Play A Word Search Puzzle Online

Are you a fan of the popular word search puzzles found primarily in books and magazines? Did you know that you could play these fun games online as well? Quizland.com for example, a leading trivia and puzzle site, offers a terrific selection of word search puzzles that you can play right on your computer screen!

Here are just a few of the type of word search puzzles you'll find there:

• Breeds of cats
• Names of birds
• Languages of the world
• Baseball teams

And many more. They even offer a puzzle of the day feature. When you're in the mood for a good word search game, check them out!

Discover A Searchable Bible Online

When you think of advances in technology like computers or the World Wide Web you probably don't think of their impact on Religion. But, the fact is, technology can have a positive impact in many aspects of our lives-even those that involve faith. Case in point, for those of you who are interested in Bible study there's a great Web tool you should be aware of called BibleGateway.com. From the site:

The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching
scripture online -- all in the language or translation of your choice! It
provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and
compare particular passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or
scripture reference.

Next time you have a question about the Bible give BibleGateway.com a try!

Online Travel Guides From The New York Times

If you're like many seniors you're probably passionate about travel. After all, what better way to spend your golden years than by visiting all those faraway places you never got around to in your younger days. And if you happen to be a senior surfer who loves to travel, then you'll be happy to learn that the Web has some terrific tools to help you research, plan and book your trips.

One of the more notable of these types of resources for travelers is the Guides and Deals for Hotels, Restaurants and Vacations from The New York Times.

Some of the highlights include:

• Feature length in-depth articles on destinations from all over the world
• Multimedia offerings like slide shows and video from vacation hot spots
• Interactive maps
• Readers' comments and recommendations

Before your next trip make sure to check out this useful resource - it just might help you have a bon voyage!

Harness The Power Of MedlinePlus

When you're using the Web to research information on diseases and other health related issues, you want a reliable, authoritative resource that you know you can trust. One of the best in the business is MedlinePlus, a health information source that's a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes Of Health.

Here's a small sample of what MedlinePlus can offer you:

• Authoritative information on over 700 diseases and conditions
• Prescription and nonprescription drug info
• An illustrated medical encyclopedia
• Links to thousands of clinical trials

*Starting today, you can harness the power of this impressive government resource directly from the MedlinePlus Search Box on the right sidebar here at The Senior Surfer! Look for it directly above the Senior Newsreel!

How To Use The Web To Save On Gas Prices

Want yet another reason to get savvy about the Web? It just might help you save money on gasoline! That's right, in recent years web sites have sprung up that will help you find the best gas prices in your area. These so called gas price tracking web sites typically rely on volunteers to report prices in their local area. These prices are then compiled and stored in a database that you can access by inputting your local zip code or city and state.

Here are a couple of gas price tracking sites you'll want to check out:

• GasBuddy.com - A directory of over 179 gas price tracking sites they claim, "the most comprehensive listing of gas prices anywhere."
• Gas Prices - MSN Autos - This gas price comparison site from MSN uses data from credit card transactions and surveys to provide gas price information from over 90,000 stations from across the country.
• GasPriceWatch.com - This site relies on over 123,000 volunteers from across the country to bring you up to date information on the best gas prices.

Before you drive all over the place looking for the best price on gas, test drive one of these sites. You just might save on that next fill up!

Enter A Web Of Illusion

If you're a fan of optical illusions you'll absolutely love SandlotScience.com. It's simply one of the best sites of its kind and has been mesmerizing visitors with a vast collection of visual illusions since 1992.

Here's what you can expect when you visit the site:

• 100's of dazzling optical illusions
• Optical illusion books available for purchase
• The opportunity to send personalized optical illusion e-cards

And more! One look at this site and you won't believe your eyes!

Introducing The Senior Newsreel

Interested in Senior News? Starting today, readers of The Senior Surfer will be able to quickly access information on a variety of Senior related topics in the news by simply clicking on one of the keywords over on the Senior Newsreel located on the right sidebar.

The topics included are:

• Medicare
• Social Security Benefits
• Prescription Drug Plans
• Assisted Living

Click on one of these topics and you'll see current news stories that include the selected topic. This service is provided by Google News!

How To Get Free Tech Support Online

Want technical support for your computer problems but don't want to pay a lot for it? How does free support sound? That's what you'll get at Tech Support Guy, a web site offering free computer help through its question and answer themed message forums.

Started in 1996 by Mike Cermak, as an alternative to costly tech support, Tech Support Guy relies on volunteers to answer technical questions submitted by people just like you.

