Get More Out Of Your Golden Years With Gen Plus

Think you can't enjoy continuing personal and professional growth in your senior years? Maybe you should try visiting a web site like Gen Plus - you just might change your mind. From the site:

Gen Plus brings meaning, respect and resources to you, the plus
generation, age 50 and older.

Here are some of the helpful resources you can expect to find there:

• A Job Bank for people age 50 and over where you can post your resume.
• Life-long learning opportunities.
• A dating service for 50+ singles.
• An online shop where you can purchase products geared to the 50+ crowd.

Gen Plus makes it easier for you to take the first step toward a more rewarding life in your golden years by organizing these useful resources together under one virtual roof!

What Does That Acronym Stand For, Anyway?

Confused by all the Internet acronyms you encounter on the web these days? Do terms like AAR8, DBEYR or SWDYT and countless others leave you scratching your head?

You're not alone. The fact is, if you communicate online, whether through chat rooms and message boards, or by e-mail and instant messaging, you're bound to come across one or more of these cryptic acronyms. Thankfully, there is help available in the form of some very useful web sites.

When you're faced with acronyms that make you feel like, it's all geek to me, check out the following sites:

• Internet Acronyms Dictionary
• Acronym & Text Messaging List at Netlingo.com
• Acronym Finder

HTH!

New Feature At The Senior Surfer: Message Boards

Starting today, The Senior Surfer will be offering a message board hosted by WorldCrossing.com. Join The Discussion at The Senior Surfer Forum and you can mingle with and post messages for fellow readers. Feel free to leave feedback, ask web-related questions and offer suggestions on what you want to see covered in The Senior Surfer.

You can access this message forum anytime by clicking on The Senior Surfer Forum link under the Join The Discussion! heading in the sidebar of every page on The Senior Surfer!

Take 'em On A Journey To The Far Reaches Of The Universe

Want to turn an ordinary afternoon with the grandkids into an extraordinary adventure they won't soon forget? Take them on a trip to outer space with a little help from Hubblesite.org. This remarkable site, produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach, brings the wonders of the universe right to your desktop.

Some of the highlights include:

• An extensive image gallery including spectacular photographs of deep space taken by the Hubble Telescope.
• Exciting videos detailing the Hubble's discoveries and the science behind them.
• Facts about the Hubble telescope and fun activities that are as educational as they are entertaining.

Get ready for a thrilling journey to the far reaches of the universe - no space helmet required!

How To Keep Your Guard Up Online

Want reliable information on how to protect yourself from the latest Internet threats? Visit OnGuardOnline.gov, a web site created by the federal government with the help of leaders from the technology industry. The site offers valuable tips and advice on a wide variety of online security issues:

Here's a list of just some of the topics they cover:

• Information regarding Identity Theft including what to do in case you've been victimized.
• How to avoid the pitfalls of Internet Auctions.
• How to prevent Spyware from infecting your computer and monitoring your online activities.
• Advice on avoiding the Spam Scams that online crooks use to try to steal your money.

And much more! You can even sign up for free e-mail alerts and order free Onguard Online Publications! If you're interested in protecting yourself online this is one site you don't want to miss!

Where To Read Senior News On The Web

Want to stay on top of the news stories that are especially important to you as a senior? On the web, you'll want to make SeniorJournal.com your next stop. According to the site they have, "More Senior Citizens News and Information Than Any Other Source." Indeed, if you're looking for the latest news on such topics as Aging, Medicare, Social Security, Reverse Mortgages and the like you'd be hard pressed to find a site that offers more.

Listed below are just some of the headlines that appear on today's front page of SeniorJournal.com, to give you an idea of the type of senior issues they cover. Click on any one of the headlines to read the corresponding article on their site:

• New Company Has New Ideas on Helping Elderly Stay at Home Longer
• Small Ship Vacations Dominate Top 10 List for Older American Travel
• Tax Gifts Keep On Coming If You Sell Stock at Profit and Pay No Capital Gains

In addition to the great senior news articles they provide, SeniorJournal.com also offers a discussion board, and helpful Q & A columns!

Sign Up For Free Courses At Sony 101

In recent years, the number of web sites that offer free online courses has increased substantially. Though not accredited, these courses nonetheless offer a tremendous opportunity to learn new skills. Take Sony 101 for example. This great site brought to you by the Sony corporation offers a variety of free online courses that you can sign up for including:

• Hands-On Digital Scrapbooking Design
• Building Your First Web Site
• Digital Photography Made Simple
• Converting Videotapes to DVD

And many others! The courses are self-paced and include message boards where you can interact with other students and even pose questions to your online instructors.

