The most Amazing sites of 2006

ajaxWrite www.ajaxwrite.com
It’s a Web-based word processor that’s free and that works (but only in Firefox).

Download Squad www.downloadsquad.com
Download Squad keeps you up to date on the latest happenings in the world of software and Web applications. The site is informative, witty, and graphical, and the bloggers post quite a bit.

GmailTips www.gmailtips.com
This exhaustive Gmail tips site has all sorts of hints and tricks to help you get the most out of the free mail service. The site is run by Jim of Jim’s Tips, and if it doesn’t quench your thirst for shortcuts, go to his main page (www.jimstips.com) for more mobile- and Web-application tricks.

StopBadware.org
StopBadWare.org is like an online neighborhood watch, keeping an eye out for malicious Web sites and cataloging the sites and applications that have been reported. StopBadWare has also joined with Google to warn users about blacklisted sites before it’s too late. Stop by to find out why they recently fingered AOL 9.0.

Techdirt www.techdirt.com
The regularly updated Techdirt brings you important news, analysis, and “dirt” about the tech industry, laid out in concise nuggets. Users can submit content—in fact, the site counts on it—from hard news to amusing tidbits. The site also offers targeted research services as well as a daily newsletter.


TweakGuides.com
If your system needs a tune-up, TweakGuides.com is the place to go. The site has guides to optimizing individual games, browsers, and drivers, as well as a TweakingCompanion for getting the best performance out of Windows XP.


SLR Gear www.slrgear.com
It can be tough to keep on top of the latest digital camera news and releases, and that’s without even worrying about lenses, flashes, and all the other accessories. That’s what SLR Gear specializes in—going beyond the camera body to test and review all the other stuff a photographer needs. Whether you’re looking for a new lens for your Canon Rebel
XT or a camera bag for your Nikon D200, SLR Gear can give you expert recommendations.


Charity Navigator www.charitynavigator.org
So you have some extra cash and you’d like to give it to a good cause, but you’re not sure which you can trust? Before you open your wallet, check out Charity Navigator, a nonprofit organization that evaluates and rates charities for you. Searching on the site is simple, and the top-ten lists, including “celebrity-related charities” and “inefficient fundraisers,” are a great feature.


The Memory Hole www.thememoryhole.org
The Memory Hole exists to bring hidden, lost, or forgotten info to light by way of posting documents on its home page. Check out reports such as the one detailing Pfi zer’s efforts to create chemical and biological weapons for the U.S. government in the 1960s, or another from the 1950s on evidence of ESP in animals. There’s plenty of content on the site that’s likely to pique your curiosity.


QuoteDB www.quotedb.com
“Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved,” said author D.H. Lawrence. So make sure you spend your time at QuoteDB. You’ll find a database of over 4,000 famous quotations in 60 categories, from Dave Barry and Hunter S. Thompson to Emily Dickinson and Leonardo da Vinci. Get your daily fix with the Quote of the Day, peruse recently added quotes, or add quotes to your Web site with the Quote Generator.


Webmath.com
Remember those annoying word problems in math class when you had to fi gure out if one painter can paint a house in 12 hours and another painter takes 8 hours how long it will take both painters to paint a house together? Now there’s help if you’re lost. At Webmath.com, you’ll fi nd solutions and tips for alge bra, geometry, calculus, and more.


Core77 Design Blog www.core77.com/blog
Core77 has been around for more than ten years, catering mainly to industrial-design students and pros. But as design has gotten hotter and gone all mainstream, a Web site devoted to slick-looking things doesn’t seem so niche anymore. Our favorite section is the blog, which keeps tabs on the coolest products and ideas coming out of the design world.


Make: Blog! www.makezine.com/blog
All you DIYers out there might want to add this blog to your favorites list. Make’s blog is chock-full of products and ideas you can tackle with your own two hands. These aren’t just simple handcrafts, but high-tech projects and modifi cations, such as making a touch-screen bar-code scanner or converting your tracker to electric power.


My Wonderful World
www.mywonderfulworld.org
Led by National Geographic, My Wonderful World is dedicated to teaching parents, educators, and kids about geography. Test your global IQ , participate in family activities, print a wall map of the world, and more. You can even write to lawmakers urging them to support education and help educate students about the world.


PaperToys www.papertoys.com
Make a paper model of everything from a Mercedes 320 SL to a Jimi Hendrix guitar to the
Neuschwanstein Castle. PaperToys.com features cutout templates of those and a slew of other paper models you can download, print out, cut out, and fold on your own.