Buying Cheap: ReturnBuy - Many people return products for reasons other than defects. A number of these returns wind up at Returnbuy.com, where you can get them at terrific prices. The selection is limited at present, and you'll want to be sure you want the product. Although they prominently guarantee "unconditional returns," the actual return policy is much more restrictive.

Iraq Insight: IRAQ Journal - Let's note up front that this site won't enthrall loyal Fox News Channel viewers. It's an attempt by independent journalists to report stories from Iraq that are ignored, they feel, by a press too closely connected to the Bush administration. This insider's guide to Iraq is likely to offer news even to the loyalists, though.

Stupid Movie Physics: Movie Physics - You know there's no sound in space because there's no sound in a vacuum, but there are lots of other blunders made by moviemakers more intent on effect than accuracy. This site catches the goofs and explains the physics behind the reality. You don't need to be a physicist to understand the discussions.

Crop Circles: CircleMakers - It's well known by now that many "crop circles," those artistic designs carved into crop fields, were made by humans. But check out the "anomalies" section at this "home of England's crop circle makers." Strange lights, unexplained flying objects, and other events have shown up even at purely human crop circles.

Take Your Seat: Seat Guru - It's not much of a secret anymore that some seats on an airplane are much more comfortable than others. Pick your airline and plane at this site and see what seats offer the features you need for your trip, then call the airline and ask for the seats you'd like.

Freeze!: Mug Shots - Surprise! Famous people sometimes get arrested for their peccadilloes. They don't always look their best at these times, and the mug shots featured here show that.

Evaluating Theme Parks: Themepark Insider - Taking the kids to a theme park? Better check out this site to find the best attractions and whether the park is worth the trip. Adults and kids offer their evaluations of a surprising variety of parks.

Leave 'Em Laughing: Totally Off the Record - Get some mileage out of those tragically funny stories you've collected of incompetent managers, clueless colleagues, and moronic customers. Post them at Totally Off the Record, or just read what other people have posted. Pick an occupation and surf away.

Where No Camera Has Gone Before: Space Photos - These are some of the best space photos I've ever seen. Mostly taken by David Malin at the Anglo-Australian Observatory, they represent the latest techniques to get the most accurate colors at very high resolutions. The results are stunning.

Understanding Jefferson: Monticello - Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, served as President, started the Library of Congress with his personal library, founded the University of Virginia, and was perhaps the most brilliant of the founding fathers. Here's a great starting point for investigating his life and his mind.

For Beer Connoisseurs Only: Okay, so you're not the intellectual Jefferson type. Head on over to My Life Is Beer and work up a head of foam.

If It Can Go Wrong...: More Murphy's Laws - We all know the original Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will."), but many more have been created by observant thinkers over the years. This site collects and lists the various laws, and includes an account of the origin of the original Murphy's Law.

What Were They Thinking?: Even the best and the brightest come up with bad business ideas. Business2 memorializes the worst of them in "The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business." A humorous look at the phenomenon of incredibly stupid business ideas.

Follow the Drinking Gourd: National Geographic - You are a slave in the antebellum South. You can jump on Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad to freedom, but do you have the courage?

Understanding Terrorism: Terrorism Answers - Most of us never paid much attention to the Mideast. The Council on Foreign Relations runs this site, answering the difficult questions with no partisan leanings. Understand the stories behind the headlines.