Favorites

The internet is a place that is full of a lot of unnecessary garbage that you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy, let alone invite into your own home or office. However, the internet is also packed full of helpful, powerful, and truly fun sites to visit. This page on our website represents our belief that there are tons of interesting, fun, helpful, powerful, and useful sites out there that lots of people either don't know about, or don't know how to access on the internet.

This page has many of our most favorite sites, ranging from self- help sites to free software downloads. If you know of a website that you think should belong on this page, please e-mail the webmaster with your suggestions (using the link at the bottom of the page), and I'll check it out and consider putting it on this page. Enjoy!

(There's a lot of stuff here, so if you ever get lost, click the "back to top" link, and it'll get you back here again.)

Helpful (resourceful) websites	(back to top)
• Ehow.com* A treasure trove full of "how-tos" from animal care to computer-related topics to home improvement, crafts, etc.*
• AskMe.com* Here's another site packed full of "how-tos" on a wide range of topics. Similar to the Ehow.com.*
• Whatis.com This site is also a treasure trove of information, however, it's all computer-related lingo. If you are "computer challenged," then this site will quickly become your friend. In this world of confusing acronyms and catch-phrases, you'll soon find yourself actually understanding them, instead of pretending to. You can search for a topic, or click on categorized links.
• SmartComputing.com Like the one above, and like the name suggests, this site is strictly computers. However, unlike Whatis.com, which mainly helps define computer terminology, this site is more of a computer "how-to" site. For instance, if you wanted to know how to install a new hard drive, you'll find numerous articles to choose from, depending on whether you're replacing a hard drive, adding an additional hard drive, etc.
• 411.com This is a helpful site that functions like a phone book for the United States. You can look the address and phone number for a person or business anywhere in the USA.
• Anywho.com* This is another helpful site that helps you find people or businesses.*
• Stastistics.com* Do you need statistics for anything ranging from Agriculture to Opinions, Sports, Government, and much much more? Visit this site!!*
• DrudgeReport.com This site seems to be the best source for up-to-the-second news stories, and includes links to other vital news sources, such as breaking news from the Associated Press, Reuters, and international news sites. Just to give you an idea of its popularity, this site receives an average of about 1.5 million visitors per day.
• Weather.com If you need to find out what the weather's going to be like for your cross-country trip, or even a little weekend ski outing, this is the place for you. This website is the web-based version of The Weather Channel. I use this site at home quite frequently to check the weather for our area. On the homepage you can enter your U.S. zipcode and with the click of your mouse, you have the 10-day forecast for your area, along with links to doppler radar pictures, etc., etc.
• 101 Most Useful Sites (by Yahoo!) Just as the title indicates, you can see what Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine defines as the 101 most useful websites, divided up into the following categories: Medical/Legal, Travel, Automotive, Mail Sites (postal mail-- not e-mail), Shopping, Finance, Reference, At Home, Personal, and Entertainment.
• VCR Repair (fixer.com) Learn how to repair your own VCR on this site. If you've ever wondered why your VCR sometimes has problems ejecting tapes, this site is for you... unless you're comfortable paying
• Dictionary.com Look up the meanings of words in several different volumes dictionaries, such as Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary, as well as various medical and other dictionaries. This site also features a thesaurus and a translator, as well as free software downloads of its own.
• HowStuffWorks.com I think the name speaks for itself. Find out how stuff works... from car engines to sunglasses, from dieting to how the internet infrastructure works. It's very descriptive and helpful.

