Surfing with your Feet Up

by Charles Mohnike
Summer/Fall 1999

If you've prowled the Web on a desktop machine, you know it can be pretty difficult to find what you're looking for. There are a million sites, and while you're sure one of them has what you want, depending on how savvy you are at culling the trash, it could take forever to find it. Same goes for feet-up surfing in your living room with your Net-top box, PC/TV, cable modem, DVD-Web box, satellite TV Web browser, or whatever gizmo it is you connect with.

Although the type of content that generally appeals to people in their living rooms varies, the principles for searching out that content are the same. At the simplest level, search engines and indices are the fastest way to find what you're looking for.

First, though, let's consider what exactly it is you are looking for. If you're like most people who couch surf, you bump up the text size in your browser (or it is bumped up for you), and you tend to gravitate towards sites that have less text and scrolling and more images, motion and sound. You tend to look for content that's entertaining and intriguing, much the same way you surf the channels on your television. It still stands, however, that instead of choosing from between 20-200 TV channels, you have to contend with between two and 2 million Web sites, only a few dozen of which are probably even close to what you want.

Don't despair. Here's some tips for using Web search tools to find that diamond in the rough, followed by some listings of sites that tend to provide content that's friendly for the 10-foot Web-viewing experience.

Search Engine or Index?
In general, Web indices are better for finding sites on general topics, and search engines are better for specific data. You've no doubt heard and probably at some point used the top indices:

These three index sites will search their own indices before looking at the rest of the Net. Indices are usually put together by a human user, and are logically grouped by topic and subtopic. Most of the best sites in a given category will have found their way into these indices, which makes searches like these valuable for finding 10-20 well-established sites on your topic rather than 100-200 that may only mention your topic briefly.

Now some search engines:

These three provide full-text searches. They're great for finding specific information like "The Downtown Sydney Bed & Breakfast," but far too exhaustive if you're looking for a general topic like "travel in Australia."

Narrow Your Search
Whether you're using an index or a search engine, "boolean" terms like "and," "or," and "not" are the keys to narrowing your search. They're also extremely valuable tools for seeking out TV-compatible material. For example, if you're seeking sites on Australian travel that included some kind of video or slide presentation, you could enter the following text into any of the sites listed above:

As in algebra, the parentheses mean "check this part as its own condition."

Or to eliminate sites hosted by travel agencies:
If you're looking for the specific name of something, always enclose it in quotes so that the search engine will look for your words only where they appear together:

Without the quotes, you'd get literally hundreds of pages returned since "Australian," "travel," and "agency" are all common words.

Another way to single out pages with media-rich content like streaming video is to use the "link" method:

Note in this example that ".RAM" is one of the file extensions for RealMedia files. Other media types include ".MOV" (for Quicktime movies), ".MID" (for MIDI music files), and ".WAV" (for non-streaming sound files).

If you're looking for a specific type of information like a streaming radio station, TV listings, or a certain type of product for sale, you may want to further narrow your search by using a site specific to your topic. Following are a few sights of special interest to TV surfers.

Streaming Media

As TV surfers, we're naturally attracted to streaming audio and video presentations because they're the Web's closest thing to broadcast media. Here are a few sites that will help you find the type of streaming content you might find enjoyable in the living room.

RealGuide
realguide.real.com
What began as a crackly streaming-audio technology barely up to AM radio quality now includes stereo sound and video. This guide is an excellent starting point for RealMedia surfing, including links to news, television, music, radio and Net-only broadcasts.

Broadcast.com
www.broadcast.com
Formerly AudioNet, this site is the definitive resource for streaming sites around the Web. Broadcast.com links to and hosts thousands of streaming radio stations, news broadcasts (both audio and video), live events, a huge CD jukebox and books-on-tape.

Scour.Net
www.scour.net
Scour.Net is a comprehensive search engine that prowls the Net seeking media files of all types, including RealMedia, NetShow, .MP3 and even non-streaming .WAV and .AU files. Just enter a few keywords in the site's search box, or use the index to find media in your preferred format.

Microsoft Network's Web Events
webevents.msn.com
NetShow is Microsoft's streaming technology, and this site is the MS guide to live and archived events around the Net. Check the home page for upcoming newscasts, concerts and radio shows, or search the archives for streaming media to suit your tastes.

LiveConcerts.Com
www.liveconcerts.com
One of the most exciting uses of streaming technology is the ability to broadcast audio and video of an event as it happens. If you're a music fan, you'll find plenty of interest here, including announcements of upcoming live broadcasts and an archive of events past, all in streaming formats.

TV Listings

Once you and your TV go online, you'll find it hard to go back to thumbing through print guides to find out what's on. Web-based guides like these offer complete programming information and synopses, plus useful new features like reminder services to let you know when a show airs, and the ability to search listings by keyword.

TV Guide Online
www.tvguide.com
Once the print standard for TV listings, the Guide has made a nice transition to cyberspace. In addition to the usual industry news and day-by-day program grids, you'll find a massive movie database searchable by title or actor.

Gist TV
www.gist.com
Gist augments standard programming info with a great feature called "Gist Plus." Complete the free registration form and you'll become a Plus member with the ability to personalize your listings to display only the shows and channels you want to see.

