Riders Revenge 34 - Internet TOURBUS

From:         Bob Rankin 
Subject:      TOURBUS - 26 July 2005 - Rider's Revenge #34

TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: RIDER'S REVENGE #34

The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2239
Copyright © Bob Rankin and Patrick Crispen - All rights reserved

Hi all... It's high time for another Rider's Revenge issue, where I share sites that fellow Tourbus riders think are useful, fun, cool or otherwise worthy of attention. If you have a favorite site that's possibly of interest to an global audience, send it along for the next Rider's Revenge. Read on!

Someone to Watch Over Me

Linda from AOL penned the following:

> I found Earthcam a couple of years ago, and log on to the Times
> Square location. Sometimes when my daughter, who lives in NYC,
> is going by there she calls me. If I go to the website, I can
> have a conversation with her via cell phone while seeing her at
> the same time. Next best thing to having her home, I guess!

http://www.earthcam.com/metrocams

Ed: With EarthCam's live webcam network, you can get live snapshots of locations all over the world. If you're really bored, you can watch the traffic and pedestrians moving about on city streets.

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
  You won't believe where surveillance cameras can be hidden!
  http://geekbooks.com/surveillance-system-pt2.htm
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

Ixnay on Ooglegay?

The Mysterious JE from Down South opined thusly:

> Regarding to your article on search engines, my favorite is
> Ixquick. I like it better than Google. it's not as fast, but
> delivers excellent results.

Ed: Gee, I thought that was the whole point of computers, to get the wrong answer, faster and faster...

> Ixquick is newly updated, has wonderful phone book searching
> capability, and also a good price comparator, when shopping.

http://www.ixquick.com

This Librarian is Downright EEVL

Roddy MacLeod, a *real* librarian at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh Scotland, and a long-time doer of good cyberdeeds, writes:

> I edit the Internet Resources Newsletter, and I thought I'd give
> the Tourbus a mention in the next issue. I'm also plugging our
> new, free service - EEVL Xtra.

> This is a cross-searching service, which helps people find
> articles, books, websites, industry news, job announcements,
> technical reports and data, the latest research, teaching and
> learning resources in engineering, mathematics and computing.

http://www.eevlxtra.ac.uk

Just Don't Call Me Late For Dinner

Michael Robertson, the guy who started MP3.com, had this to say:

> Net calling software Skype has exploded onto the scene. Its ease
> of use and robustness have quickly built an enormous user base
> and introduced many to the power of Net calling. But Internet
> users should be wary of Skype because it's built on proprietary
> standards that locks out all others. A product called Gizmo is
> being unveiled - the first viable Skype alternative built on
> open source that pledges to connect to all.

http://www.gizmoproject.com/

Note: Mr. Robertson never seems to be short on opinions, or cool ideas. If you haven't tried free Internet-based calling (also called VOIP or Internet Telephony) check out my AskBobRankin article on the subject here:

http://www.askbobrankin.com/what_is_internet_telephony.html

Hey, It's Almost Sunrise!

Octavian Popescu, a Tourbus rider from Romania wants you to visit.

> Hello Bob, May I suggest a website for the Internet Tourbus?
> Here's a travel guide with a twist meant to show you that Romania
> means a bit more than Dracula, football or the typical Eastern
> European poverty. Browse around, read some travel logs, enjoy
> the alluring photography and if it will manage to raise your
> interest, make us happy and recommend the site to your readers!

http://www.spirit.ro

Got ICE?

Rebecca from Yahoo passed along this message, which seems like a really good idea to me:

> ICE: A campaign encouraging people to enter an emergency contact
> number in their mobile phone's address book under the heading ICE
> (In Case of Emergency), has rapidly spread throughout the world
> as a consequence of recent terrorist attacks in London.

> ICE allows paramedics or police to contact a designated relative
> or next-of-kin in an emergency situation. ICE is the brainchild
> of paramedic Bob Brotchie and was launched in May this year.
> Brotchie says: "Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and
> with ICE we'd know immediately who to contact. The person may
> even know of their medical history."

So take the ICE advice, your mobile phone will help rescue services quickly contact a friend or relative - which could be vital in a life or death situation. It only takes a few seconds to do, and it could help to save your life.

That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin