There aren’t many webcams running locally, thanks to the expensive and lousy bandwidth most users have. For a fascinating glimpse and links into the world of webcams online, as well as the growing increase of kids with webcams trading for goodies try this excellent article from Salon called Candy From Strangers
Let’s destroy a common household appliance; take a look a look at some scary pictures of what happens when boredom and an inventive mind meet a microwave oven. And we’re not responsible for any damage caused etc, etc, etc – at Funny Things To Do with Your Microwave. Or, if you happen to have access to fairly serious chemicals, why not try Making Ice Cream with Liquid Nitrogen
Another cat site – and for those of you whose felines always seem to hear when the tin of food is opened, why not mess with their minds and try out some of the sounds available at Sound Effects to Torture Your Cat
Games age rapidly in this modern age, classic games that looked amazing when you first saw them – now often look embarrassingly twee. Nonetheless, there are some amazing games, some as recent as 3 years old, that – whether legal or not – can be downloaded off the net for free. Go get nostalgic at the screenshots at A Visual History of Gaming
Going back even further in time, to when comics ruled the earth. For a large collection of comic book covers from the 1940’s and ’50’s – hole up someplace where your parents wont find you, and browse through Crime Doesn’t Pay!
Don’t whine to me about providing sites which may or may not help some pedo-traveller work out their global itinerary, and I’m not too sure why this site exists, but its a list of countries combined with their legal ‘age of consent’. Age of Consent
Occasionally in weaker moments I’ve considered the idea of a tattoo (either a barcode or the old traditional ‘666’ as favoured by ex-Goths everywhere) but then luckily I come to my senses, thanks to sites like Bad Tattoo’s!: . Other folks don’t seem to mind the ‘puncture-skin-and-put-ink-in’ idea though – go see which of your favourite celebs aren’t going to be able to be buried in an Orthodox Jewish cemetery at Celebrity tattoo’s
Education time. Current affairs junkies will have noted the recent arrest of members of the SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army) – a radical group most noted for kidnapping heiress Patty Hearst. For some background info on those heady anti-establishment days, try Patty Hearst. Or for some info on horror flicks, (as well as working out which ones our local censors prevented from getting showed here) – put on your hockey mask and stalk towards Horror Films Through The Ages
Now for all of you reading this quietly at work, who want to cause a LOT of embarrassment for a co worker. Be warned, this single page does have relatively fuzzy pictures of sexual activity – but more importantly – it has a LOUD Java voice which shouts repeatedly “Hey everybody! I’m looking at Gay Porn!”. Its not a porn site as such, its just another nasty trick URL. You have been warned. Send a co-worker or soon-to-be ex-friend, the following link – The Page
Believe it or not there are photograph sites online that don’t contain sex. Amazing, I know – but for a site that actually contains some really interesting and nicely shot photographs, combined with a lot of very useful discussion, grab your box-brownie and trudge to the great pictures at The Photo Critique Discussion Forum
Finally, given that most audio CD’s don’t seem to be able to last longer than a few years, despite our supposed advanced technology. Try a listen to the experimental recording from 1878 on this vintage sound site, with lots of odd and interesting recordings for download. Listen up at Tin Foil!
Until the next time, if hungry cats and fired office-workers don’t get me.
Ian Fraser is a playwright, author, comedian, conspiracy nut, old-time radio collector and self-confessed data-junkie. Winner of numerous Vita and Amstel Awards, he’s been an Internet addict and games-fanatic since around 1995, when the Internet began to make much more sense than theatre.