Websites: seafoodirect, lighthouseart and others

10 Best sites of the week

By Robert Moss netgains@independent.co.uk

www.seafoodirect.co.uk

Fish is becoming increasingly popular in our diet these days, as one meat scare follows another. Despite this, fishmongers no longer have the presence on our high streets they used to. Not only does this site make fish used by the top restaurateurs available to the home chef, but it also offers a whole range of recipes, tips and hints for those of us who don't know how to prepare it. These are provided by celebrity chef, Aldo Zilli, who urges us to be more adventurous.

www.lighthouseart.co.uk

Lighthouses, perhaps because of their perilous position between the land and sea, are often seen as dramatic and romantic. These emotions are reflected in the work of Barry Hawkins, a former ligthhouse keeper who produces lighthouse themes drawn in watercolour, pen-and-ink and pencil. He undertakes commissions and this site has some excellent examples of his work, plus links to other sites containing his paintings.

www.sound-effects-library.com

If you're a no-budget film-maker, a web-designer, music maker or just enjoy fiddling around with your computer's alert sounds, this site may be of interest. It contains a huge directory of sounds and animations – some are free and some you have to pay for, although this is easy enough to do online. Using the searchable database you can listen, in real-time, to more than 180,000 sound files delivered in 16-bit CD quality Aiff or Wav file formats.

www.urdumped.co.uk/

There's a fine line between justice and revenge, but let's forget about all that and revel in the fallout between estranged friends and lovers. On this site you can see revenge pictures, read stories and discover how people get even when they have been dumped or cheated on. Some of the images are truly cringeworthy and might have you uneasily racking your brains in case any of your exes are wounded enough to spring a surprise.

www.beyondbricks.com,

This is the DTI's definitive portal for the internet entrepreneur. In other words, if you are thinking of setting up a digital business, this site should be your first port of call. It's a free online source of news, information, services and advice, giving e-entrepreneurs and internet start-ups access to information on issues ranging from fundraising, accounting and company law to design, marketing and PR. The site also features an innovative "Community Engine" to encourage info swapping.

www.q2central.com

The average shelf life of a computer game is between four and six weeks. Id Software's Quake series, however, has been running for years and their classic Quake 2 has spawned a number of online communities. This site, while based around the online game version, is also a hub, forum and resource for a broad user demographic for news, views, reviews, providing web design, technical help and social interaction far removed from its original gaming foundation.

www.val-u-computers.co.uk/

If you want a cheap computer or a second-hand laptop to accompany you on your travels, this specialist in used and refurbished notebooks, laptops and new and used PCs could be worth a visit. Stock levels fluctuate, so it's worth checking the site regularly, but you can pick up a used laptop from £150 and a used mini-tower P333MX with 64MB RAM, a 3.2GB hard drive, modem and CD-ROM drive for £175, plus carriage.

www.safety-zone.co.uk/

Safety Zone online are suppliers of a variety of home safety and security products. The site is divided into four easy-to-navigate zones that cover personal protection, home safety, child safety and home and business security. Items range from personal defence sprays to smoke alarms, complete house alarm systems and CCTV systems.

www.darwinawards.com/

The Darwin Awards are given each year to those people who have successfully made themselves extinct, or evolved to a point where their existence is in danger. So far you may have managed to avoid electrocuting yourself, tying a jet rocket to your car and slamming into a mountain or stealing a jet ski and riding it – at night – into a dock. Other people have not been so lucky. Read and enjoy.

www.SFcrowsnest.com/

Science fiction doesn't have a very good image at the moment, probably because it's so readily associated with images of Star Trek fans at conventions, wearing stick-on ears and talking Klingon. However, this website offers a more balanced view covering books, film and TV sci-fi with a range of news features, reviews and articles.

netgains@independent.co.uk