Internet access
Back when we were fighting the Cold War against Russia, the
Pentagon created a computer network so that universities could
transmit research results to the Pentagon and each other even if
some phone lines and buildings got bombed. That network has become
civilian and is called the Internet (or simply the Net). Now the
Internet transmits not just research but also games, ads,
announcements, photographs, love letters, chitchat, and globs of
other info, public and private, to and from President Clinton,
David Letterman, and several million other public servants, jokers,
kids, and kooks across the country and around the world.
You can use the Internet to send and receive electronic mail. You
can also use the Internet to browse through announcements posted by
folks worldwide.
The Internet gives you a huge sea of info. You stand on its shore,
watch its many waves come at you, and get high by joyously jumping
into those waves. That's called surfing the Net, which means
"browsing through the amazing info available on the Net".
You'll quickly get addicted to surfing the Net and spend many hours
each day doing it. As you explore the Net, your electronic requests
and their responses travel at electronic speeds around the world,
on what Vice President Al Gore dubbed the Information Superhighway
(I-way), propelling you through cyberspace (the vast, surreal world
where all info and people are represented by bits, bytes, and
electronic signals, as opposed to the "real world", called
meatspace, where people are composed of meat).
The Internet lets your mind fly around the world faster than a
astronaut's. Your friends will call you an infonaut or Internaut.
Cynics will call you an Internut or interned nut or Net-head. But
no matter what folks call you, you'll have fun, while learning more
about the world than any pre-computer human could ever imagine.
Paying for the Internet
You can access the Internet free if you're part of a government
agency, university, or some other organization who's tied in. If
you don't belong to any such organization, join the Internet by
paying a fee to an Internet service provider (ISP) who hooks you
up. That's how the Internet is funded: partly by government
agencies and universities, partly by loners paying fees to ISPs,
and partly by advertisers who sneak ads onto the corners of your
screen while you surf.
The typical ISP charges you $19.95 per month for unlimited access
to the Internet. That amount is billed to your credit card.
To use the Internet, you tell your computer's modem to dial the
ISP's phone number.
There are thousands of ISPs to choose from; they compete with each
other to try to get your $19.95-per-month business.
When choosing an ISP, there are several questions to ask. The most
important is: does the ISP have a phone number that's local to you,
so your computer's modem doesn't have to make a long-distance call?
The typical ISP offers phone numbers in several cities; each phone
number is called an Internet dial-in access number or point of
presence (POP).
If you live in a remote area, you might have trouble finding an ISP
that has a local POP. In that case, you must either phone a POP in
some farther city (and pay your local phone company's rate for
making a long-distance call) or dial an 800-number POP; but the
typical ISP will bill you about $6-per-hour extra for using the 800
number.
Overload
Many parts of the Internet are overloaded: more people want to use
them than they can handle. When your computer's modem tries to
contact the Internet, the modem might encounter a busy signal or
ridiculously long delay or a message saying a service is
unavailable; you might get disconnected from the Internet or
ignored or refused.
The overload is worst during the evenings, from 7PM to 11PM, since
that's when the kids are home from school and the parents are home
from work and they're all trying to have fun at home by using the
Internet. In many parts of the country, the best time to use the
Internet is in the morning and early afternoon (from 3AM to 3PM).
If a site is used mainly by businesses instead of consumers, that
site might be busy during working hours (9AM to 5PM). If you're
trying to contact a site that's far away, in a different part of
the world, remember that the site's busiest hours depend on which
time zones its users are in.
Disconnecting
After your computer's modem has phoned a POP number, you can use
the Internet for a while. When you've finished, you should tell
your computer's modem to disconnect from the POP.
If you forget to disconnect, your ISP will eventually sense that no
transmissions are occurring and will disconnect you automatically.
The typical ISP will disconnect you if 30 minutes have elapsed
without any transmissions.
If you're running a business and want your computer to be waiting
for incoming Internet messages continuously without being
disconnected, you must tell your ISP you want a business account,
which costs much more than a personal account. When an ISP
advertises a "unlimited access" for $19.95 per month, the ISP
defines "unlimited access" to mean a personal account, used just a
few minutes or a few hours per day, not waiting continuously for
transmissions.
While you're using the Internet, here are the most common reasons
why you get disconnected:
Your ISP might have disconnected you because too many minutes
elapsed without transmission.
Your computer's modem might be inferior and not working
consistently.
Your phone line might be suffering from too much static or other
noise, preventing a clear signal from being transmitted. To check,
try this experiment: while you're not using the computer's modem,
pick up the phone (so you hear a dial tone), then press the number
5 on the phone (so the dial tone goes away): if you hear noise
(such as static), use a different phone cord, outlet, or line.
Referral fees
Some ISPs will pay you a referral fee if you convince your friends
to sign up.
Here's the typical deal: for every friend you sign up, you get a
free month yourself. So if you sign up 12 friends, you get a whole
year free!
Notice that the referral fee is paid to you in the form of free
months, not cash.
IBM
IBM owns an ISP called IBM Internet Connection, which has POPs in
1100 cities. IBM's POP cities are in all 50 states of the USA, plus
51 other countries.
If you're in the USA, you can choose a monthly fee of either $4.95
(for 3 hours) or $19.95 (for 100 hours). Add $1.95 for each extra
hour.
If you're in the USA and want 800-number access, add $6 per hour.
According to surveys by computer magazines, people using IBM
Internet Connection are generally happy, though IBM has
occasionally lost or delayed e-mail transmissions. IBM gives you a
30-day free trial. For more info about IBM Internet Connection,
phone 800-455-5056.
Mind Spring
Another excellent ISP is Mind Spring. Its POPs are in the USA (in
all states except Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, and South Dakota).
Mind Spring gives you three choices:
Service Monthly fee
light access $6.95 includes 5 hours; $2 per
extra hour
moderate access $14.95 includes 20 hours; $1 per extra
hour
unlimited access $19.95 includes unlimited hours
The first month, you must also pay a $25 setup fee, unless you get
it waived (such as by joining online at www.mindspring.com). If you
want 800-number access, add $7.50 per hour. For more info about
Mind Spring, phone 800-719-4332.
Earth Link
Another excellent ISP is Earth Link, based in Pasadena, California.
It was started in 1994 by a 23-year-old guy named Sky Dayton, who
ran a West Los Angeles coffee house, worked for ad agencies &
computer-graphics companies, and was repeatedly voted one of the
most influential technologists in the Los Angeles area. Through
alliances with two other network providers (UU Net and PSI Net),
Earth Link is available in Canada and all states except Alaska &
Hawaii. It has POPs in over 1000 cities.
Earth Link transmits data faster than IBM and Mind Spring, and
Earth Link's technical support is good, though not quite as good as
Mind Spring's.
If you're in the USA, Earth Link charges $19.95 per month for
unlimited access. (If you're in Canada, the $19.95 monthly fee
includes 15 hours; add $1.95 per extra hour.) For 800-number
access, you pay an extra $5 per month, plus $4.95 per hour beyond
the first 5 hours.
You pay a $25 setup fee, unless you get it waived (such as by
joining online at www.earthlink.com). For more info about Earth
Link, phone 800-395-8425.
Other big ISPs
Though the best big ISPs are IBM Internet Connect, Mind Spring, and
Earth Link, you can choose from many others, which might have POPs
closer to your home.
AT&T owns an ISP called World Net, which in 1996 was the first ISP
to popularized the idea of charging $19.95 per month for unlimited
Internet access. Now World Net charges just $14.95 per month - and
if you sign up, you get AT&T long-distance phone service for just
9¢ per minute. Unfortunately, World Net is often overloaded,
especially its technical-support staff. For more info about World
Net, phone 800-World-Net.
America OnLine (AOL) used to be more expensive, but in December
1996 it copied AT&T's idea of offering unlimited Internet access
for just $19.95 per month. That offer was too popular: more people
phoned AOL than it could handle. Now AOL has added more modems and
computer equipment - and raised the price to $21.95 per month. For
more info about AOL, phone 800-827-6364.
Small cheap ISPs
Though IBM Internet Connection and Mind Spring are excellent, you
might prefer a smaller ISP that charges less.
Erol's The most bizarre ISP is Erol's. It's based in Virginia. Its
POPs are in 8 states (Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts), where Erol's
TV ads offered unlimited Internet access for just $9.50 per month,
and Erol's other ads offered unlimited Internet access for just
$6.50 per month!