Here are some of the popular subjects covered in these forums:

• Business applications like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.
• Hardware issues: computer, printer and other peripherals
• Operating Systems like Windows XP and Windows Vista
• Security issues like viruses and spyware

And much more! You should know that you'll have to register before you can post a question, but at least it's a free registration. Reading the forums doesn't require a registration, by the way.

*As a convenience to readers of The Senior Surfer you can now access these forums from The Tech Support Guy search box in the right sidebar!

How To Raise Money For Cancer Research Just By Shopping Online

You probably already do at least some of your shopping online just for the convenience, or the discounts, but did you know that by shopping online you could also raise money for important causes like cancer research? If you shop through a site like CharityMall.com for example, a portion of every purchase you make is donated to cancer research.

Here's how you can fund cancer research by shopping online in three easy steps:

1. Go to CharityMall.com and select from hundreds of online stores.
2. Make an online purchase at one of these stores.
3. Every time you make a purchase from a participating retailer a portion of the proceeds will be donated to cancer research!

That's all there is to it! Shop for the things you want and help fund a cure at the same time!

The USGenWeb Project: Free Genealogy Resources For All

Interested in conducting genealogy research online but don't want to pay those hefty subscription fees associated with some of the more popular commercial sites? You should visit The USGenWeb Project, a collection of free genealogy resources that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

Run by volunteers, The USGenWeb Project is your gateway to thousands of genealogy websites organized by county and state. For the past ten years or so the volunteers have been painstakingly collecting, organizing and uploading to the Web an impressive amount of genealogical data that may be helpful to you when researching your family history.

The resources you'll be able to access through these websites include:

• Helpful research tips
• Genealogy message boards
• Newspaper transcriptions
• Links to relevant genealogy sites on the Web

And much more. Best of all, all of these resources are available to you for free! Good luck with your research!

Jackie Robinson Hit A Home Run For Civil Rights

If you watch baseball this Sunday you'll notice a lot of players wearing number 42 on their backs instead of their usual numbers. This is being done to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in the Major Leagues. Robinson wore number 42 when he made history on April 15th, 1947, by becoming the first African-American to play in a Major League Baseball game.

In honor of the 60th anniversary of this historic event, here's a list of web sites where you can learn more about the man at the center of this momentous event:

• The Jackie Robinson Foundation - College Scholarship and Leadership Development for Minority Youths.
• The Jackie Robinson Page from the web site of The National Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Remembering Jackie Robinson's Historic First Game at the web site of NPR.
• Baseball and Jackie Robinson from American Memory (Library of Congress).

Spend some time at these sites and you'll learn everything you always wanted to know about this great American hero.

Have You Heard About Google Book Search?

If you're a book lover, you'll be a big fan of Google Book Search. This neat tool from Google actually searches the full text of books to help you find ones that match your interests. You supply the search terms like "seniors and computers" for example, and Google Book Search does the rest, finding all the books where those terms appear. Then, depending on certain restrictions, you'll select from the following viewing choices:

• Full View - You'll be able to read the book cover to cover online!
• Limited Preview - you'll be allowed to read a few pages at most.
• Snippet View - Only an "About this book" page will be available and "up to three snippets of text from the book, showing your search term in context."
• No Preview Available - You'll only have access to the "About this book" feature.

Additionally, you'll find information on where you can buy or even borrow the books you're interested in. Read the About Google Book Search page to learn even more!

*Starting today you can try out Google Book Search right here at The Senior Surfer! Look for it in the right sidebar just above the sudoku grid!

Uncle Sam Has Important Tax Information For Seniors

It's that time of year again: The deadline for filing your taxes is fast approaching! Thankfully, there's useful information available online that might make the process easier-you just have to know where to look. For example, The Internal Revenue Service has created an excellent web page about taxes for Seniors & Retirees worth checking out.

Here are some of the topics you'll see covered there:

• Tips for Preparing Your Taxes
• Publications for Older Americans
• Frequently Asked Tax Questions and Answers
• Types of Retirement Plans
• Much, much more!

If you're a senior citizen looking for helpful tax tips and related information, Uncle Sam's got you covered at this comprehensive site!

How To Listen To A Radio Show About Computers Right Over The Internet

Here's a great way to learn more about computers that's easy to understand and even easier on your eyes: Start listening to Computer America, the "longest-running nationally syndicated radio talk show about computers!"

