Websites: Hunger Site charity appeal; World Book Day; Photographic site; 26 Pigs Comic Library; Complain, complain, complain; Otherkin; Zoran FX
Great links from the WWW
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Check out the latest Net offerings
FreeDonation.com The Hunger Site started something with its sponsored click-and-donate charity appeal. More recent versions offer a choice of worthy causes, and this one lists the likely consequences of your gift: a cup of food for the hungry, half-an-hour of shelter for the homeless, 25 square feet of rainforest saved, and so on. Other sites are now piggy-backing on this, so that a Daily Donation page (www.wiseup.org/donate) includes FreeDonation among the 86 different charities which can be hit simultaneously - the largesse goes exponential, and with someone else's money, too. If only giving was always so pain free.
World Book Day This Unesco event takes place on 1 March. Children get a special £1 book token and special books to buy with it. At the site, there are downloadable school and library packs, plus Suggs from Madness, the Naked Chef and the fully-clothed Nigella Lawson caught in the act of reading. Preceded by a Tesco-powered UK literacy drive, including Bedtime Reading Week (www.bedtimereadingweek.co.uk), being launched next Monday with free bedtime stories, a writing competition, and pyjama parties in participating bookshops.
www.londonstills.com A windmill in Brixton, the traffic-light trees of the Isle of Dogs and the summer snowballs of Charterhouse Square are among the less obvious photographic finds at this commercial picture library dedicated to images of London. Plus the more usual Guardsmen, double-deckers and the Dome, all expertly captured. Browse by map, theme or area, but the thumbnails are watermarked and borrowing a shot for your homepage could cost between £40 and £450.
26 Pigs Comic Library A gallery of British comics from the original Boys Own Paper (founded 1879) through Hurricane and Hotspur, Bunty, Jackie and Twinkle, to the swotty Look and Learn and late entrants such as Star Wars. Meticulous publishing arcana, a forthcoming auction page - a first-edition Beano recently went for £6,500 - and a commercial site with sales and trading pages, and separate sections for US product and manga.
haveabitch.com Complain, complain, complain, all these sites ever do is complain. As if www.complaindomain.com wasn't enough, they even take it on themselves to complain on your behalf. Then there's www. faircomment.com, a consumer rights forum for complaining about public services. And now this. "You can now log on, search for pressure groups and watchdogs in the area you want to bitch about and fire off your gripes." The top five "bitches" at present include Windows ME and "a certain software giant".
Otherkin.net Otherkin believe themselves to be spiritually and/or physically other-than-human, including faeries, pixies, manitous (manitoux?) leprechauns, nymphs, and especially elves. The variety makes for lively discussion and the FAQs explain the issues involved in this extreme, in some cases literal, form of alienation. "Hello, I am a gryphon," announces one hopeful, but the Otherkin anticipates the sniggers of the uninformed, suggesting that, "in return for your respect, you'll probably find a lot of respect for your skepticism".
Zoran FX: The Outer Limits Artist and web designer Zoran controls the horizontal and vertical at this Dutch site, which is, however, more than a plug for his contribution to the TV series (Nineties version). The Flash montage on the subject - with a bit of HAL9000 thrown in - is worth a look, but there is also a design section with its Ten Web Commandments, and others on screenwriting, photography and on fine art, with Zoran's own online restoration of Vermeer's The Lacemaker.
websites@dircon.co.uk
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments