"Make Use Of " - Cool Site of the Day

So you are looking for getting cool Web applications that are easy to use and are free? Well, if so, then you’ve come to the right place! This blog is dedicated to finding the best free Web applications you can find online and reviewing them so that you’ll know how useful and amazing they are. Here’s a direct quote from their About page that states it better than I ever could:

“On Make Use Of, we don’t write about any new Web applications that come around, but only about ones that are cool, free and useful!"

The page you load in on is the blog, which is where you’ll find the most recent entries at the top. Just scroll down the page to go back through the entries. Beneath the black navigation menu, you’ll find the options for viewing the blog entries. They are: Latest Articles, Top 20, Recommended Lists, By Category and Full Archive.

Directory 2.0 is a great listing of the applications for both the Web and mobile options. It is broken down into categories for easy searching. Each category has a number by it, denoting how many applications will be found in that particular category.

Among the blog topics, you’ll not only find applications that will make your life easier (for example, check out the entry on Handy Recovery), but you will also find great tips and software reviews.

You can also subscribe to this blog either via e-mail or an RSS feed reader. I signed up via e-mail and it was really easy. Just type in your e-mail address under the one you’d like to sign up for and click Subscribe. Then type in the security code you see and click Complete Subscription Request. Next, check your e-mail for the confirmation letter and you'll be all set.

Now, before I run off to get some of these applications for myself, let me mention the Geeky Fun section. Here you will find some computer geek funnies that range from comics to videos. I didn’t have a chance to watch the videos, but I really enjoyed the mailbox picture tremendously. Check it out today!

http://www.makeuseof.com/

Story Corps

Welcome to Story Corps, a Web site devoted to the sharing of amazing stories from everyday people. Navigation is pretty easy here. See the rainbow of oranges on the right side of the page? Each shade represents a different section. The sections are: Listen, Participate, About and Español. On the left side, you’ll find the featured entry, as well as, the most recent news.

To learn more about why this site exists, let’s head on over to the About section. I tend to start all of my Web site visits in the About section, because most of the time, you really learn why the site exists, straight from the Web author’s own words. Here we learn that it is a nationwide project to record one another via sound. You can also watch a QuickTime video that explains all about the site in more detail. You'll want to check this section out for the whole scoop!

Listen – This, of course, is the heart of the site. Here you can listen to the stories that have already been shared and preserved at Story Corps. You will find excellent instructions on this section at the top of the page. Press the Play button next to any story you want to listen to and it will play right there on the page for you.

Participate – Are you chomping at the bit to find a Story Booth and record a story you want preserved? If so, you're in the right place! Here you will learn all you need to know about your options for recording, from doing it yourself to organizing an event to finding a Story Booth.

I really enjoyed listening to the stories that people around the country had to share. It's awesome that they thought they were important enough to their personal lives to preserve. I love the concept of this site. I wish I could get my grandpa into a Story Booth. Check it out today!

http://www.storycorps.net/

Pearson Prentice Hall

Welcome to a nifty Web site filled with interactive simulations you can play and learn with! In order to use them, you need to have a Shockwave player. If you don’t have one, don’t worry! There is a button right on the site that will take you to the link you need to download it for free. You’ll find it on the right side of the page near the top. It reads "Get Macromedia Shockwave Player."

There are ten activities to choose from, all with a different subject to teach you about. The activities are: Design and Test, Topographic Maps, Pheromone Trails, Eclipses, Seismic Waves, Ocean Waves, Solar System, Plant & Animal Cells, 4-Stroke Engine and Biomes.

I was the most curious about the 4-Stroke Engine, so I headed there first. When it loaded, I was faced with a working engine, as well as, a lot of other options. On the left side of the page, I found the menu for interacting with the simulation. I could choose between views of the engine, how many parts were working at one time, whether I saw the parts labeled and how fast the engine was accelerating.

At the top of the simulation I found, there was information for me to read about what I was seeing. I could also make the font larger or smaller with the A buttons above the text, as well as, scroll up and down with the scroll bar beside the text.

Underneath the view of the engine was another slider bar that let me control the start and stop of the engine simulator. Just to the right of that, I found two magnifying glasses that let me zoom in and out on the engine too!

Beneath the simulation, there was even more information about engines. It was really quite interesting to learn all about a 4-Stroke Engine. I was pleasantly surprised!

Now, I’m off to explore the other simulations. Are you ready to join me?!

http://www.forgefx.com/casestudies/prenticehall/

Blackle

Today, I’ve taken you directly to Blackle’s About page. The reason I did that is because they can explain their goals for their search engine far better than I ever could. Allow me to sum it up for you though. That way, you’re at least not going to the Web site without a clue as to what's it's talking about.

Basically, the whole concept of this site is to inform you that if you use Blackle to search the Internet, you’ll save energy. On the About page, you’ll also find a link to tips on how to save energy, as well as, the tiny link at the bottom, which takes you to the Blackle FAQ page.

Are you ready to head on over to the main page? If so, just click on the Blackle logo at the top of the page. You’ll be presented with the search engine, along with the counter for how many watt hours have been saved. You can use it just like you would a normal search engine, as it is powered by the Google Custom Search.

For example, I typed in "chili" and clicked Search. My results came up and the only difference is they were on a black background with gray text.

Now, quite frankly, I love Blackle! It is my new search engine of choice, because I despise white screens. They usually hurt my eyes with their glare, but this one is easy to read and it has no glare.

So, check it out today and see what you think!

http://www.blackle.com/about/

Stop, You’re Killing Me!

Do you love a good mystery? If so, this Web site is for you! (Well, and me!) Here you will find a dedicated resource to books that are in the mystery genre. That includes thrillers, spy stories and suspense.

I absolutely love that, on the main page, they explain how to get around by using the alphabetical index. And since they explained it so well, I’m going to skip on over to the side menu for now.

What’s New – Here you will find what has been recently added to the site. I was pretty amazed at how thorough the information is on what they’ve added here. I give them a thumbs up here!

Award Winners – Here you can choose by award type to browse authors who have won the awards for 2007. This is a great way to find an awesome book to read.

Location Index – This section allows you to find a series by their character’s home base. For example, I want to read books where the character is from or in Ohio, so I chose the United States, then Ohio. I was presented with a list of characters whom either come from Ohio or their story takes place there.

Job Index – This is the same idea as the Location Index. However, you’re searching by the character's job. I was in awe when I saw how many jobs were listed. This is certainly an interesting way to pick a book to read.

Historical Index – This section has divided author and character indexes up by historical period. The time periods range from Ancient to the 1980s.

Read-Alikes – I have to tell you, I am a fan of this method of finding new books to read. Here you will find Author Read-Alikes, which is the "if you like this author, you may like this other author" formula. It's my favorite way to find new books! You also have the option of "if you like this type of book, you may like this author" with the Category Read-Alikes. What excellent ways to find books!

Magazines – Here you will find some links to mystery magazines.

FAQ – Here you will see a listing of frequently asked questions. You can find information on who maintains the site, who started it and why, as well as, answers to questions about the site.

I hope you all can find a good book to read by using this site. I’m off to the library with a list of books to find. Happy reading!

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/