Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE SITES

On the days I'm in my office, I can spend up to ten straight hours on the Web. Most of this time is spent writing and researching, but I like to surf a good bit, too. Hey, it was surfing that got me familiar enough with the Web to write about it, and to be published on it.

I generally like to visit sites that are entertaining, informative, or have content that coincides with my interests, hobbies, or values. If you could see my bookmark file, you'd learn quite a bit about me.

I'm going to raid that bookmark file now, and post the URLs of some sites that I check pretty regularly.

A9.com- A new search utility from Amazon.com, A9.com not only helps you find Web pages, but pages from books that match your search. When I performed a search for "Russell Shaw" and "wireless," A9.com yielded this search results page of citations and links.

Aaron's Baseball Blog- Insightful, intellectual and sometimes funny daily blog about baseball by someone for whom the game plays a large part in his life.

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields- Even though aviation is in its prime, there are those airstrips that have gone to dust, seed, or have been paved over for other uses. With hundreds of rare, old photographs as well as new snapshots of the same landscape, the site is a visual digital tribute to places where men and women temporarily left the ground.

Abebooks- Another one of those great new, used, and rare book sites the Web is so good for. Here are some books and other material written by various Russell Shaws, including me.

About.com- Even though the site has been downsized some, still a great place to start looking for information about any of several hundred topics.

Academic Info-A gateway to thousands of Web-based resources, indexed by subject. New sites are updated monthly.

Accent On Travel Trip Reports- First-person and client logs of train trips booked by Accent On Travel USA, a leading train travel specialist agency based in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Although I have never done business with them, they seem to have their heads and hearts in the right place.

AccuWeather-As powerful and flexible a weather forecast, analysis and information site as you will find. Here's the outlook for Portland, Oregon.

Ace- The second coming of Bob Vila, I am not. Still, I like to peruse this online presence of Ace Hardware to read their project guides.

Acronym Finder- Searchable list of more than four million abbreviations. Some, like CAD, have numerous meanings. What's that you say? BFD?

Advanced Book Exchange- A great place to search for, and purchase, that out-of-print or rare book. More than 70 million such volumes, including a few of mine, are in the database.

Aerospaceweb.org-Ask a Rocket Scientist- The old saying goes, "it's not rocket science." Yet with questions such as what is the difference between a jet engine and a rocket engine this site is just that. Archived questions are listed and linked to answers on this page.

Air America Radio- Especially during this time of right-wing gloating, I'm sick and tired of Hannity, Limbaugh and Savage, and others of their ilk. For millions like me, here's a progressive and entertaining national talk radio network! It's way past time!!

Airline Meals.net- Most airline food is mediocre at best. Still, at 33,000 feet you don't have that many spontaneous dining choices. This site features airline meal photos, taken by passengers.

AIRLINERS.NET- A commercial aviation portal with more than 250,000 aircraft and airport photos, as well as a really cool database of virtually every airline and general aviation aircraft in use. Each link in the database is clickable to a page that describes the particular airplane, including its performance characteristics. For example, the page for the Brazilian-made Embraer ERJ-135 notes that its maximum cruising speed is 834 kilometers an hour (about 518 miles an hour). There's also an Aviation Industry News section, updated every 15 minutes. Wanna feel better? Check out these F-15Cs.

AirNav- A guide to most of the U.S.A.'s 5,000-plus public airports and private landing strips. In Oregon, where I'm from, there are more than 100 of them - from "poor condition" Country Squire Airpark near Sandy, to Portland International Airport. Remember the Jimmy Buffett song " Volcano?" In the song, he noted he didn't "want to land in Comanche Sky Park." Perhaps Buffett, a pilot, was referring to the misspelled Camanche Skypark Airport, a small strip near Ione, California.

AJR.org- Web site featuring articles from the pages of the American Journalism Review, the best publication of its type. I often check the Employment Section for its list of newspaper, magazine, newsletter and online jobs - which sometimes includes vacancies that aren't posted anywhere else on the Web.

Alaska Airlines- My first choice for travel between Portland, where I am based, and almost any city in California.

Alexa Web Search- Amazon.com-owned Web directory that tracks traffic to sites based on the number of searches performed by Alexa visitors that lead to the sites that are tracked.

Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing Videos- This project from the Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing at Stanford University offers a free collection of more than a dozen free videos about how things from motorcycles to candy wrappers are made.

All But Forgotten Oldies- Links to sites that offer streaming media samples of some 4,000 songs popular from 1960 to 1975.

All Consuming- New blog with a primary mission of cataloging and ranking the books most mentioned on blogs all over the Web within the last week.

All Freelance- Tips about how to survive this freelance life I lead. As someone once said about this existence, "you can sleep late, but you can't sleep easy." "Sleep late?" Oh, yea? Most weekdays, I am at my desk by 6 a.m.

All Freelance Work- Fee-based referral service for freelance activities in the creative disciplines. Listings are divided into numerous areas, including creative writers, Web writers and tech writers.

AllLaw- Mostly free site has a comprehensive topical index of links to articles, reference guides, resources and other information about topics from Bankruptcy to Wills and Trusts. You can also search by keyword. When I entered the keyword "privacy," AllLaw returned more than 25,000 hits.

All Songs Considered- Online-only program from National Public Radio features audio and video clips from international artists true to their ethnic traditions - as well as American artists attempting to capture ethnic traditions, or appear alienated yet functionally intellectual.

All-streaming-media.com- As someone who has written books and numerous articles about streaming media, I salute this site as the most comprehensive guide to almost anything about the medium that you would ever want to know.

AllTheTests.com- A searchable inventory of several hundred personality, health, and intelligence tests from all over the Web.

AllTheWeb.com Fresh News Search- Real-time search for news posted on more than 3,000 sites. Yet another service from the quite underrated AllTheWeb.com search engine. When I performed a search for Osama Bin Laden, the search engine returned a page with these results.

AllYouCanRead.com- Another all-encompassing directory of Web presences for magazines, newspapers and reference Web sites from around the world.

AltaVista- Not the most "chic" in-crowd search engine these days, but still very useful as a tool to find Web-based audio and video.

AlterNet- News and commentary from a progressive perspective. Several articles on cultural creatives explain why the non-traditionals among us who would rather watch educational programs rather than contrived horseshit don't have the impact we deserve. Hint: a good bit of the answer lies in our nature.

AlwaysOn- Takes its name from the concept that today's computing-related appliances and technologies are not dial-up, or off-on, but, you guessed it, "always on." Site actually casts a broader net to encompass industry segments of interest to IT people and venture capitalists. The site also offers a library of blogs, which are available from this page.

Amazon.com- There! I've just built a link to Amazon's Book Search page. They've buried it several clicks from the home page, but it's the most useful feature on the site. It's where I look for books, as well as for authors I might want to interview on various subjects.

