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INDEX |
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EMAIL wmpb@aol.com
PHONE (206) 659-4866
FAX (206) 299-8330
MAIL 1921 Edgemont Place W Seattle WA 98199 |
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Journalist and writer “You can observe a lot by just watching.” —Yogi Berra |
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Links to Interesting Web Sites
Financial Information
Abnormal Returns Links to other links American City Business Journals Regional wannabees Angry Bear Blog by financial eggheads Annual Credit Report Yours. Free. Right here. Annuity Museum Fascinating history of a promise to pay Bankrate Help find the best interest rates Better Business Bureau Search a business’s bona fides Big Charts Minute by minute trading data to check your broker The Big Picture Rare blog with good graphics Block Shopper Another real estate site Bloomberg The business, not the man Bureau of Public Debt Buy those bonds, notes and bills here Business Wire Official line from the company CalcMoolator All kinds of financial calculators Calculated Risk Economic analysis up the blogzoo Canada Stockbroker Disciplinary Records Who got blamed, eh? Canada Stockbroker Records Who might get blamed, eh? CFA Institute No scandal among chartered financial analysts Charles Schwab Quick stock quotes from discount brokerage king Consumer Price Index Since 1913 How much cheaper back then? Cost of Living Comparisons If you’re thinking of moving CNN Financial News Latest happenings in business Corporate Information Company profiles worldwide The D&O Diary Watching corporate boards shirk their duties The Economist International financial view from London Economic History Chatty economists, lots of neat links Federal Trade Commission Warnings on many industries Financial Times Pinko business newspaper in London Footnoted Blog that reads the fine print Forbes Business-oriented web site and publication Fraser Nifty economic data compiled by the St. Louis Fed Free Erisa See how underfunded your own pension plan is Free Edgar Smart retrieval of SEC filings Free Lunch Huge amount of economic data Hedge Fund Adviser Records Check out that secretive outfit Hoover Online Basic information on public companies Infectious Greed Running $$$ commentary Internal Revenue Service Taxing information Investment Adviser Records Check out that money manager Investor Guide Directs you to other sites IPO Central Good way to track new initial public offerings M&A Law Prof Blog Dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s Market Guide Much basic data here Minyanville Quirky site features dancing bulls and bears Mergerstat Tracks mergers and acquisitions Morningstar The Bible on mutual funds Motley Fool Amusing but informative financial information Municipal Bond Information Finally, free online statements PR Newswire More official line from the company Quatloos Heads-up on scams, frauds, dubious investments Quicken Financial Network Personal finance advice Raging Bull Where unverified market gossip reigns supreme Real Estate ABC Name says it all Real Estate Records Links to free property records on the Web Securities and Exchange Commission Public company filings SEC Actions A critical look at the agency that missed Madoff SEC Info Makes sense out of raw SEC documents Seeking Alpha Financial blog of financial blogs Social Security Figure out what you got coming Spendster Public AA for spendthrifts, one bill at a time State Securities Regulators Where to blow the whistle Stockbroker Records Helpful but limited data from FINRA The Street.com Broad financial coverage Tax-Exempt Form 990s Get the skinny on tax-dodgers 10-Q Detective Sleuthing out the good stuff in SEC filings 10-K Wizard Clever retrieval and analysis of SEC filings, but not free Ticker Sense Blog by Birinyi Associates Vanguard Lots of financial information here Yahoo Finance Best investor chat around Zillow Computer estimate of a property’s value
General Research
About The skinny on nearly everything Acronym Finder A guide to alphabet soup American Rhetoric Live feed of famous speeches Answers.com Hot quick source to everything from Gurunet Babelfish Altavista’s neat translation service Bartlett’s Quotations Who said what when where how but no why Biography Resource Center Search for people Census Data Plenty of numbers here CEO Express Well-designed links to just about everything County Clerk Offices Every single one in the United States Dictionary Plus thesaurus Dictionary.com For various languages Double-Tongued Word Wrestler Dictionary Includes slang The Elements of Style William Strunk’s classic work on writing eLibrary A paid Web site for general research eNature Broad database on animals and plants Encarta Microsoft’s encyclopedia, atlas and dictionary Encyclopedia Britannica Great book but barely afloat Fed Stats Numbers from all over the government First Gov Owner’s manual to the Federal Government FreeDictionary Lots of technical definitions Internet Public Library Good collection of reference sites Librarians’ Index to the Internet Vetting by the pros Library of Congress Terrific way to track down old books Library Spot Another