Take The Grandkids On A Virtual Trip To The Zoo

Here's a great idea for the next time you've got the grandkids over and you're looking for a fun and educational activity to do together on the computer: Take them on a trip to the zoo by way of the World Wide Web! How? By visiting the Smithsonian's National Zoo online!

Here are a few of the highlights that will delight both you and the grandkids:

• View the Animal Photo Galleries where you'll see pictures and learn interesting facts about the different zoo animals.
• Want to know what life's like in the zoo? Take a peek with the help of various Animal Web Cams and find out.
• Stop by the National Zoo Web Pages Just for Kids where you'll find crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and other fun animal-themed activities.

Thanks to the Smithsonian Institution, a trip to the zoo is now just a mouse click away!

Make Donations To Your Favorite Charities From One Convenient Web Site

If you're starting to warm up to the idea of charitable giving online because of the convenience, you'll love a Web site called Network for Good. They're making it even simpler to donate online by providing you the tools to search for charities, donate to them, store your donation records and more, all from one convenient Web site!

From the site:

Network for Good is the Internet's leading charitable resource, bringing together donors, volunteers and charities online to accomplish good. At www.networkforgood.org, users can donate to more than one million charities and
search from among more than 36,000 volunteer opportunities.

Especially if you want to donate to several charities online and are worried about how to keep track of all your records, you'll want to check out Network for Good. Donating online to your favorite charities has never been easier!

How To Use The Web To File A Complaint About A Company

The Problem: A company has wronged you somehow and you want to register a complaint.

The Solution: Register a complaint with The Better Business Bureau-but save your postage stamp and do it more quickly online at their Web site, instead!

Here's how:

• Go to the Web site of The Better Business Bureau.
• Under File A Complaint (at top of page) click on the appropriate category depending on the nature of your complaint-either Business, Lemon Law/Auto Warranty or ID Theft.
• On the resulting page, after reading about complaint acceptance guidelines and related information, click Next at the bottom of the page and fill out the online complaint forms presented to you.

In addition to filing complaints at The Better Business Bureau site, you can also use it to stay on top of the latest BBB news, check out company reliability reports, locate a Better Business Bureau in your area, and more!

Got A Reference Question? Ask A Librarian Online

Remember the last time you were at your local library and you needed help with a reference question? You probably went straight to a librarian, right? But, did you know that you can get a librarian's help online too?

Many libraries-everything from your local library to the esteemed Library of Congress, offer an "ask a librarian" feature on their Web sites where you can submit your questions.

Here's how you'd ask a librarian a question at the Library of Congress online, for example:

1. Go to the Homepage of The Library of Congress.
2. Click on Ask A Librarian (top of page).
3. On the resulting page click the subject category your question corresponds to.
4. Fill in the online form with your question, a valid e-mail address and related contact information and wait to receive a response by e-mail.

It's that simple! According to the site, you should expect to receive a response in about 5 business days. So, what are you waiting for? Go ask your questions!

Take A Panaromic Tour Of The White House Online

Did you know that you could take a tour of The White House without ever leaving your house? All you have to do is point your browser to the 360 Degree White House Tour online!

Part of the official Web site of The White House, this virtual online tour includes:

• The Blue Room
• The Cabinet Room
• The Oval Office
• The Roosevelt Room

And more! Simply click on an image and you'll experience a panoramic, 360 degree view of the individual room-you'll feel like you're there in person!

Information On Aging That's Easy To Understand

One of the best places on the Web to find information on Aging that you don't need a PhD in Biology to understand is Infoaging.org, a website created by the American Federation for Aging Research.

Here are a few things to do at the site if you're interested in learning more about aging:

• Read the latest news articles regarding aging
• Download free publications on a wide variety of aging related issues
• Sign up for a free newsletter from the American Federation for Aging Research

Authoritative and yet written in a style that won't intimidate the average person, Infoaging.com delivers the aging related information you're looking for!

Browse A Collection Of Early Baseball Cards Online

Want to know what the digital equivalent of a dusty shoebox full of vintage baseball cards is? The online exhibit of Baseball Cards from 1887-1914, courtesy of the Library of Congress American Memory Collection. With just a few clicks of your mouse you'll be able to view the fronts and backs of 2,100 classic baseball cards-all without getting dust on your fingers!

