Let’s face it, we have to be leery of advice we receive on the Internet. If you are having chest pains, it probably isn’t real wise to do a Google search for “chest pain remedies.” Chances are you will get some advice from people merely trying to hawk their wares with little concern for your well being. But what if you had an inside source to a really trusted medical source? How about the Mayo Clinic? When you Google the term Mayo Clinic you are presented with several online options. One of them is called Symptom Checker. You will then be given a choice of about 28 adult symptoms and nearly as many for children. Google also offers you several other Mayo Clinic options, including: Diseases & Conditions; Symptoms; Tests & Procedures; Weight Loss; Pregnancy Week by Week; Stress Management — and several others. What a great free online resource that might save your life, or the life of a family member!
Online Bill Paying: Another Great Internet Advantage
Online bill paying helps you manage your monthly bills without wading through a stack of paper bills and checks. And getting set up to pay your bills online is simple. There are two main ways to pay your bills online. You can use the bill paying service offered by your bank, or you can choose to pay your service providers (mortgage, electricity bill, etc.) directly.
When you set up your payment system with your bank. Some banks pay your bills electronically while others will send out paper checks. Generally you need to provide the bank with the information found on the monthly statement sent to you from each company you wish to pay. You will only have to do this one time — after that you just tell your bank who to pay and when.
To pay your bills directly to your creditors, you normally go into their website and set up an online account. You may need your company account, but that is not always the case — sometimes your name and email address will do. Most companies offer automatic debits where they will automatically debit the bank account or credit card you choose each month. If you prefer, however, you can go into each website and pay directly online.
Online bill paying is fast and efficient. It saves you time, energy and a lot of postage. This service is just another great example of how the Internet has made our lives better.
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Play Free Online Games — a Great Internet Resource
Do you find when you are alone that you are often playing a game of Solitaire? Many people use their computers to play Solitaire in order to pass the time. But wouldn’t it be nice to have some choices of games? Try going over to Freeonlinegames.com and turn in your regular Solitaire game for one of over 5,000 different online games you can play without spending a penny — although you will have to sit through a 15 to 30 second commercial when you get started. There are 808 puzzle games, 711 shooting games, 281 adventure games, and 262 physic games. There are arcade games, war games, strategy games, space games, food games — in fact, there are over 50 different game categories and you can play in 40 different languages. Each week the most played games are featured. Last week’s the winner was TU95, a flight simulation game, followed by City Lifters and School Bus License, both driving games. Free online games is just another example of a great resource that is available free on the Internet.
You Can Learn to Do Anything Online — Including How to Make a Lasagna Garden!
Have you ever thought about planting an organic garden? If you have, and you really don’t know how to get started, there’s no reason to drive to Barnes and Noble and pay $30 (or more) for a book on the subject — at least not while you have an Internet connection. I did a search using the phrase how to start an organic garden, and I received all kinds of hits with useful information. One of them was on About.com, a wonderful site where people with expertise in a given area share it with the entire Internet community — free of charge! I quickly learned the seven steps to planting my garden, as well as all kinds of useful information on soil testing, improving clay soil, raising the seed bed, making natural compost, using leaf mold — well, you can see there is a lot to learn! I was particularly intrigued with the sub-topic: How to Make a Lasagna garden!
Yep, just about anything you want to learn to do is covered on About.com, and other sites that serve similar purposes — and it is all free, right on the Internet
Another Big Free Resource on the Internet: Comparing Bible Translations
Who would have thought about using the Internet to study the Bible? Actually, most of the time you hear ministers warning about the dangers of certain unsavory websites! But the truth of the matter is, the Internet is a great place to do Bible comparisons. Several sites offer free access to many different Bible translations. If you were to go out to a bookstore and buy each of these Bibles, it would be extremely expensive. But you can have all of the benefits of comparing these at no cost, right online. For instance, just take a look at one scripture in a couple of the older translations. Let’s look at the book of Genesis 25:29. In the King James translation it reads: “And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint.” The equally old Douay translation reads: “And Jacob boiled pottage: to whom Esau, coming faint out of the field.”
Both of those verses are a bit hard to understand, so let’s try a couple of newer translations. According to the God’s Word translation it reads: “Once, Jacob was preparing a meal when Esau, exhausted, came in from outdoors.” That is much better. And the New Revised Standard translation reads: “Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.” Now we get it! You can see why comparing translations can be helpful. But the point of this post is not about which Bible translation it is best; the point is you can compare them all for free online! Score another big free resource point for the Internet!
Can EBooks and Paper Books Co-Exist?
With the closing of the Borders stores, concern for the future of book stores – in fact, the future of physical books–hovers over us as an ever-present question mark. Technology has us swimming in ever changing waters and there are those out there who are treading water, resisting the change. But despite those die-hards who swear they’ll never read an ebook; they “love the smell and feel of paper,” change we must because technology is here to stay. The question is: Can books and ebooks co-exist in this new swimming hole? The answer is: Of course they can!