American Bar Association Law Info- A collection of legal how-to's for consumers. Free resources are grouped in several areas, including Your Family, Your Home, Your Finances, Your Job, Shopping, The Courts, Criminal Justice, and help in Finding a Lawyer.

American Civil Liberties Union- I don't agree with all of their actions -- especially their reflexive distaste for necessary and proactive terror-fighting measures -- but I'm proud to be a member. Here's a link to the Web site for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington state.

American Demographics- I have degrees in Sociology and Political Science, and am a journalist who writes about business, trends, and people. Stir all that together and you have a prescription for one of my favorite magazines - and, by extension, one of my favorite Web sites. Most articles require a paid subscription to read.

American Distance Education Consortium- A guide to distance learning initiatives and issues.

American Field Guide- A multimedia guide to the animals, ecosystems and flora in most U.S. states. Here is the guide to Oregon.

American Film Institute-100 Years- 100 Movie Quotes- The 100 most memorable movie quotes of all time, as voted on by a blue-ribbon panel. Given the scarcity of "bad" language in movies 65 years ago, I can imagine the shock in theaters when the #1 phrase ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn") was uttered in "Gone With The Wind."

American Heritage Book of English Usage- An online version of the guide to how to use words properly. One of their best features describes the correct usage for words that are pronounced similarly, but have different meanings. Here's an example.

American Law Sources On-line-Another one of those indexes of law references. The most compelling resources are guides to legal sources for each of the 50 states. Here's the main page for Oregon.

American Library Association Challenged and Banned Books- This site from the American Library Association offers chronicles of efforts to ban books. Good for the ALA, because I hate censorship. In the 1990s, the most heavily banned book was Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz. Stick it up the censor's ass by purchasing it here. In 2003, the most frequently banned tome was the Alice series, "for sexual content, using offensive language, and being unsuited to age group." Fight censorship by making the author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor a little richer than she already is.

American Politics Journal -- Pundit Pap- I do not watch most Sunday morning talk shows. You see, I have a life. Fortunately, there are Web pages such as Pundit Pap to track what the talking heads say.

American Press Institute-Site of the eponymous training center for professional journalists. Here is an annotated, linked list of all articles posted on the site, and a run-down of articles indexed by topic.

American Public Transportation Association- Web site for the public interest body that represents regional and municipal bus, trolleybus, ferryboat, commuter rail, light rail and miscellaneous transit systems throughout the United States.

American Rhetoric.com- Sometimes, words speak as loud as actions. That is especially true when words make history. Here, you can read the text of and listen to audio feeds of more than 5,000 memorable speeches, and more than 200 audio clips from celebrities.

America's Roof- Let's get high! I mean, high from an altitude standpoint. Among many other points of interest, this site not only lists the highest point in each state, but offers direction to, and contains accounts from, people who have been to them. Here's the highest point in Georgia, Brasstown Bald. I have been there often, but since I am an Oregonian now, I sing the praises of Mt. Hood.

AMG allmusic- Biographical data, reviews and discographies of almost any recording artist in the last several decades you can think of. Unlike music company sites, the perspective here is both objective and authentic. The most commonly searched-for artists are listed and linked on this page. When I last checked, the most searched-for recording artist was the enigmatic Portlander (it takes one to know one), Elliott Smith. But I am alive and he is not, which is an important difference.

Am I Annoying- An absolute treasure of a stitch, the site lists the "annoying" and "non-annoying" aspects of thousands of celebrities.

Am I Right - Misheard Lyrics- Rock and pop stars do not have great diction. That's why some of their lyrics are misunderstood. The premise of this site is to solicit examples of lyrics that sound different than they really are. Here is one that I have submitted: for the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," I turned in: "Cause baby, you're so cute in those stockings." The correct lyrics, of course, are, "Cause baby, something beautiful's dyin'."

Amtrak- Oh sure, their trains can run late every once in a while, but riding the rails is the best way to see the country.

Analyst Views- Portal with links to technology reports from several leading firms.

Ancestry.com- An Internet-based genealogical meta-index. I sometimes use this resource to look for ancestors. Through a series of recent searches, I may have found some distant relatives.

AndrewSullivan.com- The gay conservative writer-commentator everyone loves to hate. I'm neither gay nor conservative, but enjoy reading his polemics on culture and politics.

Anecdotage- This is the place to find funny anecdotes about famous as well as infamous people, in well over 100 categories.

Annoyances.org-Tips, complaints, and advice for solving and combating the numerous quirks in the various versions of Windows. Quirks get their own threads, such as the one that accompanies the question: How do I stop a program from running whenever I start Windows?

Answers.com- A meta-index of more than one million reference documents on just about any topic you would imagine.

Archive for Planetary Science Research Discoveries-Fascinating resource from the University of Hawaii's Space Grant Consortium offers updates on the latest findings about the rocks and balls that orbit our sun, and the odd-shaped objects that meander through it.

Arstechnica- One of my favorite technology news and reviews sites- even though I work for some of their competition.

Artcyclopedia- What a clever idea! Site links to more than 125,000 samples of artwork created by more than 10,000 painters and other visual artists. The links are to specific graphics pages on gallery and museum Web sites. Here, look at Van Gogh's Self Portrait. The ultimate for fine art as well as cutting edge, online eye candy.

Art Daily- News, features and special reports from the various worlds of art. As you can guess from the site's name, content is updated on a daily basis.

arXiv.org e-Print archive- Meta-index of hundreds of thousands of scientific papers in physics, mathematics, the Nonlinear Sciences (chaos theory and that sort of stuff) and computer science. While the actual papers are not posted here, obtaining information about authors is a good way to search for sources.

Ask a Linguist- Threaded discussion list where professional linguists may ask questions of one another. Previous questions and answers are available in the Archives.

Ask Dr. Universe- Washington State University's science-oriented questions and answers site for children. Here are some recent questions. Are worms animals? Click here to find out.

Ask- Type in a question, and the search engine that powers this site looks for Web sites that contain the answer. I admit I used to be skeptical of the gimmickry here, but I've used it for a few projects lately, and now, I'm hooked!

Ask Yahoo!- While sites like Ask Jeeves generate most of their answers via natural language parsing of Web pages; Ask Yahoo! appears to rely on human experts to answer site visitor questions. These experts visit sites likely to contain the answer, and then cite the site in their formal responses. Some 1,500 answers, skewing toward the non-complex are divided into a dozen topics. Why is the sky blue? Now you know.

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies- Top articles from several dozen of the nation's top alternative weeklies. Archived stories are organized by topic. Once derided as "hippie papers," many of these publications exhibit an investigatory zeal that outstrips the cautious approach taken by their daily newspaper competitors in many of the same markets. I started in journalism as a writer for what was to become an AAN member publication.

ASTALAVISTA SECURITY GROUP- Internet security portal with lots of inside info that goes way, way beyond the alerts you'll read in the technology online and print mass media.

