Try a New Web Browser and Search Engine

Most people I chat with love surfing the web and they love a good web browser and search engine that can deliver the goods quickly and with ease. Web browsers and search engines have been around for a while now. I won't get into the history, but most computer users remember Netscape as the browser of choice and AltaVista as one default search engine. Well, Microsoft and Google killed that reality. But there are a few alternatives to Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Google's Search Engine today. Browsers such as Avant, Opera, Chrome, SeaMonkey and Flock are available to you for free and do much of what you expect from a good browser. Some like Flock are even drilling down to niche markets like social networking.

As for search engines, I enjoy using Exalead. You get a nice thumbnail of the sites and you can preview the entire site within the Exalead interface. I think that's a very nice feature to help you review content without committing to the actual URL to avoid popups. There are many other search engines like Dogpile and WebCrawler that can get the job done. And with the arrival of Scour and Wolfram Alpha, things in the world of search should be very interesting. So, try something new and see what you get!

Browsers

Avant
Opera
Chrome
SeaMonkey
Flock

Search Engines

Exalead
WebCrawler
Dogpile
Scour
Wolfram Alpha

If you are still feeling the love for the old, you can download old versions of Netscape from the link below.


http://browser.netscape.com/releases

Newspapers and the E-Book

Our lives change fast and our digital world is changing even faster. I remember riding the subway to work and seeing a train car fill with newspapers. Passenger eyes and heads were completely covered by sections of the The New York Times and The Washington Post. Today, I can see a passenger's eyes, but the newspapers are disappearing and heads are looking downward into tiny screens on devices I never thought I'd see. Reading gadgets like iPhones, Kindles, and other e-readers are becoming the new way to read your periodicals.

These devices are suppose to save paper and help the environment one tree at a time. But I can't seem to wrap my head around the concept of downloading a newspaper and flipping through sections as I seat in my lazyboy. Reading a paper extends far beyond text scrolling and mega pixels for me. I could not imagine sitting down on the couch with my son on Sunday mornings looking at a Kindle screen. Hey, where are the comics? The feel of paper in my hands still can't be replaced by a gadget I can't fold. I am not here to bash the Kindle or any other e-reader. I love technology, but sometimes simple things are the best. Maybe in a few years my kids will stop looking for the paper and I will find myself setting alone with my new device reading Grumpy Old Man. Found out more about e-readers below.

iPhone

Kindle

Sony Reader Digital Book

Plastic Logic

eSlick

iRex