There’s More To The Internet Than Email
  By Randy Benjamin

Using the Internet to keep in touch with your loved ones is fine, but it’s only a small part of the fun you could be having. If you’re a senior and online, you should check out some of these websites. They were designed especially for you.

Let’s start with one of my favorites. I’m a huge fan of the old radio sitcoms. Today’s radio doesn’t have anything that even remotely compares with them. Listening to these shows is like stepping into a time machine. Log onto: www.unknown.nu/mercury. You’ll find Mercury Theater’s Radio Archive from the 1930’s. “Dracula,” featuring Orson Wells is playing in the background as I write this. Dracula is just one of the dozens of old radio shows that you can listen to for free. All you’ll need is a copy of Real Audio or Window’s Media Player. Media Player is included with Microsoft Windows; Real Audio can be downloaded from: www.real.com for free.

You can save these shows for later playback, (You won’t need to be on the Net to listen to them.) or you can listen to them in the background using streaming audio. Streaming audio means that you’ll be able to hear the shows without having to save them to your computer. I like to download the shows and then burn them to a CD. In this way, I can listen to them in my car or on my home stereo. You can obtain the complete library of shows in one download by using BitTorrent. Free BitTorrent software and installation instructions can be found here: www.dessent.net/btfaq.

How long has it been since you heard this on the Radio? “The Shadow knows.” There’s a website at: www.shadowradio.org that plays a different Shadow episode every week, complete with the original commercials. Remember a company called Blue Coal? They were one of the sponsors of The Shadow.

If you enjoy classic radio programs like I do, log onto: http://f.webring.com/webring?ring=otr;listBe careful when you type this address into your browser. It’s one of the few that doesn’t start with www. On this website you’ll find links to other popular websites including, the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre, the Unofficial Fibber McGee and Molly Page, Sounds of Yesteryear, and Heritage Radio Classics. You'll also find links to websites where you can purchase or trade all kinds of radio paraphernalia including scripts, tapes, records, etc.

Not all websites are just for fun and games. Here is a website that will help keep you informed on what your government is up to. It’s called; United Seniors Association and it can be found at- www.unitedseniors.org. This website covers topics such as government policy agenda’s, social security updates, tax information, IRA’s etc. Also included are links to other organizations that are geared to the more serious aspects we seniors face.

Yahoo, one of the Internets most popular websites has an area designed just for seniors. Log onto: www.seniors.yahoo.com/ and look around. There are tons of things to do here and of course, there are links to other websites as well.

I’m sure you are all familiar with AARP, but have you ever visited their website? You’ll find it at: www.aarp.org. As you might expect, they have one of the best websites on the Net. You’ll find a little bit of everything there…from entertainment to legislative issues. AARP has an excellent section on Health and Wellness with many fine articles and tips on staying fit. If you could only visit one website this year, this is the one you should check out.

Here’s another website that many seniors will find useful. It’s called, Senior Law. This website is primarily a search engine that lets you look up items of interest such as legal issues dealing with Medicare, Medicaid, Trusts, Wills, etc. It can be found at: www.seniorlaw.com.

If you’ve been looking for a special item and can’t find it locally, check out Senior Shops at: www.seniorshops.com. They carry hard to find items such as amplified telephones and special medical equipment. Many times the Net is your best resource for these items.

Another website you will find interesting is, Age Of Reason at: www.ageofreason.com. This website claims to have links to over 5,000 websites devoted to people over the age of 50. When you log on, you’ll find a menu with various links to other websites in the senior network. One of the highlights of this website is the Genealogy section. If you’re writing a family history, this website is a must.

I’ve saved the best for last. Did you know that Today’s Senior also has an online presence? Log onto www.todayssr.com/. Here you’ll find articles especially geared towards those of us over the age of 50. For example- you’ll find articles on computers, finances, pets, RVing, veteran’s resources, gardening, humor, sports, etc. You’ll even find advice on casino games and dating at 50+, as well as travel tips and inspirational articles.

Between the magazine and website, just about everything of interest to the senior community is covered. Be sure to add Today’s Senior to your favorite Internet bookmarks.

Don’t be intimidated by some of the cryptic Web addresses in this article. If you mistype one, the worst thing that will happen is that the website won’t come up. If this happens, just double check the address you typed against the address in the article. I’ll bet you’ll find that you’ve made a simple typing mistake. Re-type it and it should be fine.

As you can see, the Internet is not just for the young. It’s for everyone. Look around, play, and most of all, have fun! You might be surprised to find that the Internet has a lot more to offer than just email.

About the Author: Randy Benjamin’s website address is www.randybenjamin.com
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