Sites of the Week: September 20, 2014

“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.”

– Isaac Newton

Factoid: In 1952, corporations accounted for 32% of federal tax revenue. As of 2013, it was less than 10%.

Vox.com

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

Passenger Shaming
http://instagram.com/passengershaming

This gross Instagram site is dedicated to shaming airline passengers by exposing their disgusting behavior. If this site doesn’t convince to always keep your tray table in the upright position, nothing will. Want more? Then click here and here.
 

Rolling Stone: Close Talkers and Double Dippers
http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/pictures/close-talkers-and-double-dippers-15-phrases-seinfeld-spawned-20140702

This site comes to you via my friend Jack. If you’re a Seinfeld fan as so many are, then you should love this site. And even if you never really were a fan, I believe you would have to admit it’s amazing the impact this show continues to have on our culture 25 years after the pilot episode aired.
 

My Life Check
http://mylifecheck.heart.org/

This American Heart Association site is designed to help you better understand your current level of cardiovascular health and suggests areas for improvement. It does this by asking a few questions in 7 categories.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: September 7, 2014

“Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects.”

– Will Rogers

Factoid: Approximately 27% of all U.S. households are made up of a single person—the highest level in history.

The Wall Street Journal

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

HomeAdvisor
http://www.homeadvisor.com/

HomeAdvisor offers comprehensive tools and resources for home improvement, maintenance and repair projects. HomeAdvisor launched as ServiceMagic.com in October 1999 and has helped over 25 million consumers since. You are not charged for this service because HomeAdvisor’s network of nearly 70,000 service professionals pay advertising fees to participate in HomeAdvisor’s network. Service professionals specify the type of work they do and the geography they serve. HomeAdvisor provides new customer leads that match these requests and service professionals pay a fee for each lead they receive. These fees do not affect your estimate. HomeAdvisors screens and approves their service professionals verifying identify and checking state-level trade license verification, criminal and sex offender background checks, insurance coverage, business filings, check of bankruptcy, judgments and liens.
 

PC Pitstop
http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/default.asp

I just upgraded my internet service from 12 Mbps to 40Mbps. I wanted to ensure it truly is faster so I turned to this site to measure performance before and after the upgrade. This site doesn’t just measure your speed. If your speed isn’t what you expect, PC Pitstop’s diagnostic tools can help you diagnose and fix connection problems.
 

Wunderlist
https://www.wunderlist.com/home/

I’m a list-maker. If you are as well, then Wunderlist may be just what you’re looking for. Wunderlist is top-rated, FREE and available for several platforms. I’ve been using Wunderlist for several months now and am pleased with it. While I believe the recurring event functionality could be greatly improved, it’s solid. I especially like that since it’s cloud-based, I have access to my lists from my work and personal laptops, tablet and phone. You can also share lists and collaborate with co-workers, family and friends.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: August 17, 2014

“I intend to live forever or die trying.”

– Groucho Marx

Factoid: Textbook prices have jumped over 800% in the past three decades.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

Chegg
URL: http://www.chegg.com/

If you have high school or college students in your family or are a student yourself, this site is for you. Chegg specializes in online textbook rentals–both in paper and ebook. In addition, you can find course reviews, homework assistance, scholarships and internships. The name Chegg is a contraction of the words chicken and egg. It came from the founders’ experience following graduation. They could not land a job without experience, but could not get experience without a job.
 

IXION Windowless Jet Concept
URL: http://vimeo.com/78458486

The IXION windowless jet is currently just a concept, but it not that futuristic. An illusion of a transparent interior is created using display panels that cover most of the cabin. External cameras capture a 360-degree panoramic view of the exterior, which is adjusted for perspective and displayed on the cabin’s walls. This cool video illustrates the concept.
 

Memorado: IQ Test
URL: https://memorado.com/iqtest

Curious about your IQ? Take this brief quiz. If the test confirms that there is in fact room for improvement, then you may want to take advantage of this site’s brain training. In this regard, the site seems similar to Lumosity, an earlier Site of the Week. The site offer both free and paid services. You may also be interested in learning which side of your brain is more dominant. If so, click here: URL: https://memorado.com/yourbetterhalf. While I’m still sharing this site, you should consider it for its entertainment value only. I read that the lowest score you can get by answering every question wrong is 98. This suggests the test is probably designed to prey on our egos to share how smart we think we are and get you to sign up for their services. On the other hand, my results were within 3 points of my official high school IQ test results.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: August 3, 2014

“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

– Abraham Lincoln, 1960

Factoid: When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, fewer than 1 million Afghan children were enrolled in elementary schools, and just 5,000 of them were girls. Today, more than 8 million Afghan kids go to an elementary school, including more than 3 million girls.

