Internet Secrets Revealed!

Are They Secrets?



Or Just Not Commonly Used?

Let me begin by saying that the things I am going to show you are not "really" secrets. Some of these things you may have already heard of or done. These things are actually just things that often get forgotten or rarely spoken of. A few of the things probably aren't as rare as some of the others, which you may not have realized even existed. All I want to do here is to expand your knowledge of things that exist online. Let's start exploring! Telnet A Telnet program, like the one in the picture above, is used to connect your computer to another computer as a terminal. When connected you can run programs and do other things on that computer. Often you will be required to login with a username and password. While Telnet is often used to control Web servers and routers, it is rarely used by the average person. Many people have never even heard of it. If you want to impress your parents and friends, show them how to Telnet to the links below. All you need to do is click on the link and your Telnet application should open. You can also open your Telnet program directly by going to "Start" then "Run..." Type in "telnet" (no quotes) and hit "OK." It's easier to just click on the links though. :-) Some versions of Windows have better Telnet applications than others. The one for Windows XP is fairly generic, but it works. If a remote host requires a login name or password it will be shown below the link. The first link is to a Star Wars program. If you will notice there is a colon and the number 23 following each address. 23 is simply the port you will connect to on the remote server computer. The other links are to libraries. ~ Telnet Links ~ towel.blinkenlights.nl:23 (Star Wars Episode IV) 63.193.16.1:23 (Santa Cruz Public Library - USA) (login as: infocruz - no password) aztec2.asu.edu:23 (Aztec - Arizona Telecommunication - USA) (login as: guest - password: visitor) scn.org:23 (Seattle Community Network - USA) (login as: visitor - no password) charly.publib.saskatoon.sk.ca:23 (Saskatoon Public Library - Canada) (username: public - at "PAC >>>" type pac) vax.queens.lib.ny.us:23 (Queens Borough Public Library - USA) (username: queens - no password) Telnet.org - Places to Telnet A Few Tips If you're having trouble finding something on the Internet, did you know that you can probably do a search from your address bar? The address bar is where you normally type in an Internet address like "www.kids-online.net." Most of us probably have a Web browser that will handle searching in this manner. To search, all you do is type in a couple of words, (you can type more), then hit enter like you normally would. Open up a new Web browser window, (so you won't loose this page), then try typing in "Bugs Bunny" and see what happens. Using the quotation marks is optional, but there is a BIG difference in using them and not using them. If you DON'T use them, you will pull up pages on "Bugs" and "Bunny," which isn't really what we are looking for. If you DO use them, you should pull up only pages related to "Bugs Bunny," which is what we want. Here is a different way to email someone. Instead of opening up your email program, type this into the address bar of a new browser window: mailto:mike@kids-online.net then hit enter. That should open up an email message window allowing you to send me an email. Something you may or may not have noticed is that sometimes when you're on a WebSite you'll see https instead of http at the beginning of an address in your address bar. It stands for "HyperText Transport (or Transfer) Protocol Secure." When you see this, it means that the page is probably used to send encrypted information. WebSites use these secure pages when they need to obtain private information like credit card numbers. The U.S. Army has a page like this at: https://www.us.army.mil/. Have you ever wanted to surf your computer instead of the Internet? I doubt it, but if anyone ever does, try typing file:///c:/ into the address bar and hitting enter. You should now be looking at everything in the top level of your C: drive. FTP FTP stands for "File Transfer Protocol." FTP is used to upload and download files on the Internet. FTP servers normally have lots of files available to download. Sometimes it is a bit confusing trying to navigate an FTP site with all the folders, (or directories), that you will encounter, but if you are persistent you can usually locate the file you are looking for. You can find Linux distributions at the Ibiblio Public Archive at: Linux Distributions Once there you will need to choose a directory for the version of Linux you want. Inside that directory go to the directory of the current or latest version, which should be the largest number or simply "current". (Example: 10.2 would be newer than 10.1). If you have an Intel processor, (newer than a 486), you will want to go to the i586 directory next. If you have an AMD, go to the x86_64 directory. Inside that directory download the ISO file. If you burn that file to a CD you will now be able to install Linux on