Swap That Gift Card For Something You Really Want

Here's the scenario: You just got a gift card that you really didn't want and now you don't know what to do with it. In the past, you didn't have too many options - you could either let it collect dust somewhere, use it reluctantly, or just give it away.

Today, however, you have another option - you can sell it or trade it at a gift card swap site like, CardAvenue.com, PlasticJungle.com, or Swapagift.com, among others that have sprung up on the web recently.

Depending on the terms and conditions of the particular gift card swap site you use, you'll have some or all of the following options:

• Get cash for your unwanted gift card - typically a percentage of the card's balance.
• Sell the gift card to other users of the service or swap it for a different one.
• Purchase other gift cards at a discount.

Again, since terms and conditions may vary it's important as always to read the fine print, but these sites just might offer you a solution for the problem of an unwanted gift card!

Play Sudoku Online

Have you been bitten by the Sudoku bug yet? If you can't get enough of this logic game that has become a national obsession, you'll love this:

Starting today you can play Sudoku online right here at The Senior Surfer!

These free games come courtesy of Free-Sudokus.com. You'll find their Sudoku games on the right hand column of The Senior Surfer under the heading, Play Sudoku.

How To Restrict A Search To One Specific Site

You already know, from a previous post, that the site: function can be used to restrict a search engine to all sites ending with a particular suffix like .gov, for example. But, did you know you can also use site: to restrict a search engine to one specific website?

Say you wanted to quickly find all the pages on the website www.usa.gov that contained the word Medicare. Here's how you'd do that from one of the popular search engines like Google or Yahoo!:

Medicare site:www.usa.gov

That's all there is to it! Type the word or search phrase you want to find (in the case above it's Medicare) followed by site: and www.whatever website you want to search.com - in the case above it's usa.gov. Now you have a link to every page on the usa.gov website that references Medicare!

Jazz Up Your E-mails With A Few Simple Keystrokes

Want to add some flair and emphasis to your e-mails? Next time you compose an e-mail include what are known as emoticons or smileys. In plain English that just means combining common symbols on your keyboard so they look like the expressions of a human face. For example, to make a basic smiley face you would type a colon, a hyphen and the right half of a parenthesis, exactly in that order, so it would look like this:

:-)

See...doesn't that look like a smiling human face?

Here's a list of some popular emoticons and what they communicate to your readers when you include them in an e-mail:

:-)

A smile tells them you're happy.

:-(

A frown lets them know you're unhappy.

>:-(

This tells them your not just unhappy, you're downright angry!

:-o

Here, you're letting them know how shocked or surprised you feel.

And there are many, many more! In fact, if you want to dig deeper and get a better idea of just how many of these you can create with your keyboard, try going to any search engine and type in either "list of emoticons" or "list of smileys" and you'll find plenty of sites to satisfy your curiosity :-)

Senior Citizens' Resources From Uncle Sam

USA.gov, the U.S. government's official web portal, has created quite an impressive web page called Senior Citizens' Resources that you'll want to check out and bookmark for future reference. Here are just some of the helpful topics they cover:

• Consumer Protection for Seniors
• Health for Seniors
• Money and Taxes for Seniors
• Travel and Recreation for Seniors

You'll also find additional links to useful information regarding Medicare including a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder. Don't forget to sign up for free e-mail updates by clicking on E-mail me when this page is updated.

When The Phone Book Can't Help, Try A Search Engine

If you're like most people you still use the handy phone book on your counter when you have to look up someone's number even though today you can do it on the web. That works fine if you have the name of the person or business, but what if you just had a phone number and needed to find out whom it belonged to? What if you wanted to do a reverse phone number look-up in other words? That's when a search engine would be the handy tool!

At a popular search engine like Google, for example, you can do a reverse phone number look-up quickly and easily. Simply type in the area code and phone number in the search entry box and click on Google Search or hit enter on your keyboard. The phone number and contact information will appear at the top of the results page.

By the way, it's important to note that this trick will only work when the number you're looking up is a listed number!

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day Online

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his memorable "I have a dream" speech during the historic civil rights march on Washington. Today, you can listen to an audio excerpt of that famous speech and even watch part of a video clip from it when you visit NPR's: The Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr.

