Interesting content. Useful, thought-provoking, provocative. THIS is what the internet can be. Not cat videos. Not the same old Facebook memes.
Are you overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and find it difficult to find anything new online?
A little perspective: In 1991, the first website was built. As of November 2022, there are estimated to be nearly 2 billion websites on the internet. And 3.5 billion Google searches are conducted worldwide each minute of every day. That’s 2 trillion searches per year worldwide. (For more interesting statistics and trends, see internetlivestats.com.)
No wonder so many people return to their regular websites and don’t venture further into the internet where there are so many interesting, intriguing and just plain fun sources of information.
BoomerTECH Adventures has done some homework for you. No, we didn’t review anywhere close to the two billion websites, but we keep our ears to the ground and our eyes on the prize! Here we introduce you to several intriguing websites we think you will like. Read our descriptions, then dive into these three outstanding sites.
Travel and unique places
“52 Places to Go” is a yearly special feature of The New York Times’s travel section, a list of cities and countries around the world that are deemed “relevant and vacation worthy.” In 2018, The Times posted for the first time a position for a traveler/writer who would spend 2018 traveling to all 52 destinations and write about them for The Times. Out of 13,00 applicants, Jada Yuan, a 39-year-old writer for New York Magazine, was chosen. The story about her year is fascinating in itself.
Due to restricted travel during the pandemic, The Times tried something different in 2021. It asked readers to tell them about the spots that have delighted, inspired and comforted them in a dark year. Of the more than 2,000 suggestions The Times received, it published “52 Place to Love” in 2021.
Each of the “52 Places to Go” yearly features have gorgeous photos (and sometimes videos) of the cities, countries or regions; well-written text about the destination with many links for further reading and research; maps; and supplementary articles to access.
Simply search for “52 Places to Go” (and add a year) and you will find these beautiful resources and learn so much about the world. A hint for Mainers: Search for the 2022 version to find a nice section on Cobscook Shores and Maine.
Portraits and activism
“The Americans Who Tell the Truth” portraits and narratives highlight citizens who courageously address issues of social, environmental and economic fairness. By combining art and other media, AWTT offers resources to inspire a new generation of engaged Americans who will act for the common good, our communities and the Earth.
What are AWTT’s website’s features? The author’s biography is an excellent place to start to see how artist Robert Shetterly’s work prior to AWTT and his focus since have evolved, why he started painting these portraits, and the influence AWTT has had since. These are wonderful stories about people who have made significant contributions to the U.S. To read them is to read real American history. This site contains a wealth of information centered on 268 portraits of Americans “who tell the truth,” from Abraham Lincoln to Cesar Estrada Chavez. From Fannie Lou Hamer to Walt Whitman to Ossie Davis to Eve Ensler. The famous and the never famous. You will enjoy these impressive stories.
What you will want to see and read: Go through the portraits gallery and look at these amazing people that Shetterly paints and writes about. With 268 portraits there are writers, activists and thinkers from all walks of life. See also the blog for Shetterly’s posts about his travels, his work and responses from others. Inspiring, sobering and truthful.
Search for americanswhotellthetruth.org.
Nature web cams
Wow … this site is amazing. Watch gorillas in the Rwandan rainforest, African wildlife at waterholes, sharks in the ocean and much more. Live web cams put you right in the midst of exciting action, or you can watch puppies lazing around. Bears, birds, oceans, sanctuaries, bald eagles, ospreys, Texas backyard wildlife and so much more.
Lots of explanation about the location of the many live cams and the animals and habitats you are watching. No doubt you will learn so much! Tune in to watch live cams and other short videos.
Explore.org is the world’s leading philanthropic live nature cam network and documentary film channel. I watched half a film about gorillas in the wild; amazing interaction with humans, and I learned so much.
BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) provides expert guidance and resources to help Boomers and older adults develop competence and confidence using their Apple devices. Boomers themselves, BoomerTECH Adventures rely on their skills as educators to create experiences that meet individual needs through videos, Zoom presentations, tech tips and timely blog posts.
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