Are you prone to promptness? Then dig into the Worldtime, "a service featuring an interactive world atlas, information on local time as well as sunrise and sunset times in several hundred cities, and a database of public holidays worldwide." The interface is, appropriately enough, a globe-just point and click on your locale of choice, and find out, for example, when and where in Brazil the Foundation of Palmas holiday is celebrated. (Answer: Parts of Tocantins, in June). Useful for anyone traversing the Global Village. - David Pescovitz
Part of the Internet Public Library, the Associations on the Net home page features links to more than 600 Web sites belonging to "a variety of professional and trade associations, cultural and art organizations, political parties and advocacy groups, labor unions, academic societies, and research institutions." The groups are indexed by category-business, entertainment and leisure, and so on-but they can also be accessed by a title or subject/name search. From !OutProud! to the Delta Air Lines Pilot Association, there must be at least one group here that wants you as a member. - David Pescovitz
Ideal for intercontinental travelers or dialers, The Time Zone Page provides a list of the current time in 595 cities around the world. Type in a country or city, or select from the list, and you'll be initiated into the intricacies of Greenwich Mean Time and when it becomes tomorrow in Japan when it's still today in New York City. And make sure you click here before dialing super-long distance. As a matter of fact, call collect whenever possible. - David Pescovitz
What's great about this site is that it's hard to tell whether it's the fruit or the grower that's good. Once inside, though, you'll find that it's both. Attractive and well written, the site contains lots of information for people who cultivate seed plants (or want to). Best of all, the magazine doesn't condescend; it almost assumes this is your first walk through the orchards. The site keeps you up to date on recent legislation, folks who've bettered the industry, and reflective mulch. Oh, and did you know there's a USDA Agricultural Research Service Hall of Fame? Read about it here. - Ismael Marrero
Buddy Todd calls me recently, says they're sending him to Japan on business and what should he do. I tell him, "Quit wasting my time, that's why God made sites like this!" Global Window's not only a looker; it also provides solid business acumen, such as this helpful tip: "In preparing for your trip, acquaint yourself with the regions you will visit. Your Japanese associates will be honored that you have taken the time to learn about their locality." The site offers historical info, maps, photos, a glossary, and a cross-referencing system that provides a crash course you can't get anywhere else. - Ismael Marrero
Sponsored by Toshiba in an obvious attempt to promote its line of fax and photocopy machines, Office Manager.com is intelligently divided into the Human Resources office, Break Room, Copy Room, Mail Room, and Lobby. Each room provides a collection of appropriate links: Human Resources will point you to job listings and health sites, the Mail Room connects you with shipping services, the elevator attendant in the Lobby can assist you in buying flowers or other gifts online, and the Break Room has a list of links to recipes, online magazines, and watercooler subject matter such as online soap operas. Finally, guess what? The Copy Room is loaded with details about Toshiba products! - David Pescovitz
With all the flair and sex appeal you might expect from a Census publication, the 1996 Statistical Abstract of the United States site presents page after page of data describing the minutiae of American life. We're talking about anything from Technological Research and Development Expenditures:1960-1995, to the Number of Births to Unwed Mothers broken down by geographic regions. A visit can be slow going, not only because the file containing a single subject's stats can be quite large (say, 27 pages of spreadsheets on the who, what, where, when, and how of Law Enforcement, Courts, and Prisons), but also because the required PDF plug-in means that the information has to travel an extra step to be read. - Katherine Stevenson
All dog families have different characteristics, and traits that appeal to one potential human companion might not seem so great to another. That je ne sais quoi is the point of the Purina breed selector, where online tests determine which breeds would be a good match for you. Submit your answers, and get a list of appropriate canines with a picture and fact sheets for each. The full list includes most breeds, from the exotic Basenji to the more well-known Labs, and if you want to browse, you can also view all breeds. It's fast, fun, and fantastic for novice "dog people." - Dorrit Tulane Walsh
Did you know that on May 5, 1871, the first professional baseball game was played in the U.S.? Or that West Virginia was admitted as the 35th state of the Union on June 20, 1867? These and other entertaining historical facts can be found every day at the Library of Congress's Today in History site. Daily facts include pictures and links to sites with further information, and the archive covers from April to the present. But the highlight here might be American Memory, an incredible collection of documents, pictures, sounds, and even movies from our country's past. - Dorrit Tulane Walsh