What visitors think of our food

Summer beckons and the idea of driving off and testing road food has a certain appeal, even if gas prices are topping $3 a gallon.

Roadfood.com is a bit too slick and polished in appearance to really work as a Web encyclopedia for the nation’s best road food. But the idea is valid: a civilized society needs a site to find tips and suggestions for the finest road dives and fast-food hangouts.

And you’ve got to like a site that reveals a number of out-of-towners discovering Hudson’s Hamburgers, in Coeur d’Alene, and raving about the food.

The forum devoted entirely to “where to eat” is great for locating decent eateries. Plunk in a city name in the search window and pore over the results. Try searching “Spokane” for that list and you may be amazed at what’s there, and what’s not.

There ought to be a separate forum, in my view, called “Pepto Bismol.” It would list places where you’ve had a road meal and wished you hadn’t. Still, this is a handy site for anyone driving somewhere and wondering where to grab some chow.

Radiation calculator

Wondering how much radioactivity you encounter in a year?

Try out: http://www.epa.gov/ radiation/students/ calculate.html, an education site for learning roughly how much exposure you have.

We’re not sure if the Environmental Protection Agency, which organized this site, factors in one’s proximity to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

It does try to take into account the other daily sources of radiation, such as X-rays, TVs and proximity to smoke detectors in one’s home.

It’s very straightforward. You fill out a basic questionnaire and the answers calculate your radiation dose. If you work near X-ray machines or are around the TSA airport luggage screeners, your results will be vastly higher.