sree.net > tips > newsletter june 2001

From Sreenath Sreenivasan
Columbia University journalism professor
WABC-TV's "Tech Guru" on Thursday mornings in NYC area
http://www.sree.net * sreetipsreax@sree.net

Sree Tips Newsletter
June 2001

A free monthly newsletter of tips and tricks about useful and/or fun Web sites.
Archive: http://www.sree.net/tips

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Greetings, and welcome to the latest issue of the "Sree Tips" newsletter. As you may know, the newsletter started as an offshoot of the "Smarter Surfing: Better Use of Your Web Time" workshops I teach around the U.S. and abroad: http://www.sree.net/web

Browse the links and tips below. As always, I look forward to YOUR tips, feedback and suggestions: sreetipsreax@sree.net

Why wait a month for the next newsletter? Visit the constantly updated "Smarter Surfing" links at http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html

Two events I am helping to coordinate that you may want to check out:

  1. The annual convention of the South Asian Journalists Association is June 22-24 (Fri-Sun) in New York City. Plenty of workshops, panels and internationally known speakers. You don't need to be South Asian or a journalist to attend. Learn more at http://www.saja.org

  2. The second annual Online Journalism Awards contest has just been launched, a contest open to English-language sites around the world. Deadline for entries: July 16. See last year's winners and learn more at http://www.onlinejournalismawards.org

{Cheers, Sree}

NEW-ISH USEFUL SITES...
(sites I find useful in some way)

  • How Stuff Works -- explainers galore
    http://www.howstuffworks.com
    Leave it to a man named Brain to come up with a site that explains how stuff works. Marshall Brain (yes, that's his real name) has built a site that explains, literally, how stuff works -- in various categories. This is fun and useful for people of all ages. For example, teachers will find it helpful in explaining tough concepts to students. Each question is tackled in simple, easy-to-understand terms and there are illustrations and links to other sites as appropriate.

FOUR NEW-ISH MEDIA-RELATED USEFUL SITES
(even if you're not a journalist, you may learn something from these)

  • Newsthinking -- tips for better writing and reporting
    http://www.newsthinking.com
    From Bob Baker, an editor at the Los Angeles Times: a guide to better writing. I had been waiting for his handy e-mail newsletter to become Web-based; now it has.

  • Insert Text Here -- a writer's media links and more
    http://www.inserttexthere.com
    From Michelle Nicolosi, a Seattle-based freelance journalist: "word stuff for word people." Lots of nice nuggets about writing and job hunting.

  • Lost Remote -- guide to convergence in the TV biz
    http://www.lostremote.com
    From Cory Bergman, a former TV journalist in Seattle: a must-visit site about convergence. Yes, the revolution is still going to come, and this is where you can learn about it.

  • TVSpy -- inside info about TV news
    http://www.tvspy.com
    From Don Fitzpatrick, the leading consultant in American television: a terrific guide to surviving in the TV news industry. Pretty much everyone in the business already subscribes to Shoptalk, his free newsletter; now check out the revamped     Web site.

ENCORE: Last month's NEW-ISH USEFUL SITES
from http://www.sree.net/tips/2001may.html

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NEW-ISH FUN sites...
(proof "fun" is a subjective word)

  • JustATip -- pass on anonymous compliments or criticisms
    http://www.justatip.com
    Are you the shy kind but still want to get your point across? This site allows you to send anonymous e-mail compliments or critiques to friends, co-workers, even family. Pick a category -- hygiene, fashion, personality, among others -- and you can tell a person in your life something positive or negative, appropriately personalized. If she or he takes the criticism in the right spirit, it works well. I think it's much better not to hide behind anonymous e-mail messages, but there are occasions when this system is much more diplomatic.

  • Rubik's Online -- ye ole cube, now in the Internet age
    http://www.rubiks.com
    I used to love that cube. I spent a large part of the early '80s scrambling and unscrambling it with mixed success. At this official site, you can actually manipulate and attempt to solve a virtual cube on the Web. You can learn about inventor Erno Rubik,a world championship this fall in New York City and, yes, where you can buy a real one.
  • ManBeef.com -- you will not believe your screen
    http://www.manbeef.com
    This has got to be one of the most sophisticated hoaxes on the Web. Have a look and spook a friend by passing on the address. Reminds me of BonsaiKitten.com <http://www.bonsaikitten.com>, a parody site that has gotten a lot of attention and criticism.

ENCORE: Last month's NEW-ISH FUN SITES
from http://www.sree.net/tips/2001may.html

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MY DEFAULT SUCH & SUCH...
(my starting points for various things; may change monthly)

Search Engine:
Google
http://www.google.com
The best search engine out there. 'Nuff said. But here's Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal on Google: "...simply the best search site I've ever used." If you know Walt's work -- and you should be following it religiously at http://ptech.wsj.com -- you know that he doesn't hand out such praise often. Be sure to download the free Google toolbar; it will change the way you search: http://toolbar.google.com

Reference Site:
Refdesk
http://www.refdesk.com
Excellent reference site. Don't just take my word for it. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told The New York Times this is his favorite Web site. Run by Bob Drudge, Matt's dad (though Refdesk doesn't run rumors).

Encyclopedia:
Britannica.com
http://www.britannica.com
Yep, the Encyclopedia Britannica on the Web (as well as selected articles from 70 major magazines), free of charge. For now.

Atlas:
National Geographic's Map Machine
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/
Leave it to National Geographic to make the best online atlas with these dynamic maps that will take you to any spot you choose and allow you to change what kind of map you see, on the fly. Did you know there are three towns named Santa Claus in the U.S. or that my grandfather's village in India is an easy find? (For U.S. driving directions, MapQuest <http://www.mapquest.com> remains the best site.)

Dictionary:
Merriam-Webster
http://www.m-w.com
In offices, dictionaries grow legs and walk. Hence an online dictionary is a must. This one addresses a major problem I have had with traditional dictionaries: You need to know how to spell a word before you look it up. Not here. Just punch in an approximation, and it will give you a suggested list. And nice etymology.

Media Goings-on:
Jim Romenesko's Media News
http://www.medianews.org
Hosted by Poynter.org, this is news-junkie heaven. I read it more often and more closely than any other site. Period.

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SELF-PROMOTION...

Must-Sree TV
http://www.7online.com/technology
My "Tech Guru" segments on WABC-7 in the New York City area run every Thursday morning on Channel 7 at 6:45 (yes, that's the a.m.). This is a link to archived Web versions of my segments, and includes various "sites of the week."

Sree Tips -- the Web page
http://www.sree.net/tips
Links to my tips and thoughts on various items, including digital cameras, Web production and more.

"Smarter Surfing" Workshops
http://www.sree.net/web
Smarter surfing for people of all skill levels. Interested in scheduling a class for you and your colleagues? Learn more.

Sree Talks
http://www.sree.net/talks
List of forthcoming talks and presentations in various cities.

Content is Still King: Lesson from the Online Journalism Awards
http://www.sree.net/talks/c&w.html
A keynote speech I gave at the "Computers & Writing" conference in May at Ball State University.

Info Overload & Moi
http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/columnists/mediasavvy/savvy1.htm
An essay for USAToday.com on dealing with information overload (yes, I am a major info polluter).

[Syndication requests: syndication@sree.net]

That's it for now.

Remember, you can track my "Smarter Surfing" links at http://www.sree.net/tips/web.html

See you (your inbox, actually) next month.

Cheers, Sree
www.sree.net

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Sree Tips List
Copyright 2001 Sree.net

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sree.net > tips > newsletter june 2001