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Exploring information and gathering data can become monotonous tasks, especially for creative minds and visual learners. Interactive visualizations make the experience more enjoyable by making data more interesting. Stacy Reed shows us some hands-on sites that are serving up information in artistic and entertaining new ways.

This week, Stacy Reed talks

mashups

. Not the stuff of potatoes or old 70s sitcoms either, we're talking about ways to find news headlines, music recommendations or even your next apartment. These sites "mash up" data from two or more external sources, take the best of both and present it in an easy to use online format.

It's important to keep abreast of

world news and events

, and with sites like these, doing so has never been easier.

News aggregators

help filter out the noise so you can focus on the content that interests you the most. Stacy Reed shows us

five different ways to aggregate news headlines

from reliable sources all around the world.

It's that dreaded time of year again when the Taxman comes calling. Stacy Reed shows us that

filing your taxes online

doesn't have to be the difficult and laborious task of years past.

eFiling your taxes

with one of these certified online services is simple, and you'll usually get your return quickly, within 8 to 14 days.

Valentine's Day

is right around the corner. If you still haven't found that perfect something for your significant other, there's still plenty of time. Stacy Reed takes a stroll down Lover's Lane to find

online stores with fast delivery

so you can

buy last minute Valentine's Day presents online

. With romantic and practical gift ideas like these, your beau won't even know you forgot up until the last possible minute.

Whether you're looking for a way to

manage and synchronize your favorite bookmarks

across multiple browsers or computers or you're just looking for new recommendations based on your interests, a

social bookmarking

site might be the solution you're looking for. Stacy Reed shows us five popular tried-and-true favorites.

Twitter runs on

hashtags

. Those little # symbols are used to identify topics, to let the Twitterverse know what you're talking about and to drive the link between related tweets. Stacy Reed looks at

five sites that make interesting use of Twitter hashtags

and shows how to find and follow your favorite topics.

Your Twitter profile isn't really your Twitter profile until you

customize it with a background image

. Stacy Reed show us

where to find Twitter background images

with her picks for

top five free Twitter background sites

. Hit up the show notes for a link to a tutorial on

how to customize your Twitter profile

.

If you're in the

job hunting market

, Stacy Reed has the sites for you. This collection of the

top 10 job hunting sites

will get you off the computer and back into the office. With job boards, tips for job seekers, sites to connect and network and more, these sites are the ultimate resource for

finding a job online

.

It's that time of year again: Time to take stock of the year that has passed and look forward to the next. As we make our New Years resolutions, Stacy Reed suggests adding computer maintenance using these easy online tools to your list.