Web Sites

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- In Silicon Valley, where youth is revered and twentysomethings are handed millions of dollars to start companies, 36-year-old Marc Andreessen has become an elder statesman. His image evokes a simpler time, when the Internet seemed cute and harmless, before the bust and before the rise of Google Inc. The man who helped develop the first commercial Web browser is still referred to in some circles as the poster boy of the Internet age. They remember him as the smiling, baby-faced kid from Wisconsin who appeared on a 1996 cover of Time magazine barefoot, sitting on a throne.

"HOT London deals on Virgin Atlantic -- $516." "Fares for less than $200 round-trip! -- $83." "Fly anywhere and save! World-wide fare sale: Roundtrip from $95+." These were just a few of the deals advertised on popular travel Web sites in the past few weeks. All of them came with a good amount of fine print detailing blackout dates or other restrictions. Not one of them was actually available when put to the test in a recent search. And each of them was easily bested by comparing rates on other Web sites or simply by widening the search to include other airlines on the same Web site.

It's that time of year again when we parents of high school seniors must put on our retired racehorse personae (i.e., become "nags") and get the college application process going with our students. There are many things you and your student should have done already, but to ramp up your stress level, I will list them anyway. By now, your senior should have taken the PSAT/NMSQT (Perfect Students, All Talented/No More Slacking, Quibbling, Tempers) examination. This test is administered at your student's high school in the fall of the junior year, so you are in luck, because it happens automatically.

Call it the personal touch. Below a recent banner ad touting the Food Network's popular Ace of Cakes, cake maestro Duff Goldman walked onto the computer screen to have a chat with visitors to VH1's Web site. "I'm Duff, from the hit reality series Ace of Cakes on Food Network nighttime," the owner of Baltimore's Charm City Cakes said. "Me and my friends make cakes with blowtorches and airbrushes." Goldman's video is one of many that have shown up on VH1.com and other Web sites to promote television programs or products.

Blog. Not a particularly delicate word, is it? In fact, it sounds a little messy. And a mess is what the NCAA created when it exiled a sportswriter from The (Louisville) Courier-Journal from the press box last weekend because he was blogging about a college playoff baseball game. The NCAA's action was defended this way: It was protecting the broadcast and Internet distribution rights of the its official partners, ESPN and CBS SportsLine.com. The argument was that the immediacy of blogging about the game's events violated those rights.

The Internet's booming social-networking trend has reached a new milestone: Web sites are beginning to pay for content. That means all those Web-savvy creative types, the people who post skateboarding videos or write a review about the neighborhood dry cleaner, could be compensated for their contributions. The move to pay people for content had been developing slowly but reached a critical new phase when YouTube.com, the Internet's bellwether video site, confirmed Monday that it has plans to pay for user-generated content but did not give details.

Tom Church isn't among the one-third of Americans who believe that hitting a jackpot is their best chance at wealth. But when he saw a Web site giving away $10,000 a day, he thought, "It's free, so what the heck?"He entered iWon.com's sweepstakes on a Friday last month. That Monday, the Berkeley, Calif., resident received an e-mail informing him that he was among the CBS-backed company's early $10,000 winners.IWon.com is a Web portal with Web search, e-mail and other functions, much like Yahoo!

When Encyclopedia Britannica announced last month that it was offering its 32-volume set for free on the Internet, up to 15 million people flocked to the Web site, which crashed within hours and was down for days. In a single day, the site attracted more traffic than last month's star-studded Net-Aid concert and last year's Victoria's Secret fashion show combined.Why? Apparently, folks are desperate for credibility on the Internet, and the 231-year-old publisher has a reputation for reliability if not technical prowess.

Some Web surfers logging onto The Sun's Web site yesterday morning got a surprise -- instead of the day's headlines, they saw only a stark black-and- white Web page with a bizarre letter that began: "Kevin Freed By Cows."What happened? SunSpot and a handful of other Web sites around the country fell victim to computer hackers conducting a campaign to free master hacker Kevin Mitnick.While the incident caused no permanent damage -- SunSpot was available within two hours -- it did cause several bewildered readers to call in, asking what had happened.

Peanut the Rare Dark Blue Elephant rambles in the shadows of cyberspace, fetching hefty sums, considering that he's small and stuffed and a member of the species Beanie Baby.Twenty dollars and fifty cents on one Web site, a mere $5 on another, but nearly $30 at a third site.Flaming Peanut fans can spend hours comparing these prices on auction sites such eBay or uBid. Or they can go to Bidder's Edge, a new site that lets you compare bids from more than a dozen auction sites (www.biddersedge.

