Dan's Papers - August 29, 2008

The Internet can sometimes be a big, scary place. With its highways, byways and social networking sites, knowing where to go for the right information can be a struggle. What if you're looking for that hilarious episode of "Saturday Night Live" or need to fill your celebrity gossip addiction? Google is a great search engine but bypassing this step will save you time and in many cases, money.

Here's a list of the top websites for whatever it is you need.

For the latest and greatest in the Hamptons: www.danshamptons.com.

This site gives you the works - whether you want to read about where Jimmy Buffet surfs in Hampton Style, the latest fishing reports in the Montauk Pioneer or are eager to find out where the party is on Bloghampton, no other site compares.

To make sure the world is still spinning: www.nytimes.com

The New York Times website is unreal. There are pages upon pages of information, not to mention podcasts, crosswords, video reports in nearly every category imaginable (World, Politics, Technology, Arts, Style, Science), travel guides and award-winning photography. The site is very user-friendly but can be a wee bit overwhelming since the page is jam-packed with regional, country and global shifting news. Genocide and cookie recipes on the same page are a little much, but we like it.

For the weekend recap on where Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson chilled or a new video of Amy Winehouse doing drugs: www.perezhilton.com

Claiming to be the Queen of All Media, Perez Hilton, the pseudonym for Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr., brings viewers "Celebrity Juice Not From Concentrate." The best thing about this site are the one-of-a-kind, never-been-seen-before paparazzi photos. Perez then writes over them in white writing saying brash things like "Not Hot" or "Waiting for Rehab" or "Cougar." You can post a comment on any of the topics and besides all the celeb-bashing, Perez helps many undiscovered artists and charitable groups gain the positive attention they need - according to sources the site is trafficked by over 8.82 million page views in a 24-hour period.

For jams: www.Pandora.com

This site claims to have started the "Music Genome Project." I'm sure you've heard of the Human Genome Project, completed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health to identify and determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA. But this genome project isn't nearly as boring. In 2000, a group of music-loving technologists came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever. Let's say you like Coldplay. Plug that in and you'll get other bands that have similar melody, harmony, instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's a musical journey.

For the lowest prices: www.Overstock.com

If you're into online shopping, overstock.com has the sales. It's like the virtual version of "The Price is Right," but without the showcases. Furniture, jewelry, rugs, toys, cars, trips, clothing and electronics are sorted by price. You can save up to 80% compared to big name department stores and instead of trading money with someone from Minnesota on eBay for a Saran®-wrapped copy of "Scrubs," you'll get the real deal packaged gift from their headquarters. How about a Universal Flat Stainless Steel Muffler with twin 3-inch square end? It's all there on the online outlet store.

For procrastination, clips, episodes and movies: www.Hulu.com

This site has hilarious clips and episodes from "The Office," "Family Guy" "Jack Ass" and "The Colbert Report." Whether it's sorted alphabetically, by popularity, by network or whatever, there's enough television and movies to help anyone delay for days. And it's fast and free.

For friendship, stalking and other forms of flattery: www.facebook.com

On this modern day yearbook, you can now instant message other users that are logged in. Bumper stickers, mobile phone uploads, links, gifts, political groups - this is the place where you can reconnect with all the friends you can't remember on those nights you'll never forget.