Click to visit: W W W . B R O W S E R S H O T S . O R G

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As someone that runs a few websites it’s important to me that my sites are accessible for people no matter how their computer is set up. It can be awkward testing how a website will display due to different browsers and their versions, operating systems and resolutions and catering for each option can be difficult to juggle as it takes away from the content.

Today I happened to find an excellent open-source website that will go a long way in helping me figure out what appears as it should for everyone, or falls short of my expectations. The website is called Browsershots and it lets you configure a list of displays (including those factors I’ve already mentioned) and processes them using computers run by volunteers. Several snapshots are taken of the required site with the specifications you gave and then uploaded to Browsershots so you can view them, and even download them to do further comparisons.

My testing on the site is fairly preliminary however it does look like a worthwhile tool, especially if you’re like me and don’t have access to a Mac or perhaps only have one version of a browser installed. I should warn that it does take quite a while for the entire process to complete, and some show that the browser never made it to the website (presumably the site it was loading took too long so it sends you a blank screen) but I feel these are minor inconveniences.

In closing I think it’s a great site for webmasters but don’t expect instant results. I’d also recommend checking one component at a time as, in my experience, the more I compared the longer I was waiting in the queue. I definitely think it’s one to watch for the future though!

[Edit - 6:31pm, 16th May 2008]
I should add that I don’t know either way whether adding more or less comparisons will change the length of time you’re in a queue. It might just depend on what else is on the queue, it could have been my web host’s server or any number of factors.

Click to visit: W W W . T V G E N I U S . C O . U K

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Not to be confused with www.tvgenius.net, the company that the develop the technology so it can be used on their client’s websites.

Sorry for all the international visitors, but this is another UK friendly site that wouldn’t be as useful to those living abroad.

TV Genius is a fantastic site that does what it promises, and does it well. It’s a free online TV guide, but it’s better than any other I’ve tried for a few reasons. The guide lets you select your channels based on your criteria of your region and TV package and then, any that fit, can be manually added or removed. The site lets you look at your full list of stations or by a category such as films or sport.

Automatically your page will show today’s schedule within a few hours of what time it is when viewing the site. Thankfully there is a drop down list for the following ten days, and arrows opposite that to select previous and following hours so you can easily plan ahead. If that wasn’t enough there is also a search so you can find out when your favourite programme is on.

All programmes can be hovered over with your mouse for a brief description, and clickable for more in-depth information including how many shows will be on if it’s part of a series and how many times it will be repeated. Plenty of shows result in clips you can watch too.

Finally, a feature from TV Genius I highly recommend is their reminder service. There is a text option but it does cost money (although half hour before a show starts is a very handy reminder to have) and I haven’t used it. I have, however, used their free email reminders. Each morning I get an email listing all the programmes, films, actors, or keywords I wished to be reminded about that will be on that day. You can click on what you’re interested in and sign up for reminders individually through there or sign up for a free account so you can easily keep track on the website itself.

Since using TV Genius I actually remember when my favourite tv shows are on and rarely miss something new that has an actor or band I like in it. The searches and reminder services do sometimes give you more results than what you want, but the majority of the time it’s very accurate.

Who needs magazine tv guides when you can go online?

Click to visit: L I B R A R I A N C H I C K . P B W I K I . C O M

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For many years my dream job was to be a librarian and I’ve had several work placements in different types of libraries. I suppose it’s being around people, helping others, and of course, working with various media, most commonly, books. That leads me on to the website of the day called Librarian Chick, an ambitious wiki with a growing collecting of links leading to free online resource websites for educational purposes.

The bulk of the site is the aforementioned links but there are draws that make this resource hub stand out. Firstly, the links are listed in categories that are easy to distinguish - most of us know if we’re interested in learning more about technology or poetry, for example. Secondly, the information is short and to the point and all links are regularly checked to make sure they’re still up and running. The biggest draw though, at least for me, is that all the resources are hand picked so you can be sure each has been looked at and is worth visiting. As gotothatsite.co.uk is based along the same principle it’s no wonder the personal touch appeals to me.

Another feature that is worth mentioning is the Free search for audio, physical and electronic books across the internet. It’s a case of typing in a title, subject, theme or phrase and the search will do the rest. It does throw out some ambiguous results, but overall I’ve found it to be quite useful - especially when finding classic literature and, of course, study-based texts.