Unfortunately, Erol's recently raised its prices. Now you have
these choices:
$16.50 per month if you sign up for half a year
$15.95 per month if you sign up for a year
$13.95 per month if you sign up for 2 years
Those prices are fairly low, but here's the catch: you must pay the
entire amount when you sign up.
For example, if you want to pay just $13.95 per month by signing up
for 2 years, you must immediately pay $334.80, which is the total
2-year fee ($13.95 times 24 months). That scheme raises this
question: will Erol's still be around in 2 years, or will the whole
service turn out to be just a ripoff that collects hundreds of
dollars from each consumer and then go suddenly "bankrupt"?
Erol's also offers traditional pricing, where you pay $19.95 each
month.
You pay a $6 setup fee. So far, most of Erol's customers are happy.
For more info about Erol's, phone 888-go-Erols.
Galaxy I use an ISP called Galaxy Internet Services (GIS) because
for me it's the cheapest. It gives unlimited Internet access for
just $9.95 per month, if you're in Massachusetts or Rhode Island,
$14.95 per month if you're in a different state. You pay a $20
setup fee.
Galaxy can be overloaded: when you try phoning during the evenings,
you can get busy signals or "no answer". Transmissions can be slow,
and you can get disconnected. But recently, Galaxy installed a new
phone system, so access has improved.
Galaxy doesn't offer as much software and technical support as
top-notch providers (such as IBM Internet Connection and Mind
Spring). Unlike big ISPs that offer tech support at all hours of
the day and night, Galaxy's tech-support office is available just
until 9PM most weekdays, 5PM Fridays, 3PM Saturdays, closed
Sundays, and often busy.
Despite those disadvantages, I like Galaxy because it's so cheap.
For more info about Galaxy, phone 888-334-2529 or 617-558-0900.
JPS Another cheap ISP is JPS Net.
The fee is normally $14.95 per month. Pay just $11.50 per month if
you pay for the whole year in advance. The setup fee is $30. POPs
are in 10 states: Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, Florida,
Illinois, Utah, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. JPS
Net is based in California at 800-711-5353.
Juno Though most ISPs charge $19.95 per month or slightly less, an
ISP called Juno is absolutely free! It's paid for by advertisers:
while you're using Juno to use the Internet, your screen will also
show you ads from Juno's advertisers.
Unfortunately, the only part of the Internet that Juno lets you use
is e-mail. Juno lets you send and receive e-mail but does not let
you surf. To use Juno, you need just Windows, a VGA monitor, 4M of
RAM, and Juno's free program, which you can copy from friends or
try getting from Juno at 800-654-Juno.
World Wide Web
The most popular part of the Internet is called the World Wide Web
(or just the Web or just WWW). To use it, you need a program called
a Web browser.
The first good Web browser was Mosaic, invented in 1994 by Marc
Andreessen, an undergrad at the University of Illinois' National
Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), funded by the
National Science Foundation. Later that year, he left NCSA and
formed a company called Netscape Communications Corp., where he
invented an improved Web browser called Netscape Navigator (or just
Navigator).
In 1995, Microsoft invented a competing Web browser called
Microsoft Internet Explorer (or just Explorer). Its version 3,
invented in 1996, is slightly better than Navigator's version 3.
Now Navigator and Explorer are both popular. They work best if you
have Windows 95, though they can also handle Windows 3.1 & 3.11 and
the Mac.
I'll assume you have Windows 95. Windows 98 and earlier versions of
Windows are similar.
I'll explain how to use Navigator (versions 2 & 3) and Explorer
(versions 2 & 3). If you have Explorer 4, follow my instructions
for Explorer 3, which is similar. Windows 98 includes Explorer 4;
so if you have Windows 98, follow my instructions for Explorer 3.
The World Wide Web runs slowly. You'll spend lots of time waiting
for the World Wide Web to respond to your commands. That's why
cynics call it the "World Wide Wait". To make the experience
reasonably pleasant, you need a modem that's fast (at least 28.8
kilobaud). If your modem is slightly slower (14.4 kilobaud or 9.6
kilobaud), you can still use the Web but not pleasantly. If your
modem is slower than 9.6 kilobaud, using the Web is not practical.
Installation
To use Navigator or Explorer, you must put it onto your computer's
hard disk. If you bought your computer in 1996 or afterwards, its
hard disk probably contains Navigator or Explorer already. For
example, Windows 98 includes Explorer.
If your computer's hard disk does not contain Navigator or Explorer
yet, buy one of these books:
Official Microsoft Internet Explorer Book by Bryan Pfaffenberger,
published by Microsoft Press, list price $24.95 ($21.20 from
discount dealers), includes a CD-ROM disk containing Internet
Explorer 3 and extra software too!
Official Netscape Navigator 3.0 Book (Windows Edition) by Phil
James, published by the Netscape Press division of Ventana, list
price $39.99 ($31.89 from discount dealers), includes a CD-ROM disk
contain Netscape Navigator 3 and extra software too!
Each book is written well and includes a CD-ROM containing the
program that the book describes.
You must tell the computer your ISP's phone number and Internet
address. To find out how, read the instructions your ISP sent you.
If you don't understand them, phone your ISP's technical-support
number.
Running
Turn on the computer, without any disks in the floppy drives.
To use Explorer, do this:
Double-click the icon that says "The Internet". If the computer
asks "Would you like to make it your default browser?" press ENTER.
To use Navigator instead, do this:
Double-click the icon that says "Netscape Navigator". If the
computer says "Netscape License Agreement", press ENTER. If the
computer asks "Would you like to register Navigator as your default
browser?" press ENTER.
If the computer says "Enter your password", type the password you
use to connect to your Internet provider (and press ENTER).
You'll see the Microsoft Internet Explorer window (or the Netscape
Navigator window). Make sure it consumes the whole screen. (If it
doesn't consume the whole screen yet, maximize it by clicking its
resize button, which is next to the X button.)
Address
Near the top of the screen, you see the address box. It's a wide,
white box labeled "Address". (Navigator labels it "Location"
instead.)
Click in that white box. (If you're using Navigator 2, double-click
in that box instead.)
Any writing in that box turns blue. Then type the Internet address
you wish to visit.
For example, if you wish to visit Yahoo, type Yahoo's Internet
address, which is -
http://www.yahoo.com/
Yes, that's Yahoo's Internet address. It's also called Yahoo's
Uniform Resource Locator (or URL, which is pronounced "Earl").
When typing an Internet address (such as "http://www.yahoo.com/"),
make sure you type periods (not commas); type forward slashes (not
backslashes).
The address's first part ("http://") tells the computer to use
HyperText Transfer Protocol, which is the communication method used
by the Web. The ".com" means the service (Yahoo) is a commercial
company.
Instead of typing "http://www.yahoo.com/", you can be lazy and type
just this:
www.yahoo.com
Here's why:
The computer automatically puts "/" at the address's end.
Explorer 2 and Navigator 2 automatically put "http://" before any
address that begins with "www".
Explorer 3 and Navigator 3 automatically put "http://" before any
address that doesn't contain "://" already.
In an Internet address, each period is called a dot, so
"www.yahoo.com" is pronounced "dubbilyoo dubbilyoo dubbilyoo dot
yahoo dot com" by literate computerists; grunters say just "wuh wuh
wuh dot yahoo dot com".
If you're using Navigator 3, you can type just this -
yahoo
because Navigator 3 will automatically put "www." before and ".com"
after any address that contains no periods.
At the end of your typing, press ENTER.
You'll see the beginning of Yahoo's home page.
Seeing the rest of the page To see the rest of the page, click the
scroll-down arrow (the ( near the screen's bottom right corner). If
you're using Explorer 3 or Navigator, you can also move down by
pressing the down-arrow key or PAGE DOWN key.
Here's how to hop immediately to the page's bottom....
Explorer 3: press the END key.
Navigator 3: while holding down the Ctrl key, tap the END key.
To see the beginning of the page again, click the scroll-up arrow
((). If you're using Navigator, you can also move up by pressing
the up-arrow key or PAGE UP key.
Here's how to hop immediately to the page's top....
Explorer 3: press the HOME key.
Navigator 3: while holding down the Ctrl key, tap the HOME key.
Links
On Yahoo's home page, you see many topics to choose from.
The typical topic is underlined. For example, at the page's top you
see these 14 hot reference topics:
Yellow Pages People Search Maps Classifieds Personals
Chat Email
Shopping My Yahoo! News Sports Weather Stock
Quotes more
Below them, you see these 14 broad topics:
Arts and Humanities News and
Media
Business and Economy Recreating
and Sports
Computers and Internet Reference
Education
Regional
Entertainment
Science
Government
Social Science
Health
Society and Culture
Scattered around the page, you see many other underlined topics,
too! You also see some topic buttons (labeled "New", "Cool",
"Today's News", and "More Yahoos").
