This edition of the Niagara Falls Reporter is a glimpse of the future. As a Web Exclusive offering, it is an anomaly that in the not-so-distant future will be the norm. Traditional newspapers are like dinosaurs just a few scant months before the big meteor hit. They've enjoyed centuries of "E" adjective moments, like "entertaining," "engrossing," "educating" and "editorializing." Soon those will be replaced by a couple of other words that begin with the fifth letter of the English alphabet: "electronic" and "extinct."
If you're over the age of 35 you probably can't fathom a world without hard-copy newspapers. To twist Robert Duvall's great line from "Apocalypse Now," "I love the smell of printer's ink in the morning." But to kids 21 and under, a newspaper is as archaic as a telegraph. If they can't get news immediately -- and preferably in easy-to-digest sound bites -- they aren't interested. I'll bet the majority of America's youth are more apt to have held an electronic BlackBerry in their hands than Mother Nature's original version.
The writing has been on the wall for print versions of newspapers since New Year's Day 2007. It was then that the Swedish Post-och Inrikes Tidningar, the world's oldest newspaper, announced that it was going to be an online offering only. Considering that the paper was founded by Queen Kristina and her adviser Axel Oxenstierna in 1645, the news was a bit earth-shattering.
There is no doubt that as the older generations of folks continue to die off, most other newspapers will eventually follow suit. The Internet is the present and it is the future. In keeping with that theme, this column will highlight some Web sites of both local and national interest you may enjoy exploring.
One nice thing about reading newspapers online is that you no longer have to subscribe through the mail and read the news from elsewhere weeks behind the times. No better listing of all of the nation's relevant newspapers, including this one, can be found than the one compiled by the good folks at www.usnpl.com.
Just click on a state's name and a alphabetized list of links will pop up that will allow you to keep up with the news just about anywhere from sea to shining sea.
Want to find someone's telephone number? Along with newspapers, telephone books are quickly going the way of the slide rule. Just go to www.anywho.com and type in as much as you know of someone's name and address, and before you know it you'll be dialing their home phone. Even cooler is the Reverse Lookup feature. When you get one of those annoying calls where a person's telephone number shows up on your caller ID, but they fail to leave a message, just plug their number in and -- poof! -- you'll have a name and address staring back at you in seconds.
Need a little culture in your life but don't have the funds to travel? Then the www.coudal.com/moom Web site is just the thing for you. It is a comprehensive listing of most of the world's great museums. From the Musee d'Orsay to the Smithsonian, it's all here. There also are great links to a number of online galleries and collections -- everything from the Van Gogh Gallery to a collection of condom wrappers from the '30s and '40s.
A while back I wrote a column and challenged the people of Niagara Falls to take an active role in the revival of our fair city by enlisting in a grassroots think tank. What began as a small group of concerned citizens has grown into a full-fledged movement now known as Niagara Rises. With a current membership some 70 strong, the organization has split into three subgroups, with more to be activated soon, that are taking on issues that affect the present and future of the Cataract City. To learn more, visit www.niagararises.org.
Speaking of the future of Niagara Falls, Colleen Kulikowski is not unlike many young people who have moved back home after spending years elsewhere pursuing educational and financial goals. The realtor has created a blog that aims to lure expatriates back home to open businesses on the Niagara Frontier. You can read about what she believes are the top eight reasons to open a business in Niagara by clicking here.
If your life has become all work and no play, you may want to visit Shockwave.com. This comprehensive site has more free online games than can be found anywhere else. You can add board games to the list of things that have gone electronic. Among the word, sports and shoot 'em up offerings on Shockwave, you'll find online versions of family classics like Scrabble, Risk and Monopoly.
If you're hungry and tired of the "same old, same old" local eateries, try checking out this listing. Here you'll fine a comprehensive listing of Niagara Falls eateries with customer reviews. I had to laugh at one of the reviews for Michael's Restaurant (one of my favorites). The reviewer claimed that a waitress vacuumed as he was attempting to eat. I've actually had that happen there myself -- but, hey, they still have the best salads and gnocchi in town.
Search engines are a must resource for any serious Web surfer, but it doesn't all begin and end with Yahoo and Google. Snap.com allows surfers to get a visual preview of a Web site without actually visiting the site. The search engine analyzes previous searches and favorably ranks sites that people visited more frequently and spent more time perusing.
There is nothing more frustrating for many surfers than to be forced to register to view a Web site. That's where the geniuses behind bugmenot.com have got your back. Just log on to their Web site and type in the name of the site you're trying to access, and they'll tell you how to bypass the registration headache. They even have a listing of disposable e-mail addresses you can use to ward off spam in your inbox.
Finally, there is one Web site that should be at the top of your Favorites listing. It is www.niagarafallsreporter.com. Web readers of this newspaper get a bonus each week, as the Web edition goes online on Monday afternoon, some 18 hours before the print edition hits the streets.
Come to think of it, going your Favorites each time you want to read the Reporter seems a bit cumbersome. Why not make us your homepage?
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Feb. 26 2008 |