When it comes to 2008, you can do anything with just a simple click. The Internet takes the stress and pain away from tasks that normally require physical labor. Certain luxury Web sites seem to exist just because someone finally decided that the world needed to have things a little easier…
Communication has played a huge role in cyberspace. People can now communicate being thousands of miles apart, or a seat apart in class. Sites like www.photobucket.com or www.cellfish.com are used to send videos, pictures and text messages from the Internet to another person’s cell phone.
An excellent way to get out of awkward moments is found at www.phonemyphone.com. The site allows users to call themselves and send reminders to their phones. The Web site can be used for the regular morning wake-up call, or for that more traumatic moment when the phone gets lost somewhere in the depths of the couch cushions. An account can be set up for free and all a user needs is to input a phone number.
Slydial.com is another Web site that can help callers avoid difficult situations. For those times when you’re secretly praying that the call will go straight to voicemail to avoid actually speaking to someone, just dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425). Type in the slydial number and the contacts’ phone number when prompted and the machine will direct you to the voicemail.
A treasure mine of helpful sites is available at www.lifehacker.com. Users can find posts on helpful sites, blogs, tricks and technology for the modern age. Blog threads include “How can I make my own awesome cereal bars,” or “How to kick start a low productivity day.” The site is perfect for looking for random information on the Internet.
Most Web users have felt the travel glory that comes from www.mapquest.com. But few know that it can also calculate how much gas will be used driving from one location to the next. It can even calculate the cheapest gas price in an area. The site is www.gasprices.mapquest.com and the user must type in the location and type of fuel to be used, and the site will provide a map with three fuel stations that have the cheapest prices in the area. “I love how you can find the most affordable fuel stations in the valley,” BIS junior Shane Murphy says. “It saves me time and money to know where you can find the cheapest gas closest to your house.”
Letters and cards have also gotten better and easier with the Internet. A new twist on the e-greeting is a “jibjab” greeting. These cards allow users to crop out the faces of their friends (or whomever they’re sending the greeting to), and the site makes a movie out of the faces. The user gets to choose the type of movie and for what occasion. Available movie greetings are made for Valentines Day, Easter, anniversaries and birthdays, and a recent, appropriate card with John McCain, Obama and all their running mates singing and dancing to a song on the campaign trail.
A helpful site for college students is www.ratemyprofessors.com. Students that have already taken a certain course rate the teachers by their clarity, helpfulness and ease. The site also includes a picture of the teacher and their “hotness” rating. Marketing sophomore Michael Banovac says he’s been helped by the site in many ways. “It has helped me plan my fall and spring semesters here at ASU, and it has helped me make sure I have the right teachers for the kind of environment that I enjoy learning in.”
Sites like these and others are quickly letting Web users escape all the nitty-gritty, annoying, awkward and just boring moments that come from real life.
— melissa.lis@asu.edu
