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Got a question? Go ahead, try to stump me. Want to suggest a site for a review, or tell me how I'm doing? This is the place.

Check back often to catch my answers -- I'm full of them. If I pick your question, I'll probably quote you and display your email address, so don't say I didn't warn you!

(If you're wondering what makes me such an expert, read my bio. And if you just want to say Hi, add your name to my guestbook.)

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Questions or comments:


Q. I'm looking for site or chat group regarding Austria, as our family is planning a trip there next summer. (Austria, by the way, is 1000 years old this year.)

Louise-Marie Rousseau
Montreal, Canada
lmrousseau@talvest.com

A. The first stop on any big trip is, you guessed it, my own travel reviews, where sophisticated peripatetics of every stripe go for the best travel resources on the web.

For Austrian information in particular, trek over to The Webfoot's Guide to Austria, the online headquarters for heaps of weird Austrian info, including satellite weather maps and stats from the U.S. CIA factbook. Yes, it does feel a little more like espionage than travel-planning, but I recommend it highly all the same. And Usenet is particularly handy for talking with others about travel destinations. Try "alt.culture.austrian."

Finally: Happy Birthday, Austria. Where would we be without you?




Q. I am in my late 20s and was recently diagnosed with scoliosis in my lower back. I have electrotherapy and chiropractic work done twice a week (my work schedule makes additional therapy impossible). Is there anything I can do, stretches or something, that will help relieve my pain and speed up the process of straightening my back? Thanks!

Keichan
Tokyo
keisan@hotmail.com

A. That is a question for your doctor or healthcare provider, Keichan. I can refer you to information and support groups on the web, where you may get advice from other patients or from doctors who specialize in scoliosis. The Scoliosis Mailing List is "maintained by and composed of people who have scoliosis." Its web page explains how to subscribe to the list, even anonymously. For more web resources, surf around the site listings at the Yahoo! scoliosis links page.



Q. Hi B. How would I go about selling a car on the Net?

Kelly Hankey
Connecticut
finzup@compsol.net

A. Since you're in Connecticut, your best bet is the colossal Bargain News Online, the online version of Connecticut's mecca for dumping unwanted stuff -- cars in particular.

If your car is so valuable that you think some passionate car lover might be willing to drive across the U.S. to pick it up, try the national Auto-Trader Online, which claims to have more than 200,000 ads and is updated daily.



Q. How was the universe created? I want proof! Failure to answer this question will prove that you only answer the questions you are able to answer!

Christopher Dunning Crewe, U.K
l-dunning@s-cheshire.ac.uk

A. Aren't we cheeky? I have believed for a long time that the universe began as a subatomic particle containing all existent matter and energy. That subatomic particle (which is now the universe) is expanding at roughly the rate of your flippancy. Of course, that's just one web dweller's opinion.

If you must test my theory, try Dr. Sten Odenwald's stellar homepage, Ask the Astronomer, or the universally acclaimed and aptly titled Black Holes and the Mysteries of the Cosmos. Lastly, a cozier introduction to the enigmas of creation can be found on Lisa's Astronomy Homepage.



Q. Any tips on how to decorate a newly-constructed house without the aid of an interior designer?

Marilette Jose
marjoe@.mnl.sequel.net

A. Your most decorous option is to go straight to my Home & garden reviews. Since your house is new, you might also try my home improvement links under Fix-it, which will take you to the decorating section of Home Central. Another well-known online resource is Living Home, a web magazine with daily updates.

If you're in a more sedentary mood, Women's Wire has a guide to buying a sofa, and to furnish your house without even leaving it, try Furniture Direct.



Q. I asked you last week if you could name three recent volcanic eruptions, and give me some information regarding them. Have I stumped you? Just wondering, because you've yet to respond.

Laura Holman

A. No, you haven't stumped me. It's just that I handle potentially explosive questions with great care. For starters, surf over to the Cascades Volcano Observatory Home Page. It features scientific information as well as fun movies and pictures of many of your favorite peaks blowing themselves into little bits. And don't miss Hawaii's Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes.

Have you noticed the red hot air blowing out of Hollywood? Movies Dante's Peak and Volcano are both making a bang on the web.



Q. How can I say to a girl in my class (I am a boy) that I like her?

Shy Guy

A. Just like that, kiddo. You could even try asking her to the movies. If you think you need some electronic help, try sending her a Valentine's postcard from The Cyrano Server, a fun online love-note generator, or send her a valentine from my site. Good luck!



Q. My ex-boyfriend Colin is always commenting on my clothing as being strange, but I like it. Help!

Renae
(no email, in Alaska)

A. Good for you! Revel in your eccentric duds -- AND Colin's attention. Heck, high style for men is all the rage, so why not broaden Colin's fashion horizons with these wild styles for guys. Here's how I see it: Colin is noticing you again because he's suddenly realized that (gasp!) other guys notice you, too. Give him an ultimatum: If he wants to run with Alaska's premier fashion maven (read: you), he's gotta spice up his bland, boring, "I'm an outdoorsy, tundra-loving kinda guy" look.

If that doesn't work, buy yourself a box of chocolates and a dartboard. Put Colin's picture on the dartboard, and a have a chocolate or two (or three or four...). Then throw a dart (or three of four...) You get the idea!



Q. I need info on black women in communications, specifically ones who host TV shows like Rolonda. My question is where can I find this info on people such as Rolonda Watts and Roz Abrams? Also, what is the best way to get an interview with one of these newsanchors?

Corris
web4753@charweb.org

A. Well, Corris, Rolonda was an easy one. A quickie search (see this week's tech tip on people-finders) turned up her web site, which lists a contact for interview requests and includes a short profile. You can try the same with New York City TV personality Roz Abrams.

For more resources on women's affinity groups, look at my Women & the Net reviews. You'll find links to a couple of search engines for women's sites, WWWomen and Cybergrrl's Femina, as well as a Yahoo! search. I'd also surf around Net Noir, a site dedicated to African-American lifestyle, community and empowerment issues.



Q. Why do men's dress shirts button left over right? I'll give you "impressed by your knowledge" points the faster you respond. After all, you could be researching this.

Jed
anjlm3@uaa.alaska.edu

A. Jed, I'm afraid you don't get it. In the information age, it's not how much you know, it's how much you can find out! Would you mock a schoolchild for going to the library? Shame a chemist who consults a reference book? Don't you understand that the beauty of the web is exactly what you say in your letter: I could be researching this.

But I'm not, 'cause you could, too. First, check out Swoon's magazine rack. There, between women's mags Glamour and Mademoiselle, you'll find Details magazine, whose Style Guy Glenn O'Brien offers "advice to the flair impaired." Submit your question there, or try Papermag's Mr. Mickey, a funky fashion mastermind. Isn't this fun? Happy hunting!



Q. OK. I give. Who is Beatrice? Or was it the name that came as a result of a focus group meeting? I've done all the "whois" searches for yours and related domains -- but no Beatrice. In other words, a corporation masquerading as an 'everyday person'???

Kevbob
kevcol@hotmail.com

A. Who am I? Kevbob, I am SO glad you asked. But your guess that I'm anything like an everyday person is way off the mark. This may surprise you, honey, but I'm actually a cartoon. (Who's fooling who here? Did your mother name you Kevbob? I think not.)

I'm proud to carry on the tradition of my virtual sisters Olive Oyl, Jessica Rabbit, Minnie Mouse and Lisa Simpson -- not to mention my good friend Betty Boop. I'm delighted to share my name with the fair city of Beatrice, Neb.; the delicacy Beatrice Cheese; my good friends at Beatrice.com and, of course, Dante's exalted object of beauty, the lovely Beatrice.



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