The Internet Can Still Be Fun

There remain a number of pleasant surprises on the Internet. It’s not all email, Twitter, Facebook, and GOOGLE. Amazing sites are there for the viewing. Here are some of my favorites.

Starting with ArchNet, the Virtual Library of Archeology http://archnet.asu.edu/ , one can select general information for the lay person interested in historical artifacts and places at http://archnet.asu.edu/resources/Selected_Resources/General%20Information.php . A fun place to begin is the History of Plumbing, http://www.theplumber.com/index.html#history , where you can learn about the plumbing arrangements of the ancients as well as current topics in toilets. Don’t miss the “Historic Explosions” link and the “Attack of the Japanese Toilets”!

Stay with the general audience Archeological sites a bit longer and visit by continent, country, or region. A plethora of interesting links lure you into worlds you have only dreamt about, like The Ancient China site, http://www.crystalinks.com/china.html , The Shrines and Temples of Japan with Buddhist sculpture, http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/japan/japan.html , and The Prehistoric Art of the Pyrenees, http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/app/eng/artprepy.htm .


Literary websites abound. If you have a craving for all things Bard, try the Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet site, http://shakespeare.palomar.edu Here you will find study guides, criticism, timelines, festivals, and fascinating minutiae about Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Something quite different is to be found at the New York University Medical School’s Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database, http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Main?action=new . Their mission statement explains: “This site, established in 1994 at New York University School of Medicine, is dedicated to providing a resource for scholars, educators, students, patients, and others who are interested in the work of medical humanities. We define the term "medical humanities" broadly to include an interdisciplinary field of humanities (literature, philosophy, ethics, history and religion), social science (anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology), and the arts (literature, theater, film, and visual arts) and their application to medical education and practice. The humanities and arts provide insight into the human condition, suffering, personhood, our responsibility to each other, and offer a historical perspective on medical practice.” This site offers medical student’s annotations on art, film and literature. To date the site features 142 Art 223 Film , and 2470 Literature Annotations for 1534 Authors and 89 artists. At present annotations utilize 138 keywords.

If you’re a mystery fan like me, don’t miss The Cornerstones section of the world’s-best-detective-crime-and-murder-mystery-books.com website, http://www.worlds-best-detective-crime-and-murder-mystery-books.com/cornerstones.html The best of classical mystery writing has been selected. The Cornerstones section covers writers from Poe to the “moderns” who wrote in the 1930s. Access to the Haycraft-Queen Definitive Library of Detective, Crime, and Mystery Fiction: A Reader’s List of Detective Story Cornerstones is available. This site is nirvana for classic mystery fans.

For all you history buffs, you must see Fordham University’s Sourcebooks. My favorites are the Medieval, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/Sbook.html and Ancient History, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html links, but the “world’s your onion” as far as subjects go. There is a Modern History link http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html as well for those of you who wish to repeat the mistakes of the past.

One of the sites I frequent is Arts and Letters Daily, http://www.aldaily.com/ . The site is owned and operated by The Chronicle of Higher Education and provides book reviews, commentaries, and articles of current interest. The arts, biography, and education are featured. It’s a rare day not to find something to capture your imagination. Links to daily and Sunday newspapers, popular magazines and ezines, and music stations are provided along the left hand column. It’s a must for your Favorites Files!

There are many other websites I visit for fun. If a bit of learning rubs off in the process, that’s all the better. Happy Surfing.