Puzzlemaker So you've mastered all of the letter tiles, crossword puzzles and word searches, and now you're ready to create your own. Then it's time to head out to Puzzlemaker, the Web site that lets you produce puzzles with the latest in Web sophistication. Find your way through the maze and head toward http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com. Choose from a variety of computer-generated games, including number blocks, math squares and word searches with a hidden message. If you're looking for a puzzle with flair, you can solve a maze from the beautiful hand drawings of the artist named Tesseract. Puzzlemaker is a fun site that you can't pass up. (DISCLAIMER: This site now contains advertisements.)
Make a Run for the Border If you think pyramids exist only in Egypt, then grab your boots and head south of the border. Inspiring photographs of ancient ruins, tropical jungles and pristine lakes await you in Thresholds at www.thresholds.net. You can almost hear the exotic sounds of the jungle's parrots and monkeys as you click through the rivers and roads of backwoods Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Be sure not to miss the author's hair-raising tale that will take you through a long series of glittering cascades coursing over miles of verdant valleys in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains. Take in the scenery and enjoy the adventure!
Dances with Coral Living coral reefs are the foundation of marine life, and a crucial support for human life. At Action Atlas: Coral Reefs, brought to you by Mother Jones Interactive, you'll take a thorough look at the state of the reefs, and find out what you can do to help. Snorkel out to www.motherjones.com/ coral_reef and adventure through this aquatic biozone, home to millions of species of fish, crabs, eels, mollusks, sponges and worms. Using maps, diagrams and essays, the site takes you on a tour through the oceans of the world. You'll meet the environmentalists, scientists, fishers and divers who are making the effort to save these natural treasures from pollution, overfishing and physical damage. Get active, and save coral reefs worldwide by checking in at Action Atlas! (This site is no longer available.)
1. Who is putting the coral reefs in danger?
Dear Amy: My brother sent me an e-mail with some files attached that end with .wav, .pcx and .bmp. What are they?--Dungchang, Garden Grove, Calif. Dear Dungchang: The files your brother sent you are sound and graphics files for a PC. If your PC computer has a sound card installed and Windows, you should be able to play the .wav files. The same goes for the graphic .bmp files, which are native to Windows. You can open this file in Paintbrush. To view the .pcx files you may have to use another graphics application such as LviewPro. You can download it for free at ftp:// ftp. std.com/ ftp/ vendors/ mmedia/ lview/. (This downloadable file is outdated.)