Web sites

Adbusters http://www.adbusters.org

Advertising provokes surprisingly little criticism - especially those slick fashion campaigns where everyone is beautiful and the sun always shines. Adbusters are trying to change that. They call their tactics "subvertising" and they target the likes of Absolut Vodka, Calvin Klein and McDonald's. "We will uncool their billion-dollar images with uncommercials on TV, subvertising in magazines and anti-ads right next to theirs in the urban landscape," they warn. Campaign images have been doctored and you can download spoof TV ads. The irony is just how slick it is. If they are not careful, an advertising agency may offer the Adbusters a job.

General Election 97 http://www.ge97.com

If you don't know who your MP is, this offers a simple way to find out. Just punch in your post code and it tells you your constituency, the sitting MP, the size of his or her majority and the main challengers. The site also has daily campaign news and pages of background information - enough for the most conscientious of voters. Unfortunately, the site does not allow you to change your MP online. By some counts, GE97 is just one of more than 40 dedicated election web sites. Julian White of Keele University is trying to keep up with his giant UK Politics site (www.keele.ac.uk/depts/po/table/brit/brit.htm), which boasts over 1,000 political links.

The search for Sepu Kangri http://www.bonington.com

It's often said that the whole world has been explored. But Chris Bonington, Britain's best-known mountaineer, has discovered a spectacular mountain range in Tibet that has barely been mapped. He is now on his way there, leading an expedition to climb the highest peak, Sepu Kangri, at 6,950m (22,802ft). Bonington first saw the range several years ago. But he only got official permission to make a reconnaissance trip last year. There is an account of this trip on his site, with pictures. Once on the mountain, Bonington and his team plan to send digital images of their progress via satellite, for instant publication on the site.

Hair Today http://www.hairtoday.com

Not next year, not next week, not tomorrow; you can have hair today. This site address kind of shouts at you. You may laugh, but it is no joke. The Web's "leading hair loss and treatment resource" offers weekly live chat sessions with hair treatment experts and reports on the latest remedies. And if you are worried your lack of hair turns off women, there's good news. Hair Today's correspondent Martin Stone interviewed six women at random; five said "yes, bald or balding men attract" them!

CheckMate http://www.infotel.net/checkmate

If you are thinking of dating someone you met on the Internet, beware. "With Internet dating, high-speed travel and people moving every 3.5 years, we no longer know our neighbours," warns CheckMate, a new hi-tech snooping service. "It is possible to be one person today and a different person, with a different social security number, tomorrow." But CheckMate allows you "to verify a person's past before you make that emotional commitment." For a price. For $59 you can discover any aliases your intended love may have, address history, bankruptcies, litigation, property ownership and voter registration. What a wonderful world.