KSFO's Web Wanderer

The Links for January 8, 2000

The BEST of the Year!

I asked a group of my long-time, regular contributors (Andantino, DoctorWho, Dudley, Dyno Don, Kenny, Rich From Petaluma, Taxi Mike, Wine Country Larry, and Wireman) for their favorite picks from last year. What were the top sites, and top software, featured on the Web Wanderer report? It was done "discussion format" - so all could comment on each other's picks.

This week, I'll feature their top picks. All oldies but goodies, and all worth a visit.

E-Commerce

Amazon: Amazon is the Grand-Daddy of online businesses. They have been surprisingly successful at a business I would have had my doubts about - most folks who buy books will BROWSE before purchasing. If' I had to bet, I'd think Amazon wouldn't make it for that reason. (Note - friends of mine get rich doing the opposite of what I suggest!); They had a few things going for them - pictures of the cover, good, solid discounts on new books, and letting readers post reviews helps make up for the lack of browsing a book.; Their recent expansion into Auctions, Music, Toys, etc shows they're interested in being the #1 online retailler of "stuff." Personally, books is what the do best - there are other better sites for music purchases. Still - I know several folks who only use Amazon. They use Amazon for all online purchases. Company name loyalty at work - and it does work.; The one strong negative I have about Amazon is the used book prices. They are flat-out absurd.
Bibliofind: Forget Amazon for used books. Bibliofind is THE place. I often have people ask me to find some obscure out-of-print book. If it isn't a rare, sought after collectible, you can usually find them on Bibliofind for a few dollars. Often, shipping costs are higher than the books themselves.; It's a brilliant idea. Small, local used book stores post their inventories on the site. The customer then can search hundreds of bookstores through tens of thousands of books instantly.; Book dealers take this seriously. I called one in Berkely to confirm their listing was up-to-date. "Well, some may have sold today, but besides that, everything we have is listed." This is a BIG used bookstore.
CDNow: I prefer CDNow to Amazon for music. The turn times are fast - usually a couple of days. If I hear of a new title, I can usually order and get it delivered from CDNow before I have time to go to a local record store.; CDNow actually is BETTER than buying at your local Tower. Most selections have several songs you can preview with Real Audio.; CDNow has changed how I buy music.
eBay: These dudes are brilliant. The perfect net business - zero inventory, zero handling costs. Setting up buyers and sellers, take a commission, and staying out of legal disputes. Judging by the number of imitators, this is very hot business.; Still - the competitors pale in comparison. eBay is the HIGHEST TRAFFIC auction site, which means that sellers get the best prices, and buyers have a better chance of finding that obscure item.

Reference

Britanica: We've been able to check out Britanica now that their hardware supports their traffic. Remember how it crashed for DAYS when it opened?; It was well worth the wait. The entire Encyclopedia Britanica, available online, for free.; This is one of the best freebies of the year.
MapQuest: I use this several times a week - especially the driving instructions. I could get lost trying to find my way out of a phonebooth. In politically correctspeak, I'm "directionally challenged."; I never ask for directions any more. Just give me the address. I enter that ending address and my starting address, and get turn-by-turn driving instructions. Clear. Not always the best route, but it will get you there.
Reference Desk: Reference Desk is filled with great stuff. It seems to be expanding at an impressive rate as well.; Reference Desk is a full reference library at your fingertips. If you haven't been there lately, check it out again.

Useful

AltaVista Text Only Search: Andantino: "Why wait for annoying ads and pretty graphics to load when all you want are URLs?"; This link will get you to an Altavista Search page FAST. Get in, and find what you need in record time. Bookmark it.
Metacrawler Text Only Search: This is the same as the AltaVista Text only search, but for the Metacrawler Meta Search Engine.
ScanTips: This is a MUST VISIT, MUST BOOKMARK site for scanner tips.; It's got everything you'd want to know. Whether you're a beginner, or veteran with a scanner, there's information for you here.

Other

SETI@home: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at Home: Several folks I know are involved with this project. You can particpate in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. What it takes is massive computer power to crunch data. This project splits the work up over the machines of many participants.; If they do ever find anything, wouldn't it have been nice to have contributed?

Free For All!

"Free For All" picks are hot, FREE items or services. It can be software, online services, you name it - but it's got to be free, with no strings attached.

Passkeeper: This unimpressive sounding tool (sorry, password keepers sound dull to me) is the most raved about software pick I've featured.; It's a handy little utility which does just one thing, and does it extremely well.; From the site: "PassKeeper is a Windows utility that allows you keep a list of accounts with usernames, passwords, and notes. This list is stored encrypted."
Real Audio: Web Browsers were the first killer app on the Internet. In the opionion of my regular contributors, Real Audio (and Real Video) is a second killer app. It revolutionized music distribution as well as broadcast radio.; If you're not yet into Real Media, get on it now. That way, when you travel, you can bring a notebook and still hear O'Donnell On Computers.
WinAmp: Winamp at the forefront of MP3 player development. Radio-like look, easy to use, skins - emmensely popular and fueled growth of MP3 as a standard.; Now there's a bunch of portable MP3 players which are boosting sales of smart cards and Compact Flash cards. A whole new industry pretty much started up overnight.; There were several competing formats - Real Media, the Windows Player files, and MP3. I think the ease of use, and fun, of Winamp helped make MP3 the winner.

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