Google announced on its official blog late Wednesday that Google Sites, its simplified Web site creation service, is now available to any registered Google user.

Google Sites for everyone: GeoCities 2.0? | The Social - CNET News.com

From PC World:

After the usual lengthy alpha phase–and more than a little hullaballoo over potential privacy concerns–Google Health has launched. While it remains to be seen whether entrusting your personal health records to Google is ultimately a good idea, the service does offer some value as a convenient online place to store and manage your health information.

PC World - The Inside Dope on the New Google Health Service

Google Inc. Web site — and much of the company's software — is loaded with gags, goofs and "Easter eggs" that have helped Google maintain a fun-loving spirit in the cutthroat world of Web competition.

Buried deep in Google

The Web site HealthyToys.org gives parents way to weed out toxic toys, by searching the HealthyToys database that provides a detailed breakdown of the substances found in over 1,200 toys they tested for lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and PVC plastic.

Weeding out toxic toys | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

If you've ever wanted to travel to Paris, but just never got around to it, you can now use the Google Earth software tool and watch a sunset filmed from the top floor of the Eiffel Tower, or view video clips of other popular spots in the City of Lights.

That's because videos from Google Inc.-owned YouTube are now embedded at geographical locations in Google Earth.

YouTube lands on Google Earth

You want to make free phone calls…this company is trying to make it work, with a catch.

Techdirt: Free, With Ads Phone Calls Trying Yet Again

A political Web site set to launch on Tuesday plans to become a kind of Wikipedia-like destination specializing in elections, governments, and political candidates.

Wikipedia for politics? A new site gives it a try | CNET News.com

From Lifehacker:

Ever wish there were a Netflix for Books? Well there is, and BookSwim is its name. You build a queue of books you want to read on their web site, they ship books from your queue, you keep the books for as long as you want, and you return books with pre-paid postage.

Books: Rent Books Netflix-Style with BookSwim - Lifehacker

More and more folks are discovering that the web contains a wealth of resources that you can use to research your ancestry.

As Web sites and genealogical societies proliferate and DNA testing becomes more widely available, the tools for tracing a family tree are becoming more accessible and the hunt is often intriguing. A bit of online detective work can yield a significant amount of information for little or nothing. But for extensive or difficult searches, the cost in money and time can mount.

Latest Genealogy Tools Create a Need to Know - New York Times

From TechCrunch:

BOOMj.com is a "lifestyle and social network" for Baby Boomers. According to BOOMj, Baby Boomers make up the Web's largest constituency, accounting for one-third of the 195.3 million Web users in the United States.BOOMj.com offers the usual variety of social networking features including blogs, video, friends, relationships etc, as well as travel deals, financial information, health and wellness and celebrity gossip. By their own description BOOMj.com is MySpace meets Amazon.com for the over 40's.

BOOMj.com: Social Networking For Baby Boomers