Astrobiology.com- New planetary discoveries, as well as topics such as Panspermia (the ejection of life-bearing rocks from one planetary body to another) and Astropaleobiology, where the site links to articles that describe our just-beginning research on what, and who, might be "out there."

Astrobiology Magazine- A site devoted to intelligent life- any life- in the universe. Intriguing discoveries, such as revelations of lakes on Saturn's moon Titan, often are singled out for special articles.

Astronomy.com- The online edition of Astronomy magazine has a handy glossary, a Frequently Asked Questions list for beginners, and a Telescope Buying Guide.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution- A good way to keep up with news from where I used to live -- but thankfully, don't anymore.

ATLANTA.VOIC.US- New news site and community portal about the town where I lived for nearly 25 years.

Aviation Digital Data Service- How is the air up there? On this site, you can find out anything from the projected wind pattern 24,000 feet above the U.S. 30 hours from now, to current turbulence advisories for the U.S., including pilot reports of rough air in the Northwest U.S. as well as other regions. Here's the thunderstorm forecast for the U.S. Looking down, here's the latest satellite photo of Northwestern U.S. , and the entire continental U.S. I guess Bob Dylan was right --" you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." But a Web site, such as Aviation Digital Data Service, sure helps.

BabelFish- An online translation service that translates phrases for you to and from English, to Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Russian and Spanish. Not as reliable as a professional interpreter, but a heck of a lot cheaper and faster.

Backpack- Not a camping or hiking site, but an online personal and business organizer and information manager service.

Bad Designs- Market-research and advertising companies are paid fortunes to push products. Engineers get paid well to ensure they work, but the ones who design feature sets seem to live in their own world. In just one example, it seems that the shower controls vary from unit to unit, and often are not well-marked. Many is the time I have grumbled to myself, so, how do you turn on the shower?

Badmovies.org-Site for reviews of, and discussion about, movies that really suck. I mean really, really, suck. The worst of the worst are listed in B Movie Reviews.

Ballparks of Baseball- Statistics, history and commentary about current, future, and past baseball stadiums.

BallparkReviews.com- Site-minder Brian Merzbach offers site reviews of nearly 50 Major League and more than 290 minor league ballparks. Here's what he says about Portland's PGE Park, within shouting distance of downtown Portland.

Banished Words List- Periodically updated list of words and phrases that should be banned - not because they are "dirty," but because they are overused to the point of inanity. Here are some: "synergy," "in the wake of," "ramp up" To see the terms added in 2007, click here. For a list of all the "friggin'" terms that have been archived all the way back to 1976, you know what to do.

Baseball Almanac- All kinds of stats and trivia, and a collection of clever quotations from ex-ballplayers. For sheer ego in the raw form, I like the one from 1960s-era first baseman Dick Stuart of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who said "I want to walk down the street and hear them say, 'Jesus, there goes Dick Stuart.'" But now, the situation is reversed. "Dick Stuart, there goes Jesus."

Baseball Prospectus- Analysis and think piece about our national pastime.

Baseball-Reference.com- The ultimate trivia site for baseball statistics buffs. The Leader and Record Board Index section contains career and active lifetime leader listings in more than two dozen categories. Sometimes it is fun to look up the leaders in specific pitching categories, check the leaders in corresponding batting categories, and then use another site such as ESPN.com for assessing the results of direct confrontations. Giving it a try, I see that Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies is the active batting average leader among hitters, and Pedro Martinez (now of the New York Mets) allows the fewest hits per nine innings among pitchers. The two have never faced each other. Another fun part of this site indexes current and former major league players by state or nation of birth. Here, one can learn that the most bountiful state for pro baseball players has been California, with 1,858. Given the state's great year-round weather and its status as the most populous U.S. state, that is no surprise. Oregon, where I live, boasts 115. The comparatively low number is due to a combination of factors, which include Oregon's comparatively sparse population during much of the history of baseball, rainy weather in the state's most populous regions that makes it difficult for youngsters to acquire baseball skills by playing year-round; and, until recently, few people of Latino and African-American descent, a common heritage for baseball players. Although I don't see any Hall of Famers, the best-of list would have to include Pendleton-born slugger Dave Kingman, whose 442 lifetime homers top all native Oregonians and Portland's Dale Murphy, with a state-pacing 1,266 RBI and 2,111 lifetime career hits. Despite only nine homers in his injury-plagued 2004 season, Seattle Mariners' first baseman Richie Sexson (whose name defines the very act that got him started) is fast entering that company. Neither should we should not overlook the only Oregonians with a lifetime batting average of over .300. Those would be Ken Williams, from Grants Pass, a .315 lifetime hitter who logged most of his good years in the 1920s, and Portland's Johnny Pesky, whose batsmanship in the years after World War II matched the descriptiveness of his surname. By almost any measure, Oregon's best pitcher was Portland's own Mickey Lolich, known for his work with the Detroit Tigers in the 1960s and 1970s. He comes from the same Lolich family that once owned agricultural enterprise Lolich Farms near Scholls, Oregon.

BBC- There is little doubt you have heard of the BBC. Inarguably one of the world's most prestigious news organizations, this radio and television network's news-gathering and objective analysis is especially relevant in these newsworthy times. Click here to directly reach the BBC News Online home page, here to reach the main World News page, a library of country profiles, and here to reach a page with links to audio archives of previous programs.

BestPlaces.net- All sorts of demographic and quality-of-life info on numerous American metro areas and cities. Based on 40 categories that you grade on a 0 to 10 scale, you can even pick out the best place for you to live. I live in Portland, Oregon, but when I took the test, Portland didn't even show up in my top ten. Boston finished first, followed by San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Portland came in #36, behind Wilmington-Newark Delaware., and Tacoma, Washington. But Atlanta, where I moved from in 1997, came in #44. Three cheers for a proactive quality of life move!

BetaNews- Insider information about new software being tested. Numerous betas are offered for download. If you're a compulsive early software adopter, BetaNews is the place to go.

Big Class Action- Updates on lawsuits that sue an industry or service sector on behalf of a large group of aggrieved people. Here's the latest info on travel-related class action suits. Let's try Internet/Technology suits and complaints. My take: while some mainly conservative people view class actions as the creatures of overly litigious attorneys, I regard many of these suits as standing up for the rights of the citizenry and the consumer. I mean, if big business were to get their way all the time, they would totally genuflect to the institutional investors and major customers, not the little people.

BILLBOARD- The definitive music industry trade publication. Packed with charts, including the Billboard 100 best-selling CDs and the Hot 100 singles and tracks. I used to be on top of all this stuff - I even wrote for Billboard from around 1982 thru around 1991 - but now, only a few of the listed artists and even fewer of their songs are familiar to me. I mean, when I see "50 Cent," I think of half-dollar coins, not the rapper. BTW, what ever happened to 50 cent coins?

