CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: INTERNET OFFERS LAUNDRY BASKET OF PRACTICAL TIPS, BIZARRE SITES

Cybertip: All WWW addresses end in three-letters signifying their major Internet division such as: .com, commercial; .org, non-profit organization; .gov, agencies of U.S. government; .mil, agencies of military; .edu, four-year colleges and universities and .net, network service providers.

The Internet is full of lots of educational, informational and useful sites. But don't be fooled. The web has plenty of off-the-wall sites as well.

We discovered a number of odd sites that follow a laundry basket theme. First stop: The Bureau of Missing Socks. It is the first organization solely devoted to solving the question of what happens to missing single socks.

http://www.jagat.com/joel/socks.html

Joni: Are you one of those matching sock deprived? Then here's your spot, but make sure you go with your tongue firmly planted in cheek. The site is organized with dresser drawers.

Peggy: In the hamper, you can meet, greet and interact with some of the leading missing socks theorists in the world.

Joni: The data base offers you your only opportunity to alert the world about your missing waif. You can list such things as pattern, color, length, size and classification. It will find your perfect match in Cyberspace -- someone with your missing sock.

Peggy: The Bureau of Missing Socks gives you a chance to cash in on all your unmatched socks. In an get-rich scheme, you send you socks to the person at the top of the list. With the rapid growth of the Internet, the site promises that within 30 days you will receive over 150,000 socks. Think of the fun you'll have finding a match and you could become rich as Sockafeller.

Joni: We failed the test to become a socks special agent. We don't know that much about socks, but we do know pantyhose. So next we're going to

http://www.leggs.com

Peggy: Although the obvious purpose for this page is to sell pantyhose, it offers lots more. Some topics include movie reviews, personal finance advice, mood food, fashion tips and polishing your furniture with pantyhose and other offbeat uses for name-brand products.

Joni: Prevent lint from sticking to your clothes -- throw a pair of pantyhose in the dryer with your wet clothes. Remove dead insects from the front of the car with a balled up pair of pantyhose. Repel mosquitoes or keep dust off your TV set with a dryer fabric sheet. Polish silver or gold with toothpaste. Soothe sunburn pain with yogurt. Who would have thought?

Peggy: When I joined the Leggs loop, the company sent me via mail a coupon for Leggs pantyhose and a prepaid long-distance phone calling card. The company also e-mails me when the web site is having a sale.

Joni: The site offers some online links to order pantyhose that will be shipped directly to your door. For Netscape users, the site is secure for credit card orders. The information is encrypted as it travels across the Internet.

Peggy: The Leggs timeline tells you that the first nylon stocking was displayed at the San Francisco Worlds Fair in 1939 and that the first nylon stockings were sold May 15, 1940. All 4 million stockings were sold out in four days.

Joni: One of the more odd and popular sites on the web is

http://www.joeboxer.com

The company makes boxer underwear. Before you start, you must answer "Are you wearing clean underwear?" You can download a free pair of virtual underwear. Please stand with your midsection near the monitor now (no need to remove pants).

Peggy: It's popular all right. We were one of 1.3 billion visitors who hang out at a rather bizarre carnival. One of the reasons the site is so popular is the Times Square experiment. You send your message to the world's first interactive billboard in Times Square. They call it the world's largest e-mail.

Joni: Do you have a birthday, anniversary, wedding proposal, little league score or funny underwear story that you want millions of people a day to read? Enter your story and they will post it. You can read messages others have sent by clicking the message log. The Freak Show links you to other odd sites on the web. The Joe Boxer site also has odd games and a poodle that smokes cigarettes. If you figure it all out, let us know.

Peggy: In the midst of all the oddity, you can also look at Joe Boxer products for men, women and children. To keep your new undies clean, check out Tide's clothesline.

http://www.tide.com

Joni: It is billed as the most comprehensive site on the web dedicated to keeping your clothes looking their best. We liked the stain detective, which provides personalized solutions to your tough stains. You choose the stain, the fabric and the color. The stain detective gives you advice. This could come in handy.

Peggy: Tide also gives you tips, answers laundry questions and offers laundry trivia. You can vote for the dirtiest kids in America. About 35 billion washloads are done in the United States each year totalling 100 million tons of clothes. For all the concern about dirt on the Internet, this has to be one of the cleanest sites. E-mail us with your favorite sites at movn@ldd.net.

See you in Cyberspace.

~Joni Adams is managing editor and Peggy Scott is a graphics editor/staff writer at the Southeast Missourian.