I like a good mystery, whether reading Agatha Christie or science fiction. I enjoyed browsing through a handful of non-literary websites that open doors to the heretofore unexplained. In a few of the sites listed this week, I had to put on my thinking cap as my first grade teacher used to say—to understand concepts put forth by a college professor about the fourth dimension. The websites touch on topics such as extra terrestrials, cryptozoology, consciousness, near death experiences, and string theory.
Museum of Unnatural Mystery . I spent an unnatural amount of time browsing this site and enjoying every minute. This pleasantly put-together site serves up a menu of “exhibit halls” that let you explore topics that include UFO’s, cryptozoology, space and time observatory, weird geology, odd archeology, and a host of other subjects. In the Weird Geology section, I learned about the Ringing Rocks of Bucks County, PA. I got to “listen” to different tones that these rocks make and now I want to rush off to Pennsylvania and experience them in person. In the Odd Archeology exhibit hall I read about the Bagdad Battery, which may have been the first ever invented. Other links on the site let you “Ask the Curator” your most curious questions. There is also a Children’s Reading Room and an opportunity to sign up for the Strange Science News e-newsletter. This “museum” is educational and entertaining, and most of all, easy to follow.
Clifford Pickover’s Home Page .Once you ignore the marketing ploy to by Pickover’s books, you can access some of his theories. Put on your thinking caps, because you will need them. The author explains his vision of the fourth dimension and how we three-dimensional beings might understand better this other-world. Once you get past the fourth dimension you can move on up to the next six and read more about string theory. Pickover calls his 4th-dimension discourse “Adventures in Consciousness.” It will stretch your brain.
Near-Death Studies . Elizabeth Kubler-Ross started the movement to study near-death experiences (NDE’s), and the web author of this site is a member of the International Association of Near-Death Studies, so this isn’t any chat room chatter here. This may be the only online newsletter that collects testimonies of NDE’s from the pages of the mainstream press. Anyone who has read Mooney’s books (Life After Life) or the more recent entries in this genre will enjoy reading the material here.
World Science . If you want to know what is going on in the world of science long before it hits the mainstream press, this is the place. Here are some examples of stories that I read during the week of April 19: A musician studied by scientists can identify different musical sounds by the flavors they create in their mouths; New evidence suggests that the shape of the universe may be a bizarre form of a dodecahedron (12-sided object); Bacteria may have a form of intelligence. As to that last article, maybe I’m a bit bizarre myself because my first thought was “why wouldn’t bacteria have a form of intelligence?” You can find samples of science art at this website, and on the home page there was (maybe it’s still there) an image of bacterial art that resembled plumes of a rare feather.
Invitation to ETI . Attention, extraterrestrials! This website is for you! Honest! This is the web-based scientifically credible SETI (search for extra-terrestrial intelligence) experiment. It is an invitation by approximately 100 scientists, artists and futurists from Planet Earth to any ETI having the capability to read it. I don’t know if Leno or Letterman has found this website yet, but you can imagine that jokes about ET’s and personal computers. The Internet being a democratic society, one does not have to be at ET to log on and read the invitation. Earth to Paula….Earth to Paula…
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Calendars
By now, you’ve had your 2005 calendar tacked somewhere on a wall for four months. It may be too late to tell you about the free calendars you can download from a variety of programs and from websites, but it’s never too late to tell you about a variety of calendar websites that post interesting events and activities worldwide.
If you are planning a trip, some of these calendars can tip you off about when (or when not ) to make vacation plans. You might want to coordinate your plans to coincide with some of the fun or wacky festivals that no one country can claim a monopoly of.
Other calendars on the Web list offbeat celebratory days where you will find something unusual 365 days a year.
What’s On When .Travelers can use this site as a resource for finding potential entertainment options across the globe. Choose a theme, a country, or a specific date; plug in that information and voila! You will get a list of activities that you may want to explore wherever you happen to be going. Guides are divided into Business, Leisure, and Globetrotter. The latter guide lists about 17 events happening between now and the end of the year (sorry, but you will have missed the first ten—but you always can plan these for next year). Whatsonwhen makes an excellent resource for activities going on in Chicago, too. Chicago and other major cities are listed in a special category and you can browse their special events by month.
