Websites that make life fun

The Internet can, and definitely will, make your life a lot easier than before. It just depends on how you use it. Here are some interesting web-sites:www.swapdrive.com: Swapdrive - the world's free hard-drive.

This revolutionary concept allows you to store up to 25 MB of files of any type on the Internet. You do not need any special software to upload and download files, but just Internet Explorer 4.0 and above or Netscape Communicator 4 and above. Anyone who has a valid e-mail address can create a free account.

www.bored.com: Bored.com - have some fun on the Internet!

There are quiz contests, puzzles and riddles, on-line gambling, dating services, games, search engines. Free services and links.

www.icq.com: ICQ - The world's largest Internet online communication system.

This software, and other goodies, can be downloaded from the official ICQ website. The software is about 5 MB in size.

It helps you to search for people by their names, location, e- mail addresses and nicknames. You can add people to your "Contact List". You can transfer files and chat in real-time. It cuts down on telephone expenses (Internet chatting is much cheaper than a STD/ISD phone call).

www.net2phone.com:Net-2-Phone. Allows you to make a phone call from your PC, through the Internet, to any phone in the world (not necessarily connected to the Internet) at a fraction of STD/ISD phone call charges. Call up the United States and most parts of Europe for as little as Rs. 5 a minute, Singapore for Rs. 10 a minute .... A special version also allows you to send e- mail faxes at the same rates. Very useful for the Small Office - Home Office Segment (SOHO).

www.mediaring.com: MediaRing Talk 99. This 3 MB software allows a person to talk to another MediaRing user over the Internet, free of cost, provided both the parties are connected to the Internet at the same time and have the software installed.

www.myownemail.com:

My-own-e-mail. This website offers you a choice of over 200 domain names to choose from.

www.virtual insults.com: Virtual insults - Free Greeting Cards!

This website offers you an Internet-based greeting card service that allows you to send greeting cards over the Internet, free of cost. The special thing about it is that it is not like any other card-service - the cards that you send through this contain virtual insults, practical jokes, pranks and other silly things, which makes the receiver go berserk. It has various categories to select cards from.

www.teenstation.com: Teenstation - The Largest, Working Songs Archive

The best site for those of you who really love Hindi music and all its variations (Indi, pop, remixes, classics). Using Real Player (available as a free download at www.real.com), you can listen to over a thousand songs. Has a "videos" section (requires software called Winzip, available on the net for free download at www.winzip.com; a "Countdown" section and a "Trailers" section. Has an interactive chat session for its users. Everything offered is free.

www.hrs.com: Hotel Reservation Service. You can reserve rooms in hotels around the world, provided you have an international credit card. The search engine allows you to search on the basis of pricing, location, class. You can confirm your reservation by keying in your credit card number, address and e-mail address.

Car rentals, sightseeing and even choice of menu possible.

www.lowestfares.com: Lowest Fares. Make reservations for almost all the premier airlines. Bookings require that you have an international credit card. Search for the lowest fares, number of stops, comfort and airline. The "lowest fare" search is useful - shows really low fares, especially if you want to travel in the United States or Europe.

Remember that using the net works out to about Rs. 35-40 per hour (including Rs. 25 per hour, added in the telephone bill for the calls made).

VIKRAM BAJAJ, XI B

DAV BOYS S S SCHOOL, Chennai

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