Travel Metasearch

Posted on June 6, 2012 by David Rier

I’m a big fan of metasearch engines – I.e. one search engine that sends out a single search request to a number of other search engines. This allows the entry of one set of search criteria that returns results simultaneously from many search engines, cutting the amount of time necessary to do your searches.

On the travel side, Kayak (www.kayak.com) is a metasearch engine for looking for travel pricing among a number of travel sites such as Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc. It does a good job of speeding up price searches when you are looking for vacation or business travel deals.

It should be noted, however, that the travel search engines (and Kayak as a result) to not contain information about all airlines, hotels, etc. As an example, Southwest and JetBlue only list their schedules and airfares on their own sites.

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Basic Travel Sites

Posted on May 29, 2012 by David Rier

There are a lot of travel sites out there. Some are very specific (E.g. a travel site related to just one location). The sites I’ll talk about in this post are the most generic.

These sites allow you to take care of the basic details of your travel. That is, they help you to plan and buy your flights, your hotels and your car rentals.

The three most well-known general travel sites (at least in the US) are Expedia (www.expedia.com), Orbitz (www.orbitz.com) and Travelocity (www.travelocity.com). I have used all three, but tend to use Expedia the most frequently.

Each site allows you to find flights, hotels and cars that meet your travel needs and finances. One thing that you have to be aware of, though, is that not every airline or hotel is represented in these sites. Some companies prefer that their flights or rooms only appear on their own sites, so they do not share their information with the general travel sites.

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Posted on May 22, 2012 by David Rier

It’s springtime! The weather’s getting warmer and the days are getting longer. So, what better time to start talking about doing some traveling over the next few months.

This site is primarily about IT, so why talk about travel?

First, “all work and no play …” You can’t keep at the top of your professional ‘game’ without some time off every now and then.

Second, almost all jobs (IT included) involve an element of travel. Many of the web sites that I discuss will be useful for both business and personal travel.

Third, I like to travel. Regular business travel can be a grind, but travel broadens a person and it’s interesting to experience new places and cultures.

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How Does That Work?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by David Rier

I’m a very curious person. I love to find out new things, even if they don’t help me right away. As a result, I find new bits of knowledge fascinating and fun.

One interesting site that I’ve found to be fun to sample is called HowStuffWorks (). The site has articles explaining a myriad of topics. The areas it covers are wide-ranging – adventure, auto, culture, entertainment, home and garden, money, science and technology.

You can search for articles on specific topics (E.g. “How Earthquakes Work”). You can just dip your toe into the pool of knowledge here by choosing the “Random Articles” button. As well, you can challenge yourself with their quizzes and games.

As the old commercial tagline went – “Try it. You’ll like it.”

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Be Aware and Prepared

Posted on April 3, 2012 by David Rier

Tornadoes and earthquakes can be horrible natural disasters. Since there is no way to predict either one far in advance, you need to know how to react if one is coming and hope that you and your family remain safe if one should appear.

On the other hand, hurricanes may take days or weeks to develop and strengthen before they even threaten land. As such, one very good site for information and forecasts about hurricanes is the NOAA National Hurricane Center ().

The site keeps track of both Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean areas. The locations of storms are tracked and the potential size and track of each storm is forecast up to 5 days in advance. While such a forecast is never 100% accurate, it can help you to anticipate if or when you should protect your family and property.

It’s never a waste of time to be prepared. As the old saying goes “forewarned is forearmed.”

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Who Is That?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by David Rier

We’ve all done it when watching a movie or TV show. We see a character or celebrity and want to know more about them. Are they still alive? What other movies were they in? What is the actor’s real name? Is that their first movie? And on and on …

One site I find interesting and useful in answering my questions is IMDb, “The Internet Movie Database” (www.imdb.com). (Please note, although the IMDb name just talks about movies, it also has information about television, current news, etc.)

The site is a treasure trove of information. You can search the name of a movie, a television show or by a person’s name. Posts about movies display a summary of the movie’s plot, a list of the characters and who played them, directorial credits, and general information. You can follow the link to the actor’s page and see their biography, their credits, awards, etc.

The site is fun and interesting and it answers the questions I ask.

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Medical Information and Advice

Posted on March 20, 2012 by David Rier

We all have our aches and pains or get sick now and then. When are these symptoms serious and when should we just ignore them?

I suppose the first option to answering the question above would be to ask your personal physician. However, doctors don’t always have the time to answer every question from every patient in their practices.

What’s another option? One very good site that you could check is WebMD (www.webmd.com). The site is chock full of medical and health-related knowledge. You can visit the “Symptom Checker” to see what might be ailing you. You can also get information about many health conditions and how they are treated. As well, you can get information about diet, exercise, etc. so that you keep yourself healthy.

One word of advice or warning: Use the site as it is intended – I.e. as a place where you can get information and act upon it. Don’t use it as a place to attach the name of a medical condition to every ache you experience. With information from WebMD, you can live a healthier life. If you need to talk to your doctor, you will also have some knowledge on your side.

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Free Knowledge

Posted on March 13, 2012 by David Rier

I can remember when I was growing up and my family acquired an encyclopedia. It represented a hefty cost, but gave us access to a source of knowledge. The breadth of information was breathtaking.

It is now possible to access a free encyclopedia at www.wikipedia.org. Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia. That is to say, many people can add and/or edit the entries in it.

Wikipedia certainly has a lot of content. There a millions of articles available. However, the collaborative nature of Wikipedia is a two-edged sword. The content can be added to and edited very quickly. However, there is also the possibility that content that has be added is suspect as it is not independently reviewed for accuracy. Therefore, use Wikipedia but just be aware that it may not always be accurate.

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Locating Just the Book You Want

Posted on March 6, 2012 by David Rier

In these days of e-readers, not as many people buy paper-based books. However, some books are just better to have in a non-electronic format.

For new books, you can visit your local bookstore. As well, you can use a website like Amazon (www.amazon.com) or Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com).

However, if you want to get a copy of a used or out-of-print book, the above options may not work. In that case, I would suggest going to AddALL (www.addall.com) which specializes in locating such books. They can search the inventories of over 40 book stores and 20,000 book dealers.

Using AddALL, you can also find very specific versions of the books you seek. You can choose hard cover, first edition or signed books. You can also search for books in a specific condition or for those that have the original dust jacket.

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Free WiFi

Posted on February 28, 2012 by David Rier

Wireless access to the Internet is becoming almost ubiquitous. Laptops, smart phones, e-readers and tablets are all using WiFi as a major and/or default method for reaching the Net.

As you travel around, it is useful to know where free WiFi is available. In my opinion, the best site for listing such locations is Wififreespot (www.wififreespot.com).

There are listings that identify companies (E.g. Panera Bread, Barnes & Noble, etc.) as well as airports and lodging. The site also lists specific, additional locations in every state and almost every country.

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