What it comes down to is — we have more choices. Yes, publishers need to adjust their attitude and business acumen to include the ebook revolution, but if they do, they can profit very nicely from this new kid on the block. The indy bookstores have formed alliances, offering special services and programs to draw back customers who have strayed. Barnes and Noble now has their Nook to compete with Amazon’s Kindle. Apparently it’s doing so quite effectively and is a useful complement to their already established paper market. There are times when an ebook really does fit a need, but when it comes to reference material, collectibles, cookbooks and how-to’s–most of your nonfiction market, in fact–ebooks are no replacement to a physical book. There is a place for both–and always will be. They just need to learn to play nice and peacefully co-exist.
Steamboat in a Cornfield
Do you ever think of the Internet as a magical time machine that can transport you back to historical times, allowing you to visit people and places from the past? Well, step with me into 1856. Do you hear the water churning its way through the giant paddle wheel? The Steamboat Arabia has been resurrected from a cornfield near Independence, Missouri and awaits your inspection at its namesake museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The Hawley family has an amazing story to tell and the past will seem like the present to you as you examine the thousands upon thousands of artifacts recovered from the sunken boat – all in pristine condition.
The Arabia did not go down with a bang like so many riverboats of that era. It hit a chunk of tree and simply sank to the bottom of the Missouri River. After nature redirected the path of that great river, the Arabia was left hidden deep beneath a cornfield, loaded with mostly undamaged inventory intended for stocking the shelves of general stores that were springing up further west during the height of the great migration. Trust me — you are doing yourself a great disservice if you fail to visit this outstanding museum the next time you are in Kansas City. Of course, if a visit to KC is impossible for you because of time, distance or financial constraints, you can still visit The Steamboat Arabia online. Thanks to the magic of online time travel, this is one trip back in time you will always remember!
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Online Storytelling Offers Children and Parents Valuable Time Together
“If I go to bed now, can I have a story?” What parent hasn’t heard that? Story time is very special for a child. And while parents never want to relinquish the joy (and responsibility) of storytelling to the Internet, there is a great storytelling site online that you will enjoy visiting with your kids. The site is called Storyline Online and it is presented by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. This site features streaming videos of famous actors reading children’s books. Our particular favorite is James Earl Jones reading To Be a Drum, by Evelyn Coleman.
Mr. Jones first introduces himself and explains that while he learned to read at age four, he would not read aloud until he was 14 because he had problems with both stuttering and dyslexia. “I need the practice” he states as the screen begins to fill with the book’s beautiful illustrations by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. The images are presented as a slide show — one illustration fades out as the next is fading in. The words appear as subtitles as Mr. Jones, in his melodic voice, reads the story aloud. Background music has been skillfully, but subtly, added which enhances the reading and is appropriate to the story. At each story’s end there are activities parents can do with their kids. These are not only fun but are designed to get your children to open up and talk about how they feel about different situations in each story.
Besides Mr. Jones, some of the other readers include: Jason Alexander, Sean Astin, Ernest Borgnine, William Daniels, Hillary Duff, Hector Elizondo, Melissa Gilbert, Al Gore, Robert Guillaume, Jane Kaczmarek, Lou Diamond Phillips, Betty White, Bradley Whitford, and Elijah Wood. This is a wonderful site that both you and your kids will cherish.
Five Top July Online Recipes from the Washington Post
Did you know the Washington Post has a recipe finder? It is a great resource that lets you plan dinners, try new and exciting foods, and explore cuisines from around the world. The recipe finder is a database of detailed recipes which have been tested (and passed muster) by the Washington Post. You simply type the name of a recipe into a search box and voila! — if it is in the database, a great recipe will pop up right online. If you do not know the recipe you want by name, you can enter (or subtract) what you believe are the major ingredients until you find the recipe you are looking for. During the month of July, these were the five most popular recipes:
- Georgetown cupcakes (winner of the 2008 cupcake wars;
- Sparkling watermelon (watermelon juice, sparkling water and sea salt);
- Summer chili (a meatless meal made in a single pot);
- Black bean, pineapple & shrimp salad (inspired by a recipe from Seasons 52 restaurant), and
- “Fried” Chicken (which is really baked and coated with yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and cornbread stuffing)!
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Online Dating Becomes One of Most Popular Ways to Meet Prospective Partners
One hundred and fifty years ago it was a custom in some lands for young women to stroll around the promenade on Saturday night in order to make known their availability for courtship. Well, these days things are a bit different. Over the past few years the trend in courtship has shifted to the Internet. There are a lot of advantages to online dating, and many couples that have been married over the past decade have seen the benefits. Singles can meet and greet without leaving their homes. While that may sound crazy, it is the way many young people socialize these days. And because individuals using online dating services can specify the characteristics they are looking for in a prospective partner, the success rate can be quite high. Many couples have gotten to know each other through online chats before ever meeting in person. And while there can be dangers involved in any dating scenario, reputable companies eliminate much of the fear. It is truly amazing how people have found so many different ways for the Internet to enhance their lives — even using it as a tool in choosing a life partner!
