Why Michael knows so much

Introduction

Once the subject of conversation turns to the Internet, people frequently ask me (in an attempt to change the subject away from technical details) how I got so smart. Well, I've been at this Internet stuff since circa 1994, which in Internet time, is pre-historic!

Essentially I use the Web and e-mail to help me keep up with changes as well as find out more about particular topics. I read (actually 'scan') hundreds pages every week. I have several interest areas that I follow:

1. geeky technical stuff on web design
2. geeky technical stuff on web site maintenance
3. stuff on using/configuring Windows/NT
4. software tools and utilities
5. use of the Web as an education vehicle
6. plus others....

Icons

Some visuals to help you identify different catgories:

Worth a look!
Geeky content
(book) Net as educational tool

CNET | Shareware Dispatch
format: e-mail

Want to find out about the latest and greatest downloadable software to hit the Net? This is the newsletter for you: a weekly roundup covering select applications from the largest software search engine in the world.
website: http://www.shareware.com
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The Scout Report
format: e-mail, Web site

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project, Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. Let the Internet Scout Project show you the way to the best resources on the Internet--then you can choose what's best for you. Librarians and educators do the filtering for you, reading hundreds of announcements each week looking for the online resources most valuable to the education community.
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
subscribe: http://scout.wisc.edu/About/subscribe.php
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CNET | Builder Blast format: e-mail

This is the newsletter for serious site builders: a weekly summation of the Builder.com feature stories, columns, reviews, community discussions, site critiques, and downloads that matter most to the people who build the Web. Whether your focus is development, design, or production, this is the help you need to stay at the top of your game.
website: http://www.builder.com
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WebReference Update Newsletter
format: e-mail, Web site

WebReference.com, one of the Web sites owned by internet.com Corporation (formerly owned by Mecklermedia Corporation). The main content is about the Web and Webmastery. From browsing to authoring, HTML to advanced site design, they keep you in touch and informed.
Website: http://www.webreference.com
archive, subscribe/unsub: http://www.webreference.com/new/
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Trivia Question
format: e-mail

A break from all the technical stuff. Many of the daily ostings dealwith the derivation of words and phrases. Every weekday, at the trivia mailing, we uncover the answer to another of life's little curiosities. Within a week, we'll almost certainly answer a question that you've wondered about.
Website: http://mailbits.com/Trivia/
subscribe: http://mailbits.com/Trivia/S-Trivia.htm
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WebDeveloper.com(R) News
format: e-mail

This newsletter is sponsored by Internet.com to keep you up to date with the newest content at their 'webdeveloper.com' site. It includesdaily developer news, downloads, features, and special reports.
Website: http://webdeveloper.com/
subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/webdev.html
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Lockergnome
format: e-mail, Website

From the husk of the Silicorn Valley (Des Moines, Iowa), Chris Pirillo distributes one of the world's hottest e-mail newsletters. Lockergnome (pronounced lah-ker-nohm) is Chris Pirillo's brainchild; on a regular basis, he covers software, sites, and stuff related to Microsoft Windows and the Internet. Whether you like HTML or text newsletters, Chris's info keeps you covered. Technology neophytes and wizards alike love to read the free daily and weekly publications. Customer Satisfaction is one of Pirillo's primary goals, and his readers will tell you that that the service is the most helpful and entertaining.
Website: http://www.lockergnome.com/
subscribe: http://www.lockergnome.com/
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Journal of the Hyperlinked Organization (JOHO)
format: e-mail, website

An irreverent newsletter "for those who need to understand how the Web is transforming the way businesses work, yada yada yada". JOHO is a free, independent newsletter written and produced by David Weinberger. He denies responsibility for any errors or problems. If you write him with corrections or criticisms, it will probably turn out to have been your fault. Written with a good deal of sarcasm, Weinberger cuts to the core of the issue.
Website: http://www.hyperorg.com/
subscribe: http://www.hyperorg.com/forms/form.html
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The Harrow Group [formerly Compaq sponsored Rapidly Changing Face of Computing (RCFoC)
format: e-mail, Website

Jeffery R. Harrow, former Senior Consulting Engineer for Compaq Computer Corporation's Technology & Corporate Development organization continues his excellent newsletter under his own site. The newsletter provides an engaging, pragmatic, unbiased insight, analysis, and commentary on contemporary computing's innovations and trends, and on the technologies that drive them -- important elements that drive our businesses and, increasingly, our global society and economy.
Great information into the 'bleeding' edge of technology. Helps show you where we might be going in the near future.
Website: http://www.theharrowgroup.com/
subscribe: http://www.theharrowgroup.com/signup.asp
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