The world wide web is great. No really. There are plenty of fun and interesting sites to entertain an inform, but beyond the dancing hamsters and Youtube videos there are some really useful tools to be found.
I have compiled my list of sits I have been using for several years and visit several
times a week. In the bookmark toolbox, Wikipedia is the talking laser level that gets all the attention, but this list make up the hammer, flat head screwdriver, and crescent wrench that are always needed.
These are not obscure sites, and you are probably already using them, but if not, you should be.
The List
pollstar.com
I did this one the other day, giving me the idea for this post. Concerts are good to go to, and a shame to miss.
XE.com
This is a straight forward currency converter. Any online business I do and travel plans I make involves this site at some point. How many Rubeles to the Kroner? XE is your friend.
mapquest.ca
My number one "how the heck to I get there from here" site. Maps are cool.
timeanddate.com
Mapquest tells you where you are, this site gives you the when. Which time zones are the exceptions to daylight savings time? What day of the week will it be in 6 months and 9 days. This is where you go to find out.
dictionary.com
A dictionary is one of the first books I ever owned, and got a new one for Christmas when I outgrew the old one. Prooper speeling is vrey imprtant.
tribute.ca
Want to see a movie in Canada? Don't feel like calling each theatre to find out shows and times? This is the way to go.
411.ca
Phone books are for short people to stand on. With a reverse lookup, this is the clear choice for phone numbers.
imdb.com
Hardly an unknown site, but it really is the best way to settle those "who was that guy in that show" discussions. Wikipedia doesn't yet match this resource. When the message board system for imdb first started it was populated by literate and thoughtful film fans, now it is a flame fest, but the database remains sound.
yousendit.com
Trying to get a huge file past a firewall or small inbox? Use this free FTP server. Your file is kept for a few days and the URL is static so you can forward that instead of the huge attachment.
pdfonline.com
Turning a word doc or image into a portable PDF file, use this straight forward service that is superior to most printer based installs I've tried. PDFs are cool.
Honourable Mentions:
calgarytransit.com was a long time necessity for me, before I got a car. I still use it it now and again but it has fallen off my must-use list. I don't know how many pleas I've read online begging "how do I get there by bus?" Look it up brother.
tripadvisor.com is a new addition to my toolbox, so it doesn't make the big list. It still is the first place to look to see if a particular hotel is worth the stay or not, or where to find the best fajitas in San Jose.
4 comments:
what about Answers.com?
Answers is ok, and I have used it. But it is a fairly new site (2005) to make it in the must-have-been-using-it-for-years list. It compiles its info from other stites like wikipeida and dictionary.com, and those are usually where I look first.
For the D*C flights (and all others) I always refer to SeatGuru.com to see which seats are a little better or worse than others. For folks who like to have a little extra legroom or stay away from stinky bathrooms on long flights, it's a must. Been using it for years. Just my $0.02 -- Dr.Smith
eBay!
!
I've been a slow and steady eBay consumer since 2002. A secondary use (other than buying stuff) is research and image collection.
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