CommentaryMagazine.com
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

SendToDropbox
www.SendToDropbox.com

If you have a Dropbox account, this free service should interest you. Now you can email files to your Dropbox account. Just connect with Dropbox, get your unique email address and start sending files. Every file attachment you email to that address appears in your “Attachments” folder on Dropbox.
 

Word Crimes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

This site comes to you via my son, Brett. Even if you’re not a “Weird Al” Yankovic fan, you should enjoy this “word crime” parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Line”.
 

The Writer’s Almanac
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

What a jolting segue to proceed from Weird Al to this site. The Writer’s Almanac is a public radio site hosted by Garrison Keillor. Each day there is a new post that consists of a poem and “On this day in…” and birthday details centering on various authors. Each post can be read or you can listen to Garrison Keillor read the day’s post.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: July 27, 2014

“Your whole life passes in front of your eyes before you die. This is called living.”

– Sir Terry Pratchett, English author

Factoid: To live “the American dream”, a family of four needs about $130,000 a year—the amount required to buy a house and a car, pay for two children’s college educations, and save for retirement. Only one in eight households earned that much in 2013.

USA Today
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

OverDrive
https://www.overdrive.com/

Borrow eBooks, audiobooks and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. OverDrive launched its Digital Library Reserve, a digital download platform for public libraries, in 2002. Download and enjoy eBooks, audiobooks, and videos from your library, wherever you go. Check out and download digital titles and read, listen, or watch in the free OverDrive Media Console app. The Library Finder allows you to locate a library with a digital collection near you and save it for easy access. You can borrow OverDrive Read eBooks from your library and read them directly on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet, Kindle, Nook, Mac or Windows computer.
 

Ninite
https://ninite.com/

This free site allows you to quickly and easily install and update all of your programs at once. It is recommended by Lifehacker and features most popular, free programs.Just check the programs you want and Ninite installs them for you in the background. You can run it again periodically and it will update your apps to the latest versions.
 

SSA Analyze
http://www.bedrockcapital.com/ssanalyze/

This free Social Security Calculator tool is available from Bedrock Capital Management. The calculator allows you to adjust a range of factors including life expectancy, inflation and the discount rate used to calculate the current value of future benefits.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: July 5, 2014

“Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.”

– Unknown

Factoid: Android phone users check their phones more than 125 times per day, on average.

Google
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee
http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/

Just over one year ago, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee was featured as a ‘Site of the Week’. Each unscripted episode features Jerry meeting up with a fellow comedian for a drive–usually in a classic car–and coffee. If you haven’t watched it yet, I recommend it. Season 4 just began June 19. Sarah Jessica Parker was guest star and frankly I was surprised at how enjoyable the episode was.
 

Political Typology Quiz
http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/

Think you know where you “fit” politically? You may be surprised. This site comes to you via my friend, Jack. Take the short quiz and discover which Political Typology group you most closely match compared with a national survey of over 10,000 U.S. adults conducted by the Pew Research Center.
 

Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943
http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.asp

The title really says it all. This site comes to you via my friend, Ralph and features 70 early color photos from across America that I think you’ll find interesting..
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: June 22, 2014

“We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.”

– The CIA’s first tweet

Factoid: Despite the growth of a U.S. professional league and frequent telecasts of matches in England and other countries, only 28% of Americans are fans of professional soccer, down from 31% in 1994. 49% think that sport is boring.

The Washington Post/ABC
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

9 Disgusting Things You Didn’t Know You’ve Been Eating Your Whole Life
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/gross-ingredients_n_4063894.html

The title of this Huffington Post article says it all. Read it if you want to know the answer.
 

All Acronyms
http://www.allacronyms.com/

All Acronyms is a Web site listing more than 2 million acronyms and abbreviations. It’s a great online tool for when you come across an unfamiliar acronym or abbreviation and need to quickly find its definition.
 

MAP: Here’s Where You Should Move If You Want The Most Sunshine
http://www.businessinsider.com/map-here-are-the-parts-of-the-us-that-get-the-most-sunshine-2014-6

This site comes to you via my friend, Ralph. This page depicts sunshine patterns across the United States. I’m sure you’ll be stunned to learn that Cleveland, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Buffalo scored poorly.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: May 24, 2014

“Breathe in, breathe out, move on.”