your computer. Of course this is only one of the things you might want to do on an FTP site. Often a directory called "pub" is where most of the files are kept. Always check what is in the "pub" directory. Sometimes, like with Telnet, you may be asked for a username and password. Many FTP sites will allow you to logon anonymously. If they do, you still might need to give them a username and password. If you do, use the username "Anonymous" and the password "IEUser@hotmail.com". FTP passwords are often an email address. Below are a few FTP sites I rounded up for you to explore. I don't think any of these will require you to logon. Remember to look for the "pub" directories! ~ FTP Links ~ Apple Computer FTPplanet Ibiblio Public Archive Microsoft NASA Headquarters More FTP Sites Gopher Gopher servers are nearly extinct now. I managed to find a couple of them still hanging in there though! Gopher is a way of organizing and displaying Internet files differently than HTTP does. Gopher displays information as a list of links. The links can be to files or to other links. These files and links might be on the Gopher server itself or they could be on any other Gopher server. They are organized like a directory with many subdirectories. The links below will give you a better idea of how Gopher works. Internet Explorer no longer will support Gopher browsing. If you have an older version of Internet Explorer or a different Web browser you may still be able to browse the Gopher sites directly. If not, the links have a built in interface that should still allow you to browse their sites even if your browser won't support Gopher. The last two links are simply links to a bit of history about Gopher, Archie, Veronica, and Jughead, some of the extinct or nearly extinct Internet technologies. ~ Gopher Links ~ Floodgap Official Gopher Server Gopher at quux.org Floodgap Public Gopher Proxy Gopher - Wikipedia Archie, Veronica and Jughead - Wikipedia Usenet Usenet is a worldwide bulletin board system that contains thousands of forums called newsgroups. In these newsgroups a person can post and/or read messages about almost any topic that he or she might be interested in. A news reader program allows you to navigate and post messages in the newsgroups available on a newsgroup server. Most Internet service providers like AOL, Earthlink, and the others have a newsgroup server. Every email program that I am aware of includes a news reader program. Outlook Express is just one example of an email program that includes a news reader. You must first setup a newsgroup server before you can access newsgroups. Normally your Internet service provider's newsgroup server will be "news.your_ISP.net" or "news.your_ISP.com" For instance with Charter Communication's Internet service your newsgroup server would be "news.charter.net" There are also other free newsgroup servers that you can use. I have included a couple in the links below. Google has an online Usenet service, which I have also included a link to below. Usenet uses the "Network News Transfer Protocol," (or NNTP), to post, distribute, and retrieve Usenet messages. ~ Usenet Links ~ misc.education.home-school.misc (Newsgroup) rec.arts.books.childrens (Newsgroup) rec.arts.marching.band.high-school (Newsgroup) forums.macromedia.com (Usenet Server) news.microsoft.com (Usenet Server) Google Groups Online Usenet Service Usenet FAQs Webcams I guess you probably already know what a webcam is. Did you realize that there were many live webcams scattered out all over the world? I have put together quite a few webcam links for you to explore. The links are of webcams all over the world. If you find a link that is no longer working, please let me know. I will try to find another link to replace it. Please give each webcam a few minutes to start, because some will take longer than others. The quality of a webcam's video depends on a lot of things, which include the quality of the webcam itself and your Internet connection speed. Some of the videos you will be able to see very clearly, while others will not be as clear. Try to keep these things in mind as you explore each link below. ~ Webcam Links ~ Blue Ridge Mountains, Boone, North Carolina, USA San Diego Bay, California, USA Sedona, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA Times Square, New York, USA (With Audio - Great Cam!) