Internet Protocol Phone Service
The Internet has long promised cheaper telephone service. Traditionally, Internet Protocol Phone Service (VoIP) has meant calling through your computer. It has been used for long distance at a low cost. One of the leading companies in this area is Net2Phone. Phone calls can also be made over Yahoo!'s instant messaging system. But the latest VoIP iteration uses telephones, not a computer. It completely replaces traditional phone service including local calls. This service is a relatively new trend. Two companies involved are Vonage and Packet8. Their service is widely available. You need broadband Internet service to use VoIP. Customers get an adapter box to link the phone and modem, but they will also need a router. These machines are used to link computer networks to the Internet. With a router, you can connect both the phone adapter and computer to the Internet. Otherwise, only one can be connected at a time. Packet8 charges $19.95 per month for unlimited calls anywhere in the United States or Canada. Vonage charges $25.99 per month for unlimited local calls and 500 long-distance minutes.

Internet Service Providers
Two of the most popular Internet Service Providers (ISP) are American Online (AOL) and Microsoft (MSN). If you are thinking of making one of them your ISP, you should look at the pros and cons for each of them. In terms of the pros, MSN is a few dollars cheaper than AOL, and it has a better e-mail program. However, AOL has an easier installation, better instant messaging program, and overall content. These features make it a slightly better ISP than MSN. The speed, reliability, and tech support are about the same for each one. If you’re looking for a less expensive ISP, check out findanisp.com. You can find one the easy way by just entering your area code and telephone number prefix to find those in your hometown. This online database lists over 2,800 ISPs. Compare price and features and read user reviews. You can immediately find ISPs that have a local access point in any of over 14,000 U.S. cities.

Internet speed
The newest standard for modems looks to increase the best upload speeds from current V.90 modems from 33.6 kbps to 48 kbps. The standard, drafted by the International Telecommunications Union, also allows for the modem to go on hold so that an incoming call can be taken, and it reduces the need for a second phone line. Software upgrades will be available for some V.90 modems, from manufactures including U.S. Robotics, while others may require that you purchase a new modem to see these new features. more information. To check the speed of your ISP connection, activate the Network Status icon that resides in your System Tray. You can right-click it to find your ISP connection's speed and close the connection. To find it in WinXP, click Start and select My Computer. In the Other Places menu, click My Network Places. In the Network Tasks menu, click View Network Connections. Right click the icon of the ISP connection or network and select Properties. On the General tab, check the box for "Show icon in notification area when connected" and click OK. Users of Win98 can also activate the icon by opening Windows Explorer and clicking Dial Up Networking.  Right click the connection in which you are interested and click Properties.  Select General and click “Configure in the Connect Using area.” On the Options tab, click the box for "Display modem status" and then click OK. Now, whenever you connect to your ISP, the icon will appear in your System Tray. There are tests you can run online to determine the speeds of your ISP. Here are a couple sites for you to check out your Internet speeds: dslreports.com and bandwidthspeedtest.com. Another good test of your Internet speed is at McAfee.

Internet Traffic Report
The Internet Traffic Report monitors the flow of data around the world. It then displays a value between 0 and 100. Higher values indicate faster and more reliable connections.

Java
If you download a game program and it doesn’t work on your computer, the problem may be because your machine does not have the software program Java installed on it. Java is a language developed by Sun Microsystems. It can be run on different operating systems (OS) including Windows, Mac's OS X, and Linux. To do that, it uses a program called a virtual machine. The virtual machine translates the Java code to whatever your computer requires. If a downloaded program refuses to run on your computer, you probably need to upgrade your virtual machine.

Language Translator
The Babel Fish Translator lets you translate up to 150 words from English to the following languages or translate from any of these languages to English: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. This tool can be a handy resource for Web research to read text on foreign language sites. For longer pages translations, go to freetranslation.com. This site works with pages of any length. These machine translations aren’t perfect so expect some mistakes.

Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LC), the U.S. national library, contains more than 17 million books, including foreign publications, plus approximately 100 million other items, such as maps, manuscripts, multimedia, etc. If what you're looking for isn't listed at the LC, go to the catalog. If you're looking for books by a specific author, or know the title of the book and need to confirm the author, or want to see all the books about a subject, use the Subj-Name-Title-Call# search option. If you have a more complicated search in mind, such as a search for an exact phrase or for books on a particular topic written by a certain author, choose the Guided Keyword search. Command Keyword is for searchers who know how to use the LC's index codes. This option is not for the faint of heart. Finally, the Keyword search lets you type in several words any of which can appear in the catalog records.

Linking Logic
As you create your Web page, try to provide links that direct visitors to the main page of other sites whenever possible. Although one can't control when other Webmasters rearrange their sites, you can be fairly certain that top-level addresses don't change as often over time, for example, link to "http://net.gurus.com" rather than http://net.gurus.com/toc-1dq5.html. Be on the lookout for tips from other sites on how you can safely link to one of their individual pages. Sometimes these other sites even provide you with links.

Lost and Found
Here are a few web sites to help you find your lost friends, classmates, family, etc. One of the first sites to research for former classmates is Classmates.com.  Another site is Who? Me?, which is a reverse people finder. Register for free and find out who's been looking for you at the Lost Love Registry,. Military.com, searches over 10 million records to help you find your old buddies. Here, the government is willing to help you, too. Drop by the Military Locator Services site, to get details on finding current and retired military personnel.

Map Directions
Both MapBlast and MapQuest give you written directions in miles or kilometers and in various languages to a given location. As with other automated mapping sites and software, you can request the fastest or shortest routes, download maps, and driving directions to a Palm or Pocket PC. MapBlast's LineDrive directions, in which your course is depicted using simple line drawings rather than a detailed map, set this site apart. These directions lack the context that a map provides, but the bold, clean lines are a much quicker read. Also, text directions are in a large font, with street names in bold face, which improves legibility. MapBlast doesn't display nearby businesses, allow you to save routes, or plan trips with more than one stop, as do the other mapping products. Those sites which have U.S. maps and directions to unknown locations include: mapsonus.com, and yahoo.com/. Two European web sites are: mappoint.msn and map24.com.

Memory Space
To determine how much free space is on your computer, open My Computer, right-click the hard drive, and click Properties. Your information is on the General tab. But, to find the source of what’s taking up space on your hard drive, download the DirGraph 1.3.5 Disc Usage Analyzer. It’s free and provides a graphical view of your files and folders.

To print out a list of folders and files in Windows Explorer, you will need to use PrintFolder 1.2, from No Nonsense Software. You can also test your memory without tearing apart your computer. Download and install DocMemory. This free program is designed
to capture all possible memory failures in your PC.

Mouse Odometer
You can document how far your mouse has traveled during your computer work by using the free Mouse Odometer. This software program provides data about how many mouse clicks you’ve used for every program. You can even determine how far your mouse has traveled relative to climbing the Statue of Liberty or hiking Mt. Everest.

Finally, if you want to set up an e-mail account for several people, most ISPs will give you several mailboxes. For instance, AOL provides seven for each account. You can have accounts for Mom, Dad, brother, sister, etc., all ending with @aol.com. You'd still have two left over for others.  You can set them up online. Upon signing up to AOL, you are given a master screen name. That means you have six more screen names available. To add names, find Settings on the AOL toolbar, click Screen Names, and click Create a Screen Name. You'll want to look at the Parental Controls if this is for a child. Other ISPs also offer extra accounts. Cox Communications, a big broadband ISP, provides seven. You can easily add addresses at support.cox.net. You will have to configure your e-mail software for the new account. To do that in Microsoft Outlook, click Tools, E-Mail Accounts, select Add a New E-Mail Account, and follow the wizard. In Outlook Express, click Tools, Accounts, select the Mail tab, click Add, Mail, and follow the wizard. In Netscape, go to the Mail window click File, New, Account, and select E-Mail Account and follow the wizard. Eudora calls accounts Personalities. To create a new account, click Tools, Personalities, right click Persona, click New, select "Create a brand new e-mail account," and follow the wizard.