MacUser's 101 Must-See Sites

When the Cable Goes Out

Patrick G. Kenny's TV Bytes: WWW TV Themes Home Page: Craving the soothing sound of the "Coke Is It!" jingle? This home page has hundreds of sound files of jingles and TV theme songs from your most fondly remembered sitcoms, westerns, and cartoons.
Late Show with David Letterman: Not only can you read the Top Ten List from last night's Late Show but you can also perform advanced searches on the archive of Letterman's lists.
Musi-Cal: Find out who's heating up the stage in your downtown, or browse through your favorite artist's tour schedule. Also use the system to link to artists, venues, and the CDWorld shopping service.
The Ultimate Band List: Probably the largest list of music links on the Web, this site sounds off with every band you've ever heard of and lots of bands you haven't.
The Internet Underground Music Archive: The IUMA will rock your world, with its searchable indexes of signed and independent acts as well as music publications and music archives.
The Internet M ovie Database: Microsoft's Cinemania is great, but does it keep up-to-date with the latest hot movies? Does it let you add your own knowledge about films to the database? The Internet Movie Database does all that and more.
TV Net: If you're a fan of a show you're sure nobody remembers, this is where you'll find six Web sites devoted to it.
Mr. Showbiz: Mr. Showbiz offers interviews, gossip, news, and more on all thingsshowbiz - stage, screen, radio, or TV.
The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5: View loads of information about the TV series, from several perspectives: a behind-the-scenes look, a synopsis of the Babylon 5 universe, and an episode-by-episode guide.
tarantino world: If you've ever wondered what was in that much desired briefcase in Pulp Fiction, this site's for you . Covering all things related to hip director Quentin Tarantino, tarantino world features discussion areas, sounds, pictures, and links to other Tarantino-fan sites.
Anime Web Turnpike: Anime is the animation arm of the popular Japanese drawing style Manga. There are hundreds of Anime and Manga sites scattered across the Web, and the Anime Web Turnpike is a good starting point.
The Calvin and Hobbes Jumpstation: Delve into the psyches of an obnoxious boy, his tiger, and the man who made it all happen, with this collection of cartoons and links to related archives, FTP sites, newsgroups, and home pages devoted to the nation's most adored brat.
The Dilbert Zone: Don't bother reading Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, or Barrons. If you want to know what's really going on behind the scenes in cor porate America, Scott Adams' hilarious comic strip is the only source you need.
The Dysfunctional Family Circus: If you require a strong dose of insulin after reading Bil Keane's overtly wholesome comic strip, this site is for you. Single-panel cartoons featuring the zany Circus crew are presented without the original caption - you fill in the blanks. Contributed text is invariably tasteless and, for those with the proper wit, a l augh riot.
European Comics on the Net: Comics fans bored by Blondie and her Sunday-paper cohorts should check out this collection of links to comics from the Continent and learn why Europeans are having the last laugh.

When Your Creative License Has Expired

Kai's Power Tips and Tricks: Tips and tricks for artists from fans of MetaTools' hot plug-in. Discussion groups, pointers to other graphics sites, plus a digital gallery make this a great place to start if you're thinking about working with Photoshop.
Image Soup: This quarterly online publication from New York offers how-to advice for applications such as Photoshop and Director.
Internet Font Archives: Fonts, fonts, and more fonts can be found in this searc hable index of PostScript fonts that are available online and from type foundries such as Adobe and Bitstream.
Multimedia Authoring Web: Your one-stop shop for links and information on multimedia-development resources for CD-ROMs, video, animation, online publishing, and more.
DTP Internet Jumplist: This DTP way station links you to graphics resources across the Inter net, including pointers to FAQs, clip art, and discussion groups.
ArtSource: Don't expect to find any amateurish doodlings among this selective collection of links to high-caliber online art and architecture.
The Web Museum: Based in Paris and dedicated to bringing fine art to the Internet, The Web Museum features an extensive image collection that includes 20th-century art; medie val works; and famous works from such respected artists as Cezanne, El Greco, Renoir, O'Keefe, Dali, and countless others.
Photo Perspectives: This site showcases photography exhibits that focus on cultural, sociopolitical, and educational issues. You'll also find videos of photo sessions and interviews with artists.
Asian Arts: A wide varie ty of exhibitions and articles on Asian art, gallery information, and reader feedback, all set in an elegant online design.