Bill Thompson's Eye on Books- Broadcast journalist has interviewed more than 8,000 authors, and has posted numerous sessions on his site. Here is Thompson's collection of his interviews with Writers of Non-Fiction.

BitLaw- A technology law portal, with sections devoted to patents and patent law, software patents, trademark law, copyright law and Internet law.

Blinkx.tv- Searchable index of recently televised shows, news clips and feature video segments, posted and available in streaming video. Sen. John Edwards and his cancer-afflicted wife, Elizabeth, have been making the rounds of the talk shows recently. I posted a query for appearances by the duo, and got back a search page with these results.

Blogcritics- At its heart, this is a daily digest of writings on news, music and books from a diverse collection of Webloggers. I am now in that number.

blogdex- An index to news articles linked from some of the more vibrant blogs out there.

BLOGGER- I think, I feel, I react - all of which is why I blog.. I log on to BLOGGER when I am ready to post a new thought.

Blog Herald- News about the world of blogging- notable new authoring tools, RSS readers, and blogs themselves.

Bloglines- Aggregation, and sometimes aggravation of leading Blogs, including popular and new offerings.

Blog Maverick - The Mark Cuban Weblog- Random and occasionally quite irreverent musings from Mark Cuban, who earned billions from the sale of his co-founded company Broadcast.com, and used a portion of his windfall to acquire the NBA Dallas Mavericks.

BlogPulse- Maybe not the best-known blog search utility, but at least as comprehensive as any other. When I performed a search on BlogPulse for Blog posts featuring my name, I got back these results.

BlogRunner - Real-time updates of major blog-based conversation threads. Each day, the site lists the top weblog authors, as determined by applying Google's page rank algorithms to the Blogosphere. When I last checked in early April, the top ranking blog was Instapundit.com.

BlogStreet- Among many other things, this site from a Blog technology provider offers a ranking of the Top 100 Blogs, decided on the number of blogs BlogRolling them, and the Most Important 100 Blogs, decided on the basis of who is BlogRolling a blog. Got that?

Bloomberg.com- Comprehensive stock market information site, with Financial News, World News, and the latest stock prices.

Blue Mountain- Electronic greeting cards you can customize, and then send instantly via e-mail. New cards are frequently added. Even though Blue Mountain now charges $13.95 a year to use their service, the deal still beats getting in your car, fighting traffic, and then waiting on line at the mall card shop.

BlueOregon- A collection of Blogs from left-of-center Portlanders, (I count myself in that number) as well as Oregonians from other parts of the state.

BobDylan.com- Lyrics and sound samples from several hundred of his songs. Dylan goes real far back with me. When I dropped out of college (I subsequently went to another school and graduated) while still a teenager, my folks freaked and told me I would wind up a failure. Already an amateur poet by then, I held Dylan up to them as an example of someone who followed his own muse, rather than the proscribed college-to-success path. Hey, it was the late 1960s, and I was not alone. Nothing in my parent's life experiences prepared them for that notion - or for accepting Dylan's validity as a role model or an artist.

BookBrowse.com- Author interviews and biographies, plus excerpts and Reviews from their latest books.

BookFinder.com- The site searches more than 100,000 online booksellers. I did a search under my name. Here's what came up. Keep in mind that although there are other authors who share my name, several of my works are listed.

Booknotes- Companion site to the C-SPAN show. Interview transcripts are available as far back as 1989.

BookSense- Independent bookstores across the U.S. have banded together to form this site. Here, you can find an independent bookstore near you, as well as best-seller lists from member stores. Indexed by category, the books on these compilations are likely to be slightly more eclectic, even progressive, than those favored by mainstream America. That's largely because mainstream Americans (those who read, anyway) are more likely to live in smaller towns and suburbs with plenty of chain bookstores, but less of the independent variety.

Bookwire- A resource collection of keen interest to authors. Here's a list of literary agents. Ditto for book publishers. Bookwire also offers a link to the Publisher's Weekly site.

Boxoffice Magazine- A collection of movie news and reviews, as well as a cool section on upcoming films.

Breakupnews- When you break up with someone, you likely will want to hear tales from friends who have gone through the same experience. "Misery loves company,"ya know. So here is a Web site where you can read the pain (or the pleasure) others who have broken up with their significant (or insignificant) others have experienced.

British Columbia Outdoor Guide- It's summertime, and I know of no more idyllic outdoor setting than British Columbia. Come meet me on the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast.

Broadbandreports.com- All the news and reviews you would ever want to read about providers of fast Internet access.

BROADCASTPAPERS.COM- A collection of free white papers about broadcast television and radio technologies. Sections include Animation and Special Effects, Editing and Post Production, Streaming Media, and Television Signal Transmission.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle-Daily news from a recently revived newspaper in a place I have always found thoroughly fascinating.

BuddhaNet- Links to information about this gentle and contemplative way.

Budget Travelers Guide to Sleeping In Airports In the USA- For those of us who have encountered several hours between flights, and need to catch some winks. You know, those five-hour time gaps that preclude going off-airport to rent a motel room.

BugMeNot.com- Of unquestioned cleverness but debatable legality, this site contains URLs contributed by members who have figured out how to get beyond the registration firewalls imposed by tens of thousands of Web sites.

Builder.com- Numerous newsletters, white papers and discussion boards for people who program, manage, architect and develop Web sites.

Bumperactive.com-A place where you can order your own bumper sticker.

Business.com- All-encompassing search engine about U.S.-based businesses. I even entered my own name and found some references to me (as well as to other guys with my name).

Business Credit USA- Up-to-date credit reports and company information on more than 14 million U.S. and Canadian businesses. Reports cost $5 apiece - a pittance compared with the risks of transacting with a company on shaky financial ground.

Business Journalism.org- Resource for business journalism reporting, ethical discussions, and training, offered by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at the American Press Institute.

Business of Baseball- Reference material, news and commentary confirming what we all know- that while baseball is the national pastime, it's mainly a business. And not just now, either.

Business Wire- One of the two largest press release wire services. Recent releases encompass more than 100 different industry categories.

BuzzFlash Report- A site that uses provocative and opinionated titles in their links to current news stories.

BuzzMachine- Pre-eminent blogger Jeff Jarvis cuts through the muck and gives his plain take on the frustrations, duplicity and greed that mark our encounters with technology, politics and culture. Read what Jeff has to say about his ongoing battles with Dell "customer support."

C-SPAN CapitolWiz- Voting records for members of the Senate and House. I recently checked for information relevant to the voting records of my Congressman, David Wu, and my Senators, Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith.

CableNewser- A running diary about how the cable news channels cover the major (and sometimes less than major) events of the day.

Cairo- Not the city in Egypt, but a site where you can search for "physical world" stores by product category, store, and zip code.

California Academy of Sciences Anthropology Collection Database- Humankind uses all sorts of symbols and tools. Here is a search engine that helps you pinpoint more information about these items. I performed a search for "flute," and got back a page with 19 citations.

