Help!

Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS, FACD, FAGD

So many times when you are working on a project, you could really use some advice. But more often than not, there is nobody around who can help answer your questions. The Internet is up and running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, with all sorts of answers to just about anything. Try visiting the following Web sites. You'll never be stuck without solutions to your problems.

All Experts: www.allexperts. com — You can post questions to experts in 36 different categories. Your questions are usually answered within a few days.

Appliance 411: www.appli ance411.com — You can find information about parts for a countless number of appliances as well as how to service them.

Do It Yourself: www.doit yourself.com — This is a site full of home improvement "how to's."

E-How: www.ehow.com — You will find more than 15,000 solutions to problems in 15 categories.

How Stuff Works: www.how stuffworks.com — The name of this site says it all.

Infoplease: www.infoplease. com — This is a complete site, meaning it can give you all the knowledge you need in many different categories.

Refdesk: www.refdesk.com — This is a great source for facts on the Net. Refdesk is about indexing quality Internet sites and assisting visitors in navigating these sites.

So You Wanna: www.soyou wanna.com — Here's a site that tries to teach you what nobody taught you in school.

Encyclopedia.com and Brittanica.com: www.encyclopedia. com and www.brittanica.com — These sites are Internet versions of books we all grew up learning to use for research projects. Type in a subject to get the information you need.

Onelook.com: www.onelook. com — This is a dictionary search site.

Reftools: www.reftools.com — You will find calculators, reference tools, and custom searches here.

Diynet.com: www.diynet.com — This is the do-it-yourself network site with plenty of projects to explore.

And how about those computer hardware and software problems? What do you do when you hit that proverbial "wall" when dealing with your computer systems? Here are some sites dedicated to giving you the help you need. Many of these sites have fees, but they can be great sources for information when you need help.

Help On The Net: www.help onthe.net — This site has a discussion group format. You post a question and wait for one or more people to answer. There are no fees.

Virtual Dr.: www.virtualdr.com — This site provides you with a discussion group format where you can post questions and wait for answers. You can also find patches and upgrades here.

Help Site: www.help-site.com — You will find computer manuals online at this site.

Webopedia: www.webopedia. com — This is an online dictionary for computer and Internet technology.

Check Domain: www.check domain.com — Have you ever come up with a name for a Web site but wondered if anyone else had already established this name? Visit this site to find out.

Computer hardware and software answers: Here are some sites for answers to hardware and software questions. There may be fees, but they are good resources: www.answersthatwork.com, www.pcpitstop.com, www.pcshow andtell.com, www.liverepair.com, www.tech24.com, and www.aaatech support.com.

You now have a place to go for answers to your tough questions — the Internet. You no longer have to feel alone. You never have to feel powerless to complete projects or correct problems. The Internet is not only fun and entertaining, it can empower you with knowledge and improve the quality of your life.