Entertainment websites	(back to top)
• Dilbert Unless the name fooled you, you guessed it-- this site contains all things Dilbert. The link that is provided here links you directly to the Dilbert home page, but if you're interested in looking up comics, click on the archive link.
• JoBlo's Movie Emporium This site gives you access to lots of fun movie-related stuff, like screen-savers, games, but especially movie trailers. However, if you like to download movie trailers on a regular basis, might I suggest that you do so with a connection to the internet that's faster than 56K (unless you have nothing better to do all day than wait and wait and wait....).
• StuffToDo.com As you can probably gather by the name, this site gives suggestions for stuff to do. Now there's no excuse to sit around at home because you don't have anything to do.
• Molecular Expressions This unique site has pictures of just about anything, except the pictures have all been taken through electron microscopes. It's pretty interesting. You can even see some of the microchip "artwork" that is hidden on certain microchips. (Click here for an example of hidden microchip art.)
• The Simpsons This is FOX's official site for information on the animated TV show The Simpsons. You can find summaries of past episodes, games, contests, etc. Although this site has a lot of fun stuff, here are some others that I found, which have even more (including hidden secrets about certain episodes, sounds, video clips, downloads, etc.): snpp.com, nohomers.net, irsburger.com, Tribute to the Simpsons, The Simpsonian Institute, Simpsons Top 50, Simpsons Surplus, Simpsons Gallery, Simpsons Supplement, The Simpsons Mainframe, Last Exit to Springfield, The Simpsons Channel, Simpsons World Order, The Simpsons Top 100, and I could list more, but I've probably gone too far already.

Computer-related websites	(back to top)
• Whatis.com This site is also a treasure trove of information dealing with computer-related lingo. If you are "computer challenged," then this site will quickly become your friend. In this world of confusing acronyms and catch-phrases, you'll soon find yourself actually understanding them, instead of pretending to. You can search for a topic, or click on categorized links.
• SmartComputing.com Like the one above, and like the name suggests, this site is strictly computers. However, unlike Whatis.com, which mainly helps define computer terminology, this site is more of a computer "how-to" site. For instance, if you wanted to know how to install a new hard drive, you'll find numerous articles to choose from, depending on whether you're replacing a hard drive, adding an additional hard drive, etc.
• WinDrivers.com I wish I discovered this site a lot earlier than I had, since I deal with installing, upgrading, and maintaining computer hardware on a daily basis. This site features Windows (95, 98, NT) drivers for just about any piece of computer hardware, whether it's a keyboard, a CD-RW drive, printer, or a proprietary Network Interface Card. This site also has basic tech support for most major brands of every computer-related item you can think of. There's also a little bit of computer humor.
• Jpeg & Gif cruncher Anyone who has made a website and is somewhat concerned about the amount of download time required for large, high-detail pictures should visit this site to "crunch" the files down to a useful size. I have since come across software programs that will accomplish this same task and then some, but before that, I thought this was a pretty useful tool for saving space and time with my Jpeg's and Gif's.
• Macromedia While we're on the topic of Macromedia, I might as well throw in a link to their website, since Macromedia products (in my opinion) make the best, most interactive, visually pleasing websites on the internet.
• Ultrashock* Samples of Macromedia Flash and Shockwave content that you can add to your own website or project.*
• Belkin This is the most popular & recommended brand of cabling and connectors in the United States. You name it... printer cables, SCSI, USB, Cat5, Fiber, IDE, gender changers, and the list goes on and on. One feature that I especially like is the Cable Configurator, which is handy because you can use it to find the exact Belkin part number for the item(s) that you need, then turn around and walk into just about any computer or electronics store and you can locate that exact item and be out of the store in no time.
• Simple Technology Simple Technology is one of the largest manufacturers of solid-state memory. This is another site that has a handy configurator to help you find part numbers, etc.
• CDW (Computer Discount Warehouse) One of the absolute biggest & best computer & computer accessory sites on the web. The search features on their site are yet to be beat by anyone, in my opinion. Plus, they provide lifetime tech support for the computer hardware that they sell... regardless of whether or not the manufacturer does. CDW is mainly a business-to-business company, although they do sell to end users as well. If you are an IT professional of any kind, I suggest purchasing through CDW. Especially since about 95% of all in-stock orders ship the same day that they're placed. CDW's sales reps are actually well-trained (by reps from Microsoft, Cisco, HP, IBM, 3Com, Intel, Iomega, Compaq, and basically all the "heavy-hitters" in the computer industry) and they know their stuff. (Besides, I used to work there, so I'm a little biased.) When a Fortune 750 company like CDW has about $12 million dollars worth of inventory that ships every day, a 200,000+ square-foot warehouse, has clients such as Ebay, Amazon.com, 3Com, and IBM, and is practically a permanent fixture at the top of any list in every computer magazine that rates resellers, it's time to take notice. (By the sounds of it, you'd think I'm actually getting commission!) One last note... if you purchase Compaq servers in any quantity, contact CDW first. They sell more Compaq than anybody in the nation, so Compaq gives them preferential pricing.
• Websitewave* Take tutorial classes and learn the basics of programming, such as HTML, DHTML, Java, JavaScript, Flash, C++, SQL, and the list goes on and on.*
• Devarchive As the name suggests, this is a developer's archive. It includes such things as buttons, menus, dialogs, etc. for Visual Basic and Delphi. You can download countless add-ins for your applications.
• Webmonkey For anybody who is a developer (programmer) for the internet, whether you're a beginner or a pro, this site is an excellent resource. Before you know it, maybe I'll have your website on this page somewhere.
• Moock's Flash Tutorial & Info page If you do much with Macromedia Flash, this site is probably a breath of fresh air to you, unless you're one of the few who already knows about it.
• World Wide Web Consortium This organization develops technologies to lead the Web to its full potential. They facilitate the standards for the internet, such as HTML, CSS, and just about anything to do with the Internet.
• DynamicDrive.com One of the best ways to create your own web programming code is to learn from others. The purpose of this site is to provide others (mainly beginners like myself) with sample code that others may either use or modify and use. They have some really cool web "toys" that you can use to enhance your own website(s).
• Htmlgoodies.com* This is yet another site whose purpose is to help the budding webmaster learn key web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, Perl & CGI, Java Applets, XML, etc.*
• Htmlhelp.com* Ditto the above listing, except not as much JavaScript. Mainly HTML-related technologies.*
• Flamingtext.com* This site features loads of free clipart, buttons, web creation tools, animations, fonts, etc., to use when creating your website.*
• MSDN and MSDN Workshop This is the Microsoft Developer Network, where well-trained and budding developers of Microsoft technology can learn more about the technology they use, as well as pool their knowledge together. There are newsgroups, there's a download area, there are places to get free training, as well as miscellaneous tidbits, such as the complete run-down on scripting technologies, etc. Their Web Workshop is a must-visit for anyone that's learning programming of any sort.
• ftp.digital.com This isn't really a website necessarily, but it is a good place to find a lot of utilities and programs to download. The Digital.com FTP site is run by Compaq, who bought Digital Corporation several years ago. There are downloads for Windows 95/98/Me, as well as for Windows NT platforms. There are even downloads for the old Windows 3.x platform. (If you snoop around, you can find Unix & Linux downloads in abundance).
• HowStuffWorks.com I think the name speaks for itself. Find out how stuff works... from car engines to sunglasses, from dieting to how the internet infrastructure works. It's very descriptive and helpful.
• Webcoder.com This website, in conjunction with The Dynamic Duo, goes into deep detail into JavaScript and DHTML web development. It's probably best to have at least completed a tutorial in JavaScript and DHTML previous to navigating this site.