Blinded By Science

Cool NASA Site of the Week: The best way to visit space, short of hopping onto the shuttle. Tune into a new NASA site each week, and get in touch with your universe.
The Nine Plane ts: Cuddle up to your computer and get intimate with our own little corner of the galaxy by surfing out to The Nine Planets, where text, pictures, sounds, and movies transport you all the way to the moon and beyond.
The U.C. Berkeley Museum of Paleontology: Paleontology is the study of dinosaurs, right? Not quite! Paleontology is the study of all fossilized remains, of which dinosaurs are only a small part. This virtual museum has exhibits on geolog ical time, evolutionary topics, and fossil records as well as (of course) the famous hall of dinosaurs.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Everyone's heard of the Seven Wonders, but how much do you know about them? This detailed guide has images, information, speculation, and extensive historical data on the Seven Wonders, plus links to other archaeological resources.
29. Ocea n Planet: A traveling exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution, featuring information on biodiversity and the environment. This elaborate online science project also confronts ocean issues, undersea vents, and recent watery discoveries.

Just the Stats, Ma'am

SEC EDGAR Database: Search the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) database to get the scoop on al l U.S. public companies.
NETworth: Galt Technologies' attractive site provides all sorts of information for individual investors. Learn about insurance, retirement planning, taxes, and more.
FINWeb: FINWeb contains a comprehensive collection of pointers to financial and economic information, including business- as well as academic-oriented sites.
STATUSA: Get your hot little hands on business and economic statistics the U.S. Department of Commerce has gathered from more than 50 federal agencies. But be prepared to pay - STATUSA is a subscription-based service.
Project Vote Smart: Learn about political candidates before you vote. Project Vote Smart sends out questionnaires to federal and state office seekers, to get their opinions on key campaign issues. What it gets back is what y ou see.
THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet: Check up on Congress - search the Congressional Record, find out the status of a bill, or share a piece of your mind with that special someone on Capitol Hill.
The Jefferson Project: Plow through the dark recesses of American politics, using this fascinating array of political links that deal with controversial issues, political parties, and even humor.

An Apple A Day INFO-MAC HyperArchive ROOT A volunteer effort by Mac users the world over, the Info-Mac archive is one of the biggest and best Internet collections of Mac software and information. File descriptions and downloads are one click away. Apple Software Updates This hyper text front end to Apple's FTP site contains the latest system-software updates and Apple utilities, along with older system software you might have a hard time tracking down elsewhere. QuickTime VR Offering the QuickTime VR player as well as downloadable 3-D landscapes and objects, Apple's QuickTime VR Web site opens the gateway to virtual worlds. University of Texas Mac Archive T his comprehensive archive includes descriptions of all the latest cool software available on the Internet. Macintosh Shopping Directory You can't actually buy Mac products at this site, but it does offer a wealth of contact info for every Mac company willing to take your money. Apple Computer If you want the scoop on anything Apple-related, such as product and pricing information, go to the source. It's a heck of a lot quicker than getting through to the company on the phone. The MacInTouch Home Page The Web home of Ric Ford's MacWEEK column, MacInTouch (the best source of up-to-the-minute Macintosh info in print), doesn't contain the actual column but goes it one better by being even more current. The Well Connected Mac The Well Connected Mac acts as Information Central for almost ever ything Mac-related. Hook up to more than 1,400 Mac vendors, hundreds of Mac FTP sites, a huge index of software and hardware reviews, and the Buying and Selling Macs FAQ. The Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh A terrific guide to getting up and running on the Net, The Internet Starter Kit is now available in its entirety on the Web. Its hot links to sites across the Web make turning pages seem passe. Cyberian Outpost Whether you're in the market for a Performa 6200 or a Beavis & Butt-head screen saver, you'll find it all at the Cyberian Outpost. This colorful online computer store offers detailed product information, reviews, and photos of an extensive Mac selection that rivals that of the biggest superstore. Order online or by phone.

