Best of the web

Inam Abidi Amrohvi highlights some of the best sites on the internet

The internet is an incredible pool of information. You can find websites dedicated to almost any topic imaginable. In fact, today the web is a bit overloaded with information, which makes utilising it prudently all the more important. As much as it entertains, it can prove to be an effective medium to further your knowledge.

There are numerous websites that offer valuable information in some novel ways. I've managed to collect just a few.

New age reminders
http://www.futureme.org/ is a fairly easy to use website for reminders. The process is simple. All you need to do is to send an email to your ID at a future date! This email is delayed to the date you've entered on the website.

There is email verification to verify the address and to check abuse. The registration, which is easy and quick, allows you to skip the email verification part and change email addresses.

Save your SMS
In an age of mobile communication, constant message sharing is a favourite pastime for many. There are a few SMS that you cherish and want to save forever.

But, sometimes viruses play havoc with your cell phones or you have to delete a few text messages to free some space. http://www.treasuremytext.com/ is the answer in such a scenario.

You can use a UK number where you send your SMS and it is stored on the website as long as you want. Users need to fill a registration form to get started.

Animal reviews http://www.animalreviews.com claims to be the only website dedicated to reviewing animals. It does that in a true movie-style review, which is funny but informative. It's a different but entertaining take on animals!
Game for a cause?

This is one game you should play. http://www.freerice.org is a website with a difference. It works as a vocabulary testing game with a major twist - for each word you get right, the site donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme. How about playing for a cause!

Helping people settleD abroad
http://www.justlanded.com/ offers information, products and services for people living abroad or planning to move out for work or studies.

The website covers 26 countries (including the USA, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and our very own Dubai) in seven languages (English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish).

Community of Podcasters
Podcasting is a web phenomenon that caught the fancy of the surfers in a fairly short span of time. Today, even news sites like the BBC have a dedicated podcast section.

http://www.PodcastPickle.com, as the name suggests is a podcast directory on the internet. The site is regularly updated with fresh content. You can add your own cast or browse through a genre-based listings.

Caring for the environment
Suddenly the world has realised the importance of going green. The website http://www.ecofoot.org is a good wake-up call to get your act together and do more for the environment.

The online quiz contains a set of 14 questions about your daily activities then calculate your carbon footprint in acres. I scored a pathetic 12.7 which was way above the average.

The bottom line I received says it all, "If everybody lived like you, we would need 7.1 planets."

The site offers corrective measures when you click on "Take Action" link.

Things you wanted to know
This has to be one of the coolest sites out there. As the name suggests, http://www.howstuffworks.com has information on lesser known facts and things you always wanted to know.

The website has a broad category of subjects like science, health, entertainment, travel and people, among others.

Questions like, "Does gum really stay in you for seven years?" right on the main page will interest you. I'm hooked to it, and am sure you will be too!

For the book worms
The Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page collection was produced by thousands of volunteers. The online library has more than 20,000 free books in its catalogue.

Depending on your preferences, you could download the files in HTML or plain text format. Here's to happy reading!

The writer is a guru of tech who runs a trading company in Dubai