How To Track Santa Online

Here's a great activity you can do together with your grandkids this holiday season: Track Santa Clause online! Did you know there's actually a website that will let you follow Santa's journey from the North Pole?

The great folks over at NORAD Tracks Santa 2006 use various Santa Cams to take pictures and video of Santa and his reindeer as they make their trip around the world. Then they post these images on the web for everyone to see! The fun-filled site also includes activities like a Santa Puzzle, a countdown to Christmas, a coloring book and more.

Your grandchildren will love this site--and so will you!

Feliz Navidad and Over 350 More Ways To Say, "Merry Christmas"

Want yet another way to irritate the Scrooges in your midst but delight just about everyone else? Learn how to say Merry Christmas in over 350 Languages. This handy site, courtesy of FLW Inc., will show you how to spread holiday cheer in everything from Acholi to Zulu.

Visit this site and then, when you send those holiday e-mails to your friends and relatives from other parts of the world surprise them by wishing them a Merry Christmas in their native language!

Is It Safe?

If you're a security conscious web surfer you probably already take care of your end by keeping anti-virus software up to date, and not giving out private information to just anyone. But, do you ever wonder about the sites that you visit? Is there a way you can determine how safe they are to surf? Yes, by using a tool like McAfee's SiteAdvisor.

McAfee's SiteAdvisor is a service that rates websites for common safety issues like spam, viruses and other nasty things you might encounter online. There's a free version and a paid version which offers additional features.

Assuming you want to try out the free version, there are two ways you can do it:

1. You can add the the software to you browser. Go to www.siteadvisor.com and click on Download SiteAdvisor now. Follow the download instructions they provide. Once downloaded it will automatically alert you to a site's rating through a button on your browser toolbar--the button will change colors depending on safety results. When you use one of the major search engines, like Google, SiteAdvisor will even display color coded safety ratings right next to the individual search results so you have that important information before you click on a link.
   
2. If you prefer not to download it, you can still use this service by going to the homepage, and typing in the address of a website you'd like to check up on, in the box that says, Look up a site report. Next, click go and you'll be able to read the safety report for that website online.

Next time you're at a site and wondering, "Is it safe?" run it by SiteAdvisor and see what they have to say about it!

Wondering Where That Package Is? Ask A Search Engine

Add this to the list of all the things that are wonderful about search engines: They can help you track your packages too! That's right--did you know that many of the popular search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Windows Live have made it a lot easier to track packages on the web?

Typically, it works like this:

• Type in the package tracking number or the name of the carrier followed by the tracking number in the blank entry box of the search engine.
  
• Then click on the search button.
• A link to the tracking information will appear at the top of the page of search results.
  

This is particularly handy if you're tracking packages from several different carriers-- give it a try this holiday season!

Save With Online Coupons

If you love to clip coupons before you go shopping at the local grocery store or shopping mall, you're the type that likes a good bargain. Is there a way to clip coupons before you go shopping online as well? Actually, there is and you won't even need scissors--you just have to visit an online coupon site. Here are a couple of the more popular ones worth checking out:

• DealCatcher.com features dozens of discounts from several online merchants.
  
• CouponMountain.com's offers attractive discounts and promotions from a variety of online retailers including Dell.com.
  
• CurrentCodes.com doesn't list deals or sales but is instead a directory of coupon codes you can use for savings at participating online merchants.

There are other sites out there worth checking out but these are a good start. Happy bargain hunting!

4 E-mail Security Tips You Should Know About

We rely on e-mail so much these days that we tend to take it for granted. What we should never take for granted, however, is e-mail security. With that in mind, here are 4 quick tips to help keep you out of trouble:

1. Make sure you have a good anti-virus/firewall program installed on your computer and keep it up to date. Never forget that e-mail is vulnerable to viruses and other online hazards. In today's digital world internet security software is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
   
2. Never click on a suspicious e-mail attachment. In fact, you should be wary of all attachments. Sometimes they carry viruses or other malicious programs that your anti-virus software might miss. And if you receive an unexpected e-mail attachment from your friend, do the smart thing and call her to make sure she really sent it!
   
3. Be wary of e-mails that ask for financial information, tell you there's a problem with your account, or use other similar tactics to try to get you to divulge sensitive information about yourself--they're usually scams designed to steal your money and/or personal information--don't fall for these tricks!
4. DO NOT CALL THE PHONE NUMBER OR CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THOSE E-MAILS! If you receive an email from a bank or financial institution and you want to phone them to see if it's legitimate, don't use the number provided in the e-mail--it might just be another trick. Instead get the number out of the phone book or visit the bank in person to inquire about the e-mail!

Remember, there are no 100% guarantees in the online world, but following these tips and exercising good common sense just might help you avoid e-mail's darker side.

How Many Of Your Relatives Came Through Ellis Island?

Between 1892 and 1954, Ellis Island was the first stop for millions of immigrants seeking a better life in the new country. Chances are many of your relatives came to The United States through this historic landmark. Now you can conduct a free search for their names among the Ellis Island/Port of New York Records at Ellisisland.org.

The website of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Ellisisland.org includes a whopping 25 million records for you to sift through. When you sign up for a free registration you'll gain access to passenger records and be allowed to view images of original ship manifests. The site also offers a wealth of historical information about Ellis Island, including a timeline and archival photographs. There's even a Genealogy Learning Center complete with free forms for recording your family history!

Whether you're interested in serious genealogical research or just looking to pique your curiosity, Ellisisland.org will grab your fancy!

How To Remember Those Important Dates With A Little Help From The Web

Ever forget an important anniversary or a best friend's birthday? How much fun was it coming up with excuses? You can put those days behind you now that you're surfing the web. On the web, you can have e-mail reminders sent to you so you never have to come up with excuses again!

You have several options if you're looking to receive e-mail reminders. Many web based e-mail accounts like those offered by Yahoo! and MSN typically offer a calendar feature which allows users to send e-mail reminders to themselves, days and even weeks in advance of an important event. Or, you could try one of the many popular web services that exist for the sole purpose of reminding you by e-mail, like Memotome.com.

Whatever your choice, remembering important events will get a whole lot easier--just don't forget to use an e-mail reminder!

How To Find The Catalog You Misplaced - On The Web!

Don't you hate when this happens: Just when you're ready to sit down and look through your favorite mail-order catalog, you can't remember where you put it. Now what? You could turn the house upside down or call the retailer and ask for a new one but thankfully there's a better and faster way--you might be able to find it on Google Catalogs.

Google Catalogs, another great service brought to you by Google, takes catalogs supplied by retailers and then scans and indexes them, making it easy for consumers like you to find and read them online. You can browse catalogs by category--everything from Apparel & Accessories to Toys & Hobbies--or title by clicking Advanced Catalog Search from the Google Catalogs Homepage.

Next time you misplace your favorite catalog, don't panic--try searching for it on Google Catalogs instead!

You'll Admire Him For Being So Don To Earth

Stop what you're doing right this minute and head on over to Donald Crowdis's Blog, Don To Earth--you've just gotta read it! That's what you'll be telling your family and friends after you've had a chance to read a couple of Don's posts--they're that good!

Crowdis draws upon nearly all his 92 years on the planet as he waxes philosophical about life, death and the journey in between. His writing will move you, fascinate you--even teach you a thing or two--and never bore you. A unique perspective and an original voice in the blogosphere , Don To Earth is a must read!