Webware100

Category: Reference

Is that rash on your leg the first stages of flesh-eating bacteria, or do you need to change your laundry detergent? WebMD might be able to save you a trip to the doctor's office or the emergency room. The service hosts a wide range of medical articles and diagnosis utilities. It also has a nifty, 3-D diagnosis checker that lets you choose where aches and pains are in order to help you figure out what's wrong.

The service is best known for its explanatory pages about medications, where users can quickly search for a drug by its name or class, then drill deeper to find out common names and uses. It also has a fairly comprehensive guide of what to do in emergency situations as well as how to treat that nagging cold.

Web site: http://www.webmd.com

Webware coverage: TauMed brings social networking to health;Curing the common cold, online

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Category: Reference

Microsoft's Virtual Earth is part of Microsoft's Live services. It's a free mapping service that provides users with driving directions, real-time traffic reports, street maps, and satellite imagery. One of its standout features is the use of aerial photography at an oblique angle, a view that gives users a detailed and visually familiar view of the city, compared to the rooftop view you get from satellite imagery.

Another interesting feature is the Locate Me button, which will show you which geographical region you're in based on your Internet address. It's a handy way to zoom in to your area without having to type anything or mouse around.

Web site: http://maps.live.com/

Webware coverage: Microsoft offers browser-viewable 3D maps; Hand gestures on the horizon for Microsoft Virtual Earth

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Category: Reference

The Internet Movie Database is a repository for information on all things entertaining, including movies, television, and video games. Each movie gets its own page that lists all sorts of minute details, including runtime, an extensive cast list, and movie trivia such as film budget, facts, and goofs.

The site was launched in late 1990 and has since been acquired by Amazon.com. It's completely free, but it offers a more advanced version called IMDbPro that offers extended information for educators and people in the entertainment industry.

IMDb is an incredibly helpful way to categorize not just movies but actors as well. You can track any actor by what projects he or she has worked on. IMDb also hosts pictures and biographical information that is frequently updated.

Web site: www.IMDB.com

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Category: Reference

Geni is a family-tree-making service that's free and incredibly easy to use. It also has a straightforward way to invite other family members in the hopes that they'll put in their own data. The actual data entry is a snap, because when you're first building the tree, the only data you have to actually type for each person is their name. Relationships are encoded by clicks of the mouse, and you can fill in other data (birthdates, whether the person is alive or not, and so forth) later.

You can enter e-mail addresses when you're doing your quick first pass, and Geni will then (with your permission) invite these people to contribute to the family tree with info you don't have. The system is easy enough to use that we would not have qualms about inviting non-tech-savvy relatives. It's the best thing we've seen for people who just want an easy way to record their family tree

Web site: www.Geni.com

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Category: Reference

Ask.com may not be the No. 1 search engine out there, but it's been doing some interesting things with new Web technologies, including its mapping services. Ask.com Maps and Directions allows users to search and get directions in any city really quickly. What separates it from some other directions services is its capability to give you directions for both driving and walking. It works mostly for short hauls (obviously) and gives you turn-by-turn directions for getting around city blocks on foot. If you've ever been following a road map in the city and come across a thoroughfare that wasn't pedestrian friendly, you'll see the value here.

Web site: http://maps.ask.com

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Category: REFERENCES

Yahoo Maps is one of the most popular mapping services available, and features several handy tools for figuring out how to get from place to place. Like other mapping services, there's a driving directions tool that gives you a turn-by-turn guide. Users can also click a "reverse" button that will reverse the directions, which can be very helpful with tricky one-way streets and confusing freeway on- and off-ramps.

In addition to driving directions, users can also sort and search using business listings and see their locations right on the map. Yahoo also provides its Maps users with live traffic data that shows them where accidents, slowdowns, and expected road work is going on, just in case they're trying to plan the best route.

Web site: http://maps.yahoo.com

Webware coverage: When Web 2.0 (Yahoo Maps) attacks

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Category: Reference

Wikipedia is a free, online encyclopedia. Instead of being authored by a select group of editors, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone anywhere, and at any time. Wikipedia is available in a large number of languages and has entries about nearly everything. It's become so well known, people consider it an adjunct to Google as a place to find out more about almost any subject.

Each Wikipedia entry gets its own article as well as a built-in discussion in which users can talk about things they want to add or request changes from frequent contributors. There's also a history page that tracks every single change made to the article, as well as a means of reverting back to previous versions in case of disaster or user vandalism.

Web site: www.wikipedia.org

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Category: Reference

Want to find out more about something? Check Answers.com. The service pulls information from several different reference sites to provide answers to your questions. You get full encyclopedia entries from services such as Wikipedia and Britannica, as well as spelling, usage information, and translations into different languages. Since these other services are updated frequently, entries on Answers.com tend to stay fairly current.

In addition to its Web site, Answers.com also offers a software program users can install to look up any word they come across on their computer, be it in other Web sites, e-mails, or applications.

Web site: www.answers.com

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Category: Reference

Get directions and find places online. Google Maps shows streets, traffic, and satellite images. Users can type in an address and get a pinpoint location or pull up driving directions. Users with a Google account can also partake in the My Maps service, which provides users with simple drag-and-drop tools to chart their own customized maps and share them with others.

Google Maps recently launched a new feature called Street View. Using 360-degree, video-capture technology, users can explore a photograph of their local streets if they live in one of the cities that has been mapped by the service.

Web site: maps.google.com

Webware coverage: How to put blinders on Google Street View; Google Maps joins the Mile High Club

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