When You've Forgotten The Number for 911

MedWeb: This long list from Emory University includes Web sites, newsgroups, and mailing lists covering a wide range of medical areas -- from AIDS to virtual reality in medicine.
Health and Human Services: The HHS site has links to other health-related government sites, in addition to much consumer and policy information. Technical terms are linked to definitions in the National Library of Medicine's Entrez glossary.
Cente rs for Disease Control: This government site offers a heap of consumer and policy information on health matters plus links to a slew of health statistics.
University of Pittsburgh's Alternative Medicine Homepage: This medicine page links you to other alternative-medicine sites as well as to clinical studies and National Institute of Health research on alternative methods. It's also the best place to get the straight dope on medical marijuana .
ChronicIll Net: An excellent collection of resources, news, and research on a wide variety of illnesses and medical conditions, including cancer, heart disease, AIDS, neurological diseases, and much more.

When Taco Bell is No Longer the Answer

Julie's Low & Fat-Free Resources List: You want the skinny on fat? Julie's is where it's at. You'll find links to the low -fat and fat-free Usenet newsgroups and FAQs as well as links to more than a dozen sites containing low- and no-fat recipes. Julie's list also has links to suppliers of some of the more hard-to-find health snacks.
Welcome to Pizza Hut!: Unfortunately, even with the fastest modem, there's still no way a hot pizza can be delivered over the Internet. But if you live in Santa Cruz, California, you can pop onto the Web to order a pizza from Pizza Hut's electronic sto refront. Place your order online, and a pizza will be delivered by the usual analog methods.
Web Compendium of Alcohol Beverages: If it has any appreciable alcohol in it and isn't intended for medicinal or industrial purposes, it's likely to be on this comprehensive page, which is compiled by Dean Tudor. Wine drinkers are sure to take inebriated delight in the more than 100 wine-related links, covering every aspect of the ferme nted grape. Hopheads will additionally be impressed with links to sites featuring home-brew societies, beer FAQs, breweries - even an entire page devoted to that zimply awful beverage Zima.
Dining Out on the Web: Dining Out on the Web contains a general list of pointers to other dining resources as well as numerous direct links to restaurants across the United States. The sites are organized by city and state, and several of them include reproductio ns of menus.

All Play and No Work

Games Domain: If there's a more complete computer-games Web site on the Net, we haven't found it. This page contains links to hundreds of games-related home pages; dozens of commercial pages; and oodles of FAQs, walk-thrus, game patches, hints, FTP sites, and online magazines.
Zarf's List of Interactive Games on the Web: Zarf's list of games is like a fully loaded toy box without the mess. Hot links connect you to interactive games, ranging from Netpoker to Name That Tune, as well as interactive toys, old and new.
The MUD Resource Collection: If you don't know your MUSH from your MOO, this is a good place to begin your explorations. MUDs (multiuser dimensions/domains/dialogs/dungeons) are online multiplayer fantasy games whose themes range from the social to the sociopathic.
Universal Access BlackJack Server: Care to practice your blackjack skills prior to playing for keepsies in Vegas or Atlantic City? No need for a partner when you can log onto this blackjack site.
SpeedNet: From the point leaders on the NASCAR circuit to the budding political career of Richard Petty, this site's complete coverage of auto racing will keep a ny fanatic in the pole position.
The Basketball Server: Do ya love the game? Then you'll love the site. Game summaries, box scores, divisional races, and more will have any basketball fan spending more than three seconds here.
Fastball: The best general-purpose baseball page around, with enough links to stories and stats to satisfy all but the most hard-core baseball fan.
NFL Game Day: It may be a predictable pick, but NFL Game Day, the official Web page of the (insert echo effects) National . . . Football . . . League, really is the best all-around information center for football.
The NHL OPEN NET: The National Hockey League's site has everything you need to know about the coolest game in town: news, game schedules, rules, rosters, statistics, and lots more. There's additionally a Web version of NHL Th is Week, the league's official newsletter. The NHL OPEN NET even schedules live chats with popular players such as Pat LaFontaine, of the Buffalo Sabers.