The iconic players represented in this terrific online collection include:

• Ty Cobb
• Tris Speaker
• Cy Young
• Connie Mack

And other baseball immortals. For the nostalgia lover in general and the baseball nostalgia lover in particular, this site's a home run!

How To Use The Web To Help Students In Need

Imagine a Web site that makes it easy for you to find and fund projects that help needy students. That's exactly the idea behind a not-for-profit site called DonorsChoose.org.

It works like this: teachers post projects that they need funding for-projects intended to enrich the learning experience of their students. Then, you come along and visit the site to search for projects you'd like to sponsor-you can search by subject, region, or other criteria.

Find a project you like? You'll have the opportunity to fund all or part of it through a variety of payment options. What's more, after you've sponsored a project you'll even receive thank-you notes from the students who've benefited from your generosity!

Check out DonorsChoose.org to learn more about how you can make a difference by helping teachers help their students!

If A Tree Falls In The Forest...? Go Ask A Philosopher

Next time you have one of those deep, burning questions about the mysteries of life like, what's my purpose here on Earth?, or how do I determine right from wrong? or why are there so many reality TV shows? -okay, maybe not the last one-turn to the Web and ask a real live bona fide philosopher-and that doesn't mean e-mailing your cousin Bernie!

To find a real philosopher on the Web who's willing to answer those Big questions, all you have to do is point your browser to AskPhilosophers.org. At AskPhilosophers.org you'll find a willing panel of professional philosophers who are ready to tackle your most vexing questions regarding existence, beauty, truth, knowledge and everything else philosophical.

Next time you want to ask an important philosophical question don't worry about what happens if there's no one around to hear it-just head on over and post it to AskPhilosphers.org!

A Unique Way To Reduce Spam: Disposable E-mail Addresses

How many times have you avoided registering at a site because you didn't want to divulge your e-mail address for fear of all the spam or unwanted junk e-mail you might receive? One possible solution to your problem could be to use what is known as disposable or temporary e-mail addresses.

Disposable e-mail addresses work like this: You sign up for an e-mail account that's designed to remain active for only a short period of time-24 hours or so-just enough time to use it for a site you'd like to register at but one from which you don't want to receive any future e-mails.

Here are a few places on the Web that offer free disposable e-mail addresses:

• Mailinator.com
• SpamGourment.com
• PookMail.com

Disposable e-mail addresses are perfect for those times when you need to provide an e-mail address but don't want to worry about receiving more spam!

An Online Toolkit For Genealogy Researchers

Looking for a useful genealogy site loaded with the tools to make researching your family tree a breeze? Look no further than Ancestor Search. Billing itself as an "interactive directory of the best free genealogy search engines," Ancestor Search has been a helpful genealogy aid on the Web since 1997.

Some of the highlights of the site include:

• Custom genealogy search engines
• Helpful tips on how to use Google in your genealogy research
• Links to some of the best genealogy freebies on the Web

Serious about using the Web to research your family tree? Ancestor Search is like a handy online toolkit you'll reach for again and again.

The NYPL Digital Gallery: A Feast For The Nostalgia Lover's Eye

Question: Where on the Web can you find rare photographs and images about the Civil War, the early years of baseball, streetscapes of New York City at the turn of the 20th century and so much more of interest to the serious nostalgia lover?

Answer: One of the best places to look is The New York Public Library Digital Gallery. This online repository of more than 550,000 images includes the following impressive collections:

• Civil War Medical Care: Photographs from the United States Sanitary Commission Collection, 1861-1872
• Early Landscape Photography of the American West
• "America's National Game:" The Albert G. Spalding Collection of Early Baseball Photographs
• Photographic Views of New York City, 1870s-1970s

Just a few short years ago if you wanted to see these types of pictures you would've had to visit a library and view them on microfilm. Today, thanks to the power of the Web you can see them right on your computer screen-quickly and easily!

Find New Books To Read With The Help Of E-mail Book Clubs

Do you ever have trouble deciding what to read? With so many choices and so little time it can be hard. Maybe a site like DearReader.com can help. They offer the opportunity to sample the opening chapters of several different books conveniently by e-mail!

It works like this: You sign up for one of their e-mail book clubs and every day for a week a 5 minute excerpt from the book club selection will be delivered directly to your e-mail inbox. If you like the book, go down to your local library, check it out and finish reading it at home.