Click TV
www.clicktv.com
Click TV also offers a customizable view of channels and programs, but does so using a stripped-down interface that loads very quickly. It's ideal for users struggling with a slow modem connection, or those who want to quickly view program information without committing fully to the channel.

Yahoo! TV
tv.yahoo.com
Start by entering your local ZIP code and Yahoo! will return a customized listing showing your local broadcast, cable or satellite stations. To meet other users sharing your particular TV passions, try the Community section for links to chat rooms and message boards covering a variety of programs.

Ultimate TV
www.ultimatetv.com
Even the most hopeless TV junkies will find more coverage than they can use here. Features include customizable listings, chat rooms and discussion forums, online opinion polls and season previews in RealMedia.

Online Games

Online games are ideal for TV surfers because they don't require downloading, they don't take up space on the hard drive, and they make great use of your TV's enhanced picture and sound. Visit one of these sites and you'll be gaming away in minutes.

Shockzone Arcade
www.macromedia.com/shockzone/arcade
Macromedia's "Shockwave" was one of the first technologies to make online gaming possible. Here you'll find several great original games and modern renderings of arcade classics.

Virtual Vegas
www.virtualvegas.com
If you're more comfortable with dice and cards than a "fire" button, check out the casino-style games hosted here. Even the "gambling" is virtual, so don't worry about losing the farm.

World Opponent Network
www.won.net/gameslist
WON.Net lets you game solo or with real opponents. The site hosts all the standard card games in online formats, as well as media-rich demos like the popular trivia game "You Don't Know Jack."

Riddler
www.riddler.com
Crosswords, riddles, and word games are all playable online at this site. Do well and you'll also earn points redeemable for actual prizes.

Zarf's List of Interactive Games
www.leftfoot.com/games.html
Whether you're looking for interactive fiction, action games, or tests of strategic skill, this massive list is a great starting point. All games are playable directly from your browser.

"Shocked" and "Flashed" Sites

Development programs like Macromedia's Shockwave and RealNetworks' Flash are bringing video, audio and animation to the Web, and that's good news for TV surfers. The following sites will point you to some of the best uses of Shockwave and Flash presentations.

Macromedia Flash Gallery
www.macromedia.com/software/flash/gallery
Flash technology makes it possible for Web artists to assemble animation and sound shows that load quickly, even over average modems. Macromedia assembles links to some of the best at this site.

RealFlash Animation Festival
www.real.com/festival
Check out this site for a look at what's happening with RealNetworks' Flash development. You'll find six of the year's best animated cartoons on display in their entirety, as well as links to other Flashed sites.

Macromedia ShockRave
www.shockrave.com
Games, cartoons, "illustrated music" and animated greeting cards are all possible with Macromedia's Shockwave technology. This collection of the best and brightest will light up your screen with full motion video and audio.

TV Companion Sites

Several broadcast, cable and satellite networks are now experimenting with companion Web sites designed to be viewed concurrently with the programs they cover. As a TV surfer, you're already equipped to make the most of these hybrid sites.

NBC Online
www.nbc.com
NBC's online content expands on things you'll see on the network's broadcasts. Here you'll find streaming video of recent news events, links to in-depth news reports and lots of insider info on NBC programs.

ESPN.Com
www.espn.com
Sports and the Web make a great match. While you're watching the big game, check ESPN's site to get player stats or scan the upcoming schedules for the time and date of your team's games.

Comedy Central
www.comdeycentral.com
This cable network does a great job of taking advantage of all the Web has to offer. You'll find animations, videos, online games and sound-bites from a variety of Comedy Central's programs--everything from "South Park" to "Win Ben Stein's Money."

PBS Online
www.pbs.org
PBS' educational programming is ideal content for a companion site, and the network doesn't disappoint. This site is an excellent place to begin exploration on topics covered in PBS broadcasts. You'll find transcripts, FAQ's and links to further reading.

Nickelodeon Online
www.nick.com
This TV-ready site maintains the goofy humor of the award-winning kids' network with a collection of games, contests and reader polls.

Online Shopping

For years, TV pundits have envisioned a time when we'd be able to browse--and buy--products directly from our televisions. With recent advances in price comparison technology and increased security in Web transactions, that day has finally arrived.

eBay
www.ebay.com
From "Partridge Family" lunchboxes to busts of Beethoven, eBay's online auction is the place to turn your junk into another user's treasure, or vice versa. You can browse thousands of items by category or list your own items for sale by signing up for a free eBay account.

BottomDollar
www.bottomdollar.com
Use BottomDollar's index to find specific products like books, audio gear, computer hardware or sporting goods--for each you'll find several links to sites offering the product for sale online. If more than one site carries the product, you'll find them sorted by price, making it easy to find the best bargain.

Excite Shopping
www.jango.excite.com
With help from a new software called Jango, Excite is helping pioneer ShopBot Technology with this site. ShopBots search the Web for a variety of different products on other sites and return features and price comparisons.

iMall
www.imall.com
This massive online mall makes a great starting point for Web shopping. The site displays the products of hundreds of vendors, all categorized in a single index for easy browsing.

Amazon Shop The Web
www.shoptheweb.amazon.com
Once known as the world's largest bookstore, Amazon has now expanded to include its own ShopBot that prowls the net making price comparisons. Product categories include audio, video, electronics, travel services and computer goods.