The two-hour show is broadcast every weeknight over the Business TalkRadio Network, but even if you can't find a local station that carries it, you can also listen to it right over the Internet!

Here's how:

1. Go to Computer America and click Listen at the top left of the page.
2. On the resulting page find "Listen Live on the Internet." Under that you'll see a link that says "Click here to listen to the Streaming Audio." Just click on it as suggested and you can begin listening to the live broadcast (weeknights from 10pm to Midnight EST and 8-9pm EST on Saturdays). To listen to shows from the past two weeks just follow the instructions under "Listen to daily MP3 archives."

You'll be using Windows Media Player to listen to the radio show over the Internet and if you don't have it they even provide a link where you can download it for free! Enjoy the show!

How To Step Back In Time To The Web Of The 1990's

Do you ever wonder what your favorite web sites looked like way back in the 1990's? With the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine you can stop wondering and actually see what it was like to surf the Web back then. The Wayback Machine has archived billions of web pages for you to view, many of them dating back to 1996.

Here's how you can take a trip on the Internet's time machine:

1. At The Wayback Machine of The Internet Archive type in the web address of a site you want to travel back in time to. Then click Take Me Back.
2. On the resulting page simply click on the dates you're interested in. You'll see a snapshot of the web site as it actually appeared on that date.

That's all there is to it! Whenever you're feeling a touch nostalgic for the "good old days" of the web, be sure to check out the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

A Huge Archive Of Religious Texts Online

If you're looking for religious texts on the web you need go no further than The Internet Sacred Text Archive. Run by John B. Hare, it consists of a massive collection of online religious books (most in the public domain) that you can read right on your computer screen. Quite simply, this is one of the most comprehensive sites of its kind available on the web.

Here are just a few of the important religious works you'll find there:

• The King James Bible
• Texts of Martin Luther
• The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)
• The Apocrypha
• The Talmud: Selections

Whatever your religion, you're likely to find something of interest to you. This is a must-see site!

Listen To Classical Music While Reading The Senior Surfer

Readers of The Senior Surfer who are fans of classical music take note:

Starting today, you will be able to enjoy classical music from radio station WQXR any time you want by clicking on "Listen to WQXR Here" located under the heading Classical Music over on the sidebar.

WQXR is the classical music station of The New York Times. Enjoy!

How To Move Up Or Down A Web Page Without Using A Mouse

How do you typically move up or down the web page you're on? Do you find yourself always mousing over to the scroll bar that's located on the right of the screen? If you're tired of using the combination of mouse and scroll bar to perform this function, you might want to try this instead:

Move up or down the web page by using certain keys on your keyboard!

Here's how:

• Use the upward pointing or downward pointing directional arrow key when you want to move in small increments up or down the page, respectively. Great for when you want to read every word!
• Use the Page Up or Page Down key when you want to move more quickly up or down, respectively.
• Use the space bar any time you want to move quickly down the page. It works just like the Page Down key.

When you want to give your mouse a rest, try these handy tips!

How To Raise Money For Your Favorite Cause Just By Searching The Web

Imagine if you could raise money for your favorite cause or charity every time you conducted a search on the Internet? Well, you can do just that when you use a special search engine called GoodSearch.

GoodSearch is a search engine that will donate money to your favorite charity every time you use it. In fact, they donate fifty percent of the revenue generated from the searches conducted on their site.

Here's how it works:

• Go to GoodSearch and select the charity of your choice (American Cancer Society for example), then click Verify.
• Conduct a search like you would on any other search engine. The advertisers pay GoodSearch and half of the revenue generated by your search goes to the cause you selected.

It's as simple as that. Remember, every time you use GoodSearch money is generated for your charity!

Visit The Baseball Hall Of Fame On The Web

For the nostalgic baseball fan, there are few thrills that rival a visit to The National Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. But, if you just can't make it to Cooperstown, you can still get that old time baseball feeling, when you stop by The National Baseball Hall Of Fame on the web.

The web site of the famous museum is a marvel in its own right. If you're looking to stir up great memories of baseball yore, you won't be disappointed. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• View every one of the Hall of Fame Plaques appearing in the museum.
• Watch video biographies of some of the greatest baseball players who ever lived: Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron and Sandy Koufax are featured, among others.
• Take trivia quizzes about your favorite Hall of Famers.
• Read articles where you'll learn more about the history of baseball and how The Hall of Fame began.

Spend some time at the web site of this historic museum and you'll want to sing, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame!"