Digital Photography Tutorials You Can Actually Understand

Is there anything worse than getting into a new hobby like digital photography only to be stymied by all the technical jargon you encounter? Do terms like ISO, aperture or white balance leave you scratching your head? If you're thinking, Can't someone explain this stuff in plain English already? you're going to welcome the online digital photography tutorials of Photoxels.com.

Succinctly written and in a style that's not off-putting, these digital photography guides from Photoxels.com make even the most arcane digital photography topics accessible to the average user.

Designed to help you take better pictures, they go beyond explaining the finer points of digital photography with mere words alone-they use photographs too, so you'll actually see the difference between great and not so great pictures.

A handy reference you'll find yourself going back to again and again!

A Treasure For Non-Fiction Book Lovers

If you're a fan of non-fiction literature, there's a site on the Web you simply don't want to miss-especially if you'd like to learn more about the authors who pen these fascinating works. It's called Booknotes.org and is really one big archive of about 800 interviews with notable 20th century non-fiction authors that originally aired on Booknotes (a television program of the C-SPAN network), that ran from 1989 to 2004.

The site's highlights include:

• complete written transcripts of every one of the 800 programs

• streaming video of hundreds of the original 800 shows

• the ability to search the archive by keywords

Though not an online book club in the strict sense of the category the site nonetheless is a valuable resource for book club members and book lovers everywhere.

Share Your Experiences On TeeBeeDee

What are some of the things you look for in a social networking site? A place to share your life-earned experiences with people who've gone through the same things? The chance to meet new friends who share similar interests? You'll get all that and more from a site called TeeBeeDee.

Founded by Robin Wolaner, who many years ago created the successful Parenting magazine, TeeBeeDee is a social networking site especially for boomers and beyond.

Here's a small sample of what you can do there:

• Create a member profile complete with a photo of yourself
  
  
• Take part in online discussions on a variety of topics

• Join one of the many groups offered or start your own

It's free to join and you can even sign up for their e-mail newsletter. If you're looking for a social networking site for the mature crowd, you won't be disappointed!

Price Protection For Online Purchases Made Simple

How do you try to save money when shopping on the Web? Do you "clip" online coupons? Are you in the habit of using price comparison search engines? All good ideas, but what about the price protection policies offered by many online retailers? Have you been taking advantage of those or do you consider them too much of a hassle?

In the past, watching to see if the price dropped on an item you purchased online was tedious. Now, thanks to a site called Price Protectr it's gotten a whole lot easier. Currently if you make an online purchase from one of 68 stores that support the service, Price Protectr will check to see if the price drops and send you an e-mail alerting you if it does.

Simply visit Price Protectr, follow their easy instructions and you're on your way. Check out this service before your next online purchase!

Uncle Sam's "10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping Online"

With all the hype surrounding so-called "Cyber Monday" and online shopping in general this year don't let security take a back seat to finding a good bargain. Educate yourself on what you have to do to make online shopping a safer experience.

To that end, read the FTC's recent consumer warning:


10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping Online


This handy guide offers both obvious advice like, checking out sellers to make sure they're reputable, to advice which might not be so obvious like, turning off your computer once you stop using it to decrease the chances of falling victim to scammers.

Be sure to read the entire document before you shop online this holiday season!

A Feast For The Brain

By now your stomach has probably had more than its fill of turkey and all the fixings, so why not give it a break and feed your brain for a change of pace? When you're ready to put down that drumstick, a cornucopia of stimulating puzzles and brain-bending diversions awaits you at BrainBashers.com.

Some of the items on the menu include:

• Logic games like Kakuro and Sudoku just to name a few
  


• Crossword puzzles of both the traditional and non-traditional varieties
  


• Visualization puzzles that exercise your ability to think in three dimensions
  


• Fractals, Stereograms and other illusions

And that's just a sample to whet the appetite. There's so much here to feed your hungry mind you might have trouble deciding where to start-but at least you can keep going back for more without having to loosen your belt buckle!

