Return of the cyberzombies

Andrew North ventures forth and finds, among steam trains and anagrams, a fright site with living proof of interest in the undead

sites

Zombies' Site: Cyberspace can be a pretty mysterious place at times. So it seems only appropriate that there is now a Voodoo Server on the Web (http://www.nando.net/pro/caribe/ voodoo.html). The server explains black magic, zombies, all the other practices and beliefs associated with the voodoo religion and traces its origins to Africa. However, if you are hoping for an on-line voodoo doll to stick pins into, you will be disappointed.

The site also has links to a number of exhibitions on voodoo art and practice, as well as a collection of African culture . This is a bit misleading, because almost all of the are in the US. Africa remains the least "wired" region in the world, with very few Internet connections.

Highland Trainspotters' site: No, not the film. This is for real trainspotters, although the Friends of the West Highland Lines would probably not appreciate that label. They have set up this Web site (http://www. strath.ac.uk/Students/Highland/FOWHL/) to promote what they believe is Britain's most scenic railway network. Linking towns such as Fort William, Mallaig and Crianlarich, it passes some of Scotland's highest peaks.

With cutbacks and privatisation, parts of the network have come under threat. But judging from the enthusiasm with which this site has been put together, anyone trying to close one of these routes will have a fight on their hands. As well as a history of the network, they have put up a timetable, an on-line route map and a picture gallery.

Art Site: You might have thought world-famous museums such as the Victoria and Albert would have been on the Web for ages. In fact, the official site (http://www.vam. ac.uk/) has only been up and running since the beginning of May and they seem almost apologetic about it. "We feel everyone has been there for years, so we are not making a lot of noise about it," said a spokeswoman.

But they should not be so shy, because it is a useful service. It is easy to get around, with none of the usual surfeit of links and adverts for things you don't need.

It's all just hard information on the myriad exhibitions in the museum's 145 galleries, exploiting the Web's interactive attributes to best affect. The site also has links to the V&A's branch museums, including the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood and the Theatre Museum. One big gripe, though - why no pictures from the exhibitions?

Theatre Site: UK Theatre Web (http://www.uktw.co.uk/) claims to be the only national "what's on" guide to professional and amateur drama in Britain.

They don't have every theatre in their database, but for towns I'm familiar with, the list looked pretty comprehensive. When you do a search, it gives you a list of venues in each town and details on what is showing and when. Where available, there are links to the individual theatre's own Web site, allowing you to get more information. However, in some cases, there was not even a phone number for the theatre, nor a proper address, which is probably not much good if you are in a rush. But this service is still in its early stages, so things should improve.

Anagrams Site: William Jefferson Clinton = Jail Mrs Clinton: Felon wife. This gem comes from the Hall of Fame in the Internet Anagram Server, or I, Rearrangement Servant (http://www.wordsmith.org/awadcgibin/anagram). Has Presidential hopeful Bob Dole caught on to it, I wonder? Or will Bill's Secret Service get there first and close down whoever is behind this odd little site?

Playing around with anagrams has long been a refuge for the bored office worker. Now, if you have a Web link at work, you can do it on computer and look as though you are working. While you are on the site, you can type in a phrase, or perhaps the name of your boss, and it will give you a long list of anagrams. Among them, of course, is a lot of dross, because the computer works out every possible letter combination.

Clubbers' Site: Ravers, boppers, twisters, diehard clubbers, etc, etc. If you are looking for somewhere new, give the UK Clubs map a go on (http://137.222.84.160/uk-clubs/clubmap.htm). Despite the uncool site address (are they hiding something with those numbers?), it offers a wide selection of night clubs and dance venues across the UK.

Just click on a town on the map of Britain and up comes a list of places in each location. Where possible, they have used a local contact to provide the lowdown on each place. However, there are still quite a few venues without any details at all, which is not exactly an incentive to visit.

virgin on

the net

will be back online next week