Each topic button or underlined topic is called a link. Click
whichever link interests you. (You can click anyplace where the
mouse's pointer-arrow turns into a pointing finger.)
Then - presto! - the computer shows you a whole new page, devoted
entirely to the topic you linked to! Read it and enjoy! While
you're looking at that new page, you'll see its address in the
address box.
On that new page, you'll see more links (topic buttons and
underlined topics); click whichever one interests you, to visit a
further page.
Back & forth
After admiring the new page you're visiting, if you change your
mind and want to go back to the previous page you were looking at,
click the Back button (whose symbol is "(" in Explorer, "((" in
Navigator).
Then you see the previous page, but the underlined topic you
clicked might have changed color. For example, on Yahoo's home
page, most underlined topics are blue, but any topic you've clicked
turns purple. If you're using Navigator, that topic will stay
purple for 30 days.)
After clicking the Back button, if you change your mind again and
wish you hadn't clicked the Back button, click the Forward button
(whose symbol is "(" in Explorer, "((" in Navigator).
History To hop back several pages, you can click the Back button
several times.
To hop back faster, do this trick:
On the screen's top menu bar, click Go. (In Explorer 2, click File
instead.) You see a list of pages you visited. Click the page you
want to go back to.
The Go list mentions the current page, plus the previous pages
whose trail of underlined links led you to the current page. The Go
list is always short (no more than 15 pages in Navigator, 9 pages
in Explorer 2, usually 5 pages in Explorer 3).
If you're using Explorer try this experiment:
Click the History button, if you see it at the bottom of the
screen. (If the History button is temporarily missing, click "File"
then "Open History Folder" instead. Explorer 2 says "More History"
instead of "Open History Folder".)
You see an alphabetized list of pages you visited during the last
2 weeks. (Explorer 2 shows the last 300 pages instead.) You see the
list's beginning; to see the rest of the list, press the PAGE DOWN
key several times. Double-click the page you want to visit.
Favorites The computer can remember which pages are your favorites.
If you're viewing a wonderful page that you want to call one of
your favorites, do this if you're using Explorer:
Click the Favorites button. (In Explorer 2, click the word
"Favorites" on the screen's top menu bar instead.) Then click "Add
To Favorites", then press ENTER.
In the future, whenever you want to return to your favorite pages,
click the Favorites button again. You'll see a list of your
favorites. Click the page you want.
Do this instead if you're using Navigator:
While holding down the Ctrl key, press the D key (which means
"delightful page to store on disk").
In the future, whenever you want to return to a delightful page, do
this: while holding down the Ctrl key, press the B key (which
stands for "bookmarks"); then press the END key. You'll see a list
of your favorite pages; above them you'll see a list of Netscape
Corporation's favorite pages. (To see the lists better, make sure
the window they're in is maximized.) Double-click the page you
want.
Home Each time you start using the Internet (by double-clicking the
Internet icon or Netscape Navigator icon), the first page you see
is called your start page or home page (because that's where life
starts - at home). If you view other pages (by clicking underlined
topics) and later change your mind, you can return to viewing the
home page by clicking the Back button many times - or click the
Home button once. (The Home button has a picture of a home on it.
In Explorer 2, that button is called the Open Start Page button.)
Search box On Yahoo's first page, you see a white box next to the
word "Search". That box is called the search box.
Try this experiment: click in the white search box (double-click if
you're using Netscape), then type a topic that interests you. At
the end of your typing, press ENTER. Yahoo will list all Yahoo
pages about that topic! Click whichever underlined page you want.
Open something different
To switch to a completely different address, click in the address
box again (double-click if you're using Netscape), then type the
Internet address you wish to visit.
For example, if you wish to visit Excite, type this -
http://www.excite.com/
or type just this:
www.excite.com
At the end of your typing, press ENTER.
Excite is a competitor to Yahoo. It resembles Yahoo but gives you
a slightly different list of subjects to choose from. As in Yahoo,
Excite's underlined topics are blue. If you click one of those blue
underlined topics, then later go back to the Excite's main page (by
clicking the Back button), the blue topic you clicked turns red.
Another good place to visit is Infoseek. It's another competitor to
Yahoo. To visit Infoseek, type this -
http://www.infoseek.com/
or type just this:
www.infoseek.com
At the end of your typing, press ENTER.
Yahoo, Excite, and Infoseek are all called search sites, since
their purpose is to help you search for other sites on the
Internet.
Three ways to search
Here are the three popular ways to search for a topic on the Web.
Search-box method In a search box, type the topic you're interested
in, and then press ENTER. That makes Yahoo (or Excite or Infoseek)
use its search engine, which searches on the Internet for pages
about that topic.
Infoseek has the best search engine: it works better than Yahoo's
or Excite's. But to get different perspectives on the topic that
interests you, try the search engines of all three of those
services!
When you make the computer search for a topic, the computer
typically finds thousands of pages about that topic. The computer
tries to guess which of those pages are the most relevant; the
computer shows you those pages first. To help the computer deduce
correctly which pages are the most relevant, use the following
tricks (which all work in Infoseek and sometimes work in other
search engines)....
Capitalize names (and titles). For example, to search for the actor
Rock Hudson, type:
Rock Hudson
If you accidentally type -
rock hudson
the computer will think you're also interested in rock-climbing
along the Hudson River and rock music there.
Use quotation marks around phrases. For example, to search for the
phrase "read my lips" (uttered by President George Bush and
repeated by other politicians afterwards), type:
"read my lips"
If you omit the quotation marks, the computer will think you're
interested in all pages containing the words "read" and "my" and
"lips", not necessarily in that order. For example, you'll get
pages about teaching deaf people to do lip-reading.
To search for stupid pet tricks (on TV shows such as David
Letterman's), type:
"stupid pet tricks"
If you omit the quotation marks, the computer will think you're
also interested in how to play tricks on stupid pets.
Instead of typing just a single word, type a list of SEVERAL words.
In that list, put a plus sign in front of each word you REQUIRE,
and put a minus sign in front of each word that you FORBID (do NOT
want). For example, suppose you want to search for pythons, which
are a kind of snake. If you type just -
python
you'll get info about python snakes but also info about a
programming language called Python and a comedy group called Monty
Python. To get info on just python snakes, try -
python -monty
(which gets you most pythons but eliminates any pages that mention
Monty) or say -
python -monty -Python
(which gets you most pythons but not Monty and not capitalized
Python) or say -
python snake
(which gets you any page that mentions pythons or snakes a lot) or
say -
+python snake
(where the plus sign means you insist on seeing just pages that
mention pythons, and of the python pages you prefer to see first
the ones that also mention snakes a lot).
To be very restrictive, tell the computer to show you a page just
if that page mentions both pythons and snakes on the same page. To
do that, say -
+python +snake
or:
python|snake
(To type the symbol "|", tap the "\" key while holding down the
SHIFT key. That symbol works in Infoseek but not in most other
search engines.)
To search for several capitalized names, put commas between them.
For example, to search for pages that mention two famous clowns,
"Bozo" and "Ronald McDonald", say:
Bozo, Ronald McDonald
If you omit the comma, the computer will search for somebody named
"Bozo Ronald McDonald" and not find him.
Remember that the Internet is huge. For a typical topic, the search
engine will find thousands of pages about it. For the most popular
topics, the search engine will find millions of pages.
If you try to fool the search engine by typing a fake topic (such
as a nonsense syllable), you'll be surprised: the search engine
will typically inform you that the topic was already invented by
others and will show you several pages about it (because it turns
out to be the name of some rock band, or some organization's
initials, or some word in a foreign language).
You can try other search engines. Here's a list of popular search
engines:
Search engine Address
Yahoo www.yahoo.com
Excite www.excite.com
Infoseek www.infoseek.com
HotBot www.hotbot.com
AltaVista www.altavista.com
Lycos www.lycos.com
WebCrawler www.webcrawler.com
Magellan www.mckinley.com
Galaxy galaxy.tradewave.com
Infoseek does the best job of deducing which sites are the most
relevant. AltaVista runs the fastest and finds the most sites but
does a poor job of deducing which of the found sites are most
relevant.