Do It Yourself

Security APL Quote Server: Stock quotes come one at a time, but they're free and you don't have to register to get them. The quote server can also link you to Securities and Exchange Commission filings for the companies you select.
The Outpost Network: Who needs stamps anymore? Using Outpost's forms, you can vent via e-mail to politicians, corporations, activist organizations, and the media at large.
Firefly: Meet your match with this personalized music service. Firefly recommends artists or albums for you based on your ratings of preselected artists and sound samples.
The San Francisco Explo ratorium: Even if you don't live in the Bay Area, the Exploratorium's Web-based Learning Studio brings scientific experimentation to your Mac.
Madlib!: Submit a couple of silly adjectives, some verbs ending in -ed, and a noun or two, and you've got an online Madlib masterpiece that will spark as many giggles as its paper-based predecessor.
Confession Booth: In this hurly-burl y world, it's tough enough just to get to the market before closing, much less take time out for Higher Purposes. If the guilt of past actions weighs heavily upon your soul, take a few moments to visit the Confession Booth.
Foreign Languages for Travelers: For those of us who endured five years of Spanish classes only to recall the single phrase Albondigas, no te dije?, this site is a godsend. Download sound files of the most helpful phrases in 19 languages. For those who still find themselves struggling with a language, the site also includes links to other phrase pages and to online translation dictionaries.
WEB Personals: If you're looking for love or just a good laugh, hook up to this swinging social scene. Ads are categorized by the kind of relationship desired and then grouped by country and state. As with printed personals, it's a seller's market for heterose xual women: When we checked, 481 women sought relationships with men, whereas 2,703 men sought female companionship.
Build a Card: Uh-oh. You're on a business trip, and you forgot that today is your anniversary. It may be too late for flowers but not for a personalized electronic greeting card.
KidPub: This site's Webmeister started KidPub to give his nine-year-old daughter an outlet for her stories, and now he hosts hundreds of stories and poems, many of them illustrated, by kids aged roughly 4 to 15. A handy form lets your child submit stories.
The Cyrano Server: If a sincere love letter is beyond your capabilities, let Cyrano do the work for you. Merely fill in a few blanks, and the server will compose a love letter in any of seven distinct styles. Also available: personalized Dear John letters.

Have You Lost Your Mind? < DL>

Space Age Bachelor Pad Music

Remove the lounge lizard from the endangered species list! This homage to Juan Esquivel and space-age pop symbolizes a revival of '50s glamour that practically reeks of smoking jackets and cheesy music. If you start craving cocktails, hot links to various online lounges will have you sipping screwdrivers and humming along with the Muzak in no time.

The Blue Dot

This warped art gallery dishes up a smorgasbord including a ghastly gargoyle hunt, a sardonic stamp collection featuring such trashy '90s icons as Tonya Harding and Amy Fisher, and a freedom-fighting Rabbit Rat.

The Foolproof Guide to Making Any Woman Your Platonic Friend

Both genders will appreciate this exploration of the most painful words in any language: "I just want to be friends" and "I don't want to risk our friends hip." Especially fun is the Dear Abby-ish advice to guys: One poor fellow was jilted by a woman who explained, "I like you too much." Yeah, right.

The KOOKS Museum

The KOOKS Museum is Donna J. Kossy's look at world-class conspiracy nuts, quacks, and hatemongers - those wacky folks who make walking down a city street a little bit like a trip through the secure wing of your local hospital. Kossy is a serious student of crackpotology, and her sites o ffer gems such as the excerpts from a letter written by George Dahl, who makes a convincing case that a New York blackout was staged solely to observe and control him. Don't forget to stop by the Kooks Museum Gift Shoppe on your way out.

The Unusual or Deep Site of the Day

Ride the Web into a new, deep, and deranged destination every day, with this guide to choice oddities.

