Too much information, too little time.

• Author: Saltzman, Joe

Let's admit it. If we're going to go into the 21st century of new technology, the Internet, the World Wide Web, and other information delivery systems, then we all should be given a 25th hour to explore the new media. There just isn't enough time in the normal daily cycle to do the job. So suppose you had that extra hour to do nothing but become informed courtesy of the new technology. What would you do?

Timer in hand, you would probably go directly to the AJR newslink (http://www.newslink) courtesy of the American Journalism Review where you can find 4,500 links to newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, and worldwide news services. Everyone in the media seems to agree that this is an essential resource, the best media index available. So skip your Yahoo and go directly to AJR newslink to at least give yourself a fighting chance at getting the information you need and want to know in less than an hour.

One problem with the new technology is the incredible array of options available. It's like going to one of those sumptuous smorgasbords at a good hotel -- except the subsequent ache won't be in your stomach; it will be in your brain.

Consider this. If you choose newspapers, you can go to major metropolitan newspapers, national newspapers, state newspapers, daily newspapers, non-daily newspapers, alternative newspapers, business newspapers, special newspapers, limited newspapers, promotional newspapers, and inactive newspapers; non-United States newspapers in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Africa, Asia, the Mideast, Europe, Oceania, and South America; and campus newspapers (dailies, non-dailies, experimentals, and non-U.S.).

If you choose magazines, 23 of the 50 largest U.S. popular ones and seven of the 25 largest Canadian magazines are available. Also at your service are news and opinion magazines, business and professional magazines, computing magazines, entertainment magazines, and lifestyle-people-activities magazines. If you choose broadcasters, you get nationwide U.S. radio and television networks, regional and virtual networks, and non-U.S. networks, as well as broadcast stations from all over the country. And if you choose news services, you get everything from weather services to journalism organizations to new-media newsletters to e-mail forums.

All you have is an extra hour, though, so skip all of that and take a look at the top 50 Web sites for information. That way you can go directly to CNN interactive or the Washington...