To Drink, Java; for First Course, the Internet

So you’ve been reading this column every week for months now, and you still can’t make heads or tails of it. Http who?

Well, that’s about to change.

Internet cafes (they’re real, not virtual) all over the city are offering classes for newbies (that’s you) who are finally ready to dive in. Some classes are free, and others charge a small fee but will give you a free cup of coffee and an hour of free time to surf the Web when class is over.

At CyberJava in Venice, you can take an Internet workshop on Sunday mornings for $35. They also offer one-on-one sessions and a class on building your own Web page. The Tuesday night Internet seminars may be worth a peek; topics include telnet, FTP and actors and models on the Web. For more information, call (310) 581-1300.

Java Connection in Hermosa Beach has free computer fundamentals classes on Saturday mornings and free Internet basics courses on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The cafe can be reached at (310) 376-1144.

Long Beach’s Megabyte Coffee House offers a basic Internet class for $15, though classes are only about once a month. They also have Windows 95, Photoshop and Web design workshops. For more information, call (562) 986-6892.

At iBrowse Coffee in Alhambra, Net classes are on Saturday and Sunday mornings and cost $30 with advance registration. Call (818) 588-2233.

The World Cafe in Santa Monica has free Net classes on Wednesday nights in addition to Web seminars on the first Tuesday of every month. Call (310) 392-1661.

Cyberspace

* Tobacco companies reached a settlement on Friday in the massive lawsuits filed by the state attorneys general. Two Web sites with details on the settlement are https://www.smokescreen.org/login/vhome.cfmand https://www.tobacco-litigation.com/index.html-ssi

* The official site of the new Women’s National Basketball Assn. is at https://www.wnba.com. Hoops fans--men and women alike--can get league news, player profiles and game schedules.

* All sorts of information about immigration is at https://www.shusterman.com, the home page of Shusterman’s Immigration Update. Web surfers can get the newsletter by e-mail for free. Site highlights include information about applying for visas, an analysis of the 1996 immigration law and instructions on how to get a green card.

* Third Age is a new online senior magazine. At https://www.Third-Age.com, there are chats, forums and articles about seniors’ issues.

* Chicago buffs can check out the Chicago Historical Society athttps://www.chicagohs.org. The site has information about the group’s collections, articles and events. There’s also a history of the Windy City’s four neighborhoods.

* For information about prenatal care, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, go to Planned Parenthood online at https://www.ppfa.org/ppfa.

* Yahoo got you down? Not sure just how exciting Excite is? Alta what? Search Engine Watch has everything you ever wanted to know about Internet search engines (and probably more). There’s news, trivia, history and tips for your favorite search engines. Point your browser to https://www.searchenginewatch.com

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Site suggestions can be sent to [email protected]