If you've never heard of the radio program "This American Life," it might be because it's produced by public radio and is therefore subject to limited and inconvenient broadcast times on a variety of local stations. Clearly, this type of situation begs for Web coverage. This site lets you bypass all the obstacles of public broadcasting and still experience the show's featured commentary and performance pieces by various personalities. How do the program titles "Compulsive Liars," "Faustian Bargains," and "Nightmare Vacations" grab you? Besides getting summaries of these and other episodes that have aired for the last year, you can listen to any or all of them online. - Katherine Stevenson
Car enthusiasts will probably want to stick with the print edition of Car and Driver. The electronic version contains a small dose of each issue, as well as archives of past issues. The design of the site leaves much to be desired-advertisements and an obtrusive, redundant menu bar at the top of the page leave little reading room. The site does, however, have a few things to recommend it: The online classifieds section is extensive, well-organized, and searchable by vehicle and location; the list of auto shows is useful, if you enjoy such things; and the «96/«97 buying guide should assist anyone looking for a car. - Mike Hase
"The Newspaper of the Non-Profit World," The Chronicle of Philanthropy's online version functions primarily as a teaser to gain new subscribers. But it does offer a few useful services, including job listings for non-profits, annotated links to non-profit-related sites, listings of workshops and seminars, and descriptions of products and services related to the non-profit world. You can also read through one full article from the previous edition to see what you're missing if you don't subscribe. - Rachel Saidman
Immediacy is a non-profit journal conceived, created, and edited by graduate students in the New School for Social Research's Media Studies Department in New York City. The journal's editorial statement describes its distaste for the commercialism of the Web and its desire to create provocative content that is "less concerned with flash than critical content." Conceptually, I applaud the journal's efforts to create a "commerce-free zone," although I disagree with its simplistic notion that the Web should not be a place to exchange goods and services. Like most online journals, Immediacy's content ranges from fascinating and successful to boring and misinformed. The design is elegant, if occasionally frustrating to navigate and difficult to read. - Rachel Saidman
Fresh Air with Terry Gross is one of the higher-brow radio talk shows-most likely appearing on the public radio station in your area-that features fascinating interviews with a wide variety of guests such as August Wilson, Michael Ondaatje, David Cronenberg, Kenneth Branagh, Anne Deveare Smith, and Kate Bornstein. The site isn't much to look at but has one really nice feature: a year's worth of Fresh Air with Terry Gross on streaming RealAudio. Sit back at your desk, start the interview going, and enjoy intelligent conversation as you while away your work day. - Rachel Saidman
San Francisco State University journalism students are responsible for NewsPort, and unfortunately they've fallen prey to the dreaded disease afflicting many communications students: Glitzmania, or using special effects just because they're available. Here these special effects just get in the way and don't serve to enhance the site's content. Each issue contains about six "news" stories on a wide range of subjects. While the writing isn't bad, the topics are the usual overused ones that you saw on your local TV news months before. This is disappointing, especially if these kids really are the news producers of the future. - Dorrit Tulane Walsh
Yeah, yeah, another New York paper online, big deal. However, as it turns out, New York City's second-tackiest tabloid newspaper has put together an interesting online attraction. In addition to the full text of the lead news stories of the day, you'll also find good stories from the other parts of the paper, including style, home, horoscopes, and comics. You can even check out some bulletin boards and great gossip in Daily Dish. Added extras for New York residents include a movie listing database and an excellent section of NYC links. Pretty cool and free-two things you can't beat. - Dorrit Tulane Walsh
The Newseum, a new $50 million, 72,000 square foot museum in Arlington, Va., was created as a tribute to journalism and the dissemination of information throughout the ages. The Newseum Web site covers the facility in detail, from the mundane-but-necessary info on location and hours, to more interesting angles such as current exhibits and reasons why the museum was created. You can even take an online tour, which will probably just make you want to get off your butt and make your way to the museum for an in-person visit. For anyone planning a trip to D.C., or for those with an above-average interest in the venerable fourth estate, the Newseum site is well worth a look. - Dorrit Tulane Walsh