10,000 Year Calendar .The Calendar Home Encyclopedia on this site lets you pick a year (any year) and discover events—current or historical, making the website a nice jump-off point for doing historical research. This site also offers free, printable calendars and links to many other calendar sites.
Earth Calendar . This website is serves as a daybook of hoidays and celebrations around the world. When I entered “April 22” I learned that it is Earth Day in the U.S. and Canada; Great Prayer Day in Denmark and Greenland, and Oklahoma Day in the U.S. Also, astronomy buffs will like the information on lunar phases and eclipses for the year.
Wellcat Holidays .Somewhat similar to Chase’s Calendar of Events, the lists here include more than 80 fun and imaginative holiday celebrations. This is a place to find references to wacky days such as “Eat All the Chocolate You Can Day” (I made that one up). Coming up: “Hug an Australian Day” on April 26; “No Homework Day” on May 6; and “No Socks Day” on May 8. I can’t help but wonder just exactly who is in charge of making up these celebrations. My guess is that anyone can, but how they get on the Wellcat list is a mystery to me. Maybe a reader could fill me in on how it’s done.
Q/A from the Cyberscribbles mailbag. The question that came from D.T. asked if it was safe to download Windows Service Pack 2 on his pc. The answer is a definite Yes. SP2 was released many months ago, and at first the computer techies were warning computer users to wait until the bugs were out of the new release. The techies gave the green light some time ago, and everyone (except MAC users, of course) should download SP2 if they have not yet done so.
If you are planning a trip, some of these calendars can tip you off about when (or when not ) to make vacation plans. You might want to coordinate your plans to coincide with some of the fun or wacky festivals that no one country can claim a monopoly of.
Other calendars on the Web list offbeat celebratory days where you will find something unusual 365 days a year.
What’s On When .Travelers can use this site as a resource for finding potential entertainment options across the globe. Choose a theme, a country, or a specific date; plug in that information and voila! You will get a list of activities that you may want to explore wherever you happen to be going. Guides are divided into Business, Leisure, and Globetrotter. The latter guide lists about 17 events happening between now and the end of the year (sorry, but you will have missed the first ten—but you always can plan these for next year). Whatsonwhen makes an excellent resource for activities going on in Chicago, too. Chicago and other major cities are listed in a special category and you can browse their special events by month.
10,000 Year Calendar .The Calendar Home Encyclopedia on this site lets you pick a year (any year) and discover events—current or historical, making the website a nice jump-off point for doing historical research. This site also offers free, printable calendars and links to many other calendar sites.
Earth Calendar . This website is serves as a daybook of hoidays and celebrations around the world. When I entered “April 22” I learned that it is Earth Day in the U.S. and Canada; Great Prayer Day in Denmark and Greenland, and Oklahoma Day in the U.S. Also, astronomy buffs will like the information on lunar phases and eclipses for the year.
Wellcat Holidays .Somewhat similar to Chase’s Calendar of Events, the lists here include more than 80 fun and imaginative holiday celebrations. This is a place to find references to wacky days such as “Eat All the Chocolate You Can Day” (I made that one up). Coming up: “Hug an Australian Day” on April 26; “No Homework Day” on May 6; and “No Socks Day” on May 8. I can’t help but wonder just exactly who is in charge of making up these celebrations. My guess is that anyone can, but how they get on the Wellcat list is a mystery to me. Maybe a reader could fill me in on how it’s done.
Q/A from the Cyberscribbles mailbag. The question that came from D.T. asked if it was safe to download Windows Service Pack 2 on his pc. The answer is a definite Yes. SP2 was released many months ago, and at first the computer techies were warning computer users to wait until the bugs were out of the new release. The techies gave the green light some time ago, and everyone (except MAC users, of course) should download SP2 if they have not yet done so.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Fun with Words
You’ll need to forgive my self-indulgence by choosing to focus on websites that feature words. I am a writer, after all, and writers like words and wordplay. You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy these picks, though. I bet you will find at least one that offers you something valuable. Maybe it will tweak your interest in doing more writing yourself. After all, we don’t want text messaging to end up being our only form of written communication in the future, do we?