Capt ain James T. Kirk Sing-Along Page

Celebrate the short-lived but horrible singing career of William Shatner, with seven sound clips from Shatner remakes of classics such as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." Or steel yourself against the siren sounds of Nichelle Nichols' (Star Trek's Lieutenant Uhura) one album sample before pointing your ears toward tracks from any one of Leonard Nimoy's ten albums.

Solid Spac e

"Your source for important information and things to tell your friends" focuses on obscure baby-boomer-era topics that you won't see covered anywhere else. A photo essay entitled "The Dark Side of PEZ" features illustrations of the 1970s skull-head PEZ dispenser, and a well-illustrated history of GAF View-Masters includes photographs of the popular stereo viewers from 1945. TV personality Mr. T. makes a special guest appearance.

LEGO Information

Read about LEGOs. Sing about LEGOs. Be one with your LEGOs. Join a man in his passion for the colored bricks that shaped a nation. Did you know that there are 14 black 1" x 2" bricks in set #1845? Now you do.

When You've Misplaced Your Library Card

The World Factbook: Published by the Central Intelligence Agency, this wonderful resource contains maps and vital statistics about countries around the world. If you want to learn about the terrain of Bolivia, this is the place to go.
The Library of Congress: Search the nation's library without leaving your desk or dealing with any ill-tempered librarians. Perfect for building book lists, but you'll have to take a D.C. detour if you want to really browse.
The Internet Public Library: Like a real public library, this site organizes books and reference collec tions into rooms and stacks. Click on the image maps for reference, youth, literature, and so on, and you'll find lots of useful links to searchable indexes and downloadable texts.
Webster's English Dictionary: If you enter a word, Webster's will define it. If you don't know the spelling, give it your best shot and the program will offer alternatives.
Roget's Thesaurus: Tired of using the same word day after day? Spice up your vocabulary with synonyms from Roget's online thesaurus.
The ETEXT Archives: Tap into electronic texts all over the Internet, including the Gutenberg electronic-books archive and a plethora of independent electronic publications and magazines.
Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet publishes some of the finest printed travel guides on earth, and its invaluable insights are available online as well. You get the lowdown on the customs, culture, currency, climate, and cuisine of just about any destination that comes to mind.
Banned Books On-Line: From Ulysses to Huckleberry Finn, this is the place to go to read books that somebody, somewhere, sometime, thought shouldn't be read by anyone. If you're shocked by the logic behind this literary cleansing, links to activist sit es allow you to speak out.
The Works of the Bard: "To be or not to be?" Find out the answer to that question and more.
Fiction Page: Catch up on all the classics you didn't have time for in high school, with this concise compilation of links to the literary elite.

If Your Subscription Has Run Out

electronic Gourmet Guide: The electronic Gourmet Guide is a monthly e-zine devoted to food and cooking. In addition to more than a dozen recipes, ranging from soup to nuts, each edition contains cooking tips, hints for finding more gastronomic information on the Net, and feature stories.
George: The electronic version of John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s, new political vehicle packs a good sampling of the magazine's "not just poli tics as usual" content as well as a bulletin board and fun interactive features such as the "Political Trivia Quiz."
Guitar World: Part of the problem with writing about music is . . . you're writing about music. When a Guitar World article on the Web gives an example of a hot riff, you can actually hear it played.
Entertainment Weekly: Time Warner's magazines are all well represented on the Web. Entert ainment Weekly is typical, with a bulletin board, the major features from each issue, and movie and multimedia ratings.
The Utne Lense: The Lense is based on The Utne Reader, an eclectic Reader's Digest of the alternative press. Like its print counterpart, The Utne Lense is smart and stylish and doesn't descend to gratuitously hip posturing.
HotWired: No one on the Web covers the spectrum of pop c ulture with the abandon and zeal of HotWired, the online doppelganger of Wired magazine. HotWired covers music, art, travel, and the like, but with a postmode rn digital zing.
MacUser: Visit Macuser online home to access key articles and even more hot links to some very cool sites. While you're there, get the inside scoop on all the extra info they didn't have room for in the magazine.; Return to
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