California Coastal Records Project- A collection of more than 30,000 aerial photos from various locations on the awe-inspiring California coast.

Calorie Calculator- Enter the name of a food, and the Calorie Calculator will tell you its nutritional content, carbohydrate and fat content, as well as the amount of dietary fiber it contains. I entered a search for canned lima beans. Here are the results.

Canadian Atlas Online- The Canadian National Geographic's online presence offers pictures and text reflective and descriptive of that great nation's stunning beauty.

Canadian Museum of Nature Natural History Notebooks-Although the site is only comprehensive in the mammalian area, it is worth checking out for its short background articles various mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

Can't Find On Google- You can get anything you want on Google. Maybe not, as the postings on this site attest.

Cap'n Wacky's Boatload of Fun! - a great trove of meaningless detritus. Highlights include It Ain't Cool In the Basement News, a hilarious send-up of the movie information and gossip site Ain't It Cool News; and Unfortunate Cards, a collection of greeting cards suitable for those people who currently are not on your favorites list.

CarbWire-Right now, I am on the South Beach diet, a low-carb regimen. This blog-like site keeps me up to date on nutritional, culinary and scientific developments in the world of low-carbohydrate eating.

CareerBuilder.com- An aggregation of searchable job listings from the classified ads and Web sites of newspapers in more than 200 markets.

Carfree Cities- Essays about how some cities have managed to enliven their downtowns by deemphasizing the automobile and improving mass transit. Online companion to the book "Carfree Cities" by J.H. Crawford.

CBS News- I find CBS News' take on fast-moving events to be more deliberate and measured than the Web sites of many competing sources.

Celebrity Atheist List- Descriptions of the non-theistic beliefs reportedly held by famous people, ranging from Marlon Brando to Bill Gates. Some of these listings quote the notable person directly, while others are hearsay.

CelebrityWonder- Biographical information about celebrities, including data that isn't available anywhere else. If you ever wondered how tall Madeleine Stowe is, now you know.

CensusScope- Large collection of maps and charts that bring a demographic perspective to the 2000 U.S. Census. You can configure maps to reflect national, state, or metro data. Here are some examples. The national Nuclear Families map shows that the counties in which families with at least one child younger than 18 are headed by a married couple tend to be concentrated in the Great Plains and in heavily Mormon Utah - socially conservative areas where "traditional family values" are common. The lowest-scoring counties would appear to be in heavily African-American regions of the Deep South, as well as sections of New Mexico and northern California. I would suspect that the crisis in the African-American family is a reason for the first set of numbers, and the new-age lifestyles in parts of New Mexico and California inform the latter set of numbers. I mean, a chick who owns a bead shop in Taos, New Mexico may not have as traditional a view of marriage as a tithing Mormon family in Moab, Utah. In a similar vein, the national Unmarried Partners map shows the lowest percentage of this arrangement in the Great Plains and Utah, and some of the highest incidences in places like libertarian-oriented Alaska, alternative lifestyle (both straight and gay) regions of Vermont and California; and the Las Vegas area (a tie-in between tolerance of gambling and wide-berth social attitudes). But you know what? It is that diversity that makes life fascinating. The wonder of the human mosaic is a key reason why I pursued my degree in Sociology, and then went into journalism.

Center For Science In The Public Interest- While this outfit seems to object to almost any food that did not grow in the ground free of pesticides or genetic engineering, they are right that what you eat can kill you. Which -- given the fact that other humans killed that which you are about to eat - might be seen as fitting revenge. Scary stuff, but a Nutrition Action Healthletter that mixes cooking tips with even more alerts. How did that song go - "you tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you what you are? Choices."

Charles Bukowski- Captures what makes me tick than any other writer I've ever read. I've had periods of my life in which I've lived like he did -- penniless, surrounded by empty beer bottles and left by confused women. "These words I write keep me from total madness." How true.

Charlie Rose - In an era of corny or impolite talk show hosts who blabber more than they listen, Charlie Rose is a national treasure. While not very comprehensive, his site does list who will appear on his program that evening

Cheap Tickets- Just before Christmas, 2002, I needed to fly back home to Portland from suburban, Washington, D.C. I went to several airline and online travel Web sites, and found schedules that were inconvenient and prices that were not economical. Then, I went to CheapTickets.com, and entered my search criteria. Within a few seconds, they dished up a next-day itinerary that fit an ideal schedule matrix with a reasonable price to boot. Such service earns the site an honored place on my Favorite Sites page.

Cheap Tickets - FlightTracker- When friends or family fly, I can check the progress of their flight on this site. A nifty resource that tells when the flight took off, how high and fast it is flying, and when it is due to touch down. This resource was once known as Trip.com FlightTracker.

Chicago The Band- Although they haven't had a big hit in more than a decade, I watched them on PBS about four years ago and they sounded great. This site has lots of multimedia files from their 40-year career.

Chris Matthews: Hardball- Daily Weblog from a cantankerous MSNBC commentator who loves to play the devil's advocate.

Christian Science Monitor- One of the world's most prestigious newspapers provides a measured, thoughtful and analytical take on the news of the day.

Church of the Customer- Articles and accounts that if they don't prove the customer is always right, attest it is the customer's right to try and prove that time-honored axiom.

CIA-The World Factbook 2007- The Central Intelligence Agency's briefing book about all the nations in the world is online here. Get the scoop on Iraq and Afghanistan. Who appoints the Appeals Court justices in Seychelles? Now, you know.

Cinemorgue- An alphabetical catalog of actors, and the "death scenes" they have played in movies. Each actor's death scenes are listed on specific pages. These pages, in turn, may list interesting trivia about the actor. I noticed that Olivia d'Abo (who also played an immortal "Borg" on "Star Trek: TNG") has "died" three times. Not only that, but Ms. D'Abo is the daughter of Manfred Mann's lead singer. "Doo-Wah Diddy," indeed.

Citation Machine- Back when I was in school, and even when I taught in college, I thought that all that ibid. op cit citation stuff was a pain. Now, this new site does the work for you.

Cities and Buildings Database-Photos of current and historical buildings from cities all over the world.

City Creator- Choose some elements from dozens of virtual buildings, roofs, people, vehicles, roads and walkways. Then, build your city. No danger of sprawl.

City-Data-All you would ever want to know about just about every incorporated place in the U.S. with population above 5,000.

Clark Howard.com- I remember when Clark was just a locally broadcast, Atlanta-based, consumer help guru. I wrote an article about him, which I wish I could find. Now, he's nationwide, on hundreds of stations - offering his tips on numerous topics, from paying off credit card debt to choosing the best long distance calling plan. Befitting Clark's national status, the Wall Street Journal recently wrote a cover story on him. A former owner of several travel agencies, Clark also offers travel tips, updated daily.

Classicbands.com- Links to biographical information about classic pop and rock bands from the 1950s through the 1980s. If you have ever wondered about Gerry and The Pacemakers, for instance, here is the site for you to learn more about this act.