Here are just some of the e-mail book clubs you can sign up for at DearReader.com:

• Nonfiction
• Fiction
• Business
• Classics

With e-mail books clubs like the ones offered by DearReader.com you don't have to invest a lot of time and trouble to discover interesting books to read!

Misplaced That User's Manual? Find It Online

Next time you're thinking of turning the house upside down to search for that missing user's manual you so desperately need, turn to the Web instead. Fact is, many manufacturers are making product documentation like user manuals, available for viewing online through their Web sites.

Depending on the site, you'll usually find this type of information by clicking on the section of the homepage labeled, Support or Customer Support. Once you're at that section of the Web site look for phrases or terms like, manuals, operating manuals, user guides, or some similar variation thereof and make sure to have your product name and/or product identification number (model number) handy to make it easier to locate the right user manual.

As an example, let's imagine that you've purchased a Panasonic product but have lost the user's manual. Here's how you'd locate it online:

• Go to www.Panasonic.com and click on Support (at top of page).
• On the resulting Customer Support page click on operating manuals (top right hand column of page).
• Now you'll find yourself on the Operating Manuals page-just follow the instructions presented and you'll be able to view the user manual you're looking for online!

Keep in mind that since every Web site is different, the steps you'll have to take to view user manuals online may vary. And though you might not find every user manual you're looking for online, you might be surprised at how many you do!

The Power Of Prayer Meets The Power Of The Internet

If you're a believer in the power of prayer, you might be interested in learning that there are numerous websites that will help you to broadcast your prayer requests to other members of the faithful around the globe via the World Wide Web.

Typically they work like this: You submit a prayer request, and they share it with others by either displaying it directly on their site for visitors to see or distributing it through a subscription based e-mail list.

Here are a couple of places on the Web where you can share your prayer requests:

• MyGuidingLight.org
• Greater Grace World Outreach
• Prayer Request Site

There are others of course, but these examples will give you a good idea of this type of service and how it works.

Watch Classic B Horror & Sci Fi Movies from the 50s And 60s Online

Did you know that you can watch classic B Horror & Sci Fi movies from the 50s and 60s right now on your computer screen? It's true-many classic B movies like Carnival of Souls, Night of The Living Dead, The Beast of Yucca Flats and countless others are considered to be in the Public Domain and are available for viewing on numerous Web sites at no cost to you.

Here are a couple of places on the Web where you can view these types of films right now:

• The Internet Archive: Movies
• Google Video
• YouTube

Got a favorite B Horror or Sci Fi movie you'd like to see right now? Simply type in the name of the title at one of the above sites and see if it's available for viewing. You'll be surprised at how many are!

Get Important Seniors' Health Info From MedlinePlus

Have you checked out the Seniors' Health Page from MedlinePlus yet? If you're looking for a comprehensive web resource on just about every health issue affecting seniors, you've found it. The page acts as a directory of important links to authoritative seniors' health information from around the Web.

Here are just a few of the interesting articles that the Seniors' Health Page links to:

• Calorie Restriction: Is This Anti-Aging Diet Worth a Try?
• Cognitive Vitality Tips for Older Adults
• Safe Travel Tips for Older Adults

And plenty more! Be sure to bookmark this directory of important health information for Seniors!

Missed A News Story? How To Find It Quickly With Google News

Next time someone tells you about an interesting news story that they heard, don't waste your time looking for it in the newspaper or on TV. Look for it on Google News instead-it's quicker and easier. Google News searches over 4,500 news sources for the search terms you specify.

For example, let's say someone asks you if you heard the story about the dog that rescued a litter of kittens that were stuck up a tree. If this had actually happened you could search Google News for articles about the event. Here's how:

• Go to Google News and type in search terms like, kittens, tree, rescued, dog, etc.
• Click on Search News.
• The resulting page offers links to articles about this unusual event.

Never miss another news story again-Catch up with it on Google News!

Take A Drive Down Memory Lane

Remember the days when the '57 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible arrived on the scene, or when the '62 Thunderbird Roadster made heads turn? Few things hold the power to evoke a long gone era better than the iconic images of classic cars.You'll find dozens of such images at CarsFromYesterday.com, a site devoted to classic cars from the 1920's to the 1970's.

Additional highlights from the site include:

• Classic Car and other Nostalgic Billboards
• Classic Car Radio and TV Ads
• Historical Information about The Auto Industry

If you're a classic car enthusiast or simply have a yen for nostalgia, CarsFromYesterday.com will put you in overdrive!