Canoga Park Computer Classes: February 2008

Goals for the class:

1. Increase Internet skills through doing
2. Discover interesting and innovative ways people are using the Internet
3. Find new resources you can use in your life
4. Have fun!

This is a list of the 100 websites we covered in the "20 Websites in 60 Minutes" classes, categorized and sorted for your convenience.

Some sites may appear more than once, but that's because they have more than one use.

Los Angeles Public Library resources

Los Angeles Public Library databases - http://databases.lapl.org/ - LAPL's databases are an amazing resource, and they're free with your library card.
LAPL e-Downloads - http://audiobooks.lapl.org/ - You can download music, audio books and movies with your library card, right to your computer.

Search Engines

Google – http://www.google.com/ - The Internet's most popular search engine, and one of its best. Google's not just a search engine - check out their numerous services as well for more.
Open Directory Project - http://www.dmoz.org/ - The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors.

Yahoo - http://www.yahoo.com/ - Still very popular as a search engine, and offers a variety of services as well.

cRANKy - http://www.cranky.com/ - A search engine tailored to users 50+.

Web Tools

del.icio.us - http://del.icio.us/ - Use del.icio.us to save important websites and access your bookmarks from any computer.

Zoho - http://www.zoho.com/ - Free web-based word processing, spreadsheets and office tools.

ThinkFree - http://www.thinkfree.com/ - Similar to Zoho, another free online alternative to Microsoft Office

Online Conversion - http://www.onlineconversion.com/ - Over 5000 units and 50,000 conversions. Convert just about anything into anything else.

Guess The Google - http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/ - This game will help you hone your search skills, as you try to guess what is being search for in the picture.

Arts

Artsjournal - http://www.artsjournal.com/ - A daily journal of culture and ideas, covering a wide variety of art around the world.

All Posters - http://www.allposters.com/ - This is not only the place to find cool posters, it also serves as a default image gallery and way to search for art online, as long as it's in poster form.

Books

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/ - New and used books for sale, as well as a great resource for

Metacritic - http://www.metacritic.com/ - Check out book reviews around the world.

Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page - Free eBooks.

Bartleby - http://www.bartleby.com/ - Free eBooks, audio books and more.

Cars and Automotive Information

Carsurvey - http://www.carsurvey.org/ - A great source of information on cars, with reviews and advice from owners.

Kelley Blue Book - http://www.kbb.com/ - Guage the value of any vehicle online.

Classifieds

Craigslist - http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ - Classified ads for everything from jobs to housing to selling just about anything.

Computers and Technology

CNET - http://www.cnet.com/ - Computer news, articles, reviews, buying guides and free software downloads.

Stop Badware - http://www.stopbadware.org/ - Learn more about stopping badware, which can cripple your computer if you're not careful and vigilant.

iLounge - http://www.ilounge.com/ - Learn about iPods, iPhones and more at this site dedicated to portable music players.

Wired - http://www.wired.com/ - Computer and technology news and articles, as well as science and culture. Always a thought-provoking read.

Internet Wayback Machine - http://www.archive.org/index.php - This archive of the Internet lets you visit

Alexa - http://www.alexa.com/ - Tracks popularity of websites online.

Concise Freeware - http://www.concisefreeware.com/ - A great source of free programs, many of which can be very useful.

Cooking

Allrecipes.com - http://www.allrecipes.com/ - Just like the title says, with more than 40,000 recipes.

Cooking By Number - http://www.cookingbynumbers.com/ - If you're not much of a cook. this site has some great simple recipes.

Epicurious - http://www.epicurious.com/ - A great cooking website with a focus on gourmet foods.

Dictionaries

Dictionary.com - http://www.dictionary.com/ - A dictionary, thesaurus and more, all online and all free.

Urban Dictionary - http://www.urbandictionary.com/ - Slang dictionary where users write the definitions, often with hilarious results.

Double-Tongued Dictionary - http://www.doubletongued.org/ - A growing dictionary of words from the fringes of English, including jargon, slang, and loan words.

E-mail tips

Gmail Tips - http://www.gmailtips.com/ - If you have any questions about your Gmail account, this is the place to go.
Ten Tips For Effective E-mail - http://www.mindtools.com/email.html - Learn more about writing effective e-mail that will get read and responded to.

Employment

Monster - http://www.monster.com/ - Popular job-hunting website where you can post your resume online.

Encyclopedias

Wikipedia – http://www.wikipedia.org/ - An amazing online encyclopedia, user-written and maintained.

Snopes - http://www.snopes.com/ - The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.

Artcyclopedia - http://www.artcyclopedia.com/ - The Artcyclopedia is an index of online museums and image archives: find out where the works of over 8000 different fine artists can be viewed online.

Free E-books and Audio Books

Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Bartleby - http://www.bartleby.com/

Fun

The Onion - http://www.onion.com/ - America's premiere parody newspaper, witty and inventive as they mock our modern times.

StumbleUpon - http://www.stumbleupon.com/ - The Internet is all about chance, so use this site to "stumble upon" something new, unknown and exciting.

Expert Village - http://www.expertvillage.com/ - Lots of good information here, as you can watch video demonstrations on a huge variety of topics by self-proclaimed "experts."

Webtender - http://www.webtender.com/ - Get the recipe for every drink imaginable, with or without alcohol.

Patently Silly - http://www.patentlysilly.com/ - You'll be amazed at the ideas people patented. A fun and twisted look into the human psyche.

