Looking for Someone?

There are a number of sites on the Internet that let you look for people, but recently I ran across this site - Pipl that has been recently revamped for more in depth info and a better look and feel. Pipl claims that it is a better people search engine because most personal profiles, public records and other people-related documents are stored in databases and not on static web pages. Therefore, most of the higher-quality information about people is simply not visible to a regular search engine. The site claims that their robots are made to interact with searchable databases and extract facts, contact details and other relevant information from personal profiles, member directories, scientific publications, court records and numerous other deep-web sources. Happy cyber stalking!

Shoe Shopping

Shopping on the Internet is big these days, but one of the things that I think is generally harder to shop for online is shoes. However, I recently ran across several good online shoe stores. The first is probably the most popular shoe store on the Internet - Zappos.

Zappos has a great selection and excellent prices. As a matter of fact, they have a 110% price guarantee - if you find them cheaper they will beat the competitor's price by 10%. They also have a well designed web page with excellent search capabilites and the abilty to chat with some one live online to ask questions. I think one of their best features is that shipping is free. This even includes return shipping if you didn't like the shoes or they don't fit.

Another interesting shoe site is Modista. Modista is great for someone who is shopping for shoes, but does not already know exactly what they want. It is kind of like a high-tech version of window shopping. On the site you can browse through thumbnails until you find something you like. You can set filters for price, color, brand or even current discount to refine your search. If you click on something you like, the site will display a grid of similar items. Mouse-over a particular shoe and the brand, price, and retailer information will pop up. Then if you click on the magnifying glass next to the thumbnail it brings up more details - including a link to where you can purchase online.

Politics 2.0

I recently ran across an article in an Airline magazine that talked about various Web 2.0 type web sites that cover political topics. I found some these pretty interesting - especially on the verge of electing a new president. Here some political sites to check out:

One of my favorites was Govit. This site is a non-partisan website that keeps track of pending legislation. The site tells you about pending laws in the house and senate, allows you to vote on them, allows you to join in on conversations about the laws, compare your vote to others, and even voice your opinion to your own elected representatives.

Another interesting site is Opposing Views. This site posts opinions from experts for and against vertain topics. Then it lets readers weigh in and express their own opinions on the subject. The site makes use of John F. Kennedy's quote, "Without debate, without criticism... No republic can survive."

A third site is called Where I Stand. This site is similar to the Opposing Views site, but strives to be more of a social networking site that is built around opions expressed on a wide range of topics from politics to religon. The site says, "whereIstand.com is a social network of opinions in which people can compare where they stand to anybody else on the site -- public figures, organizations, friends, family, and other members -- on a variety of issues and topics. All opinions, or 'stands', are organized and presented in a way that makes them searchable and comparable for anyone interested in gaining perspective on issues that are important to them."