A Collection of Word Oddities & Trivia . Speaking of text messaging, a person using it to spell out the longest place name in the world—composed of 66 letters—might find talking on a cell phone easier. The longest place name, found in North Wales, is among some word curiosities found at this website. Ranks of beautiful and not-so-beautiful words, worst-sounding words, and other stuff could keep you busy for an entire afternoon. Plus, writers can pick up some new ideas here.
Luciferous Logolepsy . If you like poking around in the dusty attic of obscure words, you will find 9,000 of them here. I learned that a rabiator is not a rabid radiator, but a violent man. A fancy name for chimney sweep is ramoneur; and an eesome lass or laddie is pleasant to the eye.
Worthless Word of the Day . There are many places on the Web where you can access a “word of the day.” But, as far as I know, this is the only place where you can access the worthless word of the day. Naturally, the words come with explanations about why they are worthless. Only you will know if visiting this site is worth your time.
Oxymoronlist . There must be thousands of oxymorons listed here; the list keeps growing, and visitors are encouraged to contribute. Among the Top 20 Oxymorons judged by the website’s keepers are “personal computer,” “peace force,” “tax return,” and “Microsoft Works.”
Rhymezone . This is a must-bookmark page for poets. The best and fastest way to use its many features is to install the free link bar on your computer. Type in a word (any word) and find words that rhyme, or synonyms, or antonyms; also find definitions, homophones (same pronunciation but spelled differently), and similar-sounding words. For some words, you can search for kid-friendly picture/illustrations of the word and you can search Shakespeare’s works for references to certain words.
Book of Clichés . This fun, tongue-in-cheek site gives you phrases to say when you find yourself in different situations, such as when you find yourself in trouble or when you feel really bad, or when there is too much work, or at least a dozen other common situations. Guaranteed laughs.
Word Spy . The site creators call what they do “lexpionage,” or the sleuthing of new words and phrases that have appeared multiple times in various media. Editors would call these words “hackneyed.” Anyway, check out the subject index and start pouring through the categories, such as buzzwords, jobs and job titles, insults and more.
Answering Machine Messages . See how creative people have made up their own rules as a substitute for the suggested “Hi, I am not home right now, but if you leave a message….” I read through the entire list, yes I did. Found it very entertaining, and it gave me some great ideas for changing the blah greeting I recorded on my own answering machine. You’ll like this—not a website, but just a lengthy text with dozens of examples of people’s greetings.
A Collection of Word Oddities & Trivia . Speaking of text messaging, a person using it to spell out the longest place name in the world—composed of 66 letters—might find talking on a cell phone easier. The longest place name, found in North Wales, is among some word curiosities found at this website. Ranks of beautiful and not-so-beautiful words, worst-sounding words, and other stuff could keep you busy for an entire afternoon. Plus, writers can pick up some new ideas here.
Luciferous Logolepsy . If you like poking around in the dusty attic of obscure words, you will find 9,000 of them here. I learned that a rabiator is not a rabid radiator, but a violent man. A fancy name for chimney sweep is ramoneur; and an eesome lass or laddie is pleasant to the eye.
Worthless Word of the Day . There are many places on the Web where you can access a “word of the day.” But, as far as I know, this is the only place where you can access the worthless word of the day. Naturally, the words come with explanations about why they are worthless. Only you will know if visiting this site is worth your time.
Oxymoronlist . There must be thousands of oxymorons listed here; the list keeps growing, and visitors are encouraged to contribute. Among the Top 20 Oxymorons judged by the website’s keepers are “personal computer,” “peace force,” “tax return,” and “Microsoft Works.”
Rhymezone . This is a must-bookmark page for poets. The best and fastest way to use its many features is to install the free link bar on your computer. Type in a word (any word) and find words that rhyme, or synonyms, or antonyms; also find definitions, homophones (same pronunciation but spelled differently), and similar-sounding words. For some words, you can search for kid-friendly picture/illustrations of the word and you can search Shakespeare’s works for references to certain words.