We Feel Fine - http://www.wefeelfine.org/ - This art project calls itself "an exploration of human emotion" on a global scale, as defined by people's writings on the Internet.
iVillage - http://www.ivillage.com/ - the daily destination for women, with horoscopes, health and pregnancy information, message boards and blogs, celebrity gossip, beauty and more

Government

US Postal Service - http://www.usps.com/ - Postal and shipping information, and the easiest place to find a zip code online.

U.S. Government Manual - http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html - You always knew they had one, now you can read it online. Cures insomnia instantly.

Project Vote-Smart - http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm - Find information on your local representatives and government, voting information and everything you need to know as an informed citizen.

United Nations - http://www.un.org/ - The website for the United Nations, with many interesting articles on international issues facing us all.

Health

WebMD - http://www.webmd.com/ - Find a comprehensive index of trusted health and medical information. It is your ultimate guide to reliable health information on common topics from A to Z.

Go Ask Alice (Columbia University) - http://www.goaskalice.com/ - Medical information from Columbia University's medical school, with an irreverent side.

Home

How To Clean Anything - http://www.howtocleananything.com/ - Just like the title says, this site shows you how to clean just about anything.

Home Envy - http://www.homeenvy.com/ - Home improvement tips and hints, as well as regularly updated columns.

Invitations

eVite - http://www.evite.com/ - Send e-mail invitations for your next big party, free and easy.

Los Angeles Activities and Entertainment

Weather.com - http://www.weather.com/ - More about the weather than you'd ever possibly need to know, courtesy of the Weather Channel. Daily and weekly forecasts and much more.

LA Hikes - http://www.lahikes.com/ - Los Angeles has many great hikes, and this site can be your guide to great outdoor adventures.

Los Angeles Times Calendar Live - http://www.calendarlive.com/ - Find out about live music, theater, movies, museums, and just about everything happening in the Los Angeles area.

CitySearch Los Angeles - http://losangeles.citysearch.com/ - Use Citysearch City Guides to get reviews and directions to top restaurants, events, night clubs, shops, services and more, in cities across the country.

Maps and Directions

Google Maps - http://maps.google.com/ - Online maps, satellite images, driving directions and more.

Mapquest - http://www.mapquest.com/ - Another good site for directions and maps.

Google Maps Mania - http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/ - This blog tracks innovations in Google Maps and finds cool new uses for this powerful tool.

Movies

Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com/ - Everything about movies and TV you were afraid to ask.

Rotten Tomatoes - http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ - Reviews, show times and articles, all with an irreverent touch.

Metacritic - http://www.metacritic.com/ - Reviews from around the world.

Films 101 - http://www.films101.com/ - Great information resource on film around the world, for all you cinephiles out there.

Music

Last.FM - http://www.last.fm/ - The world's largest social music platform. Show off your taste, see what your friends are listening to, hear new music, get personal radio, recommendations and more.

Pandora - http://www.pandora.com/ - Pandora radio is the personalized internet radio service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites. Create custom web radio stations and discover new music.

KCRW.com - http://www.kcrw.com/ - One of LA's best radio stations, you can listen live online or to archived programs.

Museums

Virtual Library Museums Page - http://vlmp.museophile.com/

News

Google News - http://news.google.com/ - Compiles news from many online sources around the world. Yet another great use for Google.

CNN - http://www.cnn.com/ - CNN's website has video clips, up-to-the-minute news and much more.
Fark - http://www.fark.com/ - Interesting, bizarre and amusing news stories, along with regular photo manipulation contests.

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/ - A great source of international news that the US media often misses.

IndyMedia - http://www.indymedia.org/ - Read about the stories the corporate media doesn't want you to hear.

Pop URLs - http://popurls.com/ -Keeps track of many popular sites and shows you the headlines and hot topics on the Web.

People Search

Dial A Human - http://www.dialahuman.com/ - Bypass that robotic answering service and talk to a human being at your favorite company, corporation or conglomerate.

Get Human - http://www.gethuman.com/ - I don't want to talk to a machine! Get me a human!

Anywho - http://www.anywho.com/ -

411.com - http://www.411.com/

Photos

Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/ - Use Flickr to share and store your photos online, for free.

Reference Resources

Internet Public Library - http://www.ipl.org/ - Online public library, maintained by librarians, full of reliable information.

How Stuff Works - http://www.howstuffworks.com/ - Explains hundreds of subjects, from car engines to lock-picking to ESP, using clear language and tons of illustrations.

Digital History - http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ - Uses primary sources, an online textbook, extensive reference resources, and interactive features to make history come alive.

Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/index.html - The nation's oldest federal cultural organization, offering online access to their catalogs, articles and more.

Quote DB - http://www.quotedb.com/ - This database is full of great quotations for any occassion.

Expert Village - http://www.expertvillage.com/ - Lots of good information here, as you can watch video demonstrations on a huge variety of topics by self-proclaimed "experts."

Charity Navigator - http://www.charitynavigator.org/ - Follow the money trail and learn more about a charity organization before you give with this website.

Nolo Press - Law Books and Legal Information - http://www.nolopress.com/ - Nolo Press's legal books are excellent resources, and so is their website, which features legal information on many subjects.

Info Please - http://www.infoplease.com/ - free reference information, providing a comprehensive encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, dictionary and more.

Religion and Spirituality

BeliefNet - http://www.beliefnet.com/ - Features articles on God, faith, prayer, the nature of spirituality, society and ethics, with numerous resources. All religions respected.

Reviews

Metacritic - http://www.metacritic.com/ - Reviews on music, movies, books, DVDs and more.

50 Word Review - http://www.50wordreview.com/ - Brevity is the soul of wit, as users prove here as they write 50 word reviews of just about everything.

Shopping