Algor
What the hell is Algor, anyway? A quick glance at the home page doesn't reveal anything about the power behind the pages, but the links are appealing nonetheless. Several clicks in, it's finally possible to deduce that Algor makes software used for a variety of truly interesting scientific purposes like aerospace, chemical, and mechanical engineering projects. Probably most notable to non-PhD nerds surfing this site is the story of Dante II, the robot used to explore a volcano in Alaska in 1994. And guess what! Algor software was used in the design of the robot. Scientific self-promotion at its finest.-DP

B-

American Express University
Remember those company-sponsored comic books designed to promote a product? Remember how they came off as cheesy promotional attempts when Product "A"was integral in the resolution of the story? The American Express University achieves a similar tone by littering these pages with "benefits of membership" information. The supposed mission of this site is to provide useful information for college students, and the Let's Go travel section is really good, though it's compromised by references to American Express travel services. Not to mention that the writing sounds like an older person attempting to "rap with the kids."-WKC

B+

Andersen Consulting
Anderson is an international giant in the management and high-tech consulting industry. This means that some of the best and brightest minds around work on the Anderson payroll and Web site. If you're interested in technology, you'll find fascinating reading here, from tomes on the future of multimedia to analyses of retailing on the Internet. The site has a slight feel of having been thrown together rather than planned, but I didn't find that too much of a distraction. Job recruitment, technology discussion forums, and Internet news also make this site of value.-BB

A-

Bantam Doubleday Dell
Yet another electronic promotional vehicle for a company that's best suited for the medium of dead trees. While the catalog of Bantam Doubleday Dell's books in print is mildly entertaining to peruse before you head off to Waldenbooks, a daily puzzle and horoscope aren't enough of a draw to make this site a bookmark. Somewhat interesting are the profiles of the featured writers and their tour dates, but haven't we heard enough about John Grisham already?-DP

C+

Blockbuster
"The purpose of our Internet Web site is to give you the inside story of what's new and exciting at Blockbuster® - but in an all-new way."So begins the Blockbuster® Web experience. This is the electronic equivalent of an airline magazine, with less content and fewer pictures of far-away lands. The curious and morbid will find monthly lists of top video rentals, profiles of soon-to-be released films, and the results of the World Video Game Championship. To its credit, Blockbuster® does make this fluff available online in Spanish, too.-SS

C

Chrysler Technology Chrysler is evidently very proud of its testing facilities. Here you can learn all about them. Unfortunately, the site's editors chose boring pictures of wind tunnels instead of photographs of cars smashing into walls at high speeds. I enjoyed looking at Chrysler's concept cars, which always seem to be the ones I wished were in production. Of course, no corporate site could be complete without news releases, ad campaign info, and a section espousing the company's great environmental track record. Like the rest of the site, these sections are conservative and offer few surprises, but are presented well.-BB

B+

Codex Privacy Site
Playground for the paranoid. Codex offers electronic eavesdropping products and services, including things no one can live without, such as a Conference Room RF Shielding device. The site has a great section of links; anyone into conspiracy theory will love them. From Mossad to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the links cover topics such as hacking, privacy, spying, and international intrigue. The site also offers practical information (such as how to tap a phone). You also have the chance to order an e-mail version of its catalog (I enjoyed it) or to subscribe to the newsletter. Don't miss the disclaimer in the How To section.-BB

A-

Digital Equipment Corporation
Home to Alta Vista, easily the best search engine of the Web, DEC continues as a force to be reckoned with in the computer world. Here you'll find the usual material from a high-tech corp's Web site - a letter from the big cheese, product info, and plenty of press releases for analysts and consultants. But if you're not a journalist hunting for background, a corporation with an equipment budget to blow, or a tech-head looking for work, go ahead and bookmark Alta Vista and leave the rest alone. The engine from heaven is hidden in the New Technology and Research section.-DP

A

FenderWorld
Guitar heroes will love this site. It contains a complete catalog of all things Fender, a FAQ, Tech Tips, and miscellaneous guitar trivia. It also has the handy 'Axe Dater': Enter the serial number of your Fender and it tells you when it was made. Cool. An online version of its magazine, Frontline, features current artists and their Fenders. If you're so inspired, you can also subscribe to the magazine (and get a free bonus Bon Jovi CD), join the Fender Club, or check out the guitar links. Perhaps most fulfilling of the cultural insights: "Jam Out" has apparently replaced "Rock Out" as the appropriate term of guitar jubilance.-BB

A-

Maytag-Home of Dependability
I never really liked the Maytag Man. Unfortunately, he's prominently featured in this site. Maytag provides a fair amount of information about its appliances - prices, warranty info, and general features, and it has a handy remodeling guide that gives the dimensions of each appliance. My favorite area of the site, the tips section, offers general suggestions on how to remove laundry stains and keep vegetables fresh in your refrigerator. I can't imagine a lot a people go appliance shopping on the Web, but if you need or want to, this is a good place to start. And there are pretty pictures!-BB

B

Official Guinness This is a site no member of the cult of Guinness should miss. There are delightful treats to downloaded - a Guinness screen saver and wall paper composed of your favorite Guinness advertisements. There's also a Guinness FAQ to answer your age-old stout questions. So open a can of pub-draught, pull up a chair, and step into the virtual pub.-BB

A

Peachpit This is a well-designed site; it's easy to find what you're looking for, it's not overburdened with needless graphics, and there's a good search engine. You can create an order while browsing the site, then send it in electronically, but the form isn't secure. Another downer: The descriptions of the computer books are too limited to be helpful. But reader forums and a good technical support section add to the quality of this site. If you already own Peachpit books, especially its Macintosh Bible series, you'll probably want to check the site out.-BB

A-

Random House Want to browse Random House's book offerings by looking at titles, authors, and a brief description of each book? Well, you can't. To make up for this, there is an extremely well-designed search engine to navigate the extensive list of Random House titles. Of course, once you get the titles, you still don't find much information. The site does have good theme pages relating to some of the publisher's more popular current books. Here you'll find forums, links, and discussion.-BB

B-

Westinghouse Science & Technology Center
Upon first look, this site only presents what appears to be a pithy overview of the deep research being conducted at Westinghouse. The Technology area lists confusing-to-the-layman codewords for the new high-tech developments. And each departmental link (Intelligent Systems, Microelectronics, etc.) leads to a happy photo of its respective manager summarizing (and hyping) his group's work in a brief paragraph. But link a little further into some of the areas - cryoelectronics, for example - and geek out with some intense scientific papers and reports from the men and women in the white lab coats. Bring your slide rule!-DP

C

WWS World
Morphing to the needs of the new media, advertising agencies are rushing to create Web sites to lure in even the most technophobic clients. Weiss, Whitten, Stagliano's site does the job nicely. Fun in a marketing company sort of way, yet elegant in a "we mean business" professional appearance, this site is a no-apologies commercial for the abilities of this agency. With examples of its work for Giorgio Armani and Ferrari, this agency shows that it can walk the production walk just as well as it talks the Web talk. A worthy look at a good example from the industry that will help commercialize the net... whether we like it or not.-DP

A-

Young Chang Young Chang is one of the largest piano makers in the world. Piano fans will find some items of general interest here, such as a section on how to find a piano teacher and listings of piano organizations. Descriptions of piano models, though, are limited to describing what types of finishes they come in; too much attention is devoted to expounding why the company's manufacturing process produces superior pianos. There are a few silly sections, such as information on Young Chang's game-show giveaways.-BB

C+