Web Sites

Last week, the Supreme Court quietly let die a federal law dubbed the Child Online Protection Act, which made it a crime in the United States to post sexually explicit material on the Web for commercial gain without making provisions to block kids from gaining access. A lower court in Philadelphia had struck down the law, arguing that parents could already shield their children from such material by installing Internet filters.

Gorp.com, the extensive online resource that specializes in travel information for national parks, outdoor activities and adventure travel gear, also happens to have a great destination guide on California, the topic of this week's Travel section. What's hot: You don't have to know what type of Polartec fabric is appropriate for which season to find something that appeals to you in the many sections of the California destination guide.

The Federal Trade Commission's new Internet-advertising guidelines don't put enough pressure on companies to protect consumer data used in targeted marketing campaigns, privacy advocacy groups said. The agency released the voluntary standards Thursday to guide Web marketers' efforts at self-regulation. The FTC report urged advertising providers such as Google Inc.

smartaboutmoney.org There's no shortage of financial advice on the Internet, but much of it comes from doubtful sources or is choked with confusing jargon. How do you find guidance that is both trustworthy and in plain English? Smartaboutmoney.org meets both tests. The site, produced by the well-regarded National Endowment for Financial Education, addresses common money issues with articles that are sound and clearly written.

Don't you hate it when your online map doesn't tell you what you need to know? Like when MapQuest sends you down a dark alley, or when Google sends you on four freeways when you really needed just one? A Los Angeles start-up called Zoodango is launching a local service today for finding restaurants, bars and entertainment venues on digital maps.

There's no shortage of websites explaining the vagaries of health insurance, but the relaunch last week of a veteran site, www.ahirc.org, offers perhaps the most comprehensive online resource we've seen for anyone without insurance or in need of free or low-cost medical care. The website, Access to Health Insurance / Resources for Care, was first launched 11 years ago as a project of the Actors' Fund of America.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, whose giant globe has been a fixture on the city's skyline for much of the newspaper's 146-year history, will print its last edition today and become the largest metropolitan daily to switch to an online-only publication. The announcement was delivered Monday morning by Publisher Roger Oglesby to a shattered newsroom that -- in classic P-I style -- wiped back tears, broke out the whiskey and then went back to work.

Times are tough, but bargains are relatively easy these days. You just need to know where to find them and have the dough to spend. The latter, we can't help you with, but we can try with the former with these online tips. (For more, go to theguide.latimes.com.) First, try Goldstar.com, which offers discounted tickets on concerts, theater, performing arts, comedy, festivals and a handful of sporting and dining events, or StubDog.com, which recently entered the L.A. market.

www.investinginbonds.com If you're reluctant to invest in stocks these days -- and hey, you're not alone -- you may be considering bonds. But with a bewildering variety to choose from, it's easy for new investors to get confused. A good place to start is Investinginbonds.com, produced by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Assn. The site offers help for novices as well as tools for experienced bond investors. Newcomers should start with the "learn more" column on the right-hand side.

President Obama will take questions in the East Room of the White House today, but they won't be coming from the Washington press corps. Instead, the questions are being posed by visitors to the White House website, and then vetted by other visitors for their relevance and importance. Those queries that rise to the top of the pile will be posed to the president at 11:30 a.m. EDT, in an order based on popularity, administration officials said.