Illustration: Doug Ross

So you think you have the Web all figured out? Well, think again.

Did you know that you could charter a private jet online, star in your own reality TV show, or download songs as you drive your car? That's just the beginning. You can tell your boss a few unpleasant truths without revealing your identity and sniff out trends before your oh-so-hip friends get wind of them. Using the right sites, you can give Google a face-lift, promote your products or bloviate about your blog, publish a novel, write a business plan, scan your PC for spies, and get free tech help. You can even use the Web to uncover government secrets and to predict your own demise. (Those last two activities will be unrelated, we hope.) Best of all, most of these sites won't charge you a dime.

Here are some of the more surprising things the Web can do for you.