Observatories

Africa
Asia
Australia/Oceania
Europe
Latin America/South America
North America

Editor Katharine English chooses her words carefully, as we read in two sentences from her Preface:

"With no signposts to guide the virtual traveler, the Web can be a bit like a library without a card catalog. We counted all the links to all the pages in the Lycos catalog and found the ones you liked the best (and linked the most)."

This book and accompanying CD-ROM disk include 15,000 Web sites and links, presented with clarity and precision. Each chapter's opening page has "The 25 Most Popular Sites," with title and URL, for each of the dozens of subject areas, such as:

The 25 Most Popular Internet Sites

On approximately every eighth page comes a featured, illustrated "Editor's Choice" sidebar, such as "The NASA Homepage www.nasa.gov: If you think space, you probably think NASA," with a screenshot of the page's design. Other top-drawer picks include:

Helvetica-style sans-serif small type is usually difficult to decipher, but a2z succeeds here also. The individual listing title is in bold type, as is the URL (Uniform Resource Locater, or Internet address). The site description paragraph is clearly legible, in spite of its size and style. The pages are crammed with sites, yet feel sufficiently spacious. Nicely done!

Adam Engst and other writers have commented at length about the futility of publishing and reading Internet directories and catalogs, since information changes so rapidly on the Net. This reference a2z directory has the look and feel of a book that is meant to last. The high-quality paper stock is brilliant white, and the 1200+ pages are well-bound. There are 1116 pages of listings, with 20 per page in three columns. The three-column Index of Site Names itemizes everything in the book alphabetically, by the name of the Website. For example, to demonstrate the depth of this directory, there are over 150 sites each beginning with "World Wide Web" and "National."

Most of the Websites in this book are no-nonsense URLs, such as governmental, academic, institutional, and organizational. There are also plenty of entertainment and unusual sites mentioned. The writing style gets straight to the point, but attempts to inject as much levity as is appropriate:

Is it legal to marry your fish? Who the heck is the California state comptroller? Just how does a bill become a law? Find out answers to these questions and more on California law, the legislative process and legislators at the Official California Legislative Information Home Page.

Proofreading such a tome is a daunting task, and an amusing typographical error is printed on page 97: "... did you know ... that the average Web surfer spends 22.5 hours per day online?" Wow. Net-addiction must be even worse than we thought!

This book has its own site: www.a2z.lycos.com, so take a peek before you take out your wallet. This book is definitely worth owning.

The much-heralded 24 Hours in Cyberspace is somewhat elusive to evaluate. Rick Smolan spearheaded the sensational Day In the Life of... series of regional documentary photography books, and he knows how to get it right the first time. His From Alice to Ocean CD-based travelogue was the first, and is still one of the best. Passage to Vietnam is superb. Consequently, coming from Rick, the content of 24 Hours is a bit of a disappointment.

Fortunately, the book is also a CD-ROM disk for both Mac and Windows. The result is a colorful, spirited series of international links from the book into the real world of its subjects. For this purpose, 24 Hours is recommended. The CD's insert reads:

WELCOME! This CD contains the complete 24 Hours in Cyberspace World Wide Web site, a "digital time capsule" which includes over 160 stories about how cyberspace has reached out and changed the lives of people all over the world. This CD also contains a 12-minute segment from ABC-TV's "Nightline" which offers a glimpse at the making of 24 Hours in Cyberspace. Also included are some great offers, free software, and demonstrations of new technologies.

This book/CD is nothing more, and nothing less, than terrific photos of people living their lives to the fullest on February 8, 1996, with assistance from Internet and computer technology. CD-ROM is the ideal format for presenting a complete version of the book. The CD includes:

* Free software (Two Kodak applications, several Adobe demos, AOL and Earthlink account setups; and then Netscape Navigator 2.02, Real Audio Player 2.01, Adobe Acrobat Reader 2.1, QuickTime 2.1, Sound Manager, and Macintosh Drag & Drop)

* "How It Was Done" in five Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format) segments, full of illustrations, charts, and informative text

* Special offers for From Alice to Ocean and Passage to Vietnam (with a demo on the latter)

* ABC News "Making of 24 Hours" video (which crashed repeatedly, unfortunately) and the main event, the 24 Hours Website. With much more than is covered in the book, the entire Website www.cyber24.com exists in Netscape format, translated brilliantly to CD-ROM. Click "Enter Here" and the book comes alive on your monitor. The photos and text (with HTML links) are bright, clear, and colorful, even on an inexpensive Performa 14" monitor (set at 256 colors). Via the Real Audio application, you can listen to live interviews and National Public Radio reports. Each "page," or unit of the "book," includes links to related sites on the World Wide Web, "maintained by the people in our stories." (Results will vary.)

