Specifications

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 PC MAGAZINE 89
PITCHFORK Fans can’t ignore this über-hip site for independent-music news and reviews.
Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.gov
The tax code doesn’t make things easy, but
the Web site does, with all the forms you
need, plus loads of tips on how to save on
your taxes.—KM
The Motley Fool
www.fool.com
The Motley Fool’s credo is “To Edu-
cate, Amuse, and Enrich”—and it means
“enrich” literally.—KM
Music, Movies, and TV
allmusic
www.allmusic.com
An exhaustive resource for music chronol-
ogies, history, biographical information,
and criticism, compiled by more than 900
writers.—BH
The Internet Movie Database
www.imdb.com
The most complete movie guide ever, with
movie news, fi lmmaker bios, and unbeliev-
ably detailed indexing of every film and
TV show.—CI
Netfl ix
www.netfl ix.com
The company that revolutionized the way
videos are rented eight years ago must be
doing something right, after one billion
transactions.—BH
Pitchfork
www.PitchforkMedia.com
This über-hip and impartially snarky site
has eclipsed the Spins and Rolling Stones
of the world for news and reviews of inde-
pendent artists.—BH
Television Without Pity
www.televisionwithoutpity.com
The staff of professional “recappers” gives
you the full dirt on TV’s most popular
shows, complete with quips that you can
pass off as your own.—CI
News
CNN.com
www.cnn.com
Recently redesigned and as newsy as ever,
the cable news network’s Web site pro-
vides 24/7/365 coverage of the world.—EG
Digg
www.digg.com
The premise: an online popularity contest.
The contestants: everything on the Inter-
net. Can you Digg it?—EG
Fark.com
www.fark.com
Fark is not news. In fact, it wants to be syn-
onymous with “not news.” The Farkers
who submit the stories also provide witty
commentary.—EG
Gawker
www.gawker.com
The grande dame of celebrity blogs,
Gawker has single-handedly made snark
the most valuable blog commodity.—VBJ
Guardian Unlimited
www.guardian.co.uk
The Guardian is one of the most celebrated
English- language newspapers for its jour-
nalistic transparency. The Web version is
equally excellent, and free.—BH
NPR
www.npr.org
News coverage doesn’t get much better
than NPR, which runs the gamut in terms
of coverage, from serious to downright
silly.—LR
The New York Times
www.nytimes.com
As you’d expect from the number-one
newspaper in America, the site is chock-
full of video, photos, and traditional news
articles.—LR
The Onion
www.theonion.com
A perk of living in the Internet age: The
Onion can be enjoyed daily, hourly, or even
(if your boss isn’t looking) by the min-
ute.—Alex Ivey
Slate
www.slate.com
The news site that excels at taking the lead-
ing stories of the day and reanalyzing them
is consistently both excellent and engag-
ing.—KM
The Smoking Gun
www.thesmokinggun.com
Existing at the crossroads of First Amend-
ment rights and gossip, The Smoking Gun
specializes in incriminating evidence.
Celebs beware.—BH
Politics and Government
Electronic Frontier Foundation
www.eff.org
Regardless of whether you’re aware of it or
not, the EFF is looking out for you, defend-
ing the civil rights of citizens as they per-
tain to technology.—BH
Fact Check
www.factcheck.org
The team at the Annenberg Political Fact
Check does the verifying for you, translat-
ing political speak into plain English.—CI
The Huffi ngton Post
www.huffi ngtonpost.com
This political commentary site (known as
the HuffPo) has become a news provider
to be reckoned with.—EG
opensecrets.org
www.opensecrets.org
Follow the money that floats politics on
both sides of the aisle with help from the
Center for Responsive Politics.—EG