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Home > Magazines > Best of the Web |
| Forbes.com Best of The Web Winter 2002 |
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Digital Wish List The economy is limping, stocks are in the dumps and war is imminent. Why not cheer yourself up with a shiny new digital toy? Best of the Web went shopping for gadgets and found what we think are ten must-have digital devices for the holiday season Site Lines When Forbes first launched Best of the Web in 1999, our mission was to serve as a bridge between the print world and the virtual one to help our busy readers navigate the rich, but often bewildering, resources of the World Wide Web. Revenge of The Pipsqueaks Online, itty-bitty auctions are besting the big boys. Click Here for Coverage One out of five Americans is without health insurance. Corporate downsizing hasn't helped matters. Here's one Web company to the rescue. Amateur Gurus Forget about Wall Street analysts. A number of unknown Buffett-wannabes are trouncing the averages. Weird Wide Web After another three months of slogging through the Web's thick and thin, below are a few more sites from sore eyes. Antique Jewelry If the cookie-cutter designs of contemporary jewelry leave you cold, there are plenty of places on the Web to find antique adornment that reflects the diverse aesthetics and fine craftsmanship of historic styles such as Victorian and Art Deco. Banking The sheer convenience of banking online has driven some 25 million American households -- double the number in 2000 -- to turn to the Web. From paying bills to account aggregation services, online banking sites make managing your finances easier than ever. Basketball Basketball, even more than other sports, feeds off of highlights, stats and the fantasy team trend, making it arguably the most wired sport around. Books Booksellers on the Web range from well-known superstores to sites that cherry-pick inventory from independent sellers worldwide. The best ones help you get inside the cover with reviews, author interviews and uploadable excerpts. Brokers The good news is that online brokerages have signed up 32 million accounts. The bad news is that customer assets are declining, daily trading volume is off and growth in accounts has slowed to little more than 1%. B-School E-zines If you never went to business school or you just miss the stimulating discourse of your marketing strategy or leadership class, these mostly free Web magazines from top institutions may hit the spot. Caribbean Vacations Whether you're escaping to the Caribbean to hit the beach or want to find the best scuba spots, the Web can help. The best sites offer detailed information on each island and objective, first-person reviews. Casual Apparel For clothing marketers, getting people to switch from leafing through catalogs to browsing online has been a snap. The best sites offer crisp images and interactive tools to help you mix and match pieces, or estimate the fit. Others offer gift finders that pre-select items based on lifestyle and price range. Cutural Understanding Religious terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and restrictions of civil rights often have their origins in misunderstanding and ignorance. In the spirit of cultural understanding, we've put together this set of links to help us all know each other a little better. Diet and Nutrition An estimated 45 million Americans are on diets, spending upwards of $35 billion a year on pills, plans and panaceas. Weight loss and fitness Web sites are abundant and range from the clinical and sterile to neon flashing cyber-infomercials. Dieter beware. Electronic Games Most grown-ups find video game sites annoying. They are aimed at people who want mayhem, racy stories and graphic images. But rest assured, gaming is hot and your kids will seek these sites. If you'd like to screen games before Junior brutally mows down a crew of cyber bad guys, visit esrb.org, the site of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry group that puts PG and R-like ratings on console, PC and online games. Gifts No long lines or pushy salespeople -- just an occasional pop up ad to click off. Content and customization is the key at these sites, where you can find gifts based on occasion, recipient or price. Many let you create business gift accounts as well. Gourmet Food While big Web grocers have stumbled, the more specialized gourmet food markets thrive online, where you'll find everything from rare handcrafted Sicilian Piacentinu cheese to crispy black-pepper papad from India. History of Conflict With the drums of war beating louder than ever, the Internet obligingly provides the necessary perspective on conflicts past and present. The trick is finding sites that offer authoritative historical background, instead of biased information or propaganda from folks bearing a grudge. Holiday Entertaining Entertaining is all about the details. And the Web helps you pull them together faster than you can say "Yellow Book." Home Buying Is there a housing bubble? When will it burst? As long as rates stay low and stocks continue to suffer, people will continue to buy and refinance homes. The Web is a great place to do the research. Life Insurance Fewer than 2% of life insurance policies in the U.S. are closed over the Web. The reason? Insurers are reluctant to accept electronic signatures. Once they get over this, getting coverage online will be a snap. In the meantime, use the Web to research and compare term life insurance policies. Niche Auctions When it comes to online auctions, EBay is not the only game in town. Many niche auction sites have created thriving markets -- and enthusiastic communities -- for everything from cigars to vacations. Stock Valuation Tools In the depths of a grizzly bear market it's tempting to believe that some shares represent a good value. These Web sites offer tools and shortcuts for valuing stocks. Technical Analysis The Web is a haven for chartists. Once-expensive software previously used only by institutions is now free or available for modest monthly costs. Beware, it's a lot easier to track Bollinger Bands, stochastics and MACD's than it is to pick winning stocks. Toys Whether you're looking for a Lord of the Rings chess set or the new multicultural Barbies, online toy shopping allows personalized service you probably won't get at the mall, including kid-specific searching, live chat help and toy and game demos. Woodworking From weekend hobbyists to seasoned pros, woodworkers have turned the Web into an endless coffee break of discussions on technique, materials, and above all, tools. Whether you're buying your first power drill or putting the finishing touches on your latest bubinga and zebra wood masterpiece, you'll find helpful information, ideas -- and plenty of opinions -- on these sites. Young Investors Your children already spend way too much time on the Web. Why not start them on some fun Web sites that teach them sound investment principles? |
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