good collection of reference sites LOUIS One-stop search of federal records Martindale’s The Reference Desk Links aplenty Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Metric Converter How many meters in a mile? National Obituary Archives Links to 50 million death notices Online Dictionaries and Thesauri Galore One Look Word definitions drawn from 100 dictionaries Portico Good collection of research links Questia Another paid Web site that is a virtual library Rapleaf Claims 50 million people profiles Reference Desk Still another good collection of reference sites Search Systems Links to public records Smithsonian Institution Wide scope Statistical Abstract of the U.S. Even more numbers UN Data United Nations clearinghouse University of Michigan Wide collection of links to statistics and data USA.gov Portal to the Federal Government Wayback Machine Amazing archives of the entire Web back to 1996 Wikipedia User-written encyclopedia of uncertain veracity Wordnik Combo dictionary, thesaurus that pronounces words Yahoo Answers Post your question and the world answers
Internet, Computers and Wireless
Astalavista Security Group Where hackers meet the hacked Bandwith Meter Measure the speed of your Internet connection Broadband Home Central How to set up that home network Bug Me Not Enter Web sites without registration Cell Reception Provides map of nearby cell phone towers Download Squad Witty update on software, Web apps File Extentions Index to obscure computer file extensions like .vcd File Info Another list of computer extensions like Internet Domain Lookup The skinny on domain owners if not hiding Internet Traffic Report Congestion on the information superhighway Namechk Name available check on dozens of social sites Net History Amazing story of the Internet PC Magazine Free software and helpful computer reviews Sam Spade Tools to protect online privacy Search Engine Showdown Critiques the backbone of the Web Spyware Info Tipoff sheet about Internet snoops Spyware Warrior Tips on shaking that virus Tech Crunch Review Internet sites and services Tech Dirt The Page Six of the tech industry WiFi Freespot.com List of no-cost wireless access WiFi Hotspots Searchable database of paid and free wireless access WiFi Maps.com Plots Internet wireless access on map Wi-Fi Planet How to get wireless
Media, Entertainment and—Gasp!—Gossip
ABC Major broadcast network with newsy site Ad Age Power 150 Links to top marketing and media blogs AJR Newslink Find most U.S. print media with Web sites All-News Radio Station Live Feeds Check NYC traffic from L.A. Alternative Weeklies Links to the down and dirty of journalism Arts & Letters Daily Points to humanities-oriented material Associated Press The granddaddy of wire services Associated Press Stories Plotted on a Map Visual news Audit Bureau of Circulations To the extent papers still have readers The Australian Steals credit now, apologizes in private later. Blank on Blank Audio of old interviews BBC World Service Listen to its famous radio reports right here Book Publishing Industry Directory Everyone who’s anyone Box Office Mojo Movie stats galore Breaking News When you got to know the scoop right away BusinessWeek Dying financial pub owned by bond-rating scammer Chicago Tribune World’s Greatest Newspaper in bankruptcy Christian Science Monitor Top pub nobody reads Classical Music Radio Stations Online Hear Mozart right now! CNN Good for breaking news Commentary Today Left, right and in-betweens listed here The Dallas Morning News Sad testimonial to family control Deadline Hollywood Daily Run by the former Nikki Finke Greenberg Defamer Hollywood gossip Drudge Report General gossip without verification E! Online Brad and Jennifer and Angelina and other such stuff eWeek What’s happening in the digital world Fishbowl LA More Hollywood gossip Forbes Business-oriented web site and publication Fox News When you like your news with a spin from the right Gawker Gossip from New York and beyond Gizmodo New gadget blog Google News Fastest way to grab breaking news Guerrilla News Network News stories without verification Houston Chronicle Largest local daily never to win a Pulitzer Prize The Huffington Post Blog of blogs LA Observed Online critique of things Los Angelesan Los Angeles Daily News Now edited elsewhere Los Angeles Times Ailing West Coast sister of ailing Chicago Tribune MSNBC Even better for breaking news MSN Money Lots of material here Music Archive Huge number of performances, all for free National Geographic Without the dirty pictures National Public Radio A decent site, All Things Considered New Mexico Magazine Touts Land of Enchantment Newser Another news web site helping to sink newspapers News Links Links to media outlets worldwide Newspaper Association of America Another sad list of print links News Voyager Links to media outlets everywhere The New York Observer Thoughtful, witty Gotham weekly The New York Post Gossip Columns The best in daily dish The New York Times Still the U.S. newspaper of record O’Dwyer’s P.R. Newsletter Spin about the spin Old Newspapers from 1880 to 1922 digitized by the Library of Congress OMG! Yahoo’s entry in the ill-served celebrity-news market The Onion