– Jimmy Buffett

Dear class of 2014: Thanks for not disinviting me:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_25777471/dear-class-2014-thanks-not-disinviting-me

Factoid: According to UrbanSitter “The average hourly babysitting rate for one child in New York is $15.34, based on a survey by UrbanSitter, which compiled data from nearly 7,500 families. That’s about $4.50 per hour more expensive than the cheapest big American city, Denver, whose babysitters charge parents an average of $10.84 per hour. San Francisco parents pay $14.99 for one kid, Los Angeles parents pay $13.53, Washington, DC parents pay $13.83, and on the lower end, Chicago parents bay $11.91 and San Diego parents pay $11.11.”

Time.com
 

Awhile back, I read that the FBI could activate your computer’s Webcam without your knowledge. I had intended to include that as a factoid but assumed it surely wasn’t true. Apparently, I was incorrect. To learn more, watch this recent NBC News segment on Blackshades “creepware”:
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/creepware-hacker-sting-nets-97-worldwide-n109061
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

Sploid: War Images
http://sploid.gizmodo.com/are-these-war-photos-real-or-just-a-stills-from-a-movie-1452345883

As the Sploid blogger states “War photographs aren’t grainy or blurry or dark anymore. Now they are so crispy, clean and dramatic that my brain has problems admitting they are real. Or are they? This collection of awesome combat images are a good example of that. They feel like perfect special effects shots taken out of sci-fi movies or video games.” Be sure to check out the additional photos in the comments section.
 

Checkout 51
http://www.checkout51.com/

Checkout 51 is based in Toronto, Canada and promises to save you money on your grocery and household purchases. Every Thursday morning, Checkout 51 updates its site with a new list of offers. All you have to do is pick the ones you like, purchase them at any store, and upload a photo of your receipt through their mobile app or Web site. When your account balance reaches $20, Checkout 51 mails you a check.
 

Lifehacker: Packing Hacks
http://lifehacker.com/this-video-shows-11-travel-hacks-for-packing-more-effic-1450811321

This Lifehacker video reveals 11 travel hacks for packing more efficiently. Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, you’re sure to pick up a couple of worthwhile tips.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: May 17, 2014

“You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.”

– Leo Aikman

Factoid: On average, American audiences watch just 9 percent—or roughly 17—of the 189 TV channels available to them.

A.C. Nielsen
 

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

International Space Station HD Earth Viewing
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payload

This site is very cool. The High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment was activated April 30, 2014. Four HD cameras on the exterior of the space station stream live video of Earth for online viewing. If the image you’re viewing is black, it just means the International Space Station is on the night side of Earth. Since it orbits the earth every 90 minutes, you won’t have long to wait. For a display of the real time ISS location plus the HDEV imagery, visit here. The image also turns gray when switching between cameras or communications with the ISS is temporarily unavailable.
 

Airbnb
https://www.airbnb.com/

A recent episode of Portlandia had a Rent It Out segment that highlighted the growth of the “sharing economy”. This site is a peer-to-peer rental clearinghouse matching up private individuals who wish to rent their unused room, house or apartment with those seeking accommodations. Airbnb offers 250,000 rooms in over 30,000 cities in nearly 200 countries. You can save money while also finding unique accommodations.
 

Glary Utilities
http://www.glarysoft.com/

Glary Utilities is a free all-in-one utility offering a suite of tools for maintaining your Windows PC. I’ve used it myself and recommend it. Ccleaner is an alternative cleaner and optimization tool you may also want to consider.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”

Sites of the Week: May 10, 2014

“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.”

– Stephen Colbert

I’m not sure which is more surprising—the following factoid itself or the source. Could this be a case of “lies, damned lies and statistics” or is it true?

Factoid: Over the past 64 years and 16 presidential terms, the U.S. economy has grown at an average rate of 4.35 percent when a Democrat was president, according to research by economists from Princeton University. When a Republican held the office, the growth rate was just 2.54 percent.

The Wall Street Journal

Now on to this week’s sites. This week, I’m sending out three ‘Site of the Week’ recommendations.

Look Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY

This brief “online generation” video comes to you via my sister, Cathy. I doubt it will result in any lasting change in anyone’s behavior, but perhaps it will make you think.
 

Pronounce Names
http://www.pronouncenames.com/

We live in a global economy. Many of us have co-workers, partners and customers from other countries. If you’re like me, you may struggle with how to correctly pronounce some names. If that’s the case, then this site is for you. Simply enter the person’s first or last name in the textbox. If a match is found, the site not only displays the phonetic spelling, but also includes an audio file that can be replayed.
 

Funniest Misspelled Tattoos
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/29/tattoo-parlor-sign-_n_5234841.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular#slide=start

The title says it all. This Huffington Post includes a dozen misspelled tattoos. The lesson is if you’re considering a tattoo and want to avoid a “tradgedy” be sure to consult a dictionary first.
 

Ernie Orr sez “Check em out!”