Book of Clichés . This fun, tongue-in-cheek site gives you phrases to say when you find yourself in different situations, such as when you find yourself in trouble or when you feel really bad, or when there is too much work, or at least a dozen other common situations. Guaranteed laughs.
Word Spy . The site creators call what they do “lexpionage,” or the sleuthing of new words and phrases that have appeared multiple times in various media. Editors would call these words “hackneyed.” Anyway, check out the subject index and start pouring through the categories, such as buzzwords, jobs and job titles, insults and more.
Answering Machine Messages . See how creative people have made up their own rules as a substitute for the suggested “Hi, I am not home right now, but if you leave a message….” I read through the entire list, yes I did. Found it very entertaining, and it gave me some great ideas for changing the blah greeting I recorded on my own answering machine. You’ll like this—not a website, but just a lengthy text with dozens of examples of people’s greetings.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
More This & That
I have a hidden script on my Blog which tracks my most popular pages. Turns out that my miscellaneous, “this-and-that” columns are the most read. And here I thought I was doing you a favor by giving you information in categories—a change I made in January. I will continue to write topic-centered columns over the year, but now I will toss in an occasional “this and that” column, too
Fraud alert . Everyone should take the time to read the information on this website because it offers a helpful public service. Okay, so the website creator does hawk his book, but it’s not a screamer-type advertisement. All of us may think we are too smart to fall for the scams offering to make us rich overnight, but you just never know when you might get hoodwinked. This website is focused more on fraudulent sweepstakes-type claims, and not on Internet-security type scams. Just wanted to make that clear. A message board lets you read tragic tales from people who fell for some underhanded tricks. The site’s author goes into much detail about scams, resultant court cases, and much more.
Whowhere. When I need a street address and/or a phone number, I use this free service. I emphasize free, because there are links on the site that take you to other services that charge you—and you may be tempted to use those services if or when the name you’ve typed in does not show any results. I’ve used Whowhere for my Christmas card mailings and when I have misplaced a phone number. I usually get good results. I have used it, too, to trace a phone number to a name—using their reverse directory. If you don’t have any luck at whowhere, then log on to langenberg.com and try your search there. Langenberg has, in addition to whowhere, links to search professional associations (eg. Dentists and lawyers) and it links to a famous-people grave finder.
Convert Anything . What if you are planning a trip to Paris to shop for the latest fashions? But you have no idea who to translate sizes. This website will give you that information. And it will help with at least a dozen other kinds of conversions, from length and distance, temperatures, speed, volume, weights and measures, power, angles, and more.
Nationmaster. Here is a wonderful reference tool for all kinds of statistics. The online database lets you compare data between nations and besides, it’s interesting and enlightening reading. Students can find this website helpful when they are working on a term paper or thesis; speechwriters would love it; debaters probably already know about it. Anyone can read the factoids here, but for more in-depth information, you have to commit to a short-term ($10 month) or longer ($30-six month) subscription. There are 4500 charts, graphs, and other comparisons among American states alone.
Some Software I Take for Granted. Downloading free software has its pros and cons. A newbie could get carried away and download every program out there that can be had for no cost. Soon the computer is so bogged down with stuff that its performance slows way down. It helps to be discriminating. Look for freeware from open-source developers; look for freeware from sources that despise spam and spyware. Now that I’m done lecturing, here are some freebie programs that I am very happy with: Pix Resizer . This little application helps me scale down my digital photos, making them a snap to send via email, or to use in other ways. I hate when someone emails me a huge image that takes forever to download (yes, some of us are still using dialup). I like Mozilla’s Firefox browser more than I like Internet Explorer. I use Spoofstick to deal with a Firefox vulnerability—spoofstick tells me what website I am on so that I know I have not been “phished.” Spoofstick sits in my toolbar and tells me if the site I am on is legitimate.
And, I’m out of room. I’ll tell you about more of my favorite free downloads in upcoming issues.