Satire, not news, but who cares? Opera Broadcasts Daily listings of when the fat lady sings Overlawyered Daily accounts of why there are too many lawyers People If you live for gossip and gossip alone Press Think Journalism blog by Professor Jay Rosen Pro Publica Paul Steiger’s life after The Wall Street Journal PR Watch Amusing dissections of paid propaganda and media spins Public Domain Review Lists literary properties losing copyrrights Pulitzer Prizes All the winners since the very first one in 1917 Radio Locator Locate that AM or FM outlet Regret the Error Amusing newspaper corrections Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Name says it all Reuters Detached foreign view with funny spellings Jim Romenesko His famous MediaNews summary Salon Online magazine of note Santa Fe New Mexican Fine small daily that escaped from Gannett Science Daily News on the next breakthrough Scriptsales.com Track those movie deals Slate Another online magazine of note The Smoking Gun Collection of gossipy documents Sunday Times (London) Surprisingly interesting to non-Brits Talking Biz News Giving business news outlets the business TV Tome Everything about the small screen The Times of London International perspective TMZ Its boss preaches privacy on TV, violates it on the Web Toronto Globe and Mail Canada’s top newspaper TruthDig Links to political journalism United Press International A shadow of its former self Valleywag Silicon Valley gossip blog Vancouver Sun Worth reading just for scam reporting of David Baines The Washington Post Scoop and poop from the nation’s capital Weather Channel What it’s doing outside, everywhere Wonderwall New celebrity-news site for those unsatiated elsewhere Wired Intersection of technology and culture USA Today Free searches back to 1987
Political Information
Fact Check Tries to keep pols on the straight and narrow Fund Race Plots addresses of political donors on a map GOP USA Red meat for red states The Note ABC News go-to site for daily political dish Open Congress An open book on a closed institution Open Secrets Campaign contribution data Politico Increasingly the go-to site for political coverage PolitiFact Features the “Truth-O-Meter” Project Vote Smart All about candidates Ralph Nader for President He was baaaaaaack! Republican Offenders Amusingly long list of GOP miscreants Spinsanity Another set-’em-straight site Wonkette Political gossip blog
Search Engines and Portals
A9 Search engine from Amazon.com After Vote Combines results from Google, Yahoo and MSN All The Web Norwegian import with very broad coverage AOL Search engine with a tilt toward partners and own sites Altavista Still a damn good engine Ask Jeeves Stunning search logic using ordinary questions Ask X Ask Jeeves search engine in drag Bing Microsoft’s promising challenger to Google Cha Cha Takes you to a real human guide Clusty Cleverly classifies hits by topic a la the old Northern Light Cuil Newest challenger to Google Congoo Seaches beyond the free Web. Deja News Indexes Usenet posting by everyone Dogpile Searches other search engines Duck Duck Go No-frills brower eTBLAST Searches Web by text similarity rather than keywords Google Also searches other engines, plus deleted pages Google Groups Searchable archives of newsgroup postings Internet Archive Dig up that old Web site Mahalo Claims to be “human-powered” Microsoft Live Search Surprisingly decent coverage MsDewey.com Scantily clad host talks back at you during searching MSN It’s a search engine, too Prefound Search your own Internet universe. Rollyo Sometimes works better for obscure topics Search Mash All-in-one Google engine for Web, video, blogs, pix Stumble Upon Your past searches help guide this engine Wayback Machine Amazing archives of the entire Web back to 1996 Wolfram Alpha Newest engine touts “computational knowledge” Yahoo Best known engine, although, frankly, coverage is spotty Yippy F/k/a Custy.com f/k/a Vivisimo.com Services
Angies List Review of home services Get Human.com Find the codes to evade company phone trees Missing Money Find unclaimed accounts in 37 states Track My Shipments Even provides maps of that UPS order Unclaimed Find unclaimed accounts in 50 states Zillow In case you missed it above
Sites for Searching Blogs
Alltop Blog-posting collector by industry Blogdigger Name says it all Bloglines Keep track of new blog postings Blog Pulse Track that Blogosphere chatter here Blog Search Find that snarky posting on blogs Flickr Search for photos by name Google Blog Search Claims it can search minutes-old postings Ice Rocket Another way to search bogs Regator Intelligently selected blog of blogs Sphere A comer in blog-searching Technorati Yet another source for researching blogs
Specialty Searches
