CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: READERS SUGGEST FAVORITE SITES; INTERNET OFFERS NEWS ALTERNATIVES (COLUMN 122)

Thanks for your tips. Several readers suggested a couple other search engines:

www.dogpile.com

This site searches some of the lesser-known search engines such as Mining Company, What You Seek, GoTo.com and InfoSeek. It searches up to 12 search engines at one time.

Joni: Or another reader suggests the all-in-one search page at

www.albany.net/allinone/all1www.html

Peggy: This searches over 400 of the Internet's best search engines, data bases, indexes and directories all at one site. Plus there is a long list of other search engines.

Joni: Another reader said her favorite search engine is

www.askjeeves.com

Peggy: The site also offers a kid's version that filters inappropriate material.

www.ajkids.com

Joni: Type in a question and get an answer. It also checks spelling. You can also look at searches from other kids going on right now.

Peggy: Ask any question, and Jeeves, a butler-like character, will find the best place on the Internet to find the answer.

Joni: We noticed that part of this site is powered by 7thLevel. Some of the developers of this company are from Cape Girardeau. Three cheers. I like Jeeves. I need one at home.

Peggy: Still another reader shared his all-time favorite site.

www.ctoys.com

Joni: This is a site for collectible toys including Beanie Babies. We love to hear from our readers. Keep those e-mails coming.

Peggy: Another of our faithful readers, Steve Mosley, pointed us to American Journalism Review Online which linked to some not-so-serious journalism sites.

ajr.newslink.org/ajrchipjan99.html

Joni: Author Chip Rowe's opens his article with this observation: "Sure you can find breaking news, sources, and reference material online. But that's so boring. And the boss isn't looking. Try this collection of Web sites that offer an alternative to straight-up news."

Peggy: Here's one called History Buff's Homepage by the Newspaper Collectors Association of America.

www.historybuff.com

Joni: You can link to historic newspaper articles in such categories as Civil War, the Old West and crime figures. There's also a presidential library that includes the inaugural addresses of all U.S. presidents.Peggy: Under the audio section, you can hear the first recorded commercial plug from none other than P.T. Barnum using Thomas Edison's recording machine.

Joni: You can listen to Amelia Earhardt or a live newscast at the explosion of the Hindenberg or the moon landing. Here's the 1970 NASA recording of the near disaster when they say "Houston, we have a problem."

Peggy: Of course, the whole reason Steve Mosley sent us this suggestion was for Headline Haiku. Each day news poets translate breaking stories into 17-syllable summaries.

Joni: Steve has one online right now. He's a frequent contributor and modestly calls himself "Guru."

www.coolwebsite.com

Peggy: Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry. Actually, what these guys are writing is senryu, which means five syllables, seven syllables, and then five syllables or 17 beats.

Joni: You can play too. News should be current, within the last 24 to 48 hours. Submit using their handy-dandy form.

Peggy: Here's another choice, A Word A Day. The music and magic of words, yes unusual words. You can visit the site or have it e-mailed directly to you.

wordsmith.org/awad/

Joni: Today's word is argy-bargy, which means a lively discussion. It's chiefly British. You can listen to the word pronounced correctly in a RealAudio or WAV format.

Peggy: Want more? Check out the archives. Here's a site we've visited before. Police scanners. For a lot of people the news business revolves around the scanners. In fact, scanner listening is kind of the impetus for those true-to-life police shows. You can listen to police and fire scanner in Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Plano, Texas.

www.broadcast.com/radio/Special_Broadcasts

or jump to it directly at:

www.policescanner.com

Joni: You will need RealPlayer. Let's listen to the Dallas Sheriff's Department. Things seem quiet in Dallas, but the quality was good.

Peggy: Here's a fun site, well maybe fun isn't the right word. It's the Death Watch. Enter the date of your birth and learn how much time you have left. It says I'll live until May 11, 2042. My time on Earth goes down with pessimistic and sadistic predictions.

Joni: A co-worker, however, didn't get such good news. After entering his information, he learned that he had been dead 4 1/2 years. The friendly message says "I'm sorry your time has expired. Have a nice day." Ouch.

Peggy: You can also read celebrity obituaries and learn how long the Spice Girls are going to live. Or you can get your personal death clock to sit on your desktop and watch the seconds slip away.

Joni: No thanks. I don't have time for that. Here's a site slightly more upbeat, the Supermarket Tabloid Headline generator.

www.planetary.net

Peggy: After a few clicks you'll recognize this as one of those random generator sites with a selection of key words reshuffled throughout the headlines.

Joni: Tired of the depressing news? You can find good news every day at Positive press. Or would you rather read the Daily Outrage? Find both at

www.goodvsevil.com

Peggy: Click on good and you can read good news from around the world. The top story today was about a mom who gave birth to a baby in the family van. Everyone was fine. Read positive sayings and positive talk.

Joni: On the flip side, the Daily Outrage will get your blood pressure pumping with stories about ludicrous court decisions and injustice from around the globe.

Peggy: Just for fun, check out the Automatic Dave Barry generator. The results are pretty amusing in Dave Barry style.

peacefire.org/staff/bennett/autodave/autodave.html

Joni: What's your favorite odd-ball site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.