Useful locations for LAPL Platt Branch patrons
Government portals
USA.gov is the top-level portal to government information. You can follow links to just about every government branch and department—federal, state and local.
Education, entertainment & recreation
Kids.gov is a portal to hundreds of websites designed to entertain, educate and inform children and parents.
The workings and history of our federal government can be examined in this vitally-important-to-understand subsection of Kids.gov
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Kids' Pages hosts a website site adults and children can enjoy together, with games, riddles, sing-along, and other fun stuff. (One of hundreds of sites reached through Kids.gov.)
The Library of Congress contains a lot of what you need to know about the government of the United States but rarely think to ask. See what proposed bills with noble titles are really about. View high resolution images of historical documents.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area has expanded considerably since its establishment in 1978 and is now the world's largest urban national park. A shuttle service operates between 12 park areas. The area hosts many special events and cultural programs. Warning: environmental laws are aggressively enforced in the Park areas.
California State Parks home page. Topanga and Malibu Creek State Parks are a short drive from Platt Branch.
The Leonis Adobe in Calabasas is a must-see for Platt Patrons. Platt Branch is built on land that was once part of the Leonis ranch. From the Adobe you can walk to the east side of the Sagebrush Cantina and visit Calabasas Creek Park, where you get a feel for what west valley creekbeds were like before being ‘civilized’ with concrete.
The old Ridge Route helped unite Southern and Northern California. It's a great day trip. Enjoy it. Help preserve it.
Reference publications and tools
Wikipedia is a free collaborative encyclopedia. Look up “wikipedia” on Wikipedia for more information.
National Weather Service spot forecast, warnings, doppler radar and satellite views of Los Angeles/Ventura counties.
Pierce College weather station reports current conditions at 10-minute intervals.
OnlineConversion.com allows you to convert just about any measurement from one system to another.
Earth's Seasons lists our planet's equinoxes, solstices, perihelion, and aphelion from 1992–2020
Earth Calendar lists just about every holiday everywhere in the world. Every day's a holiday somewhere. Celebrate!
Babelfish offers free translation to and from a variety of languages
Free2Professional offers translation by computer (free) and professional translators.
WorldLingo's links to online dictionaries in 22 languages—including Gaelic.
WorldTimeServer.com gives the current time anywhere in the world. Check here before making an overseas phone call.
Americom's Area Code Decoder will tell you what area an area code belongs to.
Internet security and crime
Secunia exposes security vulnerabilities in software and hardware, and advises what to do about them.
Dealing with spyware and parasites can be a nightmare. In Windows, a HOSTS file can be used to block malicious websites.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. Its purpose is to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding cyber crime.
Miscellaneous
Mo'Slo computer slowdown software allows old programs to run on fast new computers without slowing the entire system.