Banished Words List Lake Superior State University’s gift to the world BRB Publications Interesting but a stalking horse for paid services Canada Statistics Pin down those numbers up north, eh? Centers for Disease Control Health info galore Criminal Searches Lots of disclaimers and limitations Dead People Server Is that celebrity finally gone yet? Defense Manpower Data Center Who’s in the military? Earthquakes This Week in Los Angeles Many more than you think Federal Campaign Contributions Democracy at work Federal Prisoner Locator Records of past and current inmates Find A Grave Searchable by last name only Fix Ya Helps diagnose things that break down Footnote Documents in the National Archives Genealogy Records Mormon Church’s famous archives God Checker Mythology encyclopedia Graves of Famous People Exhaustive index to final resting spots Healthopedia Links to medical information How Stuff Works The basics on the basics The Memory Hole Stories that deserved better play Interment.net Google-powered index to the deceased Internet Movie Database Track down Hollywood trivia Justia Free search of federal-court civil cases, and more KnowX Nationwide lawsuit and lien searches for modest fees Landings All about specific pilots and planes Lifehacker All kinds of shortcuts Martindale’s List of Lawyers Find that mouthpiece The Memory Hole Stories that deserved better play Muckety Interactive organization charts showing relationships Museum of Hoaxes When it sounds too good to be true NETRonline Direct link to government public records New York City Official Web Site Lots of information here Nonprofit Organizations Forbes list of 200 majors Nonprofit Governance BBB Wise Giving Alliance ratings Obituary Daily Times Index to obits, but not the obits themselves Open Secrets Details the best democracy that money can buy Patent and Trademark Server Index goes way back—to 1790 Political Organization Filings With IRS Who got what from whom Portico Links to all kinds of public records Project Gutenberg Full-text of many old books in public domain Public Resource.org Copyright records, building codes and more Public Records Search Free and paid sources RootsWeb Genealogy and more Search Engine Guide Links to specialized Web findings Search Systems Paid access to public record databases The Straight Dope Basic answers to basic questions Social Security Death Index Dearly departeds back to 1933 State Courts Index to thousands of jurisdictions State FOIA laws Every single one State Lawmaker Financial Disclosures Actual filings Tributes.com Claims 90 million death records Useless Knowledge All kinds of trivia U.S. Gazetteer Interesting geographical index U.S.Gen Web Geneaological site that links to others U.S. Postal Service Figure out the freight and the rules U.S. Supreme Court Research about the Supremes Web MD Reference manual for the body Who’s Alive and Who’s Dead Lists deceased Playboy playmates World Health Organization Early word on the next epidemic
Telephone Numbers and Addresses
Anywho AT&T’s directory assistance Argali Lots of numbers, lots of ads At Hand Directory assistance often more current than others Links to Online Directories Courtesy of the University of Texas FindFone Useful in tracking down location of phone exchange Hard to Find 800 numbers Name says it all Infospace Another phone and address directory InfoUSA Still another phone and address directory Reverse Phone Directory Get name or address from number Search-It-All Another reverse directory Switchboard Also provides maps and directions Verizon Can search by first name only. WhitePages.com Also pulls up email addresses and bios Zip Codes In A Radius Find out who’s nearby
Travel
Accutraffic Real time traffic reports from government agencies Airfare Watchdog Real people searching for real discounts Airline Crashes Details every airplane crash since 1970 AirTran Airways Watch those discount flights to Florida Alamo Car Rental A tad cheaper than others American Airlines More accidents than most other carriers American Trans Air Discount carrier in the Midwest America West Airlines Back from the dead Avis They try to try harder BiddingTraveler Helps you game Priceline.com Bing Travel Run for better or worst by Microsoft Booking Buddy Helps search other travel sites Cheap Tickets Another place to look for air deals City Search Guides to the city you are visiting Continental Airlines Still rising from the ghost of Frank Lorenzo Czech Airlines When you really want to take a flyer Currency Converter How many pesos to the dollar? Delta Air Lines Made ``Change in Atlanta’’ famous Driving Directions How to get anywhere on the road Driving Distance Calculator In miles, not six-packs Enterprise Car Rental Also on the low side Expedia Book those airfares here Farecast Buy that plane ticket now or later? Fare Compare Good for traveler with flexible dates Flightstats Tells you how often a specific flight is late Fly.com Another ticket Web site that searches other ticket Web sites Flyer Talk When you have to vent Flying Distance Calculator Figure out the frequent flyer mileage Foders Lots of travel information Frommers Lists cut-rate deals Frontier Airlines Lower fares, but not low fares, through Denver Gas Buddy Find the cheap gas station while on the go Google Flight Search Finds price, then link Google Maps Trying to muscle in on Mapquest Google Pedometer Figure out the length of your daily walk Google Places Review of local services and restaurants Hertz King of rental cars Hipmunk Airfares displayed in a clever design Inside Trip Search airfares by price, speed, comfort or ease Itasoftware Zeroes in on cheapest days to fly Jet Blue