It's Almost Like Having Your Own Personal Tech Advisor

When it comes to making a choice about what television, camera or other electronic device to purchase, do you ever find yourself feeling a little overwhelmed? Well, you wouldn't be alone. But luckily there's plenty of help available on the Web! And some sites, like the popular tech review site CNET.com, have even gone a step further by packaging that help in the form of widgets you can place on your own personal blog or homepage.

Here's what the CNET Product Finder widget looks like, for example:



To take this widget for a test drive, just click on the directional arrows above to find your desired product category. When you settle on a category, simply click on its image, and you will be guided through a series of questions designed to help you determine what purchase is best for you. Pretty neat, huh?

To add this widget to your iGoogle page or other personal Web page, first click share the widget, then click the appropriate icon from the resulting menu. If you want a different widget, go to CNET Widgets, where you'll find several others to choose from.

School Is In Session At YouTube

You already know that YouTube is a great place to find some of the most entertaining videos around, but did you know it's fast becoming the go to place for some of the best educational content on the Web, too? Last week YouTube unveiled a new channel they're calling, aptly enough, YouTube Edu.

According to the official YouTube blog (see: Higher Education for All), there are currently over 20,000 videos on the channel, including over 200 free courses from some of the top universities in the country.

Are these great times for lifelong learners or what?

Missed The Obama Press Conferences This Week? Watch Them On The Web!

Lamenting the fact that you couldn't make the time to watch either of President Obama's press conferences this week? You'll be happy to know that thanks to WhiteHouse.gov and YouTube, you can watch each one in its entirety, online--on your time!

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #27

When you hear the name Google, what comes to mind? Search engine? That's not surprising, since Google operates one of the most popular, if not the most popular, search engines on the 'Net. But, do you realize how much more Google offers in addition to their flagship search engine? This week's quiz aims to test your knowledge about some of Google's other products and services.

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #27

1. Google recently introduced a Web browser. What is it called?


Gold

Chrome

Intrepid

Voyager




2. What is the name of Google's free photo editing software?


Rembrandt

Monet

Picasa

Botticello




3. What is the name of Google's advertising program for Web site owners?


Gsense

Adoogle

GoogleSpot

AdSense




4. Google offers a free e-mail account. What is it called?


Gmail

Gomail

Goomail

Googmail




5. Which of the following popular Web services is owned by Google?


Amazon

YouTube

Yahoo

None of the above

Good luck!

Yes, But Can You Get Him To Roll Over For You?

Apparently the duck in this YouTube video never heard the expression "man's best friend." Doesn't look like the puppy got the memo either!

A Handy Guide To Evaluating Health Information You Find Online

A while back we pointed our readers to a terrific video tutorial on evaluating health resources you find online (see: Learn How To Evaluate Health Information On The Web.) If you found that useful but would rather have something you can read, take a look at this recently published reference guide from the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM):



10 Things To Know About Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web



A useful guide, if you're going to be using the Web to find health information--and you can even print it out for future reference!

What's Your Flu I.Q.?

Think it's too late to get a flu shot? Think again! That's only one of the vital facts you'll learn about this devastating disease and how to prevent it, when you take the CDC's interactive Flu I.Q. quiz in the "widget" below. And when you finish, don't forget to click share at the bottom of the quiz so you can let others know about it! (For more information on this widget and others like it, see: CDC.gov Widgets and Gadgets).

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #26

This week's quiz features a series of true/false questions about Facebook. How familiar are you with the terminology associated with this increasingly popular social networking site? Let's see!

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #26

1. Generally speaking, when you "poke" someone on Facebook, you're trying to get their attention.


True

False




2. The section of a user's profile page where you can post a message is called "the wall."


True

False




3. When you post what you're doing, or what's on your mind, that's known as a "status update."


True

False




4. A "friend request" is not the same thing as a "poke" on Facebook.


True

False




5. The "news feed" is an important Facebook feature located on a user's home page.


True

False

Good luck!

Next Stop: Mars!

Question: How are you ever going to take a tour of Mars if you're past the age when you can enroll in the space program and wouldn't recognize a Mars land rover if it was parked in your driveway?

Answer: Download the latest version of Google Earth and a tour of the Red Planet is just a few clicks away! The Google produced video below shows you step-by-step how to explore the Martian surface right from the comfort of your computer chair:

Humor Is A Hamster Named Hammy

Have you gone organic yet? Hammy the hamster has, and he's got a video on YouTube to prove it. But should the video really be regarded as conclusive evidence that Hammy's palate has a preference for organic? Who cares? You'll be laughing too hard to debate it!

5 Things To Do Online This St. Patrick's Day

If you plan on spending at least part of your St. Patrick's Day online, here are a few Web based activities perfect for the holiday. We mentioned several of these last year at this time, but we'd be remiss if we didn't note them once again!

1. Find holiday recipes. Search sites like MarthaStewart.com and AllRecipes.com for tons of St. Patrick's Day recipes.
2. Watch the the Parade online. Did you know that the official Web site of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade will be offering live streaming video of the event?
3. Brush up on the History of St. Patrick's Day. Read up on St. Patrick, watch videos about the history of Saint Patrick's Day and take the "All Things Irish Quiz" at this online exhibit from History.com.
4. Go on a virtual tour of Ireland. At LookAroundIreland.com you'll find dozens of Ireland virtual tours where you'll enjoy 360 degree views of this magical country.
5. Catch a glimpse of a Leprechaun. At The Leprechaun Watch, from Irelandseye.com, you just might spot one of these mythical creatures--if you have faith that is!