The site also includes additional NPR(National Public Radio) programs that you can listen to regarding Martin Luther King's sermons and speeches as well as links to relevant resources on the web that NPR recommends checking out.

This year, why not spend part of your Martin Luther King Jr. Day online remembering this great American hero with a little help from NPR?

Take An Online Geography Quiz With The Grandkids

Want to help your grandkids learn about geography and have fun doing it? Why not take an interactive geography quiz with them on the web?

At this educational site created by web development consultant Lyndsey McCollam, you and your grandkids will have your choice of geography quizzes - everything from the United States and South America, to Europe, Africa and beyond!

See who knows more, you or your grandchildren - good luck!

Watch Vintage TV Commercials From The 50's & 60's Right On Your Computer

Thanks to the Internet Archive you can now watch television commercials from the 1950's and 60's right on your computer screen! You'll see nostalgic TV spots for products like Country Corn Flakes, Alka-Seltzer, Dristan, Coca-Cola and many others.

Part of a broader collection of nearly 2,000 films in the public domain known as the Prelinger Archives, these TV commercials are sure to bring back countless memories. Many of the spots are clever and inventive and some are so funny you'll be laughing out loud!

This is a real treasure for nostalgia lovers!

Do You Remember The Andrea Doria?

On the fog shrouded night of July 25, 1956, The Andrea Doria, an Italian ocean liner bound for New York and carrying 1,706 people, collided with the Stockholm, a passenger ship headed for Sweden. The Andrea Doria sank and forty-six of her passengers, along with five crew members on the Stockholm, lost their lives.

Now, you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about this famous maritime disaster by visiting Andrea Doria - Tragedy and Rescue at Sea, a website created by an actual survivor of the sinking of the Andrea Doria.

Here are a few of the highlights you can expect to find at this comprehensive site:

• Detailed information about the ships involved in the disaster, including the Ile de France which played a key role in the rescue effort.
• Alphabetized Lists of passengers and crew - with some photos included.
  
• A timeline of events leading up to the collision.
  
• External Links to additional web resources.

And much more! There are other sites on the web about the Andrea Doria, but for its sheer breadth of information this one is hard to beat!

How To Read Classic Works Of Literature Online

Can you imagine a place on the web where you'd have access to over 20,000 books and could read them for free right on your computer? What if, with just a few clicks of your mouse you could enjoy timeless classics like Great Expectations by Charles Dickens or Ulysses by James Joyce?

Well, you can stop imagining and start reading when you visit Project Gutenberg, a site devoted to making classic works of literature and other books in the public domain available to everyone at no cost!

There are several ways to find books at Project Gutenberg. Assuming you want to browse the online book catalog for something to read, here's how you'd do it:

1. From the Project Gutenberg Main Page, click on Browse Book Catalog or Online Book Catalog.
   
2. You'll arrive at the Online Book Catalog page where you'll have a choice to search by author, title, recently posted, Top 100, language, and more!
3. Find something that interests you, click on the format you want to view the text in, and start reading it right on your computer screen!

If you've always wanted to catch up on the classics, this is the site for you!

How To Translate That Phrase With A Little Help From Google

Ever come across a foreign language word or phrase in an email or on a website that you wish you could translate quickly and easily? It turns out Google has automatic translation tools to help you do just that. Here's an example of how you can use it:

Imagine that you get an email from your Italian friend telling you she's bringing, "biscotti alla mandorla" to your party. You know what biscotti are but, what in the world does, "alla mandorla" mean ? you wonder. So you go to Google and follow these steps:

• On the Google homepage, click on language tools. Alternately, you can click on more then translate. You'll arrive at the Google Translate page.
• In the text entry box under Translate Text, type in the phrase biscotti alla mandorla.
• Next, select Italian to English from the drop down menu directly below the text entry box and then click on the Translate button to the right of the drop down menu.

You'll see that Google automatically translates this phrase as:

biscotti the almond

Not bad, for a machine translation - you can now infer that your friend will be bringing over almond biscotti.

Remember, automatic translation services like this one and others on the web can't replace human translators - they won't always give you the most accurate translation in other words, but in many cases they can give you at least enough information to help you figure out the meaning of the original text.

Want A Break From The Ordinary? Just Ask Judy

If you're the type that doesn't find blogs particularly interesting, maybe it's because you've been reading the wrong ones. You certainly haven't visited Justaskjudy, in any event. This frequently updated blog by a North Carolina grandmother will have you coming back often.