If you like reading recreationally or need help with your studies then Librarian Chick is a good place to start as a central location to get where you want to be on the net.

W E B . I N T E R N E T A R C H I V E . O R G

There are some sites that offer too much to go through or explain about in one post. In my opinion, Internet Archive is a classic example of that. Instead of trying to explain everything on offer I’m going to focus on just one sub-section and that is the Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.

In 1996 the creators of Internet Archive began archiving content on the web, site by site, page by page so many sites would be preserved forever, even if they had long since gone or altered beyond recognition. Up to now it has amassed a staggering 85 billion pages and that number just continues to rise.

To see a website in its former glory couldn’t be easier. Simply type in a URL in the box provided, and click “Take Me Back”. If the website of your choice was one of the billions that was indexed it will show up in a list of dates that you can click to see the site as it was then. There is no better example of this than using Internet Archive’s site itself, if you’d like to take a glimpse at history in the making.

Further down the page there is also a list of growing Web Collections that contain websites based on an important topic of a specific time up to this point today. This is useful in and of itself if you are interested in a particular subject as all the information is kept together for your reading pleasure.

The positives far outweigh the negatives, although there are a few things I think I should mention. It obviously takes a long time to index all the information so there is a delay of around 6 months after the data has been collected. Another thing is sometimes formatting or pictures do not display on older site updates, however I feel this is relatively minor considering the sheer magnitude that is there. Lastly, it’s worth noting that not all websites are available through the Wayback Machine but the reasons are explained on their FAQ.

In conclusion, it’s good to reminisce and see how times and styles have changed over the years. You’ll find no better way to do it than with Internet Archive: Wayback Machine as far as I’m concerned.

Click to visit: W W W . F U T U R E M E . O R G

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After an extended break I’m back and the first website I want to highlight is FutureMe.org. The concept of the site is absolutely brilliant and I’m not sure I can explain why anyone would want to use it, but I’m going to give it a go…

Imagine this if you will - you’ve thought of something you want to tell your future self perhaps days, weeks, months or even years down the line. You could write it down on a piece of paper, but chances are you’d lose it or forget to look on the intended date. You could try and just remember it but random thoughts are easily misplaced. So why not use a site that will email you on the date of your choice with the message your past self has written! There are many reasons why such a website is incredibly useful but I’ll name a few examples to give you an idea of how much potential there is.

Perhaps you want to remember a specific date without the hassle of signing up for a reminder service. You might want to see if you actually managed to stick to your to-do list or New Years resolutions. It could be that you have advice that you wish to pass on to yourself later on in your life, with the clarity of someone living in the here and now. Maybe you wish to know how much you or the world around you has changed. Or perhaps you just want to “surprise” yourself if you know that by the time you get your email you’ll have forgotten all about sending it.

Whatever the reason, I think most of us wish we could speak to ourselves from another time or place and FutureMe.org makes it very easy to do just there. Simply go to the site, type in the email address it’s going to, the subject, your message to yourself, decide whether others can read it or not, pick a date, type in the code and send away! You will immediately be sent a link to the email address you gave that you will need to click to activate your future email. You will also be given the chance to sign up (for free) for added benefits, including not having to repeat the verification process again.

There are however a few downsides to using the site… Firstly, is there any guarantee that the service will even be running on the date of your choice? Websites do come and go but it would be quite unfortunate if this one did. Another problem is that emails get changed all the time. If you’re going to send yourself an email that you’ll receive in the future, make sure you still have that email address! Of course, this is a moot point if you signed up for a free account as you are able to change the destination email address before it is sent.

The third point isn’t really a downside so much as something to think about. There is an option to choose whether you wish your message to be private or public (yet anonymous). The latter of the two will not give out any identifying information but it might be featured on the site or elsewhere. To read what types of public entries others are sending in you can navigate them on the website - I like using the “random” link for that - or even buy a book that features some of the best sent in.

I really like the simple yet effective idea of site and the design really matches that in my opinion. I have sent an email to myself in the future which I’ll be reading again in a few months time and hopefully, I might end up doing a follow up post about FutureMe.org around that date too.