Fraud alert . Everyone should take the time to read the information on this website because it offers a helpful public service. Okay, so the website creator does hawk his book, but it’s not a screamer-type advertisement. All of us may think we are too smart to fall for the scams offering to make us rich overnight, but you just never know when you might get hoodwinked. This website is focused more on fraudulent sweepstakes-type claims, and not on Internet-security type scams. Just wanted to make that clear. A message board lets you read tragic tales from people who fell for some underhanded tricks. The site’s author goes into much detail about scams, resultant court cases, and much more.
Whowhere. When I need a street address and/or a phone number, I use this free service. I emphasize free, because there are links on the site that take you to other services that charge you—and you may be tempted to use those services if or when the name you’ve typed in does not show any results. I’ve used Whowhere for my Christmas card mailings and when I have misplaced a phone number. I usually get good results. I have used it, too, to trace a phone number to a name—using their reverse directory. If you don’t have any luck at whowhere, then log on to langenberg.com and try your search there. Langenberg has, in addition to whowhere, links to search professional associations (eg. Dentists and lawyers) and it links to a famous-people grave finder.
Convert Anything . What if you are planning a trip to Paris to shop for the latest fashions? But you have no idea who to translate sizes. This website will give you that information. And it will help with at least a dozen other kinds of conversions, from length and distance, temperatures, speed, volume, weights and measures, power, angles, and more.
Nationmaster. Here is a wonderful reference tool for all kinds of statistics. The online database lets you compare data between nations and besides, it’s interesting and enlightening reading. Students can find this website helpful when they are working on a term paper or thesis; speechwriters would love it; debaters probably already know about it. Anyone can read the factoids here, but for more in-depth information, you have to commit to a short-term ($10 month) or longer ($30-six month) subscription. There are 4500 charts, graphs, and other comparisons among American states alone.
Some Software I Take for Granted. Downloading free software has its pros and cons. A newbie could get carried away and download every program out there that can be had for no cost. Soon the computer is so bogged down with stuff that its performance slows way down. It helps to be discriminating. Look for freeware from open-source developers; look for freeware from sources that despise spam and spyware. Now that I’m done lecturing, here are some freebie programs that I am very happy with: Pix Resizer . This little application helps me scale down my digital photos, making them a snap to send via email, or to use in other ways. I hate when someone emails me a huge image that takes forever to download (yes, some of us are still using dialup). I like Mozilla’s Firefox browser more than I like Internet Explorer. I use Spoofstick to deal with a Firefox vulnerability—spoofstick tells me what website I am on so that I know I have not been “phished.” Spoofstick sits in my toolbar and tells me if the site I am on is legitimate.
And, I’m out of room. I’ll tell you about more of my favorite free downloads in upcoming issues.
Monday, April 04, 2005
E-Learning
Author and futurist Alvin Toffler (Future Shock) made a prediction over 30 years ago that has come true. He stated that one will not need to leave home to do their shopping, banking or even acquiring a college education.
Toffler was partially correct though, because pda’s, laptops and even cell phones make even these activities portable. Distance learning classes are a standard for many universities. College degrees can be obtained via the Internet. Plus, tutorials on just about any subject can be found easily through search engines.
National Center for Education Statistics data reveals that three years ago, more than 1.6 million online students enrolled in e-learning courses, and those numbers are steadily increasing. How do you find a program or class that is right for you (or someone you know)? E-learning can cost zero dollars or it can cost as much or more as a traditional bricks-and-mortar college. Read on.
Free education . Yes, I’m starting with a freebie, but don’t turn up your nose. This website requires no books and no hidden fees and has a menu of studies that range from health care, food service, building construction, electronics, and even art school. I checked out the art school curriculum and lessons and I was impressed. Not all the departments are of the same high caliber, but the site is worth checking into if you are thinking of pursuing a Vo-Tech curriculum. You could also use this website as a supplement to your traditional classroom studies.
Before you plunk down your hard-earned money for online courses, check to see if e-learning is the right move for you. Also, you will want to check each online school’s accreditation status if your goal is to obtain a degree or certificate. This next site will help you with those tasks.
