Alan Mann
Here are ten very popular sites for your web sledding pleasure. The URL,
or address, needed to visit these sites appears in bold type.
Just type the URL into your web browser and press
Hot Java is a new programming language/application for World
Wide Web. It is the hottest web site, and potentially will have a greater
impact on Internet than any product yet! Java is a tool to alleviate the
increasing diversity and complexity of the computer world. For example, if
there's a free picture for people to see on Internet, many can't see it because
the file is in DOS, or in one of dozens of different file formats for pictures
that many people can't view. Even when they can view the file format used,
the file might be compressed with ARC, ZIP, LHA, TAR, Uuencode, or some other
compression tool. Not everyone can know all the possibilities. Java is intended
to check a computer for the program needed to view, hear, or run the transferring
file. If the recipient doesn't have a needed program, Java will transfer
the program along with the file, decompress it and launch the file being
downloaded. This is done without installation, configuration, or action by
the person requesting the file. The current
version requires a powerful computer.
CyberCafe (Internet Cafe, or @Cafe) is an exciting new concept
for providing Internet access to the public. A coffee shop or deli serves
Encyclopedia Britannica (EB)'s Internet arrival made a big
splash. Have you ever purchased a set of encyclopedias? What happens when
it's several years old? Sure, the company sends annual updates with new
information (for a fee, of course). But who wants to look through many indexes
to get the most recent, error-free information possible? The real advantage
of online information is being able to read information five minutes after
the "publisher" has finalized it. The publisher puts the new or revised article
on his web server, and the very next person who checks that topic will be
reading the latest information. EB is now available, but they charge a fee
for access (you didn't really expect to have it free, did you?). You get
a password after providing credit information. The price is $150 per year,
which is less than buying a printed edition, and allows you to have the most
up-to-date edition a logon away. Just click here to see what they're offering
(a free trial period).
Virtual Frog Dissection Kit is a real delight. Already rated
as one of the top 5% web sites in the world, this interactive biology experiment
is intended as a classroom exercise. You can pick the internal organs to
remove. The site includes full description and instructions for configuring
your web browser to show full motion video of the whole operation. I thought
once in Biology class would last me a lifetime! Take a look at this creative
technological
demonstration.
Games Domain is not a new web site, but a very popular one.
When I accessed it for this article, I was the 2,674,431st person to "hit"
the Games Domain page. This page is an attempt to pull everything about computer
games to one place. It has so much information and links to games that the
author created a search engine to search through all the info it has for
whatever game you tell it to look for. It not only tells you where to get
a shareware (or freeware) copy, if available, but will connect you with
discussion groups devoted to the game of your choice, instructions, tricks
and "cheat" techniques, passwords (including Nintendo and Sega), and much,
much more. If you or someone in your family is in to computer games, they
need to check out the Games
Domain.
These are some current HotSpots on Internet. Don't be afraid to try them
out. Just type the URL given in bold type into your web
browser, and you'll soon be explaining how easy it is to your friends and
co-workers.
Christmas is only a URL away. Bob Allison and his elves
created a labor of love--Uncle Bob's Christmas page. From the White house
Christmas card (signed) to pictures, advent calendars, and parades, to special
text art, you could spend the whole season checking out Christmas links from
Uncle Bob. Read the original reply to a child's plea (yes, Virginia, there
is a Santa Claus), see Christmas around the world (Australia, Norway...),
get Christmas music, or see how many days, hours, and minutes remain 'till
Christmas. Read 'Twas the night before Christmas (actually "A Visit
from Saint Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore) or its politically correct modern
form titled 'Twas the nocturnal segment of the diurnal period preceding
the annual Yuletide celebration by Data (c/o The Enterprise).
Uncle Bob awaits.
Don't forget the online Messiah oratorio (singalong) via the Mbone Multicast
backbone (click here
for instructions). Or, for a multimedia Christmas, get
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
Keep the holiday spirit and "Embellish the interior passageways using detached
pruned portions of Ilex opaca."
people beverage
and finger food (or whatever) while they sit at a computer accessing Internet.
Patrons pay a small fee for using the computer while there. It's an excellent
way for the computer or modem-deprived to check out the Internet. There are
over 300 such cybercafes around the world. An Englishman is compiling
a list of all
cybercafes.
Internet Phone is still a very hot
spot. It is dramatically changing the telecommunications world. If you wish
to talk to someone who also has a computer with a sound card, modem, and
Internet connection, you can call and talk as long as you wish for free (if
you have an unlimited use Internet connection). This is two-way, full voice
communication, exactly like a phone conversation with a high-quality speaker
phone. Many companies are realizing that this means free long distance phone
calls to people or businesses with Internet connections. This is one reason
why the number of people on Internet (including businesses) is currently
doubling every ten months. It's also no coincidence that two companies getting
into providing Internet access in a big way are MCI and AT&T. You can
get a trial version (limited to 60 second conversations) of the Internet
phone program that makes this possible at . Or ask one of the retailers listed
in the ad for Internet Phone (see page XX) to demonstrate this product.
THE LIST (of Internet Service
Providers), maintained by MecklerMedia publishers, divides the world
into regions, countries, and states and lists companies that provide local
area Internet access. It gives phone numbers, prices, hours, limits, modem
speeds, and more. It also gives users the chance to contact Meckler directly
and rate the performance of their service provider. THELIST displays how
many people have rated the service and the average rating (scale of 1 to
10). This is a wonderful resource for checking out what's available (not
as complete as the Computer
Credible list, but still a good service). It helps you know who to call
for access if you are traveling or want to recommend a service to someone
in another area. See what rating your service has and take time to rate your
provider on THELIST!
OpenText is a new
search engine based in Canada. A search engine searches through its list
of WWW sites to find sites that contain a word you specify in its description
or title. It then presents you with a list of those sites. It can be hard
to find things on the Web, and this tool can help. Once you've learned how
to use this one, try William Cross'
all in one search
engine (he tries to show every web search tool available). The forms
used may be intimidating to the novice, but its a real boon to the determined
searcher.
Engineering
Information Village is primarily for providing engineering information,
but the interface used (the way of presenting and getting to the information)
has won several awards, including the Online '95 best of show award (1 Nov
1995). This server presents authorized users with a picture of a village,
including a library, financial district, shopping mart, and more. Click on
the building of interest (for engineering information, the library), and
you see a menu for the type of information or service represented by that
building. While the site isn't free, you can apply for a
free trial online. While several
companies have planned a similar approach, EI Village is the first available.
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