A metasearch site called All4One (www.all4one.com) splits your
screen into four frames, where it runs 4 search engines
simultaneously (Yahoo, AltaVista, Lycos, and WebCrawler). A
metasearch site called MetaCrawler (www.metacrawler.com) is more
sophisticated: it runs 7 search engines simultaneously (Yahoo,
Excite, AltaVista, WebCrawler, Lycos, HotBot, and Galaxy) in a
single frame and combines their results into a single list. Too bad
those metasearch sites don't include Infoseek, which is the best!
Subject-tree method You see a list of broad topics (on the main
page of Yahoo, Excite, Infoseek, WebCrawler, Magellan, or Galaxy).
That list is called the subject tree of knowledge (because it's as
tempting as the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden). Click on
whichever broad topic interests you. Then you see a list of that
topic's branches (subtopics). Click whenever subtopic interests
you. Then you see a list of subsubtopics (twigs). Click whichever
subsubtopic interests you. Keep clicking until you finally zero in
on the very specific topic that interests you the most: it's the
fruit of your search!
Yahoo has the best subject tree. But to get different perspectives
on the topic that interests you, also try the subject trees
provided by Yahoo's competitors.
Address-box method Give your friends a sheet of paper and ask them
to jot down the addresses of their favorite Web pages. (Or get
lists of nifty Web addresses by reading computer books, magazines,
newspaper articles, or ads.)
For example, here's a list of popular Web sites. For each site, I
give its title, a comment about the site, and the site's Web
address:
Launch sites for beginners Comment
Web address
Miss Nikita's Parlor many
links and interesting things to do
puffin.ptialaska.net/~pongo/parlor
Berit's Best Sites for Children links to many fun
sites appropriate for kids
db.cochran.com/db_html:theopage.db
Cool Site of the Day a
different Web site each day
cool.infi.net
Wall O' Shame
strange but true tidbits, from news and ads
www.milk.com/wall-o-shame
Alt.Culture
a guide to 90's alternative culture
www.pathfinder.com/altculture
Solid writing
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland classic tale plus
animation, great background music www.megabrands.com/alice
Complete Works of Shakespeare all of Shakespeare's works,
Web style
the-tech.mit.edu/shakespeare/works.html
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations browse by name or
search for quotes by keywords
www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/bartlett
Inkspot: Resources for Writers how to get
started, improve your writing, and sell it www.inkspot.com
Comic quips
Woody Allen Quotes hundreds of
quotes from his best movies
www.idt.unit.no/~torp/woody/lines.html
Steven Wright a
collection of Steven Wright's best one-liners
www.magicnet.net/~hankpet/wrghthom.html
Joke Repository
further jokes by Steven Wright and many others
muffet.com/jokes/jokes.html
"Wisdom" of Dan Quayle a collection of
his more "interesting" sayings
www.concentric.net/~salisar/quayle.html
Abuse-A-Tron
automatically generates insults using finest English
www.xe.net/upstart/abuse
TV
TV Guide Online
many articles, check TV listings for next 2 weeks
www.tvguide.com
Comedy Central Online cable TV's
fun show, plus Politically Incorrect
www.comcentral.com
Seinfeld
lots of audio and pictures, mock interview with Jerry
www.execpc.com/~bogambo/seinfeld.html
The X-Files
loaded with info about the hit TV show
www.thex-files.com
Movies
Internet Movie Database huge searchable
database of movie facts www.imdb.com
Hollywood Online
Hollywood news, movie reviews, promotions
www.hollywood.com
6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon connect any actor
to Kevin Bacon within 6 movies
www.wjh.harvard.edu/~minga/sdokb
Music
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today in rock
history, inductee info, media clips
www.rockhall.com
Internet Beatles Album Beatles
trivia game, audio clips, reference library
www.getback.org
Classical MIDI Archives your favorite
classical pieces; 160 megabytes of sound www.prs.net/midi.html
Sleaze
music and entertainment gossip updated daily
metaverse.com/vibe/sleaze
Food
Godiva Chocolatier
recipes, history, and other tidbits about chocolate
www.godiva.com
The Spam Haiku Archive over 11,000 haiku
poems about pink lunchmeat
pemtropics.mit.edu/~jcho/spam
House-hunting
Realtor.Com
over 1.3 million homes for sale
realtor.com
Home Advisor
advice about how to find the best home
homeadvisor.msn.com
Travel
Expedia
airline reservations and more
www.expedia.com
Travelocity
airline reservations and more
www.travelocity.com
Science and beyond
Yuckiest Site on the Internet gross biology:
roaches, worms, vomit, belches, farts www.nj.com/yucky
Bill Nye the Science Guy info and
merchandise, science "demo of the day" nyelabs.kcts.org
NASA
learn about outer space from the experts
www.nasa.gov
Museum of Menstruation alternatives to
tampons
www.mum.org
Institute of Celestial Sciences change your
astrological sign; get certificate of proof
www.jackrudy.com/ics
Job search
America's Job Bank over 300,000
jobs
www.ajb.dni.us
Career Path
over 200,000 jobs
www.careerpath.com
Monster Board
over 50,000 jobs; post your résumé online
www.monster.com
Online Career Center over
30,000 jobs; post your résumé online
www.occ.com
Phone numbers
Switchboard
white pages, fast and easy to use
www.switchboard.com
InfoSpace
white pages, accurate, with maps & driving directions
www.infospace.com
555-1212.com
metasite searches Switchboard, InfoSpace & Four11
www.555-1212.com
BigBook
yellow pages, with maps and driving directions
www.bigbook.com
News
CNN Interactive
Cable News Network
www.cnn.com
USA Today
USA's biggest newspaper
www.usatoday.com
New York Times USA's
most prestigious newspaper
www.nytimes.com
WebWeather
weather forecasts for cities all over the USA
www.wunderground.com
ESPNet SportsZone sports
articles, scores, and updates from ESPN
espnet.sportszone.com
You're Outta Here
obituaries - with a dash of humor
www.cjnetworks.com/~roryb/outta.html
Reference
Reference.Com a great
all-around reference site
www.reference.com
Deb&Jen's Land O' Useless Facts bizarre trivia submitted by
readers
www-leland.stanford.edu/~jenkg/useless.html
CIA World Factbook facts and
statistics about every country in the world
www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm
Hoover's Online
look up your favorite big company and its finances
www.hoovers.com
Library of Congress search the
Library of Congress database
lcweb.loc.gov
Internet Public Library youth & teen
divisions, library of links, online books www.ipl.org
Amazon.com Books world's
biggest online bookstore; fast searches
www.amazon.com
City secrets
Lifestyle Game
reveals what kind of people live in your ZIP code
www.natdecsys.com/low/lifequiz.html
Citysearch
Toronto, New York, Nashville, Austin, 9 other cities
www.citysearch.com
Sidewalk
over 70 cities in the US and Australia
www.sidewalk.com
Boston.com
all about Boston, run by Boston Globe newspaper
www.boston.com
Vegas.com
Las Vegas casinos, rooms, shows, weddings, more
www.vegas.com
Government
White House
presidential info, history, tour, guide to fed services
www.whitehouse.gov
Social Security Administration frequently asked
questions, statistics, info, links www.ssa.gov
US Census Information population
and economic statistics and facts
www.census.gov
British Monarchy the
queen, her dogs, and the relatives who dog her
www.royal.gov.uk
Illegal activities
Sex Free
parody of a nude-sex site
www.sexgames.nu
The World Sex Guide reports on
prostitution in many cities and countries
www.worldsexguide.org
WWW Speedtrap Registry lists police radar
speed traps by state
www.nashville.net/speedtrap
Computer culture
Tech Tales
funny "war stories" from the tech-support trenches
www.azstarnet.com/~sean
Quantex Microsystems great place
to buy a computer; fun links too
www.quantex.com
Type one of those addresses in the address box. (If you're using
Explorer 2 or Navigator 2, you must type "http://" before any
address that doesn't begin with "www".) Then press ENTER.
To understand how addresses work, consider the address for "Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland", which is:
http://www.megabrands.com/alice/
The address's first part ("http://") is called the protocol.
