http://www.viewpoints.com/Reference-Web-Sites Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:08:55 GMT Reviews about Reference Web Sites http://www.viewpoints.com/kids-in-mind-com-review-0f761 Recently I found a web site called kids-in-mind.com.  This is a fantastic site for parents.  It provides you with the exact content of a movie so you don't have to rely on inaccurate ratings. — Some movies that are rated PG-13 you may think are fine for your child to watch.  That is until you sit down and actually watch the movie and find it contains sexually explicit, violent and gory scenes.  — When you log on to kids-in-mind.com, the first page gives you an alphabetical menu to choose from, or you can search for the specific movie you wish to get content about.  As an example, you can select Kung Fu Panda; the page will then display a graph which will reveal how much sex & nudity, violence and gore, and profanity are in this movie.  It then gives a synopsis of the exact movie scene containing the sex, violence or gore.  — This site takes the guess work out of what your child may be viewing.  Kids-in-mind.com... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:08:55 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/kids-in-mind-com-review-0f761 mysticstarfish 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Librarian-Chick-review-afba1 — This one's for the students, the teachers, the intellectuals, and the lovers of everything learning: — — How many times have you gone to read a newspaper or magazine article, only to be stopped by: "Become a member for only $9.95 a month to read more!"? How many times have you been up late, writing a paper or doing research, and you just can't seem to figure out what to do next? How many times have you just wanted to learn? — — For most high school and college students, every question above can be answered with a definitive "yes!" Thankfully, Librarian Chick is here to help. Founded by a blogger, this "chick" has done all of the hard work for us and compiled every educational resource imaginable into one handy location. Even better-- every educational resource listed is completely and entirely FREE! — — Whether it be online dictionaries, memory tools, bibliography help, exercises in creativity, test prep or even online sticky notes,... Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:22:06 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Librarian-Chick-review-afba1 sjlongley 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-b3ca I have been doing genealogical research on and off for many years - maybe 15 or more. I have subscribed to various web research services. Somehow, Ancestry.com is one of the survivors, as many others have closed. For lack of revenue, I presume. — — Ancestry.com has served me well. Its only real shortcoming has been my shortcomings. Unless you have a lot of time to devote to your search, you will run out of subscription before you complete your searches. — — You also need to pay for the service after the trial period. We get used to getting free stuff on the web and we presume that is the way it is supposed to be. Perhaps. But searching census records, baptismal records, obituaries, marriage records and birth records all over the world is not penny candy. Not to mention that the output you receive is only as good as the input from you and from the sources. — — If a census taker spelled a name wrong or a transcriber made an error in transferring... Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:07:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-b3ca Eyerater 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/World-wide-Words-review-85e30 Anyone who writes, for a living or as a hobby or diversion, should get to know this web site. It has become a Saturday routine for me. Each Saturday, Michael Quinion sends out an email discussing English language words, their meanings and their roots, focusing on the etymology of expressions. — — For example, a discussion about "patibulary". Do you know what it means? Do you know how it arrived in the English language? — — How about the expression, "back to square one"? — — Or the dispute between "preventive" and "preventative"? Which means what? Do they mean the same thing? Or are they different words with different meanings? — — He also includes a section of reader-submitted observations of dumb and funny, in my opinion, grammar and word use in the public media. An example is the headline, "Man jumps from plane without parachute, dies." Or "Fresh biker questions dog government". No, it doesn't mean a rude motorcylist is... Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:30:00 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/World-wide-Words-review-85e30 Eyerater 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Gasbuddy-com-review-fe6c4 With fuel prices going through the roof most people don't want to pay one cent more than they have to.  One way to find lower gas prices is by checking out GasBuddy.com, where gas prices are posted on-line.  Although the system is not fool-proof, it can help find gas for a lower price than the gas station is charging in your immediate area. And best of all the website is free of charge. — How does GasBuddy.com work?  You just log onto the site and find the area you are located. You can point and click, type in city names, or enter a zip code.  You'll find a long list of gas stations with their address, the recent gas prices (Regular, Premium, and Diesel are all often listed), city the station is located, and the name of the brand (Conoco, Texaco, etc...) It also lists the time and date that the price was spotted. — You can also help the site by spotting and recording gas prices yourself.  You'll need to open an account on the site and chose a user... Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:37:41 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Gasbuddy-com-review-fe6c4 JovialCougar 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Chow-review-85ac3 If you are a foodie like me, you will love Chow.com.  This site is the ultimate in food.  It is so great because not only can you find out about the latest restaurants and hip places to go, but you also get free recipes and can contribute to the community on the message board.  I love that you can customize your newsletters for your region (or the nearest big city) so that every week you can learn about new restaurant openings and great dishes on the menu.  