Clear Channel College Entertainment-A listing of performers available for college gigs, and how much each performer or group charges for the privilege of gracing your stage. While performing artists certainly have a right to charge what the market will bear, reading over this pricing info turns up my bullshit detector to high gain. Why? I will give you a damn good reason. While some of these performers rage against "materialism," "consumerism," etc, many still charge a fortune. Any poverty-stricken kid who thinks these acts really speak for them must realize that all these performers have investment advisors and other business handlers whose reason for being is to make these artists some money. No, you snot-nose kids; these performers are not your role-models. The social worker, nun in the poor neighborhood, the drug counselor, the therapist for learning-impaired broken children, and the hospice nurses are the ones who lift us all with their many quiet and unselfish acts of selfless grace. They are the role models, the saints on earth. Not the kid who writes lyrics of alienation in the music room of his $3 million mansion.

ClickZ Internet Statistics and Demographics- Announcements and synopses of newly published research about Internet marketing, as well as links to the sites where these reports are available for purchase.

Clientcopia: Stupid Client Quotes- I love my clients. Where would I be without them? Still, some clients of some people can say, ask, or do some dumb things. This site is a compendium of all that stuff. Here are the Top 20 stupid client quotes, as determined by votes from site visitors.

CNET.com- Computer software, hardware and consumer electronics reviews. Top products in these and related categories are profiled here.

CNN.com- Another necessary, frequent click for these newsworthy times. The easily digestible front page gives you a quick look at what's going on. A click to the Larry King Live page notes who will be the guests that evening, and whether I should bother to watch or taste the broadcast. Hmm, CNN. Back when I lived in Atlanta, I covered the CNN beat for a television trade magazine, and got to know some of the big shots. Now-retired CNN CEO Tom Johnson used to walk up to me at gatherings, shake my hand, and greet me by name. He is no longer with the network, CNN effectively is run out of New York rather than Atlanta, I have chosen to live in Portland rather than in Atlanta, nor am I with that magazine, which moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. (I left for a competitor and they wouldn't have me back even if hell freezes over). Life moves on, and the best way to go about it is deal with the changes.

CNN.com Transcripts- They said it on the record. Word-by-word transcripts of most CNN news and interview shows, including Larry King Live.

Cockeyed.com-Nexus of this brilliant site is How Much Is Inside?. Using photo galleries, the site chronicles experiments that lets you peer inside at the actual contents of stuff like Oreos and flashlight 2 D cells.

Cogprints- A library of self-posted academic studies in eight main subject areas.

College Media Advisers Blog-Thoughts from those noble academicians who advise budding journalists how to run their college papers, and if my experiences at my college paper were any guide, how to stay out of trouble.

Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition- More than 51,000 full text entries. OK, let's give it a whirl. Ecology. Benin, a country in Africa. Freedom of the press. Caracals, one of the coolest members of the cat family. Lots of "cool cats" here.

Columbia Journalism Review- Online version of the eponymous bi-monthly magazine. Additional content, including a media directory, a series of Resource Guides, twice-weekly news updates, and a searchable archive of previously published articles.

Columbian.com- My home town of Portland, Oregon is directly across the Columbia River from Vancouver, Washington and Clark County. The Columbian newspaper does an excellent job covering issues on that side of the river. Given my newsperson's curiosity, plus the proximity of The Columbian's circulation area, I find myself checking their Web site for the latest news from time to time.

Comcast Message Center- I am one of those AT&T Broadband subscribers who was shifted to Comcast High-Speed Internet in summer, 2003. Yet despite temporary disruptions, this shift has gone well. As with the old AT&T Broadband service, I can check my e-mail directly from a Web browser.

Comcast Radio-A collection of more than 50, commercial-less Internet radio stations brought to me by the same company over which I access the Internet. In fact, I am listening to their New Age station as I type this.

Commercial Closet- As someone with a degree in Sociology and who writes about advertising, I find this site fascinating. Essentially, Commercial Closet analyzes hundreds of commercials for outright (no pun intended), negative, neutral, or vague overtones. Gets a straight but not narrow guy like me thinking. Was there a gay subplot to those DirecTV commercials? Just what is the relationship between the two young men in that Volkswagen commercial where they pick up a used chair by the side of the road - only to discard it when they realize it reeks? Isn't one of them being just a bit too fussy? "Da da da?"

Common Errors in English-A catalog of word misuse from Paul Brians, a distinguished academic at Washington State University.

Communications Technology Industry Association- Information-packed site from the trade organization that represents all sectors of wireless communications-cellular, personal communication services and enhanced specialized mobile radio.

Computer Hope- Free computing help portal offers links to PC hardware and software help pages from hundreds of Computer Companies.

Computer Law Association- When the mouse clicks, the lawyers follow. Association site links to a resource section with articles from CLA members, as well as a linked list of member firms.

Computerworld Security- Superior collection of Internet security news, all linked from this page.

Congressional Biographical Directory- A searchable listing of biographies of everyone who has ever served in the U.S. Congress. My current representative is David Wu, and my Senators are Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith.

Consumer World- Consumer advice tutorials and regularly updated consumer news are the most useful features on this site.

Contracted Work- On this site, businesses can search for programmers and writers. And we pixel-stained wretches can search for freelance Web writing work.

Convergence Catalog : Poynter Online- The venerable institution devoted to journalism studies has posted a continually updated guide to media alliances. There may not be a right-wing or left-wing media conspiracy, but there is one based on the almighty dollar!

Converting Addresses to Latitude/Longitude in One Step- This site, from Intel 8086 architect Steve Morse, enhances basic information from geo-location sites Maporama.com and TravelGIS and uses this data to build a fast and highly functional latitude and longitude search and reference tool. Here's where I am right now.

Cool Cosmos!-This site from the California Institute of Technology is testament to the fact that with enough infrared heft, distant galaxies can collectively look like an explosion in a paint factory.

Corante- It's one thing to set up a newsbot that clips the latest headlines. It's another to use human editors to gather this information and present it in a well-organized manner. Corante does the latter. This technology news-and-views site has two main components: tech news, and thoughtful columns.

Cornell University Ask a Scientist-Cornell University's Center for Materials Research fields questions from the public. Example: "How small is the smallest thing you can see under a microscope?"

Cornell University Legal Information Institute- An encyclopedic resource full of legal information on hundreds of topics. Next time I want to write something nasty about someone, perhaps I better check here first. Getting divorced? Better check out this page first.

Corporate Crime Reporter-Because not all criminals wear wool caps, masks, and rob the register. Sometimes they wear suits and ties, and rob the company. From within. And, sometimes, they are the company.

Court TV- As Warren Zevon once sang, "send lawyers, guns and money." The real Law and Order site.