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA Tudor Square, Tenby, Pembrokeshire Wales, England La Rue d'Orléans, France Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, France The Old Town of Bernkastel, Germany Koningsplein, Amsterdam, Holland (With Audio - Awesome Cam!) 12 Webcams from Hungary (Click Pictures to View) Mihama bay, Okinawa, Japan Pucón, Chile 5 Webcams from Romania (Click Pictures to View) Narva, Estonia Valencia, Spain La Cité Retrouvée, Switzerland The Manchester Conference Center & Hotel, UK Streaming Scenery Cams (Click Pictures to View) Ukraine Webcams (Click Pictures to View) Smithsonian National Zoological Park Animal Cams Online Media Online media exists in many forms. There are online television channels, radio channels, streaming movies, and much more. You can often access this media directly through your Web browser or through Windows Media Player. Some media will require a separate "plug-in" like Apple's QuickTime or RealNetworks' RealPlayer, both of which are available as free downloads. A plug-in is a small program that works along with another program to enhance the program or add functionality to it. It will depend on what type of media you are trying to access as to which plug-in will be required. Many of the links I have provided below will not require anything other than the Windows Media Player, which most Windows users should already have. If a link requires one of the other plug-ins, I have put a note below it that tells which plug-in is required. ~ Online Media Links ~ Abraham Lincoln (Full Movie - Requires QuickTime) Forgotten Village (Full Movie - Requires QuickTime) Gulliver's Travels - Animated (Full Movie - Requires QuickTime) Hercules (Full Movie - Requires QuickTime) New Adventures of Tarzan (Full Movie - Requires QuickTime) Felix the Cat: The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Little Lulu: Bargain Counter Attack (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Merrie Melodies: Falling Hare - Bugs Bunny (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Noveltoon: Casper The Friendly Ghost - There's Good Boos Tonight (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Little Audry: Goofy Goofy Gander (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Popeye The Sailor Man: Ancient Fantasy (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Superman: The Mechanical Monsters (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Woody Woodpecker - Pantry Panic (Full Cartoon - Requires QuickTime) Dance of the Water Carriers - Réunion Island (Short Video - Requires RealPlayer) Bloomberg - USA (Live Television) JCTV Christian Music Videos - USA (Live Television) NASA TV - USA (Live Television - Requires RealPlayer) WUFT TV Public Broadcasting - USA (Live Television) CCTV-9 - China (Live Television) HIR TV - Hungary (Live Television) Alalam - Iran (Live Television) BBC News - United Kingdom (News Briefs) Rhythm96.com - USA Top 40 (Internet Radio) Buenos Aires 1350 AM - Argentina Mix (Internet Radio) dig Jazz - Australia Jazz (Internet Radio) CKKZ - 95.3 FM - Canada Top 40 (Internet Radio) FIKSZ Rádió - Hungary Mix (Internet Radio) Samara Maximum 104.3 - Russia Top 40 (Internet Radio - Requires RealPlayer) Radio Cairo - Egypt Mix (Internet Radio) Windows Media - Media Guide (More Movies) Internet Archive - Feature Films (More Movies) Internet Archive - Vintage Cartoons (More Cartoons) ABC Online - Kids Video Lounge (Several Kid's Videos) World Wide Internet TV (More Internet Television Stations) Windows Media - Radio Tuner (More Internet Radio Stations) MUD MUD stands for "Multi-User Dungeon, (or Dimension)." MUDs are interactive and mostly text based user environments. "Text based" means that instead of the realistic cartoon-like environments that we are used to seeing in games like Final Fantasy, the MUD environment generally is like that of a book. It is up to the user to use his or her own imagination to visualize the settings and events as they unravel. Most MUDs are role-playing games. A role-playing game is a game where the player assumes the role of a character in the game. As that character, the player interacts with other characters along a storyline that differs depending on which MUD he or she is playing. Some MUDs are also used for educational, social, and other purposes. MUCK, MUSH, MUSE, and MOO are some of the terms associated with MUDs. MUCK stands for Multi-User Chat Kingdom. MUSH stands for Multi-User Shared Hallucination. MUSE stands for Multi-User Simulated Environment. MOO stands for Mud, Object Oriented. They are all basically just different varieties of MUDs. There are a few MUDs that have a graphical environment, but they are rare compared to the others. There are some programs that will enhance your MUD experience, but most MUDs can be played simply by using your Telnet application. The MUD links below should work fine with Telnet. Again, the numbers following the commas after each address are simply the ports you will be connected to on the remote server. ~ MUD Links ~ www.castlearcanum.com:3888 (Castle Arcanum) dforces.net:5000 (Star Wars: Dark Forces RPG) moo.di.uminho.pt:7777 (MOOsaico - Multilingual) potter.fawkes.us:3100 (Hogwarts Express MUSH) cycles.isunlimited.net:2501 (Pokemon Cycles MUCK) www.shadow-lands.com:4000 (ShadowLands) The Mud Connector (More MUDs) Virtual Reality I always like to save the best things for last. Virtual reality is an attempt to create an object or objects as realistically as possible in every way, using computers, machines, special clothing, and other things. Of course it is probably impossible for a person to ever be able to take something artificial and make it into something real, but with virtual reality, every attempt is made to get as close to real as possible. I prefer to use the words "probably impossible," because one never