Scour www.scour.com
If your Napster umbilical cord has been cut, you may find
redress at scour.com. Bringing the multi-media world to your
computer with a comprehensive Web site and search engine, scour
allows users to access music, radio, and film/video files. If
necessary, you can also download a variety of media players from
the site’s “tools” section to meet all your
computing needs. But the best part of scour’s rich site is
not the entertainment links and news, but a little invention called
Scour Exchange. Similar to Napster’s music community, Scour
Exchange allows you to search for and download Mp3 files. Just
download the program, select a user name and go to work. But it
doesn’t stop with music; videos and photos can also be shared
via Scour Exchange. Users can also assemble a hotlist of people to
share files with for quicker connections. In addition to this handy
program, Scour provides an array of services on the Web site. Go to
the “music” section to view Scour’s top music
video, download and Web site picks. Click on the links to view
videos or jump to other sites. Browse by genre to hear the latest
songs from your favorite artists and from new comers. Visit the
“film/video” section to see the top 5 movie trailer,
animation and short/indie film picks. Watch the trailers for new
movies such as “Shanghai Noon,” to get a taste for them
before hitting the theater, or search for the film of your choice
by browsing by genre. For a fun new way to experiment with radio,
visit the “radio” section and listen to the youngest
underground stations or browse online stations by caster or
location. You can even become your own DJ by forming an online
radio station with scour’s technology and broadcasting
through the site for friends and family to enjoy. All in all,
scour’s comprehensive site provides more than just an Mp3
searching alternative to Napster. It’s user-friendly design
and organization makes it easy to find the latest in entertainment.
And if you aren’t happy with what’s being offered, you
can make your own hotlist, playlist, or online radio station to
satisfy your needs. Angela Salazar Rating: 9 Â
The Academy Awards www.oscar.com
For an in depth look at the history of The Academy Awards visit
www.oscar.com. The Web site focuses on the 72nd Academy Awards and
also contains the past winners, trivia games, a fashion section,
and various clips from the ceremony. The focus of the Web site
seems shifted more to the glamour and extravagance of the night,
rather than the movies and the artistry that goes into them. The
trivia section is the best feature of the Web site as a whole.
Every day a new trivia game is featured, which can be fun if you
are bored, and/or a movie buff. Unfortunately the sweepstakes to
win a trip to next years Academy Awards is already over. An online
store is also available for purchase of all the best picture films
from over the years. This time of year, with the Academy Awards so
far off in the distance, this Web site feels a little old. The
nominee lists and the “red carpet” videos don’t
seem interesting anymore. Overall, oscar.com is just another decent
Web site, with nothing extraordinarily special to offer. David
Jones Rating: 5 Â
Firetalk www.firetalk.com
If your calling card has run out of minutes and you have run out
of money, join the Firetalk community to call friends and family
for free. That’s right, you can now talk to all your favorite
people free of charge via your computer and firetalk.com. All you
need is a microphone and speakers hooked up to your computer, then
you can register, download the service from the site and invite
your friends to do the same. You can start talking with them
whenever you want, without worrying about long distance codes,
calling cards and expensive charges. And if they don’t answer
when you try to contact them, you can send a voice message or
instant text message, and Firetalk will store it for them, like an
answering machine so they will get your message the next time they
are online. Firetalk also provides other useful communication
tools. You can do everything from conference call (for a long
distance reunion with all your friends), to instant message, to
chat online and leave voice mail. You can even participate in
online forums on topics of interest with other Firetalk users. With
so many different communication tools, and easy step by step
instructions on how to use them, Firetalk lives up to its motto
“just say what’s on your mind.” Angela Salazar
Rating: 9