It was during August 1991 that the Internet, which traces its origins to academic and military research in the 1960s, got its first Web site. And the soft-spoken Englishman behind it, Tim Berners-Lee, became an instant legend.

Berners-Lee was the man who built the first Web site, which has since morphed into a site you can see today at http://www.w3.org . It's the official site of the World Wide Web Consortium.

Take business, for example. People shop on the Web and every year the amount of money spent online increases, sometimes in breathtaking amounts. It makes the Web perhaps the most important development in worldwide commerce.

Today, 15 years after Berners-Lee put that first site on the World Wide Web - a site that described the protocols for his new Internet application - everyone can have a Web site and, it seems, almost everyone does. Big multinational corporations build sites to promote their businesses. Uncle Fred creates a site to tell his family and friends what he is about. And all are equally accessible.

There's no doubt that the Web has expanded positive opportunities for exploring the world in ways never dreamt of 50 years ago. It offers a virtual library at your fingertips and in the comfort of your home. There seems to be no end to the information available on the Web.

Online banking has changed the way we think about banking. Online poker has changed the way we think about gambling. And online chat rooms and social interaction sites have redefined the way we think about friendship.

Berners-Lee, who has worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 1999, recognizes how adult-content sites have multiplied. "Legend has it that every new technology is first used for something related to sex or pornography. That seems to be the way of humankind," he has been quoted as saying.

If you use the Web, you need to take a look at the World Wide Web Consortium's Web site. You'll find a history of the Web and the international consortium that has determined what the Web looks like for the past 15 years. You can read a biography of Berners-Lee as well as a blog written by the trailblazer.

Despite the profound effect the Web has had on the world, it may still be in its infancy. The Web changes daily and its effect on the world - both good and bad - is likely to be just as weighty in the next 15 years as it has been in the past 15.

Readersread at http://www.readersread.com prides itself on excerpts from scores of the latest books, as well as reviews and author interviews. The excerpts come from a variety of genres - including children's books, mysteries and thrillers, fantasy and science fiction, general fiction, nonfiction and romance. Interactive forums offer a place for readers to voice their own opinions about books in print.

The Women's Law Initiative at http://www.womenslaw.org is an online resource for women and girls who are either living with domestic violence or trying to escape it. The site offers a list of states and the laws in that state regarding domestic violence. The Women's Law Initiative also offers news about recent developments in domestic violence legislation, safety planning and national domestic violence links and resources.

Seven environmental groups have joined forces to create "About the Global Warming: The Early Warning Signs Map" at http://www.climatehotmap.org . Global average temperatures have warmed about one degree since 1900 and the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1983. The map created on this Web page shows some of the events that are direct results of global warming. The map also identifies events that foreshadow the kinds of things that are likely to become more frequent as the planet warms.

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