Website Review - DIFFERENCE BETWEEN: anything you say!

Have you ever wondered what is the difference between two similar things/topics like pixies and fairies, Miss and Ms, hot chocolate and hot cocoa, purchase order and invoice, or may be you would like to know the difference between apostle and disciple.

Stop wondering then, as the website we are going to explore today is http://www.differencebetween.net that tells us the difference between two similar topics on a variety of subjects.

www.differencebetween.net

On this site technology, objects, business, health, internet, nature, science and language are covered in detail.

For example, you will find that the difference between nectar and juice is that nectar is a liquid that is produced by plants and flowers, it is a natural, sugar-rich liquid important for birds and animals and also plays an important role in pollinating. On the other hand, juice is a liquid naturally present in fruits and some vegetables and is not available as nectar is; it is prepared by mashing and squeezing fruits and vegetables and is as essential for human beings as nectar is for insects and birds.

So you see we often get confused when we have to differentiate between two similar topics, however, with thorough reading on the subjects provided on the website you can get to the answers.

The site claims to compile and combine details from multiple reliable sources, so the information provided here is quite authentic to even quote. The website is absolutely free to explore but if you like to republish the content provided there, you need to take permission.

Also, the website offers to let you to contribute any article regarding differences between closely related things, based on facts and research, and in accordance with the strict guidelines of the website.

So if you want to baffle your friends by asking them the difference between fl. oz. and oz., diet coke and coke zero, and much more, then log on to http://www.differencebetween.net.

Website Review - TIME AND DATE: What time is it in your country?

If you are planning to spend your holidays out of town, be it somewhere else in Pakistan or abroad, you must be interested in knowing about the weather of the place, its time zone and such things to be fully prepared for your trip.

Here is a website which displays the world clock, sun and moon calculators, seasons, weather forecast, etc.— www.timeanddate.com. The website is free, continuously updated with accurate information available all over the world.

www.dateandtime.com

Among the calculators hosted here include the world clock, time zones, countdown timers and date, distance, and travel time calculators. These handy calculators will be a great help to you in a new place and help you plan your stay without any confusions messing up your schedule.

Apart from this, the site also offers a lot of personalisation for more convenience; you can select up to 25 cities of your choice and you will have their respective times displayed on a single page. These settings are saved automatically, and the next time you visit the site you will have the homepage of your choice.

This feature is also useful in deciding when to call your family or friends abroad at proper time, lest you spoil their sleep.

So, here you are with a toolbox of time, date and weather calculators which can be of as many uses as you can think of. Sit in front of your PC or laptop and start playing with time. — Aamir Raz Soomro

Website Review - FACT MONSTER: How much you know?

Sometimes holidays become boring, especially when you don’t find anything interesting to do. However, if you have access to a computer, the internet and, above all, your parents’ permission to use the net, you can spend some quality time on a website which is not only free but also insures your parents that it’s a child-friendly, safe and educational site. It will also prove to be a great help in your homework. It’s http://www.factmonster.com.

www.factmonster.com

Children (ages 8-14) will benefit a lot from the site as they will find loads of cool features like encyclopedias, dictionary, quizzes and other information and entertainment stuff on various topics. Its sport section deals with animal, men and women sports, along with discussing superstitions related to different sports. The science section covers health and body, chemistry, physics, etc. Besides this, it has sections for math and money (includes measurements, fractions, tables and formulas, etc.), world news, world geography, religion, history, word-wise with grammar and spelling, language, people, homework center and much more.

The site is too ‘filling’ in the sense that it hosts loads of information about all the fields mentioned above, but, let me assure you, once you start navigating, the site will open doors to a wonderful world of information and knowledge. To keep you interested, it also offers special features, games and quiz-related to that particular section.

Reliability of the information provided can be verified from the fact that it comes from authentic sources like The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, The Time for Kids Almanac, etc.

By the way, do you know how much skin people shed in their lifetime? No? Well, log on to http://www.factmonster.com and know the answer!— Aamir Raz Soomro

Website Review - Kerpoof: animation studio

Hey kids! You must be excited being back at school but before you get too busy with studies, let’s create something very unique and interesting like animated movies, pictures and stories and impress your friends.

Owned and operated by Walt Disney Company, www.kerpoof.com is absolutely child-friendly and focuses on learning and creating activities which revolve around artwork (drawing), animated movies, making story book, pictures, cards, etc.

www.kerpoof.com

The interface is very simple and attractive; the homepage allows you to choose from Make a picture, Make a Movie, Card, Drawing, Picture or Tell a story. If you choose Make a movie, all you have to do is to scroll through storylines such as Fairytale, Horror, Pets’ land, Robo city, etc., until you find the one of your choice.

Then, select a scene, and from the tool library, select characters and objects; resize them if you like, add text or actions like move, walk, run, etc., add special effects like grin, angry, sad, etc., to them. Finally, in the timeline window, you can add time duration and then click Done. You will be amazed to see animated movies in which your characters perform just the way you want.

Tell a story allows you to make a storybook of as many as 30 pages by combining Kerpoof assets, text and freehand drawing.

Whereas, to make a picture, you will have the scene, the object library and the control buttons. With over 50 scenes or backgrounds to choose from, like wacky cartoons worlds to historical worlds, animal habitats, etc., each scene has a library of 40-70 objects that can be used while creating a picture. The control buttons allow you to add text, save your work, print, email or share with others on the website. Similarly, you can have fun with various tools while creating a card, drawing and spelling a picture.

Kids, who still find it difficult to get creative here can go through tutorials with easy step-by-step instructions on making a movie, drawing, picture, story, etc. So spark your imagination by signing up on www.kerpoof.com — Aamir Raz Soomro

Website Review - KIDZBOP

www.kidzbop.com

These days the trend of social networking websites among youngsters has grown and everyone seems to be eager to get registered on one. However, when it comes to using internet, many parents are reluctant to let their children get involved in an activity which can be unsafe and risky. Therefore, kids are mostly not allowed to register on such a site.

If so, don’t worry kids, now you can be part of the social networking world of your age; yes, www.kidzbop.com is a website that offers free and safe social networking — a place where you can get recognised by sharing your videos, music, dance, songs, art and craft with thousands of kids around the world. Not only this, the website allows you to create your own webshows and also lets you create Video Super Contest where your uploaded videos can be turned into a contest for others to vote and enjoy your work.

The website owners claim to provide a carefully moderated, child-friendly content. For instance, a child under 13 years has to provide his/her parent email address so that the website owners could get their consent. And every time a child uploads any content on the site it is pre-screened and notified to his/her parents. Thus, children are monitored not only by the website but by their parents too.

Once you become a member, you can safely express yourself on My Channel page (which is basically your home page) via Safe Text Messaging System and by creating Status updates. You can make friends with other members, comment on each others’ videos and photos. But remember, to ensure everyone’s safety, the ‘KidzBop Squad’ reviews and monitors everything that you upload before it appears on the site.

You may find some features more like Facebook, such as, uploading your picture, personalising your page, posting comments on other’s walls, sharing your videos or photos and receiving comments. — Aamir Raz Soomro