The address's next part ("www.megabrands.com") is called the domain
name; it tells you which computer on the Internet contains the
info. The typical domain name begins with "www.", then has the name
of a company (such as "megabrands"). The domain name's ending
(called the top-level domain) is typically ".com", which means "USA
commercial company". Some addresses have different top-level
domains:
Top-level domain Meaning
.com USA commercial company
.org USA organization, typically
non-profit
.gov USA government agency
.mil USA military
.edu USA educational institution
.net USA network resource
.us USA in general
.au Australia
.br Brazil
.ca Canada
.cn China
.es España (Spain)
.fi Finland
.fr France
.de Deutschland (Germany)
.dk Denmark
.ie Ireland
.il Israel
.it Italy
.in India
.it Italy
.jp Japan
.mx Mexico
.no Norway
.nz New Zealand
.ru Russia
.se Sweden
.tw Taiwan
.uk United Kingdom (Great
Britain & Northern Ireland)
The rest of the address (such as "/alice/") is called the page
name; it tells which file on the computer contains the page you
requested.
Type each address carefully:
While typing an address, never put a space in the middle.
Watch your punctuation. The typical address will contain a dot (.)
and a slash (/). An address can also contain a hyphen (-) or
squiggle (~). Addresses never contain commas, backslashes, or
apostrophes.
Type small letters (uncapitalized) for the typical address, since
capitalized page names are rare. (The computer doesn't care whether
you capitalize the protocol and domain name.)
Delays
The computer might take a long time to switch from one page to
another.
Near the screen's top right corner, you see a logo. (In Navigator,
the logo is a big N. In Explorer 2, the logo is a stained-glass
window in the sky).
While the computer is switching to a new page, the computer amuses
you by animating the logo. (You see shooting stars behind the big
N or see clouds moving behind the stained-glass window.) Near the
Start button (at the screen's bottom left corner), the computer
prints messages about the switch. At the screen's bottom right
corner, the red lights turn green while data is being transmitted;
they remain red while your computer waits for the other computer to
pay attention.
How to stop If the switch is taking a long time and you don't want
to wait for it to finish, click the Stop button. That makes the
computer stop the switching.
"Switching pages" is called loading a new page. When you click the
Stop button, here's what happens:
If the computer has nearly finished loading the new page,
the computer shows you most of the new page.
If the computer has not nearly finished loading the new page,
the computer shows you the previous page.
Disconnect
You might get interrupted by a window that suddenly appears and
says "Connection was terminated". That means a computer
accidentally disconnected you from the Internet.
Click the "Reconnect" button. Your computer will say, "Connected".
Then hide the Connected window by clicking its minimize button
(which is left of the X and resize buttons).
Print
While you're examining a page, here's how to print a copy of it
onto paper.
Click the Print button. (In Explorer 2, it's under the word
"Edit".) Then press ENTER. That makes your printer print the entire
page - even the part of the page that goes below the screen's
bottom edge and doesn't fit on the screen.
Changing the home page
When you first buy Explorer or Navigator, here's what happens:
Navigator assumes you want the home page to be
"http://home.netscape.com/".
Explorer 2 assumes you want the home page to be
"http://www.msn.com/".
Explorer 3 assumes you want the home page to be
"http://home.microsoft.com/".
But you can change the assumption, and make the start page be
anything you want! Here's how:
Explorer Which page do you want to become the start page? Get that
page onto your screen (so you can admire it), then click "View",
then "Options", then "Navigation", then "Use Current", then "OK".
(Instead of saying "Navigation", Explorer 2 says "Start and Search
Pages".)
Navigator On the screen's top menu bar, click Options. Then click
General Preferences, then Appearance. If you want the home page to
be just a blank page, click Blank Page; if you want the home page
to be "http://www.yahoo.com/", click Home Page Location instead,
then press the TAB key, then type:
http://www.yahoo.com/
Finally, press ENTER.
Finish
When you finish using Explorer or Navigator, close its window (by
clicking its X box).
For Navigator, do this:
If the taskbar (at the screen's bottom) still shows the name of
your Internet provider (such as "Galaxy"), click that name and then
click "Disconnect".
For Explorer 3, do this:
If the History window appears, close it (by clicking its X box). If
the taskbar (at the screen's bottom) still shows the name of your
Internet provider (such as "Galaxy"), click that name and then
click "Disconnect".
For Explorer 2, do this:
If the History window appears, close it (by clicking its X box). If
the computer asks, "Do you want to close the connection to
Galaxy?", press ENTER.
Does the taskbar (at the screen's bottom) still show the name of
your Internet provider (such as "Galaxy")? If so, the name will
probably disappear within 15 seconds. If the name does not
disappear by then, make it disappear by doing this: click that name
then click "Disconnect".
Electronic mail
Another popular Internet activity is to send electronic mail
(e-mail). An e-mail message imitates a regular letter or postcard
but is transmitted electronically so you don't have to lick a
stamp, don't have to walk to the mailbox to send it, and don't have
to wait for the letter to be processed by the postal system.
E-mail zips through the Internet at lightning speed, so a letter
sent from Japan to the United States takes just minutes (sometimes
even seconds) to reach its destination. Unlike regular mail, which
the Post Office usually delivers just once a day, e-mail can arrive
anytime, day or night. If your friends try to send you e-mail
messages while your computer is turned off, your Internet service
provider will hold their messages for you until you turn your
computer back on and reconnect to the Internet.
Since sending e-mail is so much faster than using the Post Office
(which is about as slow as a snail), the Post Office's mail is
nicknamed snail mail. Yes, e-mail travels fast, typically takes
just a few minutes to reach its destination, and is usually free;
snail mail travels slowly, typically takes several days to reach
its destination, and usually costs 32 cents (for a stamp) plus
money for paper and an envelope. So if your friend promises to send
you a letter "soon", ask "Are you going to send it by e-mail or
snail mail?"
An "e-mail message" is sometimes called just "an e-mail". Instead
of saying "I sent three e-mail messages", an expert says "I sent
three e-mails".
To use e-mail, you need a program called an e-mail client. The most
popular e-mail clients are Netscape Mail (which is part of
Netscape's Navigator) and Internet Mail (which is part of
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3).
I'll explain how to use those e-mail clients. (If you're using
Explorer 2, which includes no e-mail client, switch to Explorer 3.)
Running
Here's how to start using e-mail.
Navigator When you're running Navigator, the screen's bottom right
corner shows the time. Just above the time, you see the mail icon,
which looks like the back of an envelope. To use e-mail, click that
icon.
You'll see the Netscape Mail window. In front of it, you'll
probably see a notice saying "No new messages on server" (which
means nobody's sent you any electronic mail recently). When you
finish reading that notice, make it go away by pressing ENTER. If
the Netscape Mail window doesn't consume the whole screen yet,
maximize the window (by clicking the window's resize button, which
is next to the X button).
The window is then divided into three windowpanes. The top left
windowpane has 3 icons: Inbox (which holds mail that other people
have sent you), Sent (which holds copies of mail you've sent to
other people), and Trash (which holds messages you're deleting).
Explorer 3 When you're running Explorer 3, you see a Mail button at
the top of the screen. Click that button, then click "Read Mail".
You'll see the Internet Mail window. If the Internet Mail window
doesn't consume the whole screen yet, maximize the window (by
clicking the window's resize button, which is next to the X
button).
If you haven't used Explorer 3 before, tell it you want all e-mail
transmissions to be automated! Here's how:
Click "Mail" (which is next to the word "View") then "Options".
Put a check mark in front of "Send messages immediately" (by
clicking there).
Click "Read" (which is near the top of the screen). Put a check
mark in front of "Check for new messages" (by clicking there).
Press ENTER.
Incoming mail
Here's how to handle incoming mail.
Navigator Click the Inbox icon. Then the top right windowpane shows
a list of all e-mail messages that other people have sent you. For
each message, the list shows the sender (who the message is from),
the message's subject (what the message is about), and the date
(when the message was sent).
The first time Netscape Navigator is used on your computer, the top
right windowpane shows you've received a message from "Mozilla",
who is Netscape Corporation's mascot. After you've used Netscape
Navigator awhile, you'll probably received additional messages,
from your friends!
Here's how to deal with a long list of messages:
If there are too many messages to fit in the windowpane, view the
rest of the messages by pressing that windowpane's scroll-down
arrow (the symbol ( at the windowpane's bottom right corner).
Messages you haven't read yet are listed in bold type and have a
green diamond.
In what order do the messages appear? If you click the word "Date",
the messages are listed by date (in chronological order); if you
click the word "Sender" instead, the messages are listed by the
sender's name (in alphabetical order). Clicking "Date" is typically
more useful than clicking "Sender".
Look in the top right windowpane, at the list of messages you
received. Decide which message you want to read, and click the
sender's name. Then the bottom windowpane starts showing you the
complete message. Read it.
The complete message is probably too long to fit in the bottom
windowpane. To see the rest of the message, press that windowpane's
scroll-down arrow (the symbol ( at the windowpane's bottom right
corner).
