The web pages we access today are only the tip of the iceberg of all information on the Internet.  In fact, scientists theorize that you, I, and search engines like Google only have access to 1/10th of 1 percent of this information!  To search the Deep Web, you have to use special tools.  My favorites include:

• InfoMine – a huge archive of information built over the years by librarians from all over the United States.  You will also find a treasure trove by clicking on “Other Search Tools” at the bottom.
• WWW Virtual Library – This site was started by the creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee.  It is still one of the preeminent starting points for many searches
• Intute – While based in the United Kingdom, this resource offers the combined research collections of the major universities in Europe, including Oxford.  They also have some great (and free) tutorials on how to search the Internet like a pro!
• Complete Planet – My favorite, however, is this site.  It is the most up-to-date and organized directory of Deep Net resources.

Microsoft Paint is on every version of Windows.  It allows you to “draw” and “color” just about anything.  However, it isn’t that much better than a true box of crayons.  The Web, however, has taken the concept of drawing to new levels. For instance, take Flame Artworks Gallery. When you arrive, the swinging squiggly line doesn’t appear to do much until you hold down your left mouse button and start painting.  And then…Wow!
The guy who created this program, Peter Blaskovic, has also designed other fascinating art experiments.  Be sure to check out Magic Sparks, Fluid Painter, and more of his experiments.

I remember the day I started my company.  It was a mixture of excitement and fear.  No guaranteed paychecks. No one to blame but myself if it didn’t work out.  But the biggest challenge was making every cent count.  I learned to use a number of free and low-cost online business tools whenever I could.
For instance, I needed to create PDF (Acrobat) files, but didn’t have the money to buy the full version of Adobe Acrobat ($449). So, I did a little research and discovered a world of online utilities that met my needs:

• PDF Creator – This program does require a one-time installation, but I use it more than any other.  Basically, it sets itself up as a pseudo-printer.  Anything you can print, you can turn into a PDF.  I love it!
• InvoiceASAP – Sometimes I’m out on the road or at a hotel and need to create an invoice quickly.  Instead of trying to access my accounting system, I just go to this site.  I enter my company information, their information, the services they are buying and prices.  It will then create a PDF that looks very professional – and since it’s a PDF, I have a copy of it to be entered into my accounting system.  Great in a pinch!
• PDF Hammer – What if someone sends you a multi-page PDF document and you want to rearrange the pages or even delete a few?  This site will allow you to do that, including combining many smaller PDFs into one large one.
• PDF to Word – Changing a Word document into a PDF is easy (and free if you use PDF Creator).  But what if you need to go the other direction PDF to Word?  If you need to change the text of a PDF, this is the best way.  This site does the best it can to retain the original formatting, but keep in mind that task is difficult.
• AutoFill PDF Labels – Ever just needed some labels.  Perhaps you bought a box of Avery labels but didn’t know how to line them up in your word processor.  This site has a number of pre-made PDFs that allow you to print as many labels as you wish!