The six major headings of the book are carried over into the CD:

* Human Touch (Reaching, Finding, Holding)
* Earthwatch (A New Life on the Planet)
* Sex, Lies, and Websites (Stranger to Stranger)
* Open for Business (No Paper, No Printing, No Postage)
* To the Rescue (911 at the Click of a Mouse)
* Into the Light (What Makes Us Human)

Each heading's title page includes mini-photos as links to a specific destination page. A few favorite sites include:

The integrated technology of the book is exciting, but many of the personal stories are not as remarkable as the presentation. This book/CD package is easy to locate in your local book emporium, so decide for yourself. If you like the book, you'll love the CD-ROM.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet, Third Edition, calls itself the "easiest and fastest road to the Internet." The CD-ROM disk included with the book has three entire books in HTML format, plus a bunch of Windows Internet software. For the Mac, the CD includes Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0.1.

The Complete Idiot's Guide concept is QUE's answer to IDG's popular Dummies series. The style is similar: light, informative, and straightforward help for beginners. In Chapter 2, "What It's All About," author Peter Kent explains "The Difference Between the Internet and Online Services." Then he asks "You Want Help Setting Up?" When we silently assent, Peter writes: "There are too many different systems to cover. So here's my (very general) advice: if your service provider or online service can't help you set up, find another one!"

Peter has an upbeat attitude, which is comforting to the Net newcomer. He warns, somewhat in jest, "Caution: e-mail Can Be Dangerous!" His advice is totally on-target, including "Don't write something you will regret later; read before you send; be nice," and many appropriate helpful hints. Sophisticated components of Internet Web-browser software are explained in plain language, such as "Putting the Cache to Work." The cache concept is bewildering to many users, so each type of cache is covered individually. In "What is Reload," we learn that Reload is a "cure" for the cache. Similarly, in "Is It Worth Saving?" the book patiently gives all the types of Save options available (using Microsoft Internet Explorer as the browser).

Continuing on the World Wide Web, we learn about Secure Sites and Password-Protected Sites, Multimedia Plug-Ins. Then, in Chapter 8, entitled "Your Very Own Web Page," there is "My Fill-in-the-Blanks Web Page" to help budding HTML (the language of the World Wide Web) authors get a flying start. Next, in "You and Your Service Provider," we learn that: "If you actually want to publish on the Web, you have a two-step process to go through. First, you create the page. But then, you have to place it somewhere that is accessible to the Internet. It has to be put on a Web server."

Usenet Newsgroups, Internet Mailing Lists (including how to unsubscribe), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and Gopher come next, in Part 2's "There's Plenty More." Peter holds our interest, without ever intimidating the reader. Each chapter ends with a summary, called "The Least You Need to Know."

Chapter 15, "Yak, Yak, Yak: Chatting in Cyberspace," compares the chat-room features of the online services, then shifts to "Internet Relay Chat - Productivity Sink Hole?" (Well advised, Peter.)

Part 3, "Getting Things Done," introduces us to Web search engines and sites, such as Yahoo. Parental concerns are addressed in "Your Kid is Learning About Sex from Strangers." Internet disorders come next with "You Logged on Last Night, and You're Still Online This Morning." (So true, so true.)

Internet commerce, free speech online, obtaining software on the Net, and finding a service provider bring the book to a snappy conclusion. As a bonus, the Appendix has over 50 pages from "The Lycos Top 50 Yellow Pages."

Our recommendation is to purchase this book as a gift for a friend or relative who is new to the Internet and who uses Windows 95. Read the book yourself first, take careful notes, then gift wrap it.

Kids do the Web is a valiant attempt to encourage "kids, teens, parents, and teachers" to take the plunge, since "Creating is more fun than browsing." The design and layout of this slim volume are either appealing or annoying, depending upon the reader's age and attitude.

In "Safe traveling on the Web: a note for kids and parents," the authors explain that "The Web is a mirror of the world we live in. As such, it is full of all kinds of people - some you want to know, and some you should avoid." Common-sense caution is conveyed in a helpful tone of voice. Throughout the book, 21 "Tips and Tricks" topics are mixed-in with examples of innovative Web sites from 28 schools, individuals, and organizations throughout the world. Surprisingly, these helpful pages are not visually stimulating.

The most imaginative of the kids' sites are: