A Whimsical Tour of the Internet

We are indepted to Eric Theis for this creative foray onto the Internet.
Following is a whimsical tour guide of the Internet that we have prepared for you; just another way of enticing you to discover the riches that await those willing to make the effort to explore the Internet.
You can start your online day with Then, you can If you're feeling scholarly, you can check out Science and Math types can use
If you are about to embark on a trip to Japan, here's our listing for a Turbo Resource that looks as if it were designed just for the purpose:
TWICS  Computer Conferencing system in Japan

Keywords:    Community, Networking, Social
Sponsor:     TWICS Co., Ltd.,
Audience:    Japanese, Internationalists, All Professions,     
             Parents, Journalists, Policy Makers
Profile:     Persons interested: anyone living in Japan, or
             interested in hanging out with English speak_ing people
             in Japan. People looking for an online community out
             side the USA. TWICS is a computer conferencing system
             that has a reputation for being a thriving electronic
             community. They recently obtained a full Internet
             connection and are currently one of the very few places
             in Japan accessible via the Internet. Unlike a database
             or a gopher server, TWICS is place to go for interaction
             with actual people.
Contact:     Tim Buress  twics@twics.co.jp, 
User Info.:  telnet to tanuki.twics.co.jp or use their IP           
             address and telnet to 192.135.222.3 and login as       
             guest 
Notes:       TWICS Co., Ltd. (NET-TWICS-IEC) 
             IEC/Nichibei 
             Kaiwa Gakuin 1-21 
             Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku 
             Tokyo 160 Japan 
Netname:     TWICS Netnumber: 192.135.222.0 
Coordinator: Burress, Tim (TB1904) bur_ress@twics.co.jp             
             +81-3-3351-5977 
Domain System inverse mapping provided by: TANUKI.TWICS.CO.JP         
             192.135.222.3 NIC.INTER.NET 149.52.1.107
             tanuki.twics.co.jp
If you're a history buff, there are If you want the latest shareware for your MS-DOS, Macintosh, UNIX, Amiga, Apple2, Apollo, or other computer, try one of the enormous software archives on the Internet To see what's been shaking, here's earthquake information. And the USGS offers land use maps of the United States.
Legal information? Try For great discussions and access to informed people on a variety of subjects, you might want to join up in one of the forums sponsored by the Whole Earth. Following is an excerpt from the directory listing for this Turbo Resource.

The WELL
Computer Conferencing system, virtual community, electronic coffee shop
Keywords:      Community, Networking, Social
Sponsor:       Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Audience:      All Professions, Parents, Journalists, Policy          
               Makers, Writers, Educators, Health professionals,      
               librarians, deadheads, libertarians, Artists,          
               programmers, communicators.
Profile:       Persons interested: People who think for               
               themselves and enjoy interaction with others. The      
               WELL is a classic example (although not the only       
               example) of an online community, using what is         
               called "conferencing" to bring a myriad of people      
               together for intense interactions, without them        
               having to be connected at the same time. The main      
               thing that distinguishes The WELL are the people       
               who use it. There are a lot of really interesting      
               people on The WELL and a really strong desire for      
               real contact between people. The WELL has              
               customers all over the US and about 10% are            
               outside the USA (percentage is increasing with the     
               spread of Internet access).   Discussions on The       
               WELL range from the whimsical and flighty to the       
               fractious and extreme seriousness. The Electronic      
               Frontier Foundation got its start on The WELL, and     
               there is a large contingent of Deadheads here too.     
               It is a place rich in diverse "neighborhoods".         
               WELLbeings have been actively involved in shaping      
               the system since its inception.
Contact:       The WELL Support Staff
               info@well.sf.ca.us 
User Info:     VIA INTERNET:telnet to well.sf.ca.us and login as      
               guest. If you don't have Internet access, you can      
               direct dial to +1-415-332-4335 (voice) and ask         
               about access through direct dial - The WELL is         
               connected to an X.25 network with local phone          
               numbers all over the USA and in many other             
               countries as well.  
Notes:         The WELL 1750
               Bridgeway Suite A200 
               Sausalito CA 94965 USA 
               +1 415-332-4335 (voice) 
               +1 415-332-6106 (modem) 
               well.sf.ca.us
For health and clinical information, there's If you're visually inclined, you can get Home shoppers can access catalogs and place orders for CDs, books, software, and video tapes If you're a music lover, you can get If it's food from the Gods that you re looking for, try accessing Mythology and Folklore in the EINet galaxy catalog. This resource includes pointers to The Gateway of Darkness, books about mythology online, etc.

If you re hungry, you can access various recipe archives

And if you're thirsty, you can take a look at the HomeBrew archives

Of course, you can even find love on the Internet Send Form


Location isn't very important on the Internet. You can be in Prague or in Mendocino, and through the networks, it will be the same as if you were right where your resource is. However, if you want to have the spirit of New York, it is said the discussions on the following list approximate the energy and vitality typical of the Big Apple.
ECHO
Computer Conferencing system.
Keywords:        Community, Networking, Social, Women
Sponsor:         East Coast Hang Out
Audience:        Activists, Policy Makers, Community Leaders,           
                 Government, Citizens, Parents, Children, Students,     
                 All Professions, Women, Writers, Educators, Health     
                 Professionals, Artists, Communicators
Profile:         Persons interested: People looking for an online       
                 home with a real New York City Flavor, especially      
                 women. ECHO was started by Stacy Horn, an avid NYC     
                 WELL user. The WELL was all the way on the other       
                 side of the US, and Stacy kept asking when an East     
                 Coast WELL would form. Eventually she went and did     
                 it herself. ECHO is a wonderful example of how a       
                 person's passions and interests can be translated      
                 into the online world. Stacy has made a real           
                 commitment to making ECHO hostpitible to women and     
                 has one of the highest percentages of women in an      
                 online community. Until very recently ECHO was         
                 only accesible via direct-dial calls, and now,         
                 with Internet access, a new phase is beginning in      
                 this electronic village.
Contact:         Stacy Horn   horn@echonyc.com 
User Info.:      telnet to echonyc.com dial +1 (212) 989-8411  
Voice:           +1 (212) 255-3839 
Notes:           ECHO COMMUNICATIONS 
                 (ECHONYC-DOM) 
                 97 Perry St., Suite 13 
                 New York, NY 10014 
Domain Name:     ECHONYC.COM 
Technical Contact, Zone Contact: Abene, Mark (MA17)              
                 PHIBER@ECHONYC.COM (212) 255-3839 Record last          
                 updated on 27-Jul-93.  Domain servers in listed        
                 order: ECHONYC.COM 198.67.15.2 ICM1.ICP.NET            
                 192.94.207.66, echonyc.com


If you want to play games with partners around the world, your choices include

Sports fans can get


For access to US Government information, there's the FedWorld Gateway, providing access to scores of government databases
And there's much, much more!