Another way to see the rest of the message is to adjust the gray
bar that separates the bottom windowpane from the upper
windowpanes: drag that bar up, so the bottom windowpane becomes
bigger and you can see more in it.
Explorer 3 In the Folders box, make sure you see "Inbox". (If you
don't, click in the Folders box, then click "Inbox".)
The screen is divided into two white windowpanes. The top white
windowpane shows a list of all e-mail messages that other people
have sent you. For each message, the list shows who the message is
from (the sender's name), the message's subject (what the message
is about), and when the message was received (the date and time).
The first time Microsoft's Explorer 3 is used on your computer, the
top windowpane shows you've received a message from "Microsoft
Internet Mail...and News Team". After you've used Explorer 3
awhile, you'll probably receive additional messages, from your
friends!
Here's how to deal with a long list of messages:
Each message is initially listed in bold type and shows a picture
of a sealed envelope. If you spend at least 5 seconds looking at a
message's details, that message becomes unbolded and its envelope
becomes opened.
If there are too many messages to fit in the windowpane, view the
rest of the messages by pressing that windowpane's scroll-down
arrow (the symbol ( at the windowpane's bottom right corner).
In what order do the messages appear? If you click the word
"Received", the messages are listed in the order received (in
chronological order); if you click the word "From" instead, the
messages are listed by the sender's name (in alphabetical order).
Clicking "Received" is typically more useful than clicking "From".
When you click the word "Received" or "From", a triangle appears
next to that word. If you click that same word again, the triangle
flips upside-down - and so does the list. For example, suppose the
triangle is next to the word "Received": if the triangle points
down, the messages are listed from newest to oldest; if the
triangle points up instead, the messages are listed from oldest to
newest.
Look in the top white windowpane, at the list of messages you
received. Decide which message you want to read, and click that
person's name. Then the bottom white windowpane shows you the
message the person typed. Read it.
The message is probably too long to fit in the bottom white
windowpane. To see the rest of the message, press its scroll-down
arrow (the symbol ( at the windowpane's bottom right corner).
Look in the top right windowpane, at the list of messages you
received. Decide which message you want to read, and click the
sender's name. Then the bottom windowpane starts showing you the
complete message. Read it.
The complete message is probably too long to fit in the bottom
windowpane. To see the rest of the message, press that windowpane's
scroll-down arrow (the symbol ( at the windowpane's bottom right
corner).
How to send mail
To write an e-mail message, perform 5 steps.
Step 1: get the window Click the New Message button. (Navigator
calls it the To:Mail button.) You'll see the New Message window.
(Navigator calls it the Message Composition window.)
Step 2: choose a recipient To whom do you want to send the message?
To send an e-mail message to a person, you must find out that
person's e-mail address. For example, if you want to send an e-mail
message to me, you need to know that my e-mail address is
"[log in to unmask]".
For the Internet, each e-mail address contains the symbol "@",
which is pronounced "at". For example, my Internet address,
"[log in to unmask]", is pronounced "poo at G I S dot net".
To find out the e-mail addresses of your friends and other people,
ask them (by chatting with them in person or by phoning them or by
sending them snail-mail postcards). Another way to discover e-mail
addresses is to use Bigfoot, which is a World Wide Web site that
searches for e-mail addresses: tell Navigator or Explorer to go to
"www.bigfoot.com".
If you send e-mail to the following celebrities and nuts, they'll
probably read what you wrote, though they might not have enough
time to write back:
Comic actors Comment E-mail
address
David Letterman CBS's "Late Show"
[log in to unmask]
Tim Allen Home Improvement
[log in to unmask]
Adam Sandler Saturday Night Live
[log in to unmask]
Rodney Dangerfield says gets "no respect"
[log in to unmask]
Paula Poundstone stand-up comedienne [log in to unmask]
Dramatic actors
Adam West the original Batman
[log in to unmask]
Wesley Snipes black action-hero
[log in to unmask]
Brad Pitt heartthrob
[log in to unmask]
James Woods plays a psychopath
[log in to unmask]
Politicians
Bill Clinton President of USA
[log in to unmask]
Hillary Clinton First Lady of USA
[log in to unmask]
Al Gore Vice-President of USA
[log in to unmask]
Newt Gingrich Speaker of the House
[log in to unmask]
Ted Kennedy Senator
[log in to unmask]
Ross Perot Presidential candidate
[log in to unmask]
Reporters & commentators
Tom Brokaw NBC news anchorman
[log in to unmask]
Dave Barry syndicated columnist
[log in to unmask]
Rush Limbaugh conservative talk-show
[log in to unmask]
Bill Nye PBS's "Science Guy"
[log in to unmask]
Authors
Tom Clancy writes spy thrillers
[log in to unmask]
Robert Fulghum pop philosopher
[log in to unmask]
Russ Walter nut, wrote this book
[log in to unmask]
Len Pallazola less nutty, helped Russ
[log in to unmask]
John Levine "Internet for Dummies"
[log in to unmask]
Singers
Madonna pop & sexy
[log in to unmask]
Amy Grant pop & Christian
[log in to unmask]
Ted Nugent 1970's classic rock
[log in to unmask]
Joe Walsh classic rock, in Eagles
[log in to unmask]
Warning: people often change their e-mail addresses, so don't be
surprised if your message comes back, marked undeliverable.
Type the e-mail address of the person to whom you want to send your
message. If you're a shy beginner who's nervous about bothering
people, try sending an e-mail message to a close friend or me or
yourself. Sending an e-mail message to yourself is called "doing a
Fats Waller", since he was the first singer to popularize this
song:
"Gonna sit right down and write myself a letter,
And make believe it came from you!"
If you send an e-mail message to me, I'll read it (unless my e-mail
address has changed) and try to send you a reply, but be patient
(since I check my e-mail just a few times per week) and avoid
asking for computer advice (since I give advice just by regular
phone calls at 603-666-6644, not by e-mail).
At the end of the e-mail address, press the TAB key TWICE.
Step 3: choose a subject Type a phrase summarizing the subject
(such as "let's lunch" or "I'm testing"). At the end of that
typing, press the TAB key again.
Step 4: type the message Go ahead: type the message, such as "Let's
have lunch together in Antarctica tomorrow!" or "I'm testing my
e-mail system, so please tell me whether you received this test
message." Your message can be as long as you wish - many
paragraphs! Type the message as if you were using a word processor.
For example, press the ENTER key just when you reach the end of a
paragraph. If you wish, maximize the window you're typing in (by
clicking the window's resize button, which is next to the X
button).
Step 5: send the message When you finish typing the message, click
the Send button (which looks like a flying envelope).
The window you typed in will close automatically. (If you're using
Navigator, you might have to wait one or two minutes for the window
to close. Be patient.)
Smiley's pals
Here's a picture of a smiling face:
It's called a smiley. If you rotate that face 90°, it looks like
this:
:-)
People writing e-mail messages often type that symbol to mean "I'm
smiling; I'm just kidding".
For example, suppose you want to tell President Clinton that you
disagree with his speech. If you communicate the old-fashioned way,
with pencil and paper, you'll probably begin like this:
Dear Mr. President,
I'm somewhat distressed at your recent policy announcement.
But people who communicate by e-mail tend to be more blunt:
Hey, Bill!
You really blew that speech. Jeez! Your policy stinks. You should
be boiled in oil, or at least paddled with a floppy disk. :-)
The symbol ":-)" means "I'm just kidding". That symbol's important.
Forgot to include it? Then poor Bill, worried about getting boiled
in oil, might have the Secret Service arrest you for plotting an
assassination.
The smiley, ":-)", has many variations:
Symbol Meaning
:-) I'm smiling.
:-( I'm frowning.
:-< I'm real sad.
:-c I'm bummed out.
:-C I'm really bummed out!
:-I I'm grim.
:-/ I'm skeptical.
:-7 I'm smirking because I made a wry statement.
:-> I have a devilish grin.
:-D I'm laughing.
:-o I'm shouting.
:-O I'm shouting really loud.
:-@ I'm screaming.
:-8 I talk from both sides of my mouth.
:-p I'm sticking my tongue out at you.
:-P I'm being tongue-in-cheek.
:-& I'm tongue-tied.
:-9 I'm licking my lips.
:-* My lips pucker for a kiss or pickle.
:-x My lips are sealed.
:-# I wear braces.
:-$ My mouth is wired shut.
:-? I smoke a pipe.
:-} I have a beard.
