ADVICE AND INFORMATION
Newsmap
marumushi.com/apps/newsmap
A wonderfully graphical - and customisable - display of news stories from around the world. Click on an item to see the full story.
The Eggcorn Database
eggcorns.lascribe.net
Continually updated guide to modern-day Malapropisms, misunderstandings and other manglings of language. From ‘high dungeon’ to ‘wreckless driving’, Eggcorn names the culprits and nudges them in the right direction.
Arts and Letters Daily
www.aldaily.com
World-class articles from intellectual and influential journals around the world. Browse the day’s selections. Like The Week for eggheads.
Ask Philosophers
www.askphilosophers.org
The academy comes to cyberspace. A panel of mainly American and British philosophy scholars answers questions sent in by the public. Search the database, from Abortion to War, or send in a question of your own.
When Is
www.when-is.com
Shows you the dates of Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and American holidays from now to 2010.
Rhyme Zone
www.rhymezone.com
For when the muse has gone, a rhyme and synonym generator to help you towards the perfect mot. You can also search for Shakespeare quotations, biblical references and other literary inspirations.
Nationmaster
www.nationmaster.com
Giant but easily searchable database of statistics, maps and profiles for every country in the world.
Digg
www.digg.com
The people’s approach to news and features, Digg brings together items from across the net, ranked according to how many people have felt them worth recommending. Sometimes a little techie-heavy, but excellent for discovering what the cyberworld is getting worked up about.
They Work For You
www.theyworkforyou.com
A powerful way of keeping tabs on MPs and peers: attendance records, voting patterns, recent statements and more.
Time Bank
www.timebank.org.uk
Volunteering opportunities for young people, sorted by region, interest, skills and need.
Wikipedia
www.wikipedia.org
Controversial, democractic and sometimes error-strewn encyclopaedia that has brought Darwinism to the world of knowledge. Make it your first port of call for looking something up. Just be sure to check somewhere else that what you find makes sense.
Wiktionary
www.wiktionary.org
Wikipedia’s online multilingual dictionary. Immensely powerful and far less controversial than its encyclopaedic forebear.
Motley Fool
www.fool.co.uk
The original - and still the best - personal finance site on the web (the American version is at www.fool.com). For savers, borrowers, stock spotters and day traders, sound, independent advice that cuts through the jargon.
Martindale’s ‘The Reference Desk’
www.martindalecenter.com
From the arts, business, science and technology, a dry but authoritative conglomeration of data from around the world.
PubMed
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed
Free and authoritative database of more than 17 million medical research papers. Not always easy to understand if you are not a medic, but a far better place to look for information than the random sites that come up on Google.
About.com
www.about.com
The internet’s version of that clever uncle who always seems to know the answer to your questions. There are few subjects the site doesn’t tackle, though the coverage can be superficial. A good starting point for idle research.
NHS Direct
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Online information and advice about health and illness, run by Britain’s National Health Service. The site includes a useful self-diagnosis tool that can reassure you that your hangover is not in fact meningitis.
Legal Services Shop
www.freelawyer.co.uk
General legal advice relating to housing, family law, employment, motoring, consumer issues and personal injury, plus wills, conveyancing and divorce. Good starting point to see where you stand. Will also, for a fixed fee, answer questions and put you in touch with a solicitor.
How Stuff Works
www.howstuffworks.com
Engaging encyclopaedia of the modern (and not so modern) world, with good illustrations and clear text. Can suffer sometimes from an ‘it’s amazing!’ tone of voice..
XE
www.xe.com
Currency converter covering every world currency. Azerbaijan new manats to Cayman Island dollars? Just a click away.
Advice Guide
www.adviceguide.org.uk
Find where you stand legally with the Citizens Advice Bureau’s online information resource.
Need2Know
www.need2know.co.uk
Advice and information for young people, including health and fitness, drugs, problems with bullying, how to study and applying for jobs.
Royal Horticultural Society
www.rhs.org.uk
Advice and suggestions from the world’s leading gardening organisation. A good ‘how-to’ section and seasonal tips for the time of year.
Babelfish
babelfish.altavista.com
Automatic translation to and from most European languages and Chinese. The results are sometimes a little strange, but you will usually get your message across.
eHow
www.ehow.com
How to do just about everything, from getting stains off curtains to buying a second-hand car.
Eat the Seasons
www.eattheseasons.co.uk
Updated weekly, information, tips and recipe ideas on British seasonal food.
Age Concern
www.ageconcern.org.uk
Website of Britain’s leading charity for the elderly, packed with advice about maintaining an active life.
Weather.com
www.weather.com
The queen of weather sites, with more information than you would possibly imagine you might need, from pollen counts to surf forecasts.
Uncyclopedia
uncyclopedia.org
Spoof Wikipedia-style encyclopaedia where nothing is true, but a good deal is very funny indeed. Idle away an afternoon or, even better, hone your comedy skills by making a contribution yourself.
Kiva
www.kiva.org
An easy way to lend small sums (from $25) to business projects in the developing world. Kiva keeps track of your investment, updates you on progress and repays your loan as the business grows.
Embarrassing problems
www.embarrassingproblems.co.uk
From bad breath and piles to cold sores and beyond, Dr Margaret Stearn dispenses invaluable advice.
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