can even do reverse lookups of phone numbers.

I'll have to brag a little about the directory at FindaLink.net (http://findalink.net). Almost every time someone tells me about a new website they just discovered, it is already listed in my directory. I'm still working on the design of the site. It could use some improvement. But the directory is great. It's not nearly as complete as the ODP, but I don't have 29,000 volunteers working on it either.

[jamesglewisf]

It's a magazine. It's a website. It's excellent.

The Industry Standard (http://thestandard.com/) is one of the best magazines I have ever subscribed to for learning about the Internet.

I think the website has all of the articles on it.

For instance, check out this article about AltaVista (http://thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,18577,00.html) laying of 25 percent of its workers and returning to its search-engine roots.

[jamesglewisf]

Shields UP! (http://grc.com/su-firewalls.htm) is an excellent source for recommendations about how to evaluate and buy firewall software. If you have a cable or DSL connection at home, you need to read this. You need a personal firewall software that works, and most of them are either free or practically free.

[jamesglewisf]

If you are looking for medical information, check out these two sites:
Health Central (http://www.healthcentral.com/) is the home to Dr. Dean Edell.
Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayohealth.org/) is the home of one of the most respected medical institutions in the world.
Both sites offer helpful and no-nonsense information.

[jamesglewisf]

Have you ever wondered how the engine in your car works or what makes your refrigerator cold? Then How Stuff Works (http://www.howstuffworks.com/) is the place for you.

[jamesglewisf]

Question
I left a spoon in my food and I put it in the microwave by accident. Is it dangerous to eat the food after it was put into the microwave with a metal object? Does it have any radiation? Could it cause cancer? - SK, Santa Monica, California
Answer
The spoon will have essentially no effect at all on the food. Metal left in the microwave oven during cooking will only cause trouble if (a) it is very thin or (b) it has sharp edges or points. The microwaves push electric charges back and forth in metal, so if the metal is too thin, it will heat up like the filament of a light bulb and may cause a fire. And if the metal has sharp edges or points, charges may accumulate on those sharp spots and the leap into space as a spark. But because your spoon was thick and had rounded edges, the charges that flowed through it during cooking didn't have any bad effects on the spoon: no heating and no sparks.

As far as the food is concerned, the presence of the spoon redirected the microwaves somewhat, but probably without causing any noticeable changes in how the food cooked. There is certainly no residual radiation of any sort and the food is no more likely to cause cancer after being cooked with metal around than had there been no spoon with it. In general, leaving a spoon in a cup of coffee or bowl of oatmeal isn't going to cause any trouble at all. I do it all the time. In fact, having a metal spoon in the liquid may reduce the likelihood of superheating the liquid, a dangerous phenomenon that occurs frequently in microwave cooking. Superheated liquids boil violently when you disturb them and can cause serious injuries as a result.
Find answers to questions like this at How Things Work (http://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/).

[jamesglewisf]

Here is what I find amazing: Married Adults.com is the only website that you people visit! I'm so honored. I started this thread out of the loving kindness of my generous heart, hoping desperately to expand your horizons a little. Maybe I could help you see that there is a whole new world of Internet sites out there. I thought maybe, just maybe, when you came back from your adventures that you would share with us some of the other great sites you have found. But alas, you were too scared to leave, too scared to venture out beyond the sacred walls of Married Adults.com. Well, fear not. Maybe someday a brave new soul will join who has traveled to other websites. Until then, just keep browsing our forums. ;)

Come one people! Tell us about some other great sites.

[jamesglewisf]

Check out eFax.com (http://www.efax.com). You can get your own personal fax number for free. People can send faxes to your number and then they are forwarded to your email box where you can print them. I just got one for MarriedAdults.com. It works great. The only thing you can't do is choose your area code.

You can even get a version that cost $5 per month where you can send faxes.

[jamesglewisf]

I often go to Yahoo! Maps (http://maps.yahoo.com/) to get directions to wherever I'm going. They are very handy.

[RoadRunner]

Express.com (http://www.express.com/) is a good place for getting DVD's. It used to be DVDExpress.com, but they changed their name recently. They now carry music, games, and electronics. The prices are pretty good, and you can find out about DVD's that are coming soon.

[jamesglewisf]

I just found this cool site called FilmBug (http://www.filmbug.com/) while browsing TWTCommish's Movie Forums (http://www.movieforums.com/forums/index.php). Both are great if you are a movie buff.

[TWTCommish]

Thanks for the link, James!

Here are some of my favorites:

http://www.SitePoint.com - fantastic resource for webmasters...and even if you've taken the time to read a lot of articles/reviews/tutorials (guilty, as charged!), the forums hold brand new knowledge for even the most advanced.

http://www.Swirve.com - I enjoy the games here and some of the forums. I personally play "Earth 2025" almost everyday. :)

http://www.WebHostLink.com - Great forums...don't stop by that often (every couple of weeks at most), but it seems like a fine resource.

I'm sure I'll think of others later...http://www.Sports-Central.org is a good one run by a friend of mine. And I will also refrain from posting all of my own sites, for the sake of humility. :D

[jamesglewisf]

Personal portals, also called aggregators, allow you to create a home page that includes content from all of your favorite websites. OnePage (http://www.onepage.com) is a relatively new personal portal worth checking out.

[TWTCommish]

Thanks for the link!

I heard Blogger.com was good - if you have no idea what a "Blogger" is, then check it out for yourself. :) -- http://www.blogger.com

[jamesglewisf]

http://www.m-w.com if you need a good dictionary/thesaurus.

[TTP]

My favorite is Sandbox (http://www.sandbox.net) Sports. That's because I like the on-line games, I'm gearing up for Basketball right now. I had a good team, until Mourning and Rose went down...grrr

[Anat]

There's a new thread about great websites at
http://marriedadults.net/forum/showthread.php3?postid=3616#post3616

I'm locking this one - please post lots of new cool websites in the new thread!