Picks and clicks: Web sites to visit

June 16, 2002

LOCAL HISTORY

The city that was 3 STARS

Panorama of old Detroit

www.merit.edu/~jimmoran/detphot/detroit.html

Click on the buildings, horses and monuments in the panoramic photo of 1906 Detroit in the right frame of this site, and it will take you to stories and pictures of historic downtown in the left frame.

Black-and-white photographs are from a collection in the Library of Commerce, while the text and other photos are copyrighted by James Moran.

Moran introduces visitors to the site with this observation: "The Detroit pictured here has been washed away in a tide of technological and social change more rapid, perhaps, than any in human history."

Moran then invites visitors to use his site to witness the transformation of Campus Martius from "grand civic plaza to post-industrial urban backwater." He brings the turn of the century back with the black-and-white photographs, and provides updates and observations on the state of the city today.

One 1920s photo shows Campus Martius at night, lit by incandescent lighting from both public light poles and commercial signs. Today, Moran notes, mercury vapor lamps, descendants of arc lights, sit atop downtown skyscrapers, casting a "shopping-mall-parking-lot glow on the usually abandoned public square below."

The site, however, can be a bit tricky to navigate, and some links are not available. Still, each page is a fascinating exploration of the city's past.

By Jennifer Dixon

PERSONAL SECURITY

On guard

Scambusters

www.scambusters .com

We Internet users love online shopping. But we're also worried about the security of buying online, especially after a rash of recent hacker attacks in which credit card numbers were stolen.

Hackers are processing millions of dollars a month in phony charges to credit card accounts they've stolen. It happens mostly in nickel and dime amounts, typically $5 to $10 a month, with the thieves hoping the small charges won't be noticed by customers.

The Scambusters Web site issues alerts about the latest online fraud problems and offers practical consumer tips on how to avoid getting ripped off.

With so many stolen credit cards out there, experts advise all of us to be alert to questionable charges, especially from overseas companies.

If you think you're a victim, call the bank immediately. At the most, you're responsible for only the first $50 in fraudulent charges, though most of the big credit card companies will waive that if you promptly notify them.

In addition, the FBI has set up an Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ifccfbi .gov), a place where you can report fraudulent billings and alert authorities to suspected online criminal activity. By Mike Wendland

SPORTS

Mastering the pool

3 STARS

United States Masters Swimming

www.usms.org

This site has a little of everything for fitness and competitive swimmers ages 18 to 89.

In a sport where technique is king, it offers articles and bulletin boards where you can pick up practical advice on strokes, starts, turns and workouts. You can also delve into the esoterica of body position and learn about reducing drag in the water. In addition, there are tips on getting started as a fitness swimmer.

You can scan the results of masters meets nationwide and measure yourself against some strong swimmers. The site also has links to swimming merchandise and college, coaching and regional masters sites. By Daniel G. Fricker

FUN IN THE SUN

For beach boys and girls

4 STARS

State of the Beach

www.surfrider.org stateofthebeach /main_pages.htm

As summer kicks into full swing, many of us are planning to head to the beach. But what will we find, what with beach closings and environmental worries?

The State of the Beach site will answer those questions and lead you to the perfect beach paradise.

The feature is really an offshoot of a surfing Web site run by the Surfrider Foundation. But you don't have to ride the waves to find useful stuff here, including an excellent report that analyzes and assesses various environmental aspects of the nation's beaches.

The easy-to-search site, linked to state and local health departments and water-quality agencies, uses seven indicators to examine the health of beach areas. It evaluates everything from how easy it is to reach and use the beach to shoreline erosion to water-quality issues like sewage discharges and storm drain runoff.

You can search by clicking on a map or choosing your area from a drop-down menu. Once there, you're offered links and detailed information.

Because this is the third year the foundation has done the State of the Beach report, you can compare this year's findings with last year's to get an even better understanding of beach conditions. By Mike Wendland

HOLIDAYS

Dad's big chill

2 STARS Father of Cool

www.fatherofcool.com

The folks who bring you Carrier air conditioners have put together a Web site about the company's founder. Proclaiming that Willis Carrier, the inventor of modern air-conditioning 100 years ago, is the Father of Cool, the site offers some nifty biographical information on Carrier -- in time, appropriately enough, for Father's Day.

More important, it offers everyone the chance to print out a Certificate of Coolness for Dad -- if you don't mind a Carrier logo in the corner.

There's a place to post thoughts on why your dad is also a Father of Cool. The stories, which visitors to the site can read, are organized by region. Only one person from Michigan had turned in a story as of about a week ago. The stories seemed heartfelt and in some cases were a good read.

A bit light on content, this site might still be a fun -- if brief -- stop on Dad's big day. By Heather Newman

UTILITY

I'll get back to you on that

4 STARS

1Q11 www.1q11.com

Marc Fest is probably best known for launching Quickbrowse, the subscription-based Web page that can put together other pages in a single screen for viewing.

Rather than rest on his laurels, Fest has introduced 1Q11, a free site -- well, free at least for now -- that lets you type in short notes for lots of uses later.

You can collect as many short notes as you like under a single header. One of the best features is the ability to stick a double semicolon and a day and time at the end of one line in your list of notes. The paragraph in question is then sent to you via e-mail on the day and time you specify.

This works well not only for meeting reminders but also for notes about upcoming birthdays, dinners and special events.

You can share notes with other users, update or delete notes you've already entered, print one or all of them, and even encrypt what you've written. That means that all your notes are password protected. If hackers enter the 1Q11 database, they won't be able to read your notes without your encryption password. By Heather Newman

ASTRONOMY

Heavenly nights

4 STARS

Earth & Sky Radio Show

http://earthsky.com/

Every day, Deborah Byrd and Joel Block's short radio show about events taking place in the heavens is heard on nearly 1,000 radio stations across the globe. This site not only archives many of those shows but also offers dozens of articles and short essays exploring hundreds of mysteries of the world.

What, for instance, is the origin of the term "dog days of summer"? (It has to do with the stars that we see in the sky at that time of year.) Is it really possible for the human voice to shatter glass? (Yes, but it's incredibly difficult.)

And for star watchers, there is a detailed map of what you'll be able to see each night once the sun goes down. By David Lyman

TELEVISION

Where Sir Graves lives on

Vintage Detroit TV and Movie Board

http://pub64.ezboard.com/bvintagedetroittvandmovieboard

Not all that long ago, back before cable and computers and DVDs, there were only six channels on Detroit TV, and the big movie houses like the Adams and the Redford had just one screen and showed just one film.

Keith Milford invites you to share memories of that Detroit on his new message board.

The number of posts is still low, but the board holds a lot of appeal. You can share personal information about yourself by completing a bio section, but that isn't required.

Sir Graves Ghastly and Ghoul fans, please check in. Motor City wrestling fans: Someone knows where to order videos of old Detroit wresting shows. If you know what's become of hostess Rita Bell from WXYZ-TV's (Channel 7)"Prize Movie," it's time to divulge. Pack rats who have been saving old issues of the TV insert, your hour has come: Someone wants them!

Whether you hung out at the Quo Vadis or saw movies at a drive-in like the Galaxy, you can join a theaters discussion and share your trivia or reminiscences.

By Victoria Turk