The Virtual Cave

The Virtual Cave

I tried potholing once and was terrified to be squeezing myself into sunken crevices of rock with no light, with plenty of green slime under my hands and knees.

I vowed I would never take another trip underground, but I have changed my mind, virtually of course.

At goodearthgraphics.com/vitcave you will be able to uncover the many dark and damp mysteries of the world of caves. Plus, you do not need to don a jumpsuit and headlamp in order to enjoy them.

Keen caver and photographer Dave Bunnell has amassed this vast collection of information and pictures from his 35-odd years of experience underground. The site is split into four key sections covering the different underworld realms.

When taking a virtual tour in pictures and words, you can find sights like the incredibly cool glacier caves in Alaska and Nepal show, and some hot and steaming action inside lava tubes.

COLOURlovers

COLOURlovers

Colours have a big influence on people. You might not realise it, but colours can affect your appetite, mood and energy levels. Advertisers, marketers and designers spend a lot of time and money devising new palettes to appeal.

COLOURlovers is an online resource where you can find inspiration and talk openly about your love of colours with like-minded people.

Whether you are designing your website, considering re-decorating your home, or are a professional in need of a little inspiration - there are literally hundreds of colour palettes and patterns for you to view and download.

The trends tab at the top of the site is interesting, as it picks up on current trends in magazine and website design, which could help you keep up to date and have your design work looking 100% in style.

And if you are the creative type you can even add your own colours and palettes to the database.

Will It Blend?

Will It Blend?

I have no idea what inspired the makers of Will It Blend? But one thing I do know for sure is that you should definitely not try this at home.

The basis of this website is will stuff blend? By that, we mean what will happen if you put something in a blender and hit the on button. We are not talking oranges and whipped cream here - we know they blend - but how about a Rubik's cube, a sports ball or even an iPhone?

Crazy but true, these guys have blended them all and I watched the videos with nail-biting suspense. I particularly like the glow sticks blend for a bit of in-the-dark drama.

There is actually a Try This at Home section too for safe blends, like making chicken soup and grinding your own coffee beans. It is a bizarre collection of videos that I find strangely appealing. Amazing what you can find on the internet.

Irrepressible.info

Irrepressible.info

At irrepressible.info you can find out about amnesty international's campaign to ensure that the world wide web remains a bastion of free speech and expression.

The website states that the internet is a new frontier in the struggle for human rights. It claims governments, with the help of some of the biggest IT companies in the world, are cracking down online freedom.

You can read all about their claims and see how to take action yourself on this clean and simple website.

It is up to you to make up your mind about what you read, and if you choose to sign up and pledge your support, you will be joining more than 80,000 others.

Reading Test

Reading Test

Have you heard about the theory that the brain can make sense of a passage of text with the letters all jumbled up? This works as long as the first and last letters are in place.

On this website you can read the classic bit of text that describes the theory. You have probably seen it as a viral, as I think this one did the rounds a year or so ago.

Well, now some clever spark has created an engine where you can test out the theory on any site you like. Just plug the URL in the box provided and see how it works.

Horsesmouth

http://www.horsesmouth.co.uk/

Starting a new job or college course can be a daunting experience, especially if you are moving into an entirely new field.

Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who has been there before, and that is the premise of horsesmouth.co.uk.

This social enterprise website is all about connecting people up to mentors who can guide them through the trials and tribulations they will face.

You can either become a mentor and pass on your pearls of wisdom, or you seek the support of an understanding person who knows what you are going through.

There are almost 5,000 mentors registered with the site covering subjects as wide-ranging as family and relationships to vocational training and choosing a career. But if you cannot find a mentor on your subject, the website invites you to send out a call for help.

You can scan the website's categories, or scroll through the available mentors to read their profiles. To contact a mentor you will need to register, which requires a mobile number for them to send a verification code to.

The service is only available in certain countries, but there is a good global coverage.

Great american novel

http://www.greatamericannovel.com/

One internet phenomenon I got into recently are Digital Epistolary Novels. These are stories told through a series of documents like e-mails, instant messages and other electronic communications.

On this website, you will be able to download and read Intimacies by Eric Brown, who is a former English professor and computer geek.

There is nothing to install. Just click the executable file to launch the book and you will be presented with a somewhat familiar-looking interface through which you access these fictitious communications.

It feels a bit voyeuristic reading someone else's e-mails in such a blatant way, but it is a really interesting way to unfold a story, despite the somewhat simple look of the interface.

The character development in this novel really works for me and I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

Talking Pets

www.talkingpets.org

Have you ever wished your pet could talk? Well my cat can, and I am sure yours can too.

Talkingpets.org houses a fun little widget that allows you to upload a picture of your treasured pet and make a fun talking postcard to send on to friends and family.

Just choose a picture, re-size and add an appropriate mouth. Then you can either type an original message or use one of the pre-loaded passages of text. The voice will change depending on which name you choose.

The voices are a bit scary to say the least, but it is a fun way to send a personal message. And you can even add your creation to your Facebook profile to amuse visitors with a funny message.

A MESSAGE FROM EARTH

http://www.amessagefromearth.com

Is there anybody out there? I mean of course life on other planets, in other galaxies, and solar systems far into the night sky. Many believe it is impossible for us to be the only sentient life forms in the vastness of the universe, and so the users of Bebo have sent out a message.

The users at amessagefromearth.com created messages, 500 were chosen and then beamed out into space on 9th October 2008. Their target destination was a planet 20.5 light years away, which has a sun not unlike our own. Scientists believe it could support life of a similar kind to Earth.

The messages will travel at the speed of light, passing the moon in just 1.7 seconds. They will leave our own solar system within seven hours, and finally reach their destination in the spring of 2029.

Once you have watched the movies to find out about this fascinating, interstellar project, point your browser at bebo.com/amessagefromearth. Here you can browse through the messages that were chosen, and track the progress of the transmission as it is beamed towards its destination. The big question is - will we get a reply?

Get Safe Online

http://www.getsafeonline.org/

There is always something new and interesting to do on the internet, but some people worry about safety, and quite rightly too. The world wide web gives those with malicious intent a territory without boundaries to work in. But it is incredibly easy to close the door on them if you follow a few basic safety rules.

Getsafeonline.org tackles this thorny issue in a really palatable style without mess, fuss, or drama. It gives you straight-forward advice and tips about keeping your PC out of the hands of thieves and fraudsters.

A good place to start is the top ten safety tips link on the front page of the website which takes you to a 10-minute guide for beginners. I really like that they have separated the guide into PC, MAC and Linux, as the three operating systems are quite different and deserve to be handled in different ways.

There is advice for home and business users here, plus a handy test to see how safety savvy you are. Look under the highlights section for topic-specific articles, such as online dating and social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo.

JibJab

http://sendables.jibjab.com/

I love sending e-cards, especially ones you can personalise with your own unique touches, and hopefully make your loved ones laugh when they receive them.

At sendables.jibjab.com you will find a huge amount of brilliant cards that you can put your own pictures into.

Want to star in your own action movie? Fancy a 70s-style groove across the dance floor? Or maybe you want to take a starring role in the hugely popular High School Musical? There are some cards using political satire as well, but these are easily avoided, if they are not your style.

There are plenty of choices marked as free if you do not want to pay.

Once you have found a card you want to send, just click to personalise and then upload a photo from your hard drive. You can re-size the image and re-set the crop points so that the faces are perfectly cut out. Finally, click and drag the face into place and you are ready to watch and send your card.

You will need to register before you can send the card. But when you return to the site on the same PC, the faces you have cut out previously will remain in place for you to use again, even if you did not register yet.