LDS Church-related sites	(back to top)
• www.lds.org This is the official homepage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On this page (as well as the site map page), you'll find links to the following information (which are also linked here as well): The Scriptures: From this link, you can read any of the standard works of the LDS church, such as the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, as well as the Old and New Testaments (complete with footnotes, cross-references, etc.). There are also links to scripture study helps, such as the Topical Guide, Bible Dictionary, Index, Joseph Smith Translation, Footnotes, Bible Maps, Scriptural Photographs, Church History Maps, Church History Photographs, and Church History Chronology. Broadcast: From this link on lds.org, you can listen to the Audio Version of the Scriptures, as well as listen to the Archives of General Conference (available in many different languages), and links to other items that would've been broadcasted, such as select CES firesides, the Christmas Devotional, and an Audio/Video Links page that directs you to a number of places, such as the BYU Devotional archives, BYU-TV, and even such things as Education Week and BYU Symposiums. Gospel Library: This section of lds.org gives you access (and the ability to search) to all of the manuals and curriculum from Primary up through Gospel Doctrine, including Relief Society and all Priesthood quorums. Also available here are articles from the church's magazines, such as the Friend, the NewEra, the Ensign, Liahona, and others. LDScatalog.com: Use this site to browse through and order church products. This is basically the church's distribution center online. Familysearch.org: This is one of the most (if not the very most) comprehensive website in the world for genealogy.
• www.ldsworld.com
• www.byu.edu
• The Dead Sea Scrolls This site gives you photos of the dead sea scrolls, along with photos of artifacts found with the scrolls. Also included here are translations of the scrolls.
• TempleSquare.com You'll find all sorts of info here, ranging from the schedule for the free concert series to hotels & bed-and-breakfast locations that are convenient to temple square in Salt Lake City.
• LDS Resources, courtesy of KSL This is a page on KSL.com that lists several links to other pages that would be of great use to LDS church members. On this page is even a link to a page where you can listen to past sessions of conference.
• The Sugar Beet This is a website that features good old fashioned Mormon satirical humor. This website is maintained by one of my former instructors at UVSC.

