An Online Newsletter For Seniors With A Focus On Health

Are you 55 or older and looking for a blog that delivers timely senior news info with a particular emphasis on health? Check out Senior Time, an online newsletter for the 55+ crowd, that mainly links to the latest newsworthy articles and other resources concerning senior health issues.

The site is easy to navigate and a handy way to use the Web to stay on top of current senior health news. Definitely worth a look!

A Playground On The Web For Armchair Historians

Imagine being able to view important original historical documents like The Declaration of Independence or The Gettysburg Address-all from the comfort of your home? Today with nothing more than a computer and an Internet connection, it's possible to do just that when you visit a site like Footnote.com.

Billed as, "a place where original historical documents are combined with social networking," Footnote.com not only allows you to view original source documents online-they also let you make annotations, add comments and share opinions with other armchair historians.

Most of the historical documents accessible at Footnote.com require a fee to view, but a select few are made available online for free including:

• The Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution and Amendments
• The Gettysburg Address
• George Washington Correspondence

This is a must-see site for history buffs, if there ever was one!

Free Online Courseware From Academic Powerhouses

These are great times indeed to be using the Web for learning. Today, many reputable academic institutions are beginning to offer courseware for free online. Generally referred to as "open courseware" it's an initiative on the part of many universities to bring quality educational resources to the masses by way of the Internet.

And while free courseware typically won't get you an accredited degree from one of these top universities, it will expose you to much of the same learning materials online that previously you could only get in their classrooms.

Some prominent examples of this open courseware initiative on the Web include:

• MIT OpenCourseWare - The Massachusets Institute of Technology currently offers 1800 courses online.

• Open Yale Courses - Yale University recently joined the open courseware initiative by offering seven free online courses with plans to offer more in the future.

To learn more about this growing online learning initiative and for a list of additional participating colleges and universities, visit the OpenCourseWare Consortium.

How To Make A Personal Organizer Online That You Can Print Out

In the age of the Internet do you still find yourself using spiral bound address books and personal organizers? If you can't let go of pen and paper in favor of online organizers just yet, you might be interested in a site that helps you make more efficient use of that pen and paper at least. The site is called PocketMod, and allows you to turn a simple old-fashioned piece of paper into a versatile personal organizer.

Here's how you can make your very own personal organizer or "PocketMod" right now:

• Go to www.PocketMod.com and click on Create a PocketMod in the upper right hand corner of the page.

• On the resulting page under "widgets" choose one or more of dozens of organizational templates-writing, calendar, reference templates and more. Simply click on a template to preview it and if you like it, drag it over to a spot you choose on the blank PocketMod provided.

• When you're done designing your PocketMod just click Print PocketMod!

You're done. Now all you have to do is fold it so it resembles a small book that you can place in your pocket and take anywhere! Thanks to this great site, a single sheet of paper can be transformed into a handy organizational tool that's absolutely free-check it out today!

Sputnik Revisited: Notable Resources Online

Has the recent media coverage of the fiftieth anniversary of the launching of Sputnik, piqued your interest in learning more about this seminal event in space exploration? If so you're in luck-you'll easily find loads of resources on this subject online.

Here are a few worth noting:

• Sputnik: the fiftieth anniversary - This site from NASA offers a background history, Soviet documents, a photo gallery and more.

• Sputnik Declassified - A one hour PBS NOVA program that you can watch online, reveals some surprising information about Sputnik you might not know about.

• Sputnik 1 - Milestones of Flight - This handy one-page fact sheet about Sputnik is provided by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

If you want a quick and easy way to learn more about Sputnik, the first salvo in the war for space superiority between the United States and the former Soviet Union, you'll find these sites particularly helpful.

Make A Custom Photo Calendar With A Little Help From The Web

Got a lot of digital photographs and are short on ideas on how to display them? Why not make a custom calendar with some of your favorite shots? Now, thanks to the Web, it's easier than it ever was to do this type of thing.

Remember when, if you wanted to do something like this, you had to send pictures away? No longer. Today, there are plenty of Web sites that let you upload digital photos, design and order your calendar right online with just a few clicks of your mouse and at prices to fit almost any budget!

Here are a couple of those sites where you can start creating custom calendars right now:

• Create a custom calendar at CafePress.com

• Design your own calendar at Zazzle.com

• Make personalized calendars at MyCalendarMaker.com

It's not too late in the new year to create and enjoy your very own custom photo calender, and thanks to the sites above, the process of actually making the calendar couldn't be simpler!

Step Back In Time With Google News Archive Search

Want to know a quick and easy way to use the Web to search historical archives and read news stories from the past? Just use the Google News Archive Search! This convenient service from Google, the search engine that seems to do it all, lets you venture into the archives of such esteemed news and magazine sources as BBC News, Time Magazine, The New York Times and others.

Some articles are free to read while many require a fee-previews however won't cost you a dime! To find out more about how to get the most out of this site you'll want to read the News Archive Search Help section of the Web site-it's easy to understand and will answer just about any question you have regarding this useful search feature from Google.

Watch NOVA Online

Are you a fan of NOVA, the popular science program on PBS? Don't you hate it when you miss a show? Not to worry-next time you forget to record it, just catch up with it online. That's right, PBS has established a video archive of Nova programs on their Web site where you can watch entire episodes from the past several years at your leisure.

Now, whenever you're surfing the Web and you get bored, a couple of clicks of your mouse will bring the Emmy Award-winning program you've enjoyed on TV for years, right to your computer screen. You don't even have to register to watch the shows and they're absolutely free. Episodes of the relatively new NOVA ScienceNOW program are also included for your viewing pleasure.

This is also a great online activity to share with your grandkids the next time they're over. It's fun, educational and a great way to get them interested in science at an early age!

Stay Safe On The 'Net In 2008

Worried about Internet security? Who isn't these days? One of the best ways to allay your fears about Internet dangers is to learn everything you can about the subject. That's where a site like Staysafe.org can come in handy.

Staysafe.org was created to teach consumers about the perils and pitfalls they're likely to encounter while surfing the 'Net and more importantly, how to avoid them. They even have a special section tailored to the 50+ crowd.

Here's a small sample of what you'll learn at the site:

• Ways to reduce spam
  


• How to choose the right firewall
  


• Tips on how to avoid online fraud

Want valuable Internet security advice that's written in a style that's as easy to read as it is interesting? You'll find exactly that at Staysafe.org.

Let MedlinePlus Help You Achieve Those Exercise Goals

It's 2008 and as one of your New Year's resolutions you've decided to make exercise a priority. Now what? First, ask your doctor's advice before embarking on an exercise program. Then, head on over to the Exercise For Older Adults page from MedlinePlus.

This government sponsored site provides links and information on just about every senior exercise related topic you can think of including:

• Specific exercises you can do at home

• The latest news concerning exercise and seniors

• Related issues like tips for healthy eating

Looking to get fit in 2008? You'll want to make this site from MedlinePlus, your virtual exercise partner!