Anticipation

Does your Internet browser anticipate what you want when you begin entering a url? I suppose it’s an option and maybe it’s the beginning of the Skynet computer network, but it saves me keystrokes.

Here’s a fun exercise. On a blank url field, type “A” and see what site your computer thinks you want to visit. I ran through the alphabet and here’s what I got. Leave a comment to give us your highlights and/or lowlights.

A: http://aggieathletics.com/ Because I’m a Texas Aggie, of course.

B: http://bestbuy.com/ This one might be a little skewed because I recently researched there for a new computer.

C: http://cbssports.com/ This is my go-to site for sports scores and standings, just because it’s easier than most to find what I want.

D: http://darienlake.com/ Pretty simple, this is the place we’re working this summer.

E: http://expedia.com/ If you know me, you expect travel-related sites to pop up.

F: http://facebook.com/ You got me; as much as I grumble about some of the things it does, I love Facebook in the fact it has enabled me to regain connections with so many old friends.

G: http://google.com/ Why? Google it.

H: http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/ Hampton Inn is my favorite hotel. We often stay someplace less expensive, but Hampton offers a pretty good deal, has always been clean and comfy, and has a killer breakfast.

I: http://imdb.com/ For all things movie- and television-related.

J: https://www.facebook.com/JPWeiscarver Must be slim pickings to go that deep for a “J,” but it’s a good one!

K: http://koa.com/ “On the road again …”

L: http://lonepinecampsites.com/ This is obviously the result of few “L” sites. I looked at this Vermont campground when considering where to apply for summer jobs this year.

M: http://maps.google.com/ Because it’s awesome. Researching a trip with the aid of Google maps, satellite images and Street View makes it so easy to get where you’re going.

N: http://www.nps.gov/index.htm National parks … enough said.

O: http://optim8.com/ This one is misleading. We use this site to check our work schedules.

P: http://pandora.com/ I’ve fine-tuned a great personal radio station over the years.

Q: http://www.mapquest.com/ My original online map, which I use at times, mainly when a website uses it.

R: http://redbox.com/ Because … movies on the cheap.

S: https://stevemartaindale.com/ Naturally.

T: http://tvguide.com/ Keeps me from having to surf channels to confirm there’s nothing good on.

U: https://www.usps.com/ More than anything, I go here to get zip codes.

V: http://vacationstogo.com/ We’ve booked our cruises through these folks and highly recommend them, but for years before we ever set sail, I spent many hours (and still do) looking at potential cruises. I really like the round the world cruises.

W: http://wunderground.com/ This has been my go-to weather forecast site for at least 15 years. What really won me over was their radar and hurricane tools.

X: http://xanterra.com/ This is the company we worked for the previous two summers, at Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.

Y: https://mail.yahoo.com/ Yes, I yahoo.

Z: http://zone1150.com/ And we’re back to the beginning. AM Radio 1150, the Zone, covers my Aggies.