This is a great place for foodies because it is all about food.  I have found a lot of new places to try from this site and I love learning about new restaurants and dishes.  You can also get entertainment ideas like how to set up your home bar or the best food to serve to your group.  This is a great reference site on food and I love learning about all things hot in the food... Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:41:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Chow-review-85ac3 stef42678 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Thrillist-review-57211 Thrillist.com is a great way to stay up to date on everything hip and trendy.  I signed up for their weekly newsletter and love learning about what is hot in a world of materials and up and coming artists.  The website features everything hip in dining, nightlife and culture.  They have different versions of their newsletter that highlight large cities like Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago.  My favorite part is they just came out with a Las Vegas version.  I also love the Nation news which features the best of world.  I love that they highlight many small places that are hiding away, but they uncover them to bring their secrets to you.  I have found a lot of great new restaurants and places to try because of this... Thu, 29 May 2008 00:32:21 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Thrillist-review-57211 stef42678 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wikipedia-com-review-e4af4 When I was in college last year or even now when I need to know what something means or whatever it is always in this online dictionary. They will even provide other links to find more information and pictures. The information isn't really hard to... Wed, 28 May 2008 00:47:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wikipedia-com-review-e4af4 danietash 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Instructables-review-73581 If you have ever suffered from frustration when trying to do a home project or like to do things yourself Instructables.com is a great reference site.  They offer tips and ideas on how to make home projects a lot easier and to design things for your home that are so much fun.  I like going to this website for practical things like how to change your car oil or put a bookcase together.  The site features projects submitted by users of the site and many of them are really easy when you need something to do and others are a little more complicated but will answer all your questions.  This is a great site for instructions on everything from how to build your own computer to fixing a leaking faucet.  It is a great reference site and you can also submit your own... Tue, 27 May 2008 10:59:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Instructables-review-73581 stef42678 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/ZipWho-com-review-2d931 Are you curious about the demographics of your neighborhood and how they compare to the demographics of other neighborhoods?ZipWho.com offers some unique tools for researching neighborhoods in the United States. If you know a ZIP code, you can look up the demographics about the people living there. If you don't have a specific ZIP code in mind but want to find neighborhoods that match some criteria, you can do that as well. The site offers over a dozen demographic characteristics that can be used as search criteria. For example, you can query for all neighborhoods in the state of California with a median income in the range $60,000 to $75,000 and median age under 35 who spend less than a quarter of their income on their mortgage. (exhales) — All of the searches at ZipWho.com can be saved to your Web browser's Favorites folder. That means you're able to bring it up again with ease, or perhaps email the link to a friend. The search results are presented in a clean-looking... Mon, 05 May 2008 06:33:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/ZipWho-com-review-2d931 cors2 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Gasbuddy-com-review-e2594 OH this is one of the most beneficial web sites for everyone.  I have a great time getting gas cards for giving info on gas station prices from everywhere I drive.  THE MORE YOU POST THE MORE YOU CAN GET. — I am in Cleveland OH so gasbuddy.com/ohio/cleveland get me right to the top 10 cheap stations as well as the top 10 rip off stations with the worst prices.  Truckers post diesel prices, I post regular. — Now noticing national news station using them to define the cheapest gas in USA & the most expensive (who was KMart in Brooklyn OH at $3.55 reg) —... Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:45:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Gasbuddy-com-review-e2594 MacGyver 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Nubella-review-89597 I love to cook and bake and I am always looking for new and healthy recipes to try.  I love Nubella because they have an abundance of recipes and it is a great resource for healthy living.  Not only does this webiste have a lot of recipes, but they also offer wellness advice and tips for a healthy lifestyle.  Since I am vegetarian, I really love this site because many of the recipes are vegan friendly and are low calorie and low in fat.  I use this site to find recipes for easy cakes, muffins and dinner meals that are healthy and easy to make.  This is a great resource for recipes and how to live healthy in the kitchen. ... Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:09:08 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Nubella-review-89597 stef42678 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-db8e2 A few years ago, I realised that, once my parents are gone, there really won't be anyone aorund to tell me about my family's past. Luckily, my grandmother was a great story-teller, family historian, and pack rat. She kept photos, birth certificates, postcards, letters - you name it. And she talked a lot about her childhood, her parents, her siblings and the small Caribbean town where she grew up. So, in 2001, when I started doing some web research in an effort to put together a family tree, I at least had a few things to start with: place names, names of people, ideas about birth dates. Back then, Ancestry.com was very limited: there were no links to actual historical records and an emphasis was placed on Anglo family histories. Their strength was in their networking tools. One could join or start a thread about a family name, and post messages/queries, in the hopes of finding other researchers looking for the same family history or family name. I didn't have a lot of hope,... Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:41:49 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-db8e2 Telpher 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Instructables-review-bef2 If you're the kind of person who saves bits of string, rubber bands and bubble wrap "just in case" you'll need them later, Instructables.com is the website for you. In a nutshell, Instructables.com is place where people post ingenious solutions to everyday tech-related problems and dilemnas. Most of the solutions involve using recycled bits and pieces and things most of us have around the house: duct tape, pieces of wire, old Altoid tins, parts from broken cameras, bits of cardboard, etc. Let's say you've got an Ipod and you're interested in watching your Ipod movies on a big screen, but can't afford a data projector. Go to instructables.com and type "Ipod movie projector" into the query window. A second later, you'll probably be presented with about 50 different projects, complete with detailed, step-by-step instructions, photos and even video footage displaying process and results. — Most projects on instructables.com can be made for free, or only... Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:50:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Instructables-review-bef2 Telpher 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Askville-review-2a594     When I discovered Askville.com, I fell in love.  Askville.com is part of Amazon.com, one of the largest online retailers.  This is a great website, and you can join for free.  If you have any question about anything, you can ask.  People from around the world have one week to respond back with any advice they can give you.  You can ask any type of question ranging from shopping, parenting, cooking, anything you can imagine. —      There are tons of friendly people on Askville.com.  One thing I hate about a lot of websites is that there are usually a lot of negative people that would ruin the whole site by negatively commenting.  Not here.  Once you ask questions you will rate answers given to you based on their quality.  Every action that you do on Askville.com will earn you quest gold.  —      Quest gold just shows your fellow members how active you are on the... Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:12:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Askville-review-2a594 houdini16409 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wikipedia-com-review-20072 NO NO NO NO NO! — — I  some what recently graduated from college and it was DRILLED into my head never to use this site.   It's your average everyday joe that can change the information.  Sorry I don't rely on your average every day person.  — — The history pages are the worst.   It annoys me to see some of the things that people put in there.  For instance the civil war was all because of slaves?  Hardly.   Was very unhappy with this site!  — —... Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:59:33 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wikipedia-com-review-20072 tiffanymtaylor 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Dog-Breed-Info-Center-review-24730 Years ago in a college programming class, we had to write a program that would help a person make a decision.  I loved my doggie, so I decided I would help the user find a dog!  While doing my research, I came across the Dog Breed Info Center and I have been a fan ever since!  I am often referring my friends and family to this site whenever they are discussing getting a new dog. — What is it? — This site is basically a database of everything you would ever want to know about different breeds of dogs.  You can find out all of the facts associated with different breeds and pick the one that is right for you.  Further, they have care and training tips as well as other articles to help any dog owner.  They also offer other freebies such as free desktop wallpaper, free photos and other fun things to keep you busy!  Cats and other animals are featured as well, but the main pull of the site are the DOGS! — The site isn't overly... Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:19:54 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Dog-Breed-Info-Center-review-24730 vivasuzi 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Healthy-Dining-Finder-review-65143 I love to treat myself to a night out at my favorite restaurant, but I also like to eat healthy.  Healthy Dining Finder is the perfect solution for anyone who loves to dine out but doesn't want the extra calories or the frustration in trying to find a healthy dish on the menu.  The database on the site features many restaurants and offers and advice and calorie informaton on the best dishes to choose when you are dining out.  I love the nutrition facts and the monthly newsletter gives you the latest news on healthy dishes at the nearby restaurants.  They feature many chain restaurants and local favorites so you will never again have to wonder if you should or shouldn't have your favorite dish on the menu, because the calorie content is all there.  This is a great solution to eating out and choosing the right foods for your... Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:32:17 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Healthy-Dining-Finder-review-65143 stef42678 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-42a00 I've found that genealogy research is made easy by using Ancestry.com.  Long lost relatives pop up in the most unexpected places sometimes.  The amount of information found on Ancestry.com is extensive and a must have for researchers and curious... Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:38:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-42a00 rum4ufl 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-eb093 I used the free 2 weeks to get started in genealogy.  Didnt realize that after I attached files and the trial ran out that when I clicked on those files it would require me to pay to view them.  BOO! — They do have the monopoly on genealogy sites and information.  Noone else offers what they can.  Therefore it's the only option so people go back to them. —... Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:46:13 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ancestry-com-review-eb093 emma1234 3