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The History Of Thanksgiving

How much do you really know about the history of Thanksgiving? How much do your family and friends know about it? This Thanksgiving why not add some spice to your dinner table conversation by bringing up the history of this classic holiday? Just make sure you head to the Web first so you'll know what you're talking about!

Visit one of these sites to brush up on the history of Thanksgiving :

• The History of Thanksgiving - From History.com, the companion Web site of The History Channel you'll find out about the myths surrounding the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, learn what foods might have been on the Pilgrims' menu, and more.

• Thanksgiving in North America: From Local Harvests to National Holiday - If you're looking for a quick one-page history of Thanksgiving, it's hard to beat this one from Encyclopedia Smithsonian.

• The LOC.GOV Wise Guide: Thanksgiving - Here you'll find historical info and even a link to an American Memory Page that features a great Thanksgiving Timeline.

Enjoy the history lesson and have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

Talking Turkey Online

Need some last minute advice and ideas on how to pull off a spectacular Thanksgiving that all your friends and relatives will rave about? Try turning to the Web were you'll find a feast of tips, tricks and helpful hints to make your holiday an all around success.

Start your search at these top-notch sites full of special holiday advice:

• MarthaStewart.com - Domestic Diva Martha Stewart serves up a hearty portion of helpful Thanksgiving ideas complete with a Thanksgiving Planner you can print out, cooking videos, decorating hints and more.

• RachaelRayShow.com - The ever popular Rachael Ray cooks up Rach's Thanksgiving Guide which includes recipes, decorating advice and even how-to videos including one where she shows you how to carve a turkey.

• Rd.com - Reader's Digest offers Thankgsgiving Tips for Hosts and Guests that includes all sorts of useful entertaining info designed to make your Thanksgiving run smoother.

With tons of great advice available like this online, your Thanksgiving should go off without a hitch!

Bridging The Digital Gap With eGenerations

Sometimes on your travels along the Information Superhighway do you ever feel like there's too much to figure out and not enough time to do it all? Especially if you feel a little overwhelmed by all the technology, but still interested in taking advantage of the more salient things the Web has to offer, like social networking for example, you'll love a site like eGenerations.

eGenerations is a social networking site especially for people 50+ that makes it easy to connect with people your age, discover new travel and learning opportunities and a whole lot more by providing you with all the tools necessary in one easy to navigate Web site-minus a lot of technical jargon.

Some of the highlights from the site include:

• Message forums featuring hundreds of topics
• Articles on travel, photography and more
• Travel videos and even Web cams from around the world

Incidentally, even if you're tech-savvy, eGenerations merits your consideration just for the fact that it has so much to offer, conveniently assembled under one "virtual" roof!

Boost Your Vocabulary And Help End World Hunger While You're At It

As Thanksgiving approaches do your thoughts turn to the plight of those less fortunate? Are you the type of person who's concerned with the worsening problem of global hunger and wish you could do more about it? Then you'll be happy to know that there's a new Web site dedicated to helping you fight global hunger with, of all things, your knowledge of vocabulary!

The site is called FreeRice.com and it works like this: You play a vocabulary game where you're shown a word and asked to select its definition from four choices. Click on the correct definition and 10 grains of rice will be donated to the United Nations Food Program! Continue playing and for every correct answer you choose, another 10 grains of rice will be donated.

By the way, if the grandkids are over this is a great online activity to share with them as well. It's free to play, you'll both improve your vocabulary, have fun doing it and help put a dent in world hunger-what's better than that?

How To Use The Web To Find The Best Grocery Store Deals

What method do you typically use to compare prices at your local grocery stores?

A) Spread out shopping circulars all over the kitchen table
B) Visit each store individually
C) Use the Web to find the best deals


If you answered either A or B, it's probably because you never heard of a Web site called Mygrocerydeals.com that makes comparing prices at your local grocery stores a snap. At this helpful site simply type in your zip code and all the best deals will appear right on your computer screen.

