NETWATCH
The world is filling with computers at a rate unmatched by the proliferation of touch typists.
Which, along with poor office furniture, Ricoffy and fluorescent lighting, can add to the discomfort of work.
If you’re still a keyboard two-finger hunter and pecker, advance your interaction with computers and finally master the keyboard.
There are many free typing tutors available for download on the Internet.
If, however, you want it really easy, you can learn online at www.easytype.com.
Return of the Lucas: lovers of Star Wars films will be pleased to hear that Atom films (www.atomfilms.com) is to show George Lucas’s first ever short film on the Web.
It’s part of the site’s commitment to showcase student films, and the Lucas short, Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138, comes as part of an archive from the University of Southern California film school in the United States.
The site does require the very latest versions of both browser and RealPlayer plug-in for access to the top-notch stuff.
The short digital film Not Without a Fight documenting last November’s “battle for Seattle”, is a potent demonstration of how powerful the medium can be, however jerky the image, however tinny the sound.
Jumbo offer: Milky Elephant is the home of Norton Love Doctor, a wonderful download for Mac users, that lets you give your computer the love and care it really needs.
Go to www.milkyelephant. com if you love your Mac.
Early learning: aimed at kids, but loose enough to entertain anyone, www.willing-to- try.com is a simple but rewarding way for children to teach themselves about interactivity.
Koyaanisqatsi: Godfrey Reggio’s poetic documentaries are some of the most distinctive the medium has ever produced.
Now there’s a site devoted to them at www.koyaanisqatsi.com.
The Internet is littered with websites, e- mails and other digital paraphernalia promising easy money through an infinity of special offers, scams and schemes. Which of them actually work? www.money4 nothing.org/.
Even earlier learning: For a blow-by-blow, month-by-month guide to the joys and travails of pregnancy, visit 9pregnancy.com. From morning sickness, mail-order nappies and baby clothes to medical advice, you’ll find it all here.
ENDS