Whether it's for her sage observations on life, fascinating photo tours of places she's visited, or hysterically funny pictures and cartoons she finds on the web, Justaskjudy will provide you with hours of blog reading pleasure! Don't be surprised if you make it a daily read!

Get Your Crossword Puzzle Fix Online

If you're a crossword puzzle aficionado, you'll find plenty of places to play for free on the web. Simply type in the words, crossword puzzles in any search engine and you'll find more than enough sites to feed your passion!

Here are some worth checking out:

• Best Crosswords
• Yahoo! Games
• The Puzzle Player
  

And you can also play every day right here on The Senior Surfer by clicking on the Daily Crossword Puzzles link under the Train Your Brain heading in the right hand column! These puzzles are provided by OnlineCrosswords.net.

One Small Step...

You may have read recently that NASA is planning a return trip to the moon. But if the news does nothing for you but induce a yawn, maybe it's because you've been there, done that - you're old enough to remember the 1969 lunar landing, in other words. What seems like no big deal today, seemed like the stuff of science fiction back then.

Now, you can relive this historic event and the awe it inspired, by visiting One Giant Leap for Mankind, a site NASA has created to commemorate the Apollo 11 mission that put man on the moon for the very first time.

Intended to honor all those involved with making Apollo 11 a success, the site includes, among other things:

• Astronaut comments. You can read transcripts of interviews conducted with astronauts Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins.
• Important documents regarding the space program, like the Cost Figures for Apollo and NASA's Guidelines for Advanced Manned Space Vehicle Program.
• Photo Galleries. See images of the assembly of the Saturn V rocket that carried the astronauts to the moon, photographs of the Apollo 11 liftoff, pictures of the astronauts on the surface of the moon and more!

Thanks to this great NASA website, with one small click of your mouse you'll be taking a giant leap in revisiting man's first trip to the moon!

How To Keep Tabs On Senior-Friendly Products

Want an easy way to keep tabs on all those products created especially to make life easier for seniors like you? Check out Senior Nirvana, a blog that highlights all the gadgets, gizmos and other useful products you'll want more information on.

Some of the more recent articles have profiled:

• Super-sized TV remotes
• Talking watches
  
• Cellphones with larger buttons
• Large Print Computer Keyboards

And much more! In short, you'll find that staying up to date on the latest senior - friendly products will get a whole lot easier once you start reading Senior Nirvana!

4 Tips For Safer Internet Banking From Uncle Sam

Are you currently banking online or thinking of starting to? If you're like most reasonable people, you're probably more than a little concerned with how secure it is. So, where can you find reliable information to help you safeguard your financial transactions online? A good place to start is Safe Internet Banking by the FDIC(Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).

This FDIC produced site gives you the information you need to make online banking a safer proposition. Visit the site and you'll learn how to:

1. Confirm that an online bank is legitimate and that your deposits are insured.
2. Keep your personal information private and secure.
3. Understand your rights as a consumer.
4. Learn where to go for more assistance from banking regulators.

There are no 100% ironclad guarantees in the world of online banking, but following these FDIC recommendations is a good step towards safer financial transactions on the Internet.

How To Find Out What Made Headlines In Sydney

When you read your daily newspaper, how can you tell what the important stories are? The front page headlines, right? But what if you wanted to know what appeared on the front page of a newspaper half-way around the world? What made headlines in Auckland, New Zealand, say or in Sydney, Australia?

If you're not a jet-setting globe trotter you can still get your hands on the front pages of newspapers around the world - your virtual hands, anyway. Simply point your browser to Newseum.org's Today's Front Pages where you'll see the actual front pages as they appear in print, of over 450 U.S. and international newspapers!

Today's Front Pages are presented three ways:

1. Alphabetically. Beginning with the United States, papers are listed alphabetically by state - from Alabama to Wyoming. Thereafter, alphabetically by country, starting with Australia.
2. Listed by Region. The newspaper front pages are grouped by region, everything from North America and Europe to Asia and Africa.
   
3. Map view. When you select this option, you'll be presented with maps of different geographical areas. Click on the designated points on the maps and you'll see the front pages of newspapers from those locales.

While you're at it, don't forget to explore Newseum.org's additional online exhibits sure to satisfy the most demanding news junkies - everything from Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs to important historical summaries and timelines!