Don't shop at all the stores shown or just interested in pricing a specific item? No problem. Mygrocerydeals.com helps you refine your search by offering store and product category selection. If you're a senior on a budget-and who's not on a budget these days-you'll want to take a look at what they offer. You won't just save money-you'll save time too!

Give And You Shall Receive

Here's a great idea this holiday season if you want to make a difference in the life of a needy child from a third world country: For a donation of $399, the Web site Laptopgiving.org will provide one laptop to a child in an impoverished part of the world-and they'll even send an additional one to you as a way of saying thanks for your generous gift.

Known as One Laptop Per Child or OLPC, the program was founded by M.I.T. Professor Nicholas Negroponte and represents an initiative to improve the educational needs of children in developing countries.

The program only runs till November 26, so hurry up and check out the site to learn more about it. If you can afford to help out in this way it's definitely worth considering and since the laptops are designed for children, the extra one you receive might even make a perfect gift for your grandkids!

Experience TODAY'S Book Club Online

Did you know that the highly acclaimed TODAY Show Book Club maintains a presence on the Web too? TODAY's Book Club, the online companion to the popular segment of The TODAY Show includes extras you won't find on television, to boot.

Here's what the site offers:

• Author interviews, including many from previous shows
• Excerpts from featured books
• Interactive content like online quizzes
• The latest book news

Highlighting an eclectic mix of both fiction and non-fiction titles, TODAY's Book Club might be just the tool you need to help you find that new and exciting read!

Notable Veterans Day Resources

Interested in learning more about Veterans Day? Look no further than the Web where you'll find plenty of resources on the subject.

In honor of this national holiday, here are some notable ones:

• The United States Department Of Veterans Affairs has an impressive collection of Veterans Day information on its Web site including a photo gallery, FAQs page, historical information and more.
• Military.com commemorates Veterans Day with military slideshows and informative articles among other highlights.
• The U.S. Army Center Of Military History presents The History Of Veterans Day in a handy one-page timeline.

Our brave veterans are a national treasure-may we never forget the sacrifices they've made!

Don't Forget To Test Your Memory

If you're an elephant, you can stop reading now. The rest of you are in for a mental challenge called Explore your memory, which can be found on the Web site of the BBC. Designed with the help of Professor Robert Logie from the University of Edinburgh, Explore your memory consists of a series of exercises that test what is known as your working memory, or more commonly referred to as short-term memory.

Not intended as a diagnostic tool-as the site clearly states-the test nonetheless presents a fun and interactive way to flex your memory muscles. To take this memory test you'll need some free time-at least twenty minutes-and free software called Flash 7, which you can download via a link on the site.

Oh, and a highly functioning prefrontal cortex will come in handy too! Good luck!

Are You Suddenly A Senior?

What do you do if you find that you've become a senior before your time? If your name is Frank Kaiser, you write a column, syndicate it to dozens of newspapers, then archive those articles on a Web site titled, aptly enough, Suddenly Senior.

This terrific site also includes jokes, trivia and links to senior sites from around the Web. But, the real meat and potatoes are Frank's entertaining and insightful Suddenly Senior columns, covering topics like medicare, social security, nostalgia, senior travel and more.

Fortified with enough humor and wit to keep you coming back for seconds, you'll find few takes on the senior perspective as refreshingly funny and informative as those of Suddenly Senior-truly a distinctive voice!

Make A Virtual Pilgrimage To The Holy See

Have you ever dreamed about taking a trip to The Holy See and exploring the world renowned museums of the Vatican? Well, till you can get there in person, visiting the official Web site of The Holy See and exploring the Vatican Museums Online is the next best thing!

Be sure to take the virtual tours which include tools that allow 360 degree views of some the rooms in the museums and even let you zoom in for a closer look at the sculptures, frescoes and other works of art housed there-you'll feel like you're practically at these famous museums.