Craig's List-Writing/Editing Jobs- The best collection of online full-time and freelance jobs postings I've seen. Very specific to my skill set. While the main link I built was to the San Francisco site where most of the writing jobs are posted, announcements are sometimes made on the Portland Craig's List, as well as the Seattle, New York, Boston and Los Angeles Craig's Lists. One caveat about the Los Angeles list, however: many listings are for "scriptwriters" who will not be paid until the script sells. Please realize how heavy the odds are stacked against that happening, even for established screenwriters.

Crazyfads.com- From 1920s-era "flagpole sitting" to the dreary "boy bands" of the 1990s, this site gathers and builds links to communities of interest for many of the fads that have afflicted our popular culture.

Creative Hotlist- I have built a link to the writer job search resource on this site. Here are gigs for writers in my general part of the world.

CrimeLynx-Items of interest for the criminal defense practitioner. Here are some valuable legal research links.

Cryptome- Spills the secrets of the secretive - code-breakers, code-makers, national security agencies. Given world events, a site whose time has come.

Cultural Creatives- If you see a copy of Utne or People magazine on a coffee table, which will you be more likely to pick up? Do you watch NOVA or Survivor? You've got two listening choices: do you pick Tom Waits or John Mellencamp?

Who, in your judgment, has more credibility: Choice A or Choice B? You are served Brie Cheese - will you eat it? In college, were you in one of these- or did you hate them? Are you a believer in evolution, or in this belief system? You've just taken the Cultural Creatives litmus test.

Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive- A meta-directory of resources described in the site title. Here are a bunch of links to surveys that indicate how Americans regard, and interact with, arts and culture.

CyberJournalist.net- Tips about how to write well online, and examples of great online journalism, from a distinguished practitioner. Great links to other cyberwrite how-to's.

CyberTimes Navigator- A regularly updated library of research-oriented Web site links, compiled by the New York Times.

Daily Journal of Commerce- Site for the low-profile but authoritative Design & Construction, Real Estate, Finance and Law newspaper, published in Portland each business day.

Daily Tech-North Carolina-based collection of news items and staff-produced blogs- all focused on breaking news in various technology sectors.

Dale Chihuly- The term "genius" is overused, but this man is a true glass artist. Check out videos about his works in the Chihuly Screening Room.

Daring Fireball- Site is devoted to getting under the hood of popular as well as obscure Mac-compatible utilities.

Darwin Awards- Mean-spirited premise is that when people die doing stupid things, they can no longer reproduce, and the human gene pool improves as a result. Example: the unfortunate New Jersey man whose encounter with an errant vacuum may have been born of Bill-and-Monica type lust. The tragic results, however, ensured he will have no natural heirs. I guess, as P. T. Barnum was reputed to say, there is a sucker born every minute!

Database Football- All manner of statistical trivia about National Football League teams over the last 50 or so years of play.

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection- Thousands of historical maps from around the United States and the world, most of them one hundred years or older. To view these maps properly, you will need to download and install their proprietary browser.

Daypop- A current events search engine that peruses several thousand news sources each day. A recent search for the term "Taliban" yielded these results. Here are the results on a search for articles containing the search term airport security.

Day to Day- Yet another National Public Radio show, pretty much about anything that comes to mind. Archived programs are master-indexed here.

Dead Cell Zones- We've all been on cell calls that have mysteriously faded out or received a sudden attack of static. This site takes reports of such incidents from around the nation, and groups them into reports searchable by metro area or carrier.

Dead People Server- A famous actor, musician or politician fades from the scene, and hasn't been heard from in decades. Is he or she living or dead? One of the best ways to find out is by checking the alphabetical index, which is updated each week.

Dead Rock Stars Club-The lifestyle of a rock and roller can be dangerous. When danger, dumb decisions, or dumb luck conspire, sometimes the lifestyle is a lifestyle no more. Here are some recent passings.

DealTime.com- Another price-comparison shopping bot. To paraphrase a certain Beatles song, you say hello, but I say, Good Buy!

Defamer- L.A.-based, shameless gossip Blog about celebrity proclivities, screw-ups, and controversies.

Defense Review- News for the times we are in. Here's how to protect yourself against enhanced firepower, and how to fire off some rounds yourself. And if you are wondering about how the pros settle their scores, read on.

Defunct Amusement Parks- Nowadays, vacationing families either go to places such as Walt Disney World, or to a National Park. In yore times, weekends were not filled with backpacks, granola and hiking boots, but with carnival games and cotton candy. This site commemorates those times with a state-by-state guide to amusement parks that are no more. Close to home, Jantzen Beach fits that bill. It's now a giant shopping mall, its location just inside sales-tax-less Oregon a powerful attraction to residents of adjoining Washington State. If only by pop culture, the best-known of these shuttered facilities could be Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. Its name was the title of a great Freddy Cannon song. Surprisingly, the song received no mention in the historical article I just linked to.

Degree Confluence Project- The goal of this project is to visually catalog every meeting of degree latitude and longitude on the face of the earth. An example would be 45 degrees north, 122 degrees west. Scientists and ordinary folk alike have responded to this site's invitation to supply accounts and photos of travel to these confluences. There are around 1,000 such confluences in the U.S. alone, more than 860 of which have been catalogued here. Of the 20 percent or so that have not been successfully visited to date, many are located in inhospitable terrain, or are on private land owned by inhospitable companies or people. Don't look for awesome vistas; confluence is random, as this shot near the banks of a quiet stream just outside Lakeland, Florida typifies.

DeletedDomains.com- Internet domains can be launched at 3 a.m., in the conspiratorial lair of a solitary person dreaming of Web riches. They can also be birthed with a large splashy party on a San Francisco rooftop. Death from "domain poisoning," as I call it, is the great equalizer. More than 45 million domains have expired since the Web was launched.

Delocate- Search engine for finding non-corporately owned cafes in cities throughout North America. I performed a search for non-corporate coffee houses within five miles of zip code 97210 (trendy Northwest Portland) and got back a page with these results.

Delphi Forums- This is the site for the former Delphi.com, which originally started out as dial-up service providing online access. After many corporate changes, what was once Delphi.com has morphed into a forums site.

DesertUSA- Well-organized reference site about the southwestern deserts of the United States. The main index is on this page.

Dialog Open Access- A free search tool from longtime proprietary online research leader The Dialog Corporation.

Dice.com -Yet another technology jobs search site. Given the unstable nature of tech industries, the "roll the dice" analogy implied in the site's name is apropos. Here is the Portland search page.

Dictionary.com- A handy way to look up what words mean, from language products manufacturer Lexico LLC. The site amalgamates its roster of definitions from such resources as The American Heritage Dictionary and Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary.

digg- Here's how digg works. You want to promote a web page or blog entry? If you've already joined digg, log on and post a blurb with a link to the item you want to promote! I've done this with some of my BBhub entries and have usually noticed an increase in traffic. Or, if you don't want to harness digg, you can either search or browse the directory for interesting content you might want to read. Can you "digg" it?

