Now we all know that arts professionals never have time to surf the web just for fun, but there are some sites that, should you have a spare hour in the middle of the night to surf, you might like to have a look at.
These range from the pedantic to the fascinating but all worth a visit. If you want to find more of these unusual sites for yourself then go to one of the best search engines on the web. Google has no ads, is very fast and by far one of the best and most accurate search engines around.
Should you be awake in the middle of the night and fancy some ghost watching, there is a webcam set up in the most haunted house in Britain. If you manage to see one, you can capture the image and send it to the BBC for your 15 minutes of fame.
Now if you thought Sarah Brightman sang 'I lost my heart to a draught excluder' or that the Beatles sang 'She was a Gay Stripper' then this is for you: a catalogue of misheard lyrics contributed from all over the world - the Chinese contributions are amongst the funniest.
A new use for your idle PC time is 'shared computation'. You download a screensaver programme which grabs some data whenever you are online. Whenever your screensaver is used, the programme analyses the data for the greater good. For example SETI (The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, scanning radar data) and THINK (which analyses proteins in order to find a cure for cancer) are two of the best. Far better than watching the usual screensavers that come pre-loaded with your operating system. setiathome.berkeley.edu & members.ud.com/vypc.
Finally, if you want a good laugh at some 'sick' cartoons that none of us will admit to viewing in public, then visit www.joecartoon.com which is one of the best flash cartoon sites on the net. If you have a standard modem the wait is worth it - especially for the 'Kat Fight' cartoon (see below).
Now - back to writing that marketing strategy?
Stephan Stockton is an independent IT analyst/project manager and marketing consultant working exclusively in the arts. t: 029 20 667989 e: ste@easynet.co.uk.