:-B I have buck teeth.
:-[ I'm a vampire.
:-{} I wear lipstick.
:-{) I have a mustache.
:-~) My nose runs.
:-)~ I'm drooling.
:-)-8 I have big breasts.
:*) I'm drunk.
:^) My nose is broken.
:~I I'm smoking.
:/i No smoking!
:~j I'm smoking and smiling.
:'-( I'm crying.
:'-) I'm so happy, I'm crying.
:) I'm a midget.
;-) I'm winking.
.-) I have just one eye,
,-) but I'm winking it.
?-) I have a black eye.
%-) I'm dizzy from staring at the screen too long.
8-) I wear glasses.
B-) I wear cool shades, man.
g-) I wear pince-nez glasses.
P-) I'm a pirate.
O-) I'm a scuba diver.
|-O I'm yawning.
|^O I'm snoring.
X-( I just died.
8:-) My glasses are on my forehead.
B:-) My sunglasses are on my forehead.
O:-) I'm an angel.
+:-) I'm a priest.
[:-) I'm wearing a Walkman.
&:-) I have curly hair.
@:-) I have wavy hair.
8:-) I have a bow in my hair.
{:-) I wear a toupee,
}:-) but the wind is blowing it off.
-:-) I'm a punk rocker,
-:-( but real punk rockers don't smile.
[:] I'm a robot.
3:] I'm your pet,
3:[ but I growl.
}:-> I'm being devilish,
>;-> and lewdly winking.
=:-) I'm a hosehead.
E-:-) I'm a ham radio operator.
C=:-) I'm a chef.
=|:-)= I'm Uncle Sam.
<):-) I'm a fireman.
*<:-) I'm Santa Claus.
*:o) I'm Bozo the clown.
<:I I'm a dunce.
(-: I'm a lefty.
Since those symbolic pictures (icons) help you emote, they're
called emoticons (pronounced "ee MOTE ee cons").
Acronyms
People writing e-mail messages often use these abbreviations:
Acronym Meaning
<g> I'm Grinning.
<bg> I have a Big Grin.
<vbg> I have a Very Big Grin
LOL Laughing Out Loud
ROTFL Rolling On The Floor Laughing
HHOJ Ha Ha, Only Joking
TIC Tongue In Cheek
B4 Before
L8R Later
CUL8R See You Later
TTYL Talk To You Later
TTFN Ta Ta For Now
BRB Be Right Back
JAM Just A Minute
RSN Real Soon Now
TIA Thanks In Advance
NRN No Reply Necessary
IMO In My Opinion
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
FYI For Your Information
FAQ Frequently Asked Question
RTM Read The Manual
RTFM Read The F***ing Manual
OIC Oh, I See
SITD Still In The Dark
RUOK Are You OK?
IRL In Real Life
BTDT Been There, Done That
BTW By The Way
FWIW For What It's Worth
IAE In Any Event
IOW In Other Words
OTOH On The Other Hand
What messages did you send?
To check which messages you sent, do this:
If you're using Navigator, click the Sent folder (which is in top
left windowpane).
If you're using Explorer 3, click in the Folders box, then click
"Sent Items".
You'll see a list of messages you sent. For each message, the list
shows the address you sent it to, the message's subject, and when
you sent it.
When you finish admiring that list, make the screen become normal
again by doing this:
If you're using Navigator, click the Inbox folder (which is in top
left windowpane).
If you're using Explorer 3, click in the Folders box, then click
"Inbox".
Reply
While you're reading a message that somebody's sent you, here's how
to reply.
Click the Reply to Author button (which Navigator calls the
"Re:Mail" button). Then type your reply.
While you type, the computer shows a copy of the message you're
replying to. The copy has ">" in front of each line. If you want to
abridge that copy (so it doesn't clutter your screen), use your
mouse: drag across the part you want to delete, then press the
DELETE key.
When you finish typing your reply, click the Send button (which
looks like a flying envelope). The computer will send your reply,
along with your abridged copy of the message you're replying to.
Delete old messages
If you've received many messages, the list of messages you received
becomes long. If you've sent many messages, the list of messages
you sent becomes long.
To reduce the clutter, delete the messages that no longer interest
you.
Navigator Here's how to delete a message you received (or a copy of
a message you sent): make the message's name appear in the top
right windowpane, then click the name (so it turns blue), then
press the DELETE key.
That tells the computer you want to delete the message. The
computer moves the message into the Trash folder, which appears in
the top left windowpane. (The Trash folder resembles Windows 95's
Recycle Bin.)
To find out what's in the Trash folder, click the Trash folder's
icon. Then the Trash folder's contents appear in the top right
windowpane.
When you're 100% sure that you no longer want any of the messages
that are in the Trash folder, choose "Empty Trash Folder" from the
File menu. Then all messages in the Trash folder vanish.
Explorer 3 Here's how to delete a message you received (or a copy
of a message you sent): make the message's name appear in the top
windowpane, then click the name (so it turns blue), then press the
DELETE key.
That tells the computer you want to delete the message. The
computer moves the message into the Deleted Items folder (which
resembles Windows 95's Recycle Bin).
To find out what's in the Deleted Items folder, click in the
Folders box, then click "Deleted Items". You'll see what's in the
Delete Items folder: a list of the messages you deleted. When
you're 100% sure that you no longer want any of those messages, do
this: click anywhere in that list of messages, choose "Select All''
from the Edit menu (so all the messages turn blue), then press the
DELETE key, then click the Yes button. Then all messages in the
Deleted Items folder vanish.
Forward a message
While you're reading a message you received, here's how to send a
copy of it to a friend.
Click the Forward button. Type your friend's e-mail address. At the
end of that address, press the TAB key 3 times.
Type a comment to your friend, such as "Here's a joke Mary sent
me."
Below your typing, Explorer 3 shows a copy of the message you're
forwarding; the copy has ">" in front of each line. (If you're
using Navigator, the message you're forwarding is sent as an
attachment instead.)
Click the Send button (which looks like a flying envelope).
Signature
At the bottom of your e-mail message, you can include a few lines
that identify who you are. Those lines are called your signature
(or sig).
For example, your sig can include your full name, address, and
phone number. You can mention your office's address & phone number,
but be cautious about revealing your home address & phone number,
since e-mail messages are often peeked at by strangers.
If you're employed, you might also wish to give your company's
name, your title, and a disclaimer, such as "The opinions I
expressed aren't necessarily my employer's." You might also wish to
reveal your personality, by including your favorite saying (such as
"Keep on truckin'" or "Power to the people" or "May the Lord bless
you" or "Turned on by Twinkies". But keep your sig short: any sig
containing more than 4 lines of text is considered an impolite
waste of your reader's time.
Don't bother putting your e-mail address in your sig, since your
e-mail address appears automatically at the top of your message.
If you're using Explorer 3, here's how to easily put the same sig
on all your e-mail messages:
On the menu bar at the top of the screen, click the word "Mail"
(which is between "View" and "Help". Then click "Options", then
"Signature", then "Text".
Next to "Text", you see a white box. Click in that box's top left
corner.
Press ENTER (so the top line of your sig will be blank). Type five
dashes (so the second line of your sig will be "-----") and press
ENTER. Then type whatever words and numbers you want to be in your
sig (pressing the ENTER key at the end of each line).
Click "OK". Now the computer will automatically put that sig at the
bottom of each message you write.
While you edit a message, edit its sig! Customize its sig to match
the rest of the message.
Send a file attachment
While you're writing a message, here's how to insert a file (such
as a picture you drew in Paint, or a document composed in WordPad
or Microsoft Word).
Click the button that looks like a paper clip. (Explorer 3 calls it
the Insert File button. Navigator calls it the Attach button. If
you're using Navigator, then click the Attach File button.)
Which file do you want to insert? Make its icon appear on the
screen. (If its icon is not on the screen because the computer is
showing a different folder, do this: click the "(", then click the
hard disk's "C:" icon, then double-click the folders that the file
is in.)
When the file's icon is finally on the screen, double-click that
icon.
Here's what happens next:
Explorer 3: below the message you were writing, you should see your
file's icon; make sure the message and the file's icon are correct.
Nevigator: click "OK"; above the message you were writing, you
should see your file's name; make sure the message and the file's
name are correct.
Finally, click the Send button (which looks like a flying
envelope). That makes the computer send the message and attached
file.
Receive a file attachment
Here's what to do if a friend sends you a message that includes an
attached file:
Navigator While you're reading the message, you'll see under it an
icon labeled "Part 1.2". Click that icon.
