what's the best way to use an ic in a breadboard?

[marrstians]

i've soldered some leads onto an ic socket but it doesn't seem like the best way... any suggestions?

[Ge_Whiz]

IC breadboards split the horizontal tracks to allow you to 'bridge' the gap by plugging the IC straight into the board, making connections to the pins on either side. Make sure you have an IC BB, rather than one with continuous tracks.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

http://www.robotroom.com/Infrared555.html
Picture worth 1000 words.
Now if I could only work out how to put active links in..

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

http://www.play-hookey.com/
not sure if this has been mentioned before. If you are teaching yourself breadboarding & a bit of logic (& even a little analog!) worth a look.