Peterson’s Distance Learning . First, use the free assessment tool (6 questions) to find out if online learning is your best fit. Then use the other links on this website to locate courses of study and degree levels from a large number of educational institutions. The site has useful articles to read, too. For example, one is a study tips guide for online students; another lets you rate yourself for discipline and motivation.
Online-Education.net . The many listings of e-learning programs have been screened to ensure that the schools meet the standards of quality equal to an accredited state school. Their catalog lists 550 online courses, including some free classes. But, I could not find the free classes during my search through the site.
Worldwide Learn . This website calls itself “the world’s largest directory of online learning.” And having looked around on it, I would agree that it offers a huge listing of descriptive links to programs. You will find lists of online degree programs, online courses only, computer training, career programs, certificate programs, personal development programs, and continuing educations programs. The listings include fee-based and free offerings. There are an amazing array of free classes that caught my eye—for writers, webmasters, and many, many more categories. This is a good resource site to bookmark for now or for the future.
University of Phoenix . This private institution was one of the first offering such a program by Internet only, and that is why it is mentioned here. Earn a Bachelor’s, Masters or Doctorate in Business Administration, Education, Nursing, or Technology from your computer, or at one of its campuses scattered throughout the U.S. Imagine attending a class when it best fits your schedule, even if that happens to be 2:00 a.m. Communicate with your instructors and fellow students via email or online chat. Study and learn without ever getting out of your pajamas. Just think, you can have a bad hair day and still “attend” classes. What more could you ask for?
Toffler was partially correct though, because pda’s, laptops and even cell phones make even these activities portable. Distance learning classes are a standard for many universities. College degrees can be obtained via the Internet. Plus, tutorials on just about any subject can be found easily through search engines.
National Center for Education Statistics data reveals that three years ago, more than 1.6 million online students enrolled in e-learning courses, and those numbers are steadily increasing. How do you find a program or class that is right for you (or someone you know)? E-learning can cost zero dollars or it can cost as much or more as a traditional bricks-and-mortar college. Read on.
Free education . Yes, I’m starting with a freebie, but don’t turn up your nose. This website requires no books and no hidden fees and has a menu of studies that range from health care, food service, building construction, electronics, and even art school. I checked out the art school curriculum and lessons and I was impressed. Not all the departments are of the same high caliber, but the site is worth checking into if you are thinking of pursuing a Vo-Tech curriculum. You could also use this website as a supplement to your traditional classroom studies.
Before you plunk down your hard-earned money for online courses, check to see if e-learning is the right move for you. Also, you will want to check each online school’s accreditation status if your goal is to obtain a degree or certificate. This next site will help you with those tasks.
Peterson’s Distance Learning . First, use the free assessment tool (6 questions) to find out if online learning is your best fit. Then use the other links on this website to locate courses of study and degree levels from a large number of educational institutions. The site has useful articles to read, too. For example, one is a study tips guide for online students; another lets you rate yourself for discipline and motivation.
Online-Education.net . The many listings of e-learning programs have been screened to ensure that the schools meet the standards of quality equal to an accredited state school. Their catalog lists 550 online courses, including some free classes. But, I could not find the free classes during my search through the site.
Worldwide Learn . This website calls itself “the world’s largest directory of online learning.” And having looked around on it, I would agree that it offers a huge listing of descriptive links to programs. You will find lists of online degree programs, online courses only, computer training, career programs, certificate programs, personal development programs, and continuing educations programs. The listings include fee-based and free offerings. There are an amazing array of free classes that caught my eye—for writers, webmasters, and many, many more categories. This is a good resource site to bookmark for now or for the future.
University of Phoenix . This private institution was one of the first offering such a program by Internet only, and that is why it is mentioned here. Earn a Bachelor’s, Masters or Doctorate in Business Administration, Education, Nursing, or Technology from your computer, or at one of its campuses scattered throughout the U.S. Imagine attending a class when it best fits your schedule, even if that happens to be 2:00 a.m. Communicate with your instructors and fellow students via email or online chat. Study and learn without ever getting out of your pajamas. Just think, you can have a bad hair day and still “attend” classes. What more could you ask for?
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