Explorer 3 Look at the Inbox's list of incoming messages. That list
appears in the top white windowpane.
In that windowpane, you'll see a paper clip before each message
that includes an attached file. To see the attached file,
double-click the paper clip. (Make sure you double-click the paper
clip that's in the top white windowpane.)
You'll see the message. Under it you'll see the attached file's
icon. Double-click that icon.
Final steps The computer will try to show you the pictures and
words that are in the attached file, by running the program that
created the file. For example, if the file is a picture created by
Paint, the computer will try to run Paint; if the file is a
document created by Microsoft Word, the computer will try to run
Microsoft Word. (If the file is a forwarded message created by
Navigator, no new program needs to run, since Explorer can imitate
Navigator.)
When you finish looking at the pictures and words that are in the
attached file, close whatever program created it (such as Paint or
Microsoft Word) by choosing Exit from the File menu. You'll return
to seeing the Navigator (or Explorer 3) screen.
Newsgroups
The three most popular uses of the Internet are the World Wide Web,
electronic mail, and newsgroups. You've already learned about the
World Wide Web and electronic mail. Here's how to use newsgroups.
To use newsgroups, you need a program called a news reader. The
most popular news reader is Netscape News, which is part of
Netscape's Navigator. (Another news reader is Internet News, which
is part of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and too awkward to be
worth discussing).
Netscape News
Here's how to use Netscape News.
While you're running Netscape's Navigator, do this: instead of
typing a World Wide Web address (which begins with "http://"), type
a newsgroup address, which begins with "news:".
For example, contact the Funny newsgroup (which contains funny
jokes), by typing this -
news:alt.humor.funny
and then pressing ENTER.
You see the "news:alt.humor.funny" window. Maximize it (by clicking
its resize button), so it consumes the whole screen.
The window then divides into three windowpanes, as if you were
using e-mail. In the top right windowpane, you see a list of people
who sent messages to the "alt.humor.funny" newsgroup.
Click the person whose message you want to read. The screen's
bottom windowpane will show you the message's beginning; to read
the rest of that message, press the scroll-down arrow.
When you finish using the newsgroup, close its window (by clicking
its X box).
Deja News
To find out which newsgroups discuss your favorite topic, use the
World Wide Web to go to "www.dejanews.com", then double-click in
the box called "Quick Search For", then type a topic that interest
you (and press ENTER). If the computer says "Security Information",
press ENTER again.
The computer will start printing a list of newsgroup messages about
that topic. The list shows each message's date, score (as to how
relevant the message is to your topic), subject, the newsgroup it
came from, and who wrote it.
Decide which message you want to read. Then you can see its full
text by clicking its underlined subject; but before you click,
scribble the newsgroup's name on a sheet of paper, for your future
pleasures!
Newsgroup directory
There are over 20,000 newsgroups! The average newsgroup generates
4 pages of new messages per day; so altogether, newsgroups generate
80,000 pages of new messages per day! The collection of all
Internet newsgroups is called Usenet.
These newsgroups are popular:
Anthology fun
Best the best from other newsgroups
alt.best.of.internet
Best Humor humor from other newsgroups
alt.humor.best-of-usenet
Funny jokes and humorous
discussions rec.humor.funny
Quotations interesting quotations
alt.quotations
Chat
Personals personal ads
alt.personals
Pen Pals looking for pen pals
soc.penpals
Sex general discussion about sex
alt.sex
Revenge ideas about getting revenge
alt.revenge
Buddha weird chat based on Buddhism
alt.buddha.short.fat.guy
Debating what's real
Rumors postings of rumors
talk.rumors
Urban Folklore debate which "facts" are true
alt.folklore.urban
Conspiracy conspiracy theories
alt.conspiracy
What If "what if" speculation
alt.history.what-if
Mythic Animals creatures of myth & fantasy alt.mythology.mythic-animals
Aliens discuss visitors from space
alt.alien.visitors
Paranormal psychic phenomena
alt.paranet.psi
Movies
Movies discussion of movies
rec.arts.movies
Current Films discussion of current movies
rec.arts.movies.current-films
Jobs
Jobs job postings
misc.jobs.offered
Computer Jobs computer-related job postings comp.jobs
Tips
Free Stuff how to get free stuff
alt.consumers.free-stuff
Writing help for writers
misc.writing
Genealogy research your roots
soc.genealogy.surnames
Cats all about cats
rec.pets.cats
New Groups new newsgroups forming
news.announce.newgroups
Buying a computer
For Sale computers for sale
misc.forsale.computers.*
New Products new computer products
comp.newprod
Consultants computer consultants
alt.computer.consultants
Computers in general
Comp Answers general computer help comp.answers
IBM PC hardware & software
comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
2600 hackers magazine
alt.2600
Homebuilt general hardware
alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt
Systems motherboards & systems
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems
Storage hard disks & tape drives
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage
Communication modem software
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.comm
PCMCIA PCMCIA cards
alt.periphs.pcmcia
PC Hardware other IBM-compatible
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc
Freeware free software
alt.comp.freeware
Virus virus info
comp.virus
Neural Nets neural networks
comp.ai.neural-nets
Visuals
Video video cards & drivers
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video
Graphics graphics programs
comp.graphics.*
Corel Graphics Corel graphics programs alt.corel.graphics
Clip Art free clip art
alt.binaries.clip-art
Multimedia
Multimedia multimedia hardw&softw comp.multimedia
Publish CD CD-ROM publishing
comp.publish.cdrom.*
Sound Cards sound cards
comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.*
Sounds free recorded sounds
alt.binaries.sounds.*
Computer games
Games game hardware&software
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.*
Quake tips for winning at Quake
rec.games.computer.quake.playing
Windows
Windows Windows hardw&softw
comp.os.ms-windows.*
Win 95 Crash Windows 95 difficulties
alt.os.windows95.crash.crash.crash
Contribute
While you're reading a message, you can send a reply.
If you want the reply to be sent privately to the message's author,
so just that author sees your reply, click the Re:Mail button. That
will send private mail to the author.
If instead you want your reply to be sent publicly, so everybody on
the Internet can see your reply, click the Re:News button instead.
That will post your reply, so your reply becomes part of the
newsgroup.
If instead you want to start a whole new topic that's not a reply,
so everybody on the Internet can see your new topic and react to
it, click the To:News button. That will post your new topic, so
your topic becomes part of the newsgroup.
Then your screen shows a form to fill in - the same kind of form
used for writing e-mail. Fill in the form, then click the Send
button.
If you post a reply or a new topic, it will probably become part of
the newsgroup. But some newsgroups are moderated by a special
person (the moderator), who decides which messages to erase.
Netiquette
When you post a message, use proper Net etiquette, which is called
Netiquette. The main rule of Netiquette is: don't waste people's
time!
Many people faithfully read their favorite newsgroups every day. If
you post messages that are useless or annoying, those readers will
get angry, and their tempers can flare hot enough to make them
flame you (post angry messages about you or send you angry e-mail
messages, called flame mail). If you're a new user (newbie) who
doesn't understand Netiquette yet, your posted messages will
probably receive flame mail.
Before posting a message, ask yourself these questions....
Will most people reading this newsgroup find your message
worthwhile? Make sure your message doesn't waste people's time. For
example, don't post a message like this one -
Newsgroups: rec.guitar
Subject: guitar plaiyer
My band is so cool. Tom wails. We reelly rock!
Instead, make the message appear newsworthy, like this -
Newsgroups: rec.guitar
Subject: Free concert in Cambridge MA this Sunday
Hello, everyone! If you're in the Boston area, come to Harvard
Square this Sunday to hear "Some Assembly Required". The concert is
free, but get there early because it'll get crowded fast! The
guitar player, Tom, is as close to brilliant as they come.
Does your subject line quickly describe what your message is about?
The subject line helps people quickly find messages that interest
them. In the second example above, people who don't live near
Cambridge, MA, won't waste their time reading about a free concert
there.
Are you posting your message to the appropriate newsgroup? The
second example above is appropriate for groups like rec.guitar and
ne.announce (New England announcements). If you post the same
message to rec.music.artists.beach-boys, you'll get flamed.
Have you checked your spelling and grammar for embarrassing errors?
Once you post a message, it's too late to correct your mistakes.
Your message, errors and all, will be available to millions.
Will many people be offended by your message? There are millions of
people on the Internet. If we're all going to get along, we must be
careful about what we say.
208
Communication: Internet
213
Communication: Internet
----------
End of Document
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