Fun Websites

My last few articles have warned you of some of the dangers when using email, the internet and your computer. I don’t want you to think that the internet is all trouble, though, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite websites with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Wikipedia (www.YouTube.com): YouTube is a free online library of video clips. These clips can range from a few seconds to a few hours. YouTube allows you to view, but not download, these clips. Some clips are commercials, most are “home made,” but there is a huge variety of content, including sports, comedy, art, science and travel. Warning: addictive and time consuming!

Snopes (www.snopes.com): Snopes is a great Urban Legend debunker. Whether it’s that chain letter email you received yesterday, a phone call urging you to enter a code into your cell phone, or if you swallowed some chewing gum and want to know if it really will take seven years to digest, Snopes has the answer. Some claims are true, some false, some undetermined, but if you ever ask yourself, I wonder if that’s really true, go to snopes.com for an answer.

Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). Headed to the movies? The video store? Rotten Tomatoes is your online movie critic. Well, it’s not just one critic, it’s a collection of movie critics’ opinions from across the nation. Watch a trailer, post your own opinion, or learn the inside scoop on upcoming movies.

The Smoking Gun (www.thesmokinggun.com) The Smoking Gun received a lot of attention last winter when it uncovered holes in Oprah’s book of the month, A Million Little Pieces. The Smoking Gun aims to bring you unusual news from legitimate sources: court documents, police reports and other “confidential” sources.

Smarter Travel (www.smartertravel.com). Ever been lured by an email or website promising a rock bottom airfare price, only to find out later, the quote price was one way, with lots of blackout dates? Smarter Travel allows you to search many travel sites from one location, almost always posts /round trip/ fares and offers exclusive discounts to members (signup is free!). Smarter Travel also has travel advice, package deals, hotel reservations and car rentals, all from one convenient location.

There are lots more fun websites out there. There are even websites that let you share your favorite websites with others. Next time you get on the internet, why not spend a little time finding some of the hidden gems?

Posted by Net Wave at June 26, 2006 05:19 PM