Things you didn't know you could do online

Close-up of a woman's eyes, suitable perhaps for measuring pupillary distance.

Go online if you’re wondering about your pupillary distance. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Sean Rogers/Flickr)

The Internet is a useful tool. Sometimes, it’s an unsavory or even dangerous tool, but nevertheless, the Internet remains multifaceted. Here are some things you didn’t know you could do online, things that are safe, sanitary and productive. You may even save some cash.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 1 – Find your ring size

Websites like FindMyRingSize.com make figuring out your ring size – or someone else’s – quite easy. Using a ring for comparison and a card the size of a driver’s license or credit card and the site shows you how to discern the size. If you don’t have a ring handy, there’s a virtual ruler.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 2 – Find pupillary distance

Buying glasses online is much easier if you already have a prescription. Unfortunately, pupillary distance is sometimes not listed on a prescription – that’s the distance between your pupils. Online eyewear retailer Warby Parker has a particularly useful tool for measurement, using a webcam, a card and a slip of paper for marking.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 3 – Find your plane seat

If finding a picture of your exact seat on an airline flight is important to you, sites like SeatGuru provide the seat maps. Pick the exact seat you want and buy it if it’s available. If there’s a problem with a particular seat, SeatGuru’s user community can flag it on the site, benefiting their fellow travelers.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 4 – Make 3-D crafts

Shapeways and i.Materialise are great places to indulge your 3-D craft jones. Draw up a design and print it, or import your own 3-D model and these web sites will help you print.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 5 – Finding a one-time assistant

While it isn’t for dirty deeds and it isn’t dirt cheap, finding someone for one-time jobs like gift shopping, pet sitting and more requires the right kind of search service. TaskRabbit is one of these, where a pre-screened personal assistant can be had for your legal job requirement.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 6 – Make a police sketch

If things go south with your one-time assistant, websites like Ultimate Flash Face make it easy for you to quickly create a police-style sketch of the assailant. This is not to suggest that TaskRabbit doesn’t protect its users – it goes the extra mile. Please don’t sue us.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 7 – Sample MIT Physics courses

Free of charge, the MIT Department of Physics supplies video lectures, notes, assignments and solutions via Open Courseware. Mechanics, astrophysics and more can be yours, without the degree to show for it.

Things you didn’t know you could do online No. 8 – Find your Congressperson’s voting record

Not sure whether you want to vote your local Congressperson’s carcass back into office? Websites like OpenCongress enables you to go straight into their voting record to see if they are in tune with your political leanings on the issues. How they vote on bills, issues and policies are all there. If you aren’t sure who your senator or representative is, you can enter your ZIP code into OpenCongress and it will tell you.