Erin Go Bragh!

Wait A Minute--That's Not Spam!

Has this ever happened to you? An e-mail that you wanted to receive mistakenly gets flagged as junk mail, or unsolicited e-mail, and ends up in your spam folder instead of your inbox. Frustrating, but it just proves what you already know, that machine intelligence isn't infallible--sometimes what's needed is a little old fashioned human intervention.

In this case you have to tell your e-mail program that the e-mail in question is not spam, so if you get any more from the sender it ends up in the right place. Depending on the program, it's usually pretty easy to do. Here's how it works in the popular Yahoo! Mail program, for example:

1. In your spam folder, click on the message in question.


2. While reading the message you'll notice that the menu at the top has changed to include the following option: Not Spam. Click on it.


3. You're done! The message now appears in your inbox.

From now on, additional messages from that sender should start ending up in your inbox, instead of your spam folder.

How About A Game Of Checkers Online?

Here's the problem: You're in the mood for a game of checkers, but you just can't find your old checkers board--or maybe you found the darn thing, dusted it off, but no one wants to play. Your solution? Since you're on the Web, why not play online?

Here are a couple of great sites to try:

Ben & Jerry's Online Checkers

Thinks.com's Online Checkers

At these sites you can enjoy a virtual game of checkers any time you like!

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #25

For each question in this week's quiz you'll be asked to match a word, phrase or symbol with the category that fits it best from the choices given. You'll choose from the following: E-mail and Instant Messaging, The Google Search Engine, Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web Browser, or Computer Hardware. For example, if I said "Microchip," the correct category from the ones listed above would be "Computer Hardware."

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #25

1. @


E-mail & Instant Messaging

The Google Search Engine

Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web Browser

Computer Hardware




2. PageRank


E-mail & Instant Messaging

The Google Search Engine

Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web Browser

Computer Hardware




3. RAM


E-mail & Instant Messaging

The Google Search Engine

Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web Browser

Computer Hardware




4. :-)


E-mail & Instant Messaging

The Google Search Engine

Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web Browser

Computer Hardware




5. "Find on this Page"


E-mail & Instant Messaging

The Google Search Engine

Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web Browser

Computer Hardware

Good luck!

Microsoft How-To Videos: "Demo: Create a multi-tab home page"

If you're currently using Internet Explorer 7 or higher to surf the web, you're no doubt already enjoying the benefits of tabbed browsing, but are you getting the most out of this useful function? Did you know, for instance, that you could easily create a multi-tab home page, too? Just follow the steps in the Microsoft produced video below to learn how!


Demo: Create a multi-tab home page

What Exactly Is That And Why Is It In My Coffee Cake?

How many times has a food label left you scratching your head? Unless you have an advanced degree in chemistry you're probably mystified by MSG, ascorbic acid, soy lecithin and a host of other cryptic ingredients present in the foods you eat. Now, thanks to the power of the Web, the answers are a click away!

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the International Food Information Council (IFIC), have created a fact sheet online that answers many of the questions you might have about food ingredients & colors--questions like, "what is guar gum and why is it in my food?" or "how are additives approved for use in foods?" among others.

So, next time you're wondering what that odd sounding food additive is, click your mouse instead of scratching your head!

Gesundheit!

What better way to start off a Monday than with a good hearty laugh? This one comes courtesy of YouTube and it features a baby panda who looks like he could use a good antihistamine!

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #24

Today we present a true/false quiz about something you probably use every day: search engines. Let's see how much you know about one of the most useful and indispensable tools on the Internet.

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #24

1. Currently, even the best search engines index only a fraction of the information available over the Internet.


True

False





2. A list of search engine jargon might include terms like robots, Boolean operators and algorithms.


True

False





3. A search directory is another name for a search engine--they're exactly the same thing.


True

False





4. Search engines rely primarily on humans and not software to do the job of indexing the Web.


True

False





5. Search terms, or the words you type into a search engine, are also known as keywords.


True

False

Good luck!

Tech Explanations In Plain English You'll Enjoy Watching

When it comes to matters of technology like the Internet and World Wide Web, there's nothing better than having it all explained to you in plain English. And that's exactly what a site called commoncraft.com succeeds in doing with their series of immensely entertaining and highly informative videos on everything from blogs, to social networking, to--you name it!

Visit their Explanations in Plain English channel on YouTube to see more videos like this terrific one below on the subject of blogs:

To Boldly Go...Online

Are you a fan of the original Star Trek, the iconic television science fiction series from the 1960's? Did you know that you can watch full episodes online and in high definition? Yep, thanks to CBS, who last year decided to post them on the Web for everyone!

To begin watching Star Trek online just point your browser to either of the following links:

Star Trek: Watch Full Episodes - CBS.com

YouTube - Star Trek: The Original Series

May Star Trek The Original Series "live long and prosper" on the Web!

Google Street View Just Keeps Getting Better

These are great times for 'Net savvy armchair tourists. If you're a fan of Google Street View for example, you'll love their recent improvements that include user-generated photographs. Want to see how you can make the most of this new feature? Just watch the Google produced video below!

Pursue Your Hobby With A Little Help From YouTube

If you've been a regular visitor to The Senior Surfer and a fan of the lighter side of the Web, you know that YouTube provides plenty of laughs. But did you know that it can be a terrific resource for the hobby lover in you as well?

Fact is, whatever your hobby, you'll likely find tons of stuff about it on YouTube. Next time you visit YouTube just type in different search terms related to your hobby and see what turns up.

Here's an example of a video on stamp collecting, to give you an idea of what a rich resource this can be for hobbyists: