Listing the best

Reference resource. Oftentimes the Internet is compared to a
library. The best site that I've ever seen live up to that analogy is Price's List of
Lists. Compiled by librarian Gary Price of George Washington
University, this is a mind-boggling compilation of information available
on the Net. It's divided by categories (business, education, politics,
science, sports, legal, as well as topics you might not expect --
furniture, restaurants, Singapore, metals). But as you click your way
through the lists, you'll find yourself stopping at the 75 greatest
management decisions ever made and the biggest jury verdicts of last
year, then wondering who needs to discover what the top 50 upholstery
manufacturers are or how catfish consumption ranks by state.

But should you need -- or want -- to know the 200 richest towns in
the U.S. or the average costs of taking a family to a professional
baseball, basketball, football or hockey game, it's all here. A warning:
Don't access this site unless you have some free time. You'll start
wandering around and first thing you know, it's an hour -- or two --
later. This is one of my favorite Web places to visit to find the
unexpected.

What's the word? You're searching for a phrase to use in a
talk or article and it simply eludes you. Don't despair; head to The Phrase Finder. Type
in a word and it returns a list of phrases that may fit. It will also
jog your creativity so you'll recall others, too -- probably just the
one you want. But watch out for the British spelling (colour, for
instance). The site also has a discussion forum about the origins of
various phrases and where you can post a request for a phrase you
haven't been able to find.

Habla instant messenger? Lots of folks love to be connected by
the various instant messenger services. But while they're great if you
and the person you need to talk to speak the same language, what do you
do if her native language is French and the only foreign language you've
studied is Spanish? You let GoToWorld.com provide your instant
messenger service. It provides free, instant translation between any of
12 languages (Japanese, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Indonesian,
Swedish, Norwegian, Italian, Korean, Russian and English) and soon
hopes to provide video-conferencing translation and instant Web page
translation. The site also plans to add other languages.

All Africa all the time. Unless there's a famine, civil war or
a high-ranking American official is traveling in Africa, it can be
difficult to find much news about what's going on in the continent's
various countries. AllAfrica.com
overcomes that news dearth by posting approximately 300 articles a day
-- from 60 African publications -- about what's happening. You can
search by topic (arts and entertainment, books, travel, and much more)
or move through the headlines by country.

Keep it simple. Here's one of the easiest to use movie-review
databases you've seen. Check the
Grid has collected a couple thousand movie reviews from 14
newspapers, four websites and two magazines, then converted them to a
simple system. Green light under the publication's name means "go" (they
recommended it), a red light means "don't go" and a yellow advises you
to "proceed with caution." You can change the colors, select the critics
you like best and find reviews of movies on video as well as currently
in theaters.

Word play. If you're a fan of the TV show "Jeopardy!" you'll
enjoy Boxerjam. Originated by the
co-creator of the popular game show, Boxerjam lets you play four free
word games -- Strike a Match, Out of Order, Take 5 and Napoleon --
against competitors and win prizes.

Did they get it? Some of us are paranoid about whether or not
our important e-mail was received or not. (I, for instance, almost
always send this column to WND twice -- just in case.) The vast majority
of e-mail does arrive at its destination quickly and safely, but it
always seems as though the things that don't are the ones that matter.
ZixMail offers a free download that
provides secure document delivery (only the recipient can open it) and
the sender gets a time-stamped digitally signed receipt. While it's not
for everyone or every situation, it may be handy for financial or
business transactions.

Political quiz. For undecided voters, or to teach students
more about the democratic process, Associated Television News is
offering a Bush vs. Gore
Quiz. Answer 20 questions about your views on various issues to see
which candidate matches your opinions most closely. The site also has a
good section on the most recent polls -- not just in the
presidential race but also congressional candidates, listed by state.