A steady, chilly rain has been falling on Baltimore all day. It's months into a recession, and no one feels much like spending money. But, as the creators of 600block.com see it, the timing couldn't be better. By merely dusting his fingers across the touch screen of an iPhone, Vincent Buscemi, one of the company's partners, demonstrates how one can find a pub, Hudson Street Stackhouse, that's literally steps from the Canton office he's in, highly recommended by people he knows and - the kicker - is offering a steak special that night.

'Souper Bowl of Caring' today Howard County faith communities will present a "Souper Bowl of Caring," a fundraiser for Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, today at eight local sites. The event is a national initiative to engage faith communities in addressing hunger and poverty during the week of the Super Bowl. The faith communities will take collections and find other ways to raise money for Howard County's emergency center and shelter for homeless people. Grassroots provides an emergency shelter program and 24-hour crisis intervention services.

There is no reason to buy anything full price these days, especially apparel. Retailers have been slashing prices deeper and more frequently than ever before to entice financially strapped consumers. That means the shirt or boots you've been eyeing could be marked down more than once. Instead of stepping inside a store to keep track of new sales and snatch bargain-basement deals, let e-mail alerts and Web sites do the work for you. You can sign up for online sale notices directly with your favorite retailers.

Iraqi shoe hurler is set to appear before judge BAGHDAD: The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush was expected to appear before a judge today in a first step of a complex legal process that could end in a criminal trial, a government official and the reporter's brother said. Muntadhar al-Zeidi has been in custody since Sunday, when he gained folk hero status in the Arab world by throwing both shoes at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad. Bush ducked twice during the bizarre assault and was not injured.

Dear Reader, Our parent company, Tribune, and its individual media properties, which include The Baltimore Sun, have filed to restructure debt obligations under the protection of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Tribune is continuing to operate its media businesses, including its newspapers, television stations and Web sites. While this financial restructuring occurs at Tribune, The Baltimore Sun remains dedicated to providing you with the level of service and news coverage you've come to expect from us every day. As we have for the past 171 years, The Baltimore Sun Media Group will continue to serve both readers and advertisers with the highest quality news and information through our portfolio of print publications and Web sites.

Nonrefundable airfares make unwelcome travel companions I tolerate only because they save me hundreds of dollars. And at least with most cruises and tours, thanks to deposit schedules, I lose my stake gradually. Not so with nonrefundable hotel rates. Popping up as "Internet-only" or "advance-purchase" rates on Web sites of big lodging chains, these offer generally modest savings in return for taking a hefty risk: forfeiting the total cost of your stay (not just the first night) if you change or cancel your reservation.

Pikesville's Josh Wesalo is always looking for anything that could make him a better runner. He diligently keeps a log of his runs and training, helps his coach by mapping out practice routes for the Panthers and even scouts possible opponents. In years past, doing all of that would have consumed a lot of time for the senior. But Wesalo now can do it with a few clicks of his mouse. The Internet has gradually influenced cross country and running. Almost any piece of information about runners, teams and performances can be found on Web sites.

Target Corp. will revamp its Web site to make it more accessible for the blind and pay $6 million in damages to plaintiffs who joined a class action lawsuit against the retailer, under a settlement announced yesterday with the National Federation of the Blind. The $6 million will be placed in an interest-bearing account so that plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in California two years ago, can make claims. Most plaintiffs will get about $3,500, an NFB spokesman said. Under the settlement, the Baltimore-based NFB will test the Web site for three years and certify it once it is completely upgraded.

While the Internet is a great distribution channel for businesses' products and services, it also has a plethora of Web sites useful for the smart-spending consumer. The problem is keeping up with all the new offerings, as great Web sites for consumers come and go. A few of the old standbys are Amazon.com, where you can read product reviews and check prices; ConsumerSearch.com, which compiles product reviews; and ConsumerReports.org, whose $26-per-year online subscription can more than pay for itself with information gleaned from its unbiased reports.

The allure of Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy to people nimble with the Internet was clear long before he became his party's front-runner. A Web designer produced an online video mimicking a famed Apple Computer commercial to mock rival Hillary Clinton before the first primary vote was even cast. The Illinois senator's ability to raise millions online fueled his rapid rise and sparked his recent decision to waive public financing for the presidential race. Obama's popularity online has risen at times to pop-culture phenomenon, from the "Yes We Can" music video produced by will.