"Nerdy" websites for programming, etc.:
www.15seconds.com
www.asp101.com
www.learnasp.com
www.powerasp.com
www.aspwatch.com
www.4guysfromrolla.com
http://www.opencube.com
www.lynda.com
www.builder.com
www.webmonkey.com
http://www.filelibrary.com/

Helpful (resourceful) websites	Best of internet shopping	Government websites
Sports websites	Entertainment websites	Computer-related websites
Free Software Downloads	Software Downloads on this site	LDS Church-related sites
Free E-mail & Internet Access	Free Web Hosting	Other websites I maintain
Helpful Web Development Sites	Un-Categorized Links

Best of internet shopping	(back to top)
• Mysimon.com Whatever you're wanting to buy, check here first. After deciding what product(s) you're interested in pricing, with the click of your mouse, Mysimon.com will return prices from a database of hundreds of vendors that sell the product(s), displaying pricing information, and in most cases it gives you an idea of what shipping will cost, as well as whether or not the vendor has the item(s) in stock.
• www.cdw.com One of the absolute biggest & best computer & computer accessory sites on the web. The search features on their site are yet to be beat by anyone, in my opinion. Plus, they provide lifetime tech support for the computer hardware that they sell... regardless of whether or not the manufacturer does. (Besides, I used to work there, so I'm a little biased.)

Government websites	(back to top)
• The United States Senate
• Library of Congress
• The United States House of Representatives
• The White House
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• National Security Agency (NSA)
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• U.S. Marine Corps
• The State of Utah
• Utah Travel & Tourism Council
• National Park Service
• *U.S.D.A. Forest Service*
• U.S. Postal Service This site is particularly helpful if you want to find out a zipcode or Zip+4 code (those 4 numbers that go after your zipcode, which will usually increase the speed of mail by at least one day, if it's included on the address).

Sports websites	(back to top)
• NBA
• ESPN
• Utah Jazz
• B.Y.U. Cougars

Free Software Downloads	(back to top)
• ZDNet Downloads Hosted by ZDNet (one of the many, many Ziff-Davis companies out there), there are hundreds of thousands of downloads --many of them for free-- that you can access. The link in this section takes you directly to the free download section.
• Download.com Hosted by CNet, there are hundreds of thousands of downloads --many of them for free-- that you can access. The link in this section takes you directly to the PC software (as opposed to Macintosh) download section, where you may select from a variety of categories to search. I prefer this site to ZDNet because it's easier to use, and I've generally found better software, and more software that's available for free.
• ftp.digital.com This isn't really a website necessarily, but it is a good place to find a lot of utilities and programs to download. The Digital.com FTP site is run by Compaq, who bought Digital Corporation several years ago. There are downloads for Windows 95/98/Me, as well as for Windows NT platforms. There are even downloads for the old Windows 3.x platform. (If you snoop around, you can find Unix & Linux downloads in abundance).

Software Downloads on this site	(back to top)
(None yet, but they're coming soon!!)

Free E-mail & Internet Access	(back to top)
• Yahoo! Mail This link will take you to a page where you can either sign in as a current Yahoo! Mail user, or you can click on a Sign Up link that will help you set up a new e-mail account.
• Hotmail This link will take you to a page where you can either sign in as a current Yahoo! Mail user, or you can click on a Sign Up Now link that will help you set up a new e-mail account.
• Mail.com This link will take you to a page where you can either sign in as a current Yahoo! Mail user, or you can click on a New Member Sign Up link that will help you set up a new e-mail account. Although I mainly use my Yahoo! Mail account, I think that Mail.com has some pretty cool perks, such as being able to choose the domain name (@yahoo.com, @hotmail.com, etc.) of your e-mail address. Some domain names that are available are: mail.com, cheerful.com, consultant.com, europe.com, myself.com, post.com, techie.com, writeme.com, 2die4.com, artlover.com, bikerider.com, catlover.com, cliffhanger.com, doglover.com, gardener.com, hot-shot.com, inorbit.com, loveable.com, mad.scientist.com, poetic.com, popstar.com, saintly.com, whoever.com, winning.com, witty.com, yours.com, africamail.com, arcticmail.com, asia.com, australiamail.com, japan.com, and the one that I use for this website, usa.com. There is also a collection of cities to choose from, like london.com, rome.com, etc. For those interested in a domain name that's tied to a profession, there's accountant.com, adexec.com, allergist.com, alumnidirector.com, archaeologist.com, chemist.com, clerk.com, columnist.com, comic.com, consultant.com, counsellor.com, deliveryman.com, diplomats.com, doctor.com, dr.com, engineer.com, execs.com, financier.com, geologist.com, graphic-designer.com, hairdresser.net, insurer.com, journalist.com, lawyer.com, legislator.com, lobbyist.com, minister.com, musician.org, optician.com, pediatrician.com, presidency.com, priest.com, programmer.net, publicist.com, realtyagent.com, registerednurses.com, repairman.com, representative.com, rescueteam.com, scientist.com, sociologist.com, teacher.com, umpire.com, and underwriters.com.
• Yahoo!'s Free Internet Access listing* This link will take you to a page on Yahoo! that lists several free Internet Service Providers (ISPs).*
• 123-free-isp* This link will take you to 123-free-isp.com, which is a directory of free ISPs.*

Free Web Hosting	(back to top)
• Geocities To get set up with Geocities, you'll at least need a Yahoo! Mail account. Honestly, I have experienced some level of difficulty in uploading websites when I use Front Page 2000 and Geocities. Last time I checked, you get about 10 to 15 MB worth of space for your website.
• Tripod I prefer this web hosting provider to the others. For one, it's easier to upload your site when it's ready, another reason is that Tripod is a Real Media server (to play Real Player media, such as audio and video), and you get 30 to 50 MB worth of space for your website.

Other websites I maintain	(back to top)
• LewisChurch.com: I created this website when my father was running for public office in Pleasant Grove, Utah during the 2003 election year, and I'll be maintaining the website hereafter for his personal use.
• VertexWeb.com:* This is the website for my own personal web design business (more of a hobby right now than anything else).*
• Bug Zapper:* I created this website as a solution for an online software "bug" tracking database for QA departments to use.*
• Tirzah & Troy's wedding website This is a website that I originally made to facilitate communication of photos and other information between Utah (where the wedding was to take place) and Alaska (where the bride and groom now live). Since their wedding, it has been added to and added to, until it has become a veritable photo album of their wedding.

Helpful Web Development Sites	(back to top)
• W3Schools.com:* Probably the best overall site for providing web development tutorials... from basic HTML & CSS, to JavaScript, XML, and ASP.NET. Very helpful (2 thumbs up)!*
• DynamicDrive.com: This is a site that provides free, pre-made "cut-n-paste" JavaScript code for you to use on your own website. There are several categories of JavaScript components to choose from, and each component includes detailed implementation instructions.
• ColorWheelPro: A unique software program that allows you to see color theory in action. With Color Wheel Pro, you can create harmonious color schemes and preview them on real-world examples. (This is an extremely helpful application for selecting color schemes... much better than the alternatives, and even better than the Adobe & Corel apps, in my opinion).
• FlashComponents.net: For those of you that are Flash "junkies", this site is a MUST. It includes numerous free, pre-made Flash components for different categories, such as 3D, Site Navigation, Menus & UI elements, etc. This site is especially helpful, since many of the components on Macromedia's "Exchange" site are more expensive than before (many of them used to be free as well).
• Blooberry.com: This site is probably second in line behind W3Schools when it comes to HTML and CSS tutorials... however, this site doesn't actually include "tutorials", necessarily. It's just one of the best overall resources for HTML and CSS that exists.