really knows for sure in our rapidly advancing world what is possible and what is impossible. New technologies quite often bring with them new possibilities that were once thought to be only fairy tales or science fiction. Each of us has 5 senses. They are: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. If you think about it, It is possible to control each of these artificially. A computer monitor can control what you see. Speakers can control what you hear. Special gloves or even a suit could control what you feel. Some sort of feeding machine could control what we taste. A machine equipped with different fragrances could control what we smell. With all our senses being controlled artificially, it might be hard to tell the difference in what was "real" and what was not real. One might also even ask, what is real anyway? Ok before we get too deep in thought, let's look more at just trying to control sight and sound. I'm not ready to be hooked up to a feeding machine just yet! :-) There are many virtual reality worlds online. In some of these worlds people can interact with each other, while in others they can't. In the interactive "virtual" worlds people chat, move about, travel to different places, attend different events, and many other things much like they do in the "real" world. Some of these virtual worlds are so realistic that people have been known to get too caught up in them and almost completely forget the "real" world! They may go days with very little food or sleep, spending every moment they are awake in their virtual environment. The longer they permit themselves to do this, the worse it affects them mentally. You don't want that to happen to you! Keep that in mind! You will probably need to be 13 or older to join most virtual communities, so make sure you check that out before you try to join. Most virtual worlds will require either a plug-in or a special program in order to view the world. For each of the links below, I have listed what will be needed in order to view the VR world. For viewing VRML, I would suggest the Cortona VRML Plug-in, which is a free download. It may take you a few minutes to get used to moving around in the VRML worlds. You may want to right click your mouse on the screen and change the speed setting to fast or fastest. You might also want to turn on the "Headlight" control in some of the worlds. Take a few moments to experiment with the controls. Try clicking on different objects in the worlds. Everyone can view the VRML worlds included in the links below, because they are not interactive like the others. The other VR worlds will require installing a separate program. You should also spend some time getting used to using the controls and moving around in those worlds as well. ~ Virtual Reality Links ~ SwingCoaster (Requires VRML Plug-in) Cofrentes Nuclear Reactor Plant (Requires VRML Plug-in) Endless City (Requires VRML Plug-in) Fredriksten Fortress, Norway (Requires VRML Plug-in) Stonehenge (Requires VRML Plug-in) Great Sphinx at Giza (Requires VRML Plug-in) Tomb of Failaka (Requires VRML Plug-in) Virtual Control Room (Requires VRML Plug-in) ActiveWorlds (Requires ActiveWorlds Program) CyberNetWorlds (Requires CyberNetWorlds Program) OuterWorlds (Requires OuterWorlds Program) Worlds (Requires WorldsPlayer Program) Halden VR Centre, Norway VRML Worlds by Avatara The VRML Works Everything Else There are too many online "secrets" to cover in just one WebPage. Panoramas are just one of the other things found online. Some panoramas even have sound. Panoramas are similar to VR. You can look around, but you can't move around. You need the QuickTime Plug-in to view the Panoramas I have listed in the links below. I find new things online all the time! The Internet is a BIG place to explore. If you come across a "secret" of your own, Please share it with us! My email address is: mike@kids-online.net. If it's REALLY cool, I may include it here with the others! Have fun exploring, and as always, be careful out there! The Internet can be a dangerous place for those who aren't! ~ Other Cool Links ~ Barcellona - Spain (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Basilique du Sacré Coeur - France (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Copenaghen - Denmark (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Eiffel Tower - Paris (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) French Riviera (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Karst Settlements - Slovenia (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Moon - Lunar Missions (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) The Parma Baptistery and Duomo - Italy (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) St. Petersburg Ice Palace (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Under Water - Nelson Bay, Australia (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Venice - Italy (Panorama - Requires QuickTime) Fullscreen QTVR Panoramas (Requires QuickTime) VRMag QTVR Panoramas (Requires QuickTime) Bwired.nl - An Online Home - Netherlands (Watch everything going on in this home)