Digital Camera- British site features technical advice, product reviews and several discussion forums. I recently posted a question to the Software forum and received these replies.

Digital Divide Network- A project of the Educational Development Center's Center for Media & Community, this is an online and offline community of activists and policy-makers dedicated to making the Internet accessible to everyone.

Digital Journalist- Articles, columns and message boards about digital content creation methods, tools and approaches. Boards include DV Cinematography, DV Audio, DV Editing and Photojournalism Today.

Digital Library Network for Engineering and Technology- As the site title indicates, papers, studies, tutorials and other reference materials on relevant topics from Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering all the way down to Mining Engineering.

Digital Saskatchewan- Thousands of digital photos, the great preponderance of which are from the agriculture-oriented Canadian province. Here's a shot of a pull style combine.

DIGITAL TELEVISION- Site with facts, pointers, and other helpful info to help you become a knowledgeable digital television consumer and viewer.

Digitimes- I rely on them to bring me news of the chip industry in Taiwan. Why do I care? Because I cover mobile devices powered by these chips.

Directory of Corporate Archives- An index of archives held by corporations, what the collections consist of, and the contact person for more info.

Discover Magazine- Selected articles from the current issue of this consumer-themed science publication are available here for free. If you want to subscribe to the print edition, you can do so via any major credit card, including the identically named, but unassociated, Discover Card.

Discovery Channel- I've built a link to the main page for the Discovery Channel. From here, you can jump off to read and watch content relevant to the flagship network's programs, as well as those from The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, The Travel Channel and Discovery Health.

Dismuke's Virtual Talking Machine- Hundreds of sound clips from ancient big band, country, blues and other songs. I remember in 1958, when I brought a barely passing test grade home, and I tried to assuage my parent's disappointment by turning on the radio and singing "Little Star" by the Elegants. They said something like "that's nice," but they tried to convince me such tunes were a fad and the 1930s stuff was classic. Well, they were half right. "Little Star" and the songs on this site are classics, too.

Ditto.com- A searchable index of more than 500 million photographs from all over the Web.

DiversityInc.com-A series of articles and tutorials which reinforce my deep belief that no one in the workplace should be discriminated against based on where they come from, what skin color they are, what they believe in, or who they choose to love.

DIY Life- I've linked to the Computers & Internet section of DIY Life. Here you can learn about projects you can Do Yourself.

DLL-files.com- How many times have you been unable to boot up your PC or load an app because of a missing DLL file? This site is a directory of DLLs. Here, you can find that elusive DLL, load it into whatever program or routine seems to be craving it, and then - hopefully - everything will work.

dmusic.com- Always interesting thoughts, commentary and news about contemporary music, from Internet journalist and commentator Ben Silverman and several associates.

DNS Stuff- A collection of utilities you can use to trace the route of a Web site, check a spam registry, a whois server, or even find out more about the type of server your own site's hosting service uses. I checked my site, and here's what I found.

Domania- How much did your neighbor pay for his house or condo? If they have bought or sold their home within the last ten years, the price may well be available through the Home Price Check feature on Domania.

DonkeyRising- Compiled and maintained by The Emerging Democratic Majority co-authors John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira, this blog offers takes on polling and other news that reinforces the position taken in their book. Damn, I sure hope they are right.

Drinking Liberally- Links to a nationwide collection of pubs where liberals (such as yours truly) reach out and touch each others minds while partaking of the (often brewed onsite) barley.

Drudge Report- More of a clipping service than a source for original reporting, the site is a regular repository of breaking news and scary rumors. While more than a few of these rumors are inaccurate "if-then" scenario speculations from news organizations with a sensational bent, read enough of them and you'll be a bundle of nerves.

Drudge Retort- By postings of progressive-toned views and news, site is a perfect counterbalance to you know what.

Drug Dictionary- Look up the pharmacological or slang name of any drug, and you are liable to get dozens of definitions.

DSL Reports- Thought-provoking broadband news, views, and reviews site.

Dull Men's Club-This trivia site is regularly updated with trivia that for the most part, isn't even mildly entertaining. Still, by not being entertaining, trivia can rise to that goal. If you get your kicks from the "So What's" of life, Dull Men's Club is for you.

Earth and Sky- What do seashells tell us about the ocean? Can a mosquito's genes be transformed to short-circuit its ability to transmit disease? This daily science radio show has a companion Web site with answers to these, and hundreds of other topics. Listen to today's show by clicking this link. To browse the archives, start here.

EarthCam - Webcam Network- Rather incomplete resource, but given that fact, probably as good an index to Webcams as you will find on the Internet. The index is divided into 14 major sections.

Earth Impact Effects Program- Plunging comets and earth-crashing asteroids can, like, really ruin your day. The site's built-in calculator estimates damage that various size objects at various size speeds would cause at selected distances from the impact. Brings a new meaning to the term, "Ground Zero."

Earth Science World ImageBank- Photos of what nature, and then we, as part of nature, are doing to the earth. Some of what we are doing, such as coastal erosion, ain't purty.

E-Cards- Online greeting cards, a good number of them with an environmental theme.

Eccentric America- In this land of nearly 300 million people, we sure have some strange people, sites and events. This is a guide to them.

Echoes- This is the site for what I consider to be the ultimate new age music radio show, with lots of soothing and hypnotizing clips you can listen to on your computer. Not programmed by damn consultants. Here are some shows available for listening.

EContent Magazine- Internet content is just limping along, but somehow, this magazine about Internet and database content is still going strong. As with the other online and offline publications about content that are left, this magazine tends to cover actual content less than it does content management tech tools and strategies. But hey, that's where whatever advertising bucks that remain tend to be. Some recent articles are hyperlinked from the home page. You can also search the archive for older stories.

eCoustics.com- Volunteer-run site features reviews of Home Audio, Home Video, Computers, Accessories, as well as Car Audio and Electronics.

Edible-Fun site is largely about foods made from stuff that foods are not usually made of.

Editor and Publisher- Web site for the monthly trade journal about newspapering. Here's the latest news about the news business.

Edweek.org- Site incorporates the Web presences of two noteworthy print and online publications, Education Week and Teacher Magazine. Registration is required, which is why I didn't link those two publications to their own URLs.

eHomeUpgrade- Blog-type Web site features news and reviews of electronic gizmos, many of them compatible with home networking.

eHow.com-A few years ago, this site offered me a gig writing multi-step "eHows." The pay was low and I did not accept their offer. The site went belly-up in 2001, but subsisted for three years as a very useful, stuck-in-time, archive of more than 15,000 ways to do things. It has now been revived as a low-budget Wiki.

Elance: Writing & Translation Projects- Subscriber-based access to listings for hundreds of posted jobs. Categories include Articles Projects, Web Content Projects and Technical Writing Projects. Click here to subscribe.

eLearn Magazine-News about online learning, a field which has been accounting for an increasing percentage of my income.