FeaturesJanuary 5, 1999
CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: FAVORITES OF 1998
Everybody does a year in review, and we didn't want to be left out. So here goes. Over the past year, we've brought you more than 250 Internet sites. Some good. Some not so good. We try to be timely about where we go, so a number of the sites have already come and gone from the Internet world...
JONI ADAMS AND PEGGY SCOTT
Everybody does a year in review, and we didn't want to be left out. So here goes.
Over the past year, we've brought you more than 250 Internet sites. Some good. Some not so good.
We try to be timely about where we go, so a number of the sites have already come and gone from the Internet world.
People's opinion of the Internet might have changed with the unfolding of the Clinton scandal in 1998. After all, Washington gossip Internet columnist Matt Drudge first mentioned the name -- Monica -- last January on his Web site.
And the Starr Report was issued via the Internet and people accessed it online making it one of the busiest days in the Internet's history.
The Internet itself has made a lot of news headlines this year with Bill Gates and Netscape, e-commerce and of course the continuing debate over Internet censorship.
In 1998 the technology improved, as expected. A major advancement came in streaming video and audio. We didn't have to wait as long to view or listen.
What's ahead for 1999? Plenty, we hope. On our wish list is a much faster Internet connection so we don't have to watch live video in 1-X-2-inch screens.
All in all, the Internet is a mirror of society. The geniuses are there alongside the oddballs. But it's still a great way to keep in touch, find out the latest happenings and have fun.
We have continued high hopes for the Internet's continued evolution in the last year of the century.
Here's some of our favorite sites of 1998
Hard to imagine, but Washington online gossip columnist Matt Drudge posted his first story about Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton Jan. 18, 1998, leading to the top news story for the rest of the year.
The Kelley Blue Book allows you to search suggested retail or trade in value of any used vehicle back to 1978. This kind of data base is what the Web does best. KBB also offers links to all the new car manufacturers.
The Internet is also good at offering interactive stuff, especially games. This site links you to the best sites on the Web using Shockwave technology. These are sites with interactive online games. Fun.
Keep in touch with our favorite desktop messenger. ICQ combines the best of e-mail and chat in an easy-to-use format. Best of all, it's free.
Keep in touch with your online pals with animated and musical cards from Blue Mountain. This site offers cards for every occasion and holiday, even some we didn't know existed.
We know. Disney shows up on almost everyone's best of the Web list, but it deserves the kudos. The site is one of the best we've seen with information and games for children young and old.
Movies, movie reviews, movie news and more can be found at Hollywood Online. Find out what's playing and whether it's worth your time and money.
OK, we're big Mark McGwire fans, but that's not the only reason to check out the St. Louis Cardinal's Web site. You can order tickets online and then take a look at the field from the seats you will occupy.
Also in the "When you're good, you're good" category is CNN Online. As the Clinton drama unfolded, CNN offered live video of testimony and archived video and audio from key players.
The site, called the No. 1 most incredibly useful, is the "ability utility." It offers 2-torials on almost any conceivable topic including from how to tie a tie, how to fix a zipper, how to set the table properly to how to fix a flat tire.
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It has been a busy year for NASA and its Web site. In October we learned more about politician-astronaut John Glenn. Today you can keep track of the new Mars rover. And always you can check up on your hometown astronaut Linda Godwin.
Information on the Prescription List is specialized but helpful. Learn more about prescription medicines online. You can search by drug name or imprint code, those engraved numbers on pills and printed numbers on capsules.
Uproar, an online gaming community, prompted Peggy to finally upgrade to a faster modem. Who can say no to 24-hour Bingo or competing at a "Wheel of Fortune" game against gamers around the world. Say hello to a new 56K modem user.
One of the newest search engines with a reputation for getting the right information on the first try. It started as a Stanford University research project. They have indexed 60,000 Web pages, with more to come.
But even the best of search engines have trouble keeping up. Researchers say an estimated 1,000 new Web pages are added to the Internet every day. More than 325 million pages have already been posted.
And now for something completely different ...
Not all of the sites are quite so handy. If our list of Favorites is too traditional for you, we have some nominations for odd sites of the year.
What to do when your digital pet dies -- again. You can give your digital pet a proper send off at this online mortuary. Just lay the dear departed on top of your monitor and wait for the computer to assemble the mourners for a dignified ceremony and a zippy version of "Taps."
Online cat scans. No, it's not what you think, but it ranks up there with the weirdest contests of the year. People placed their cats on flatbed scanners all in the name of art. Most of the submitted pictures show little cat paws and smooshed fur. Hmmm.
Always looking for something unusual to break up long car trips or long evenings at home? Here's an online guide to off-beat attractions across the country.
Political humor and headline humor makes this site a must read for news junkies. The Onion started as a college humor magazine and now lives online. Beware, some of the topics are a little risque with adult humor.
You can get a glimpse of searches by other people going on right now on the Internet, filtered or unfiltered. Again beware. The unfiltered choices are adult in nature.
News of the Weird brings us real-life stories about people who do real stupid things. A lot of the stories involve dumb criminals, like the story about a teacher who wouldn't switch the classroom television to "The Jerry Springer Show." She was beaten up by 11- and 12-year-old girls.
The Absurd Gallery offers a collection of weird but real advertisements and signs. "They're happy because they eat lard."
The Internet's first online pregnancy test gives an alternative to those too cheap or too embarrassed to buy a home pregnancy test. Technology comes to the rescue with a point and click test and a real medical warning. Apparently some folks take this stuff too seriously.
Hey, it's the Internet.
What's your favorite site of 1998? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com
See you in Cyberspace.
~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.
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