This site is a front-runner: Glassbooth.org

Glassbooth.org is a nice parlor-game style Web site. Its stated mission is to help find the presidential candidate who most closely matches your preferences.

Now with Super Tuesday behind us, the list of viable candidates has shrunk to about five. So the site’s earlier appeal has shifted; it’s useful now for sorting through the respective positions of the front-runners. It might even be valuable for fence sitters not sure where to place their bets.

You go through a two-part process, getting 20 points to allot spanning 14 issues including the environment, health insurance and the war in Iraq.

Next, the site asks you detailed questions on specific topics, such as abortion rights, taxation on the rich and other buzz issues. You decide if you oppose, strongly oppose or strongly support a given statement related to the issues.

If you played it two months ago, try it again. The site managers have tweaked the quiz and refined the questions in the past six weeks.

Howcast

Howcast, which recently launched, declares itself the YouTube of how-to videos.

It already has a large collection of clips. Some are very interesting.

One search we Northwesterners would make, no doubt, is for a video on installing tire chains. Sorry, it’s not there yet. One video offers tips on how to drive in icy conditions.

Each how-to entry has a video plus a separate text guide that lays out, in clear order, the steps covered by the video. It even includes, when appropriate, a list of items needed to manage a task.

The site now has 25 categories of content, from health and spirituality to sex, technology and travel.

Some of the videos featured are user-generated. Others are created by Howcast videographers. Users can request videos on topics not yet covered, according to the site press release.

Open call

If readers see a site worth mentioning in Mixed Nuts, please let us know. Send suggestions to TXT@spokesman.com.