Discount carrier that goes coast to coast—in good weather Kayak Better than most at finding lowair fares Lonely Planet Oriented toward backpackers Los Angeles Transit Featuring subways to nowhere Mapquest King of online mapping Mesa Air Getting around New Mexico and environs Metrolink Southern California’s commuter train system to nowhere Mile Maven How to get maximum frequent flyer points MizPee When you gotta go Mobissimo Another site to check for best airfares Momondo Low fares from a Danish company New York City Transit Get that subway map here New York City Traffic cams When you’re really, really bored. Nextag Comparison shop air, hotels, cars Northwest Airlines Unhappy workers in Minneapolis, Detroit, etc. Orbitz Best for finding flights Point Maven How to get maximum frequent hotel points Priceline Frankly, you often can do better elsewhere Seat Expert Spotlight airplane seats with the most legroom Seat Guru Does the same thing as Seat Expert SideStep Search engine for best travel deals Sit or Squat Find the nearest bathroom Southern California Freeway Traffic Amazing detail in real time Southwest About to run US Airways out of Philly Speed Trap Smoking out Smokey Spirit Airlines Discount flights mainly along the East Coast TerraServer Microsoft’s answer to Google Maps Thrifty Car Rental A dubious outfit, from my dealings Time Zones and Current Time Set your watch right here Travelocity Good place for last-minute airfares Trip Advisor Helpful in booking hotel rooms Trip Connect Share your travel war stories Tripit Create complete itinerary for your big trip United Airlines Squeezes customers in Denver and Chicago US Airways Nonstop service into the Hudson River Voyji Travel aggregator site with emphasis on sales Walk Jog Run Calculates distance of your jogging route Weather Channel Local conditions anywhere in the world World Health Organization Check for outbreaks before you go Yapta Monitors airlines for fare cuts after ticketing Yelp Restaurant reviews
Video, Image and People Searching
AOL Video Search Serious place to look for tape Ask Images From the Ask Jeeves crowd Bing Microsoft’s entry into violation of personal privacy Blinkx One way to find that clip online CVGadget Site governed by “Dutch law” Facebook Check out that college student here FriendFeed Canvass all the social networks at once Google Video Broad coverage of the medium Google Image Search Still the best for stills iSearch Promising people search site LinkedIn A Facebook for professionals Lococitato Nifty tools for linking people My Space Check out that high school student here 123 People New entry into crowded snoop business Peek You Promises more than it delivers People Finders A paid site that goes way back Picsearch Name says it all Pipl Proclaims it searches “the deep Web” Snitch Name says it all Spock New entry in the field Spokeo Says its searches 42 social network sites Tube Surf Searches all the video search sites Twitter A Facebook for techies Wink Surprisingly effective people searches Who2 Lots of biographies here Yahoo Live Broadcast of live video Yahoo Video Mark Cuban’s revenge Yoname Search social networks by name YouTube Where copyright law is a dead letter Zabasearch Search public records by name Zoom Info Good at finding official bios on the Web
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Copyright 2013 William P. Barrett. All Rights Reserved |
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Published Material 2010-2011 |
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THIS JUST IN!!! Seattle again through the eyes of different search engines (More and more, they primarily cater to tourists), NewToSeattle.com, May 22, 2013. On top retirement place lists, Seattle area is largely MIA (Reasons include high cost of living and taxes), NewToSeattle.com, May 17, 2013. In Seattle, tensions between dogs and letter carriers (City ranks second nationally in bitten postal workers), NewToSeattle.com, May 15, 2013. Swindler Billie Sol Estes, Dead At 88, Is Remembered In Verse (Once famous Texas swindler had hard time staying out of trouble), Forbes.com, May 14, 2013. Iffy charity soliciting in Seattle gets more iffy (Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation to cut the amount of donated goods it claimed to receive), NewToSeattle.com, May 9, 2013. New Seattle TV humor show is a little light on Seattle humor (“The 206” seeks an audience in an area not known for giggles), NewToSeattle.com, May 6. 2013. Springtime in Seattle: annual fears about solicitors (Warnings come out about door-to-door visitors), NewToSeattle.com, May 1, 2013. Monumental Seattle (Part 4) (Public art depicts nothing—or something). NewToSeattle.com, April 26, 2013. In Seattle, Amanda Knox now draws little attention (Her hometown largely leaves her alone), NewToSeattle.com, April 22, 2013. Monumental Seattle (Part 3) (Did you know about the local tribute to Confederate veterans?), NewToSeattle.com, April 17, 2013. Seattle pedestrians sometimes forget to push crosswalk button (They wait, then get frustrated when the “walk” light doesn’t flash), NewToSeattle.com, April 11, 2013.
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William P. Barrett |