Notable virtual tours include:

• Gregorian Etruscan Museum
• Sistine Chapel
• Raphael's Rooms

Whether you're looking to feed a spiritual hunger, satisfy your passion for fine art or please the history buff in you, a visit to The Vatican Museums Online on the Web site of The Holy See, will be worth your time!

How To Use The Web To Find A Long Lost Friend Or Relative

Here's the problem: You've got a friend named Jerry that you haven't heard from in more than a decade, or a cousin Sylvia who's been missing in action for even longer. What do you do if you want to reconnect with them but don't have their current addresses or phone numbers? Before you go and hire Philip Marlowe to track them down why not try using one of the many people search services available on the Internet?

People searches or people finders as they're often referred to are simply sites that try to match the name of the person you're searching for against available data from the white pages, public records or other sources. These sites typically offer information on current addresses, phone numbers and even e-mail in some cases.

Here are a few people search sites you can try where basic searches can be conducted for free:

• Yahoo! People Search - People search from Yahoo! offers a free white pages and e-mail search.
• ZabaSearch - A free people search engine whose results include addresses and phone numbers found in U.S. public records.
• Wink - This site takes a different angle on people search-instead of searching the white pages, they help you find people by searching the public profiles posted at online communities like MySpace, LinkedIn and other social networking sites.

Give one of these sites a try...reconnecting with that long lost friend or relative might only be a few clicks away!

Turn Back The Clock To The 1950s

Now that it's time to turn the clock back an hour once again, don't you wish you had the power to turn it all the way back several decades? How nice would it be to turn the clock back to the nostalgic fifties, for example? That's the power you'll feel like you have when you visit Rewind the Fifties, a site sure to bring back more than a few of your memories from that unforgettable era.

Remember drive-in theaters or what fast food restaurants were like in the fifties? How about those classic sci-fi movies or the important actors of the time like Marlon Brandon and William Holden? There are articles on all those topics and so much more at Rewind the Fifties. Tons of facts and interesting stories about the decade they called "fabulous."

Bring on those memories!

The CDC's Health Resources For Older Adults

No list of healthy aging resources on the Web would be complete without mention of the Healthy Aging for Older Adults section of the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Web site. This terrific health resource is provided by one of the most respected health authorities in the world.

Some highlights of the site include:

• The State of Aging and Health in America 2007 Report
• Important health information specifically geared to older adults
• Links to federal and non-federal organizations involved in aging-related issues

Are you 50+ and concerned about your health as you age? Don't skip this site from the CDC!

Touch Up Your Snapshots With An Online Photo Editor

Want to know a quick way to touch up those digital photographs you just took even if you don't have any photo editing software installed on your computer? Now, thanks to the Web, you can use what is known as an online photo editor to give your photos a more finished look.

Here are some free online photo editing sites that even let you practice using this type of software on sample images that they provide:

• FotoFlexer.com
• Pixenate.com
• Pixer.us

Visit one of these sites and you can crop, resize and add other effects to your photos-all with photo editing software that resides on the site itself-no need to download anything, in other words. Give it a spin!

Things That Go Bump In The 'Net: 5 Sites That Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine

It's that scary time of year again, the time for celebrating ghosts, goblins and other things that go bump in the night. If you can't get enough of this creepy holiday from movies, TV and the trick-or-treaters at your door, think of turning to the Web-there's plenty there to send shivers down your spine.

Here are some notable sites from the spookier side of the Web:

1. RealHaunts.com - What's haunted in your area? Find out here.
2. HauntedHouses.com - Find real haunted houses, haunted house attractions, ghost towns and more at this bone chilling site.
3. Gallery of Classic Ghosts from About.com - some of the world's most famous ghost photographs. Truly scary pictures!
4. GhostStudy.com - Thousands of ghost pictures and even some ghost hunting tips are offered at this hair-raising site.
5. Classic Ghost Stories from Horror Masters.com - Hundreds of classic ghost stories. You'll want to keep the light on while reading these!

Happy Halloween!