COMPUTER CHINCHAT
From Vince Chin
Free Internet Access - Including the Phone Call!
This Month I've got some really exciting web sites for those sad people like myself with nothing better to do than browse the web!
On April 29th 1999 a ground-breaking service was introduced by
Tempo and LocalTel, this service will provide totally free Internet access to the mainstream population, yes that's right, I said totally free! And it includes the phone call! If you're already ‘on-the-net’, visit these sites to find out more, http://www.tempo.co.uk or you could try this one: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_331000/331646.stm and finally http://www.screaming.net
Apparently, because LocalTel are a BT Independent Service Provider, all you need to do is transfer your existing BT line to LocalTel, no roads being dug up, no cables, no change of phone number, all that changes is you get billed by LocalTel and not BT. They also state that their charges are guaranteed 10% cheaper than BT, including BT's Friends and Family service. Has Christmas come early? I'm going to switch one of my numbers over to this service and check-it-out. Watch this space….
Museums On-Line
The Government has stated that they want to bring our National Museums to the general public and what better technology to use than the Internet, so the 24 Hour Museum was born at
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk When I heard the radio advert for this new web site, it seemed to imply that you would be able to view some of our greatest paintings there. So I rushed along expecting to be thrilled by paintings of the cultural type rather than the usual type that are attributed to the Net, but it seems to be early days for the 24 hour museum although quite promising early days. Considering that most of our largest museums are already on the net, I presume the 24 hour museum will act as an index to these while also providing access for the smaller museums with smaller budgets.The content is typical of most web sites nowadays, so I won't go into too much detail but only point out the
The Trails section, I personally thought, was excellent and could follow Themes, or Specific Geographical locations. One trail named Prehistoric Britain describes the Celts and displays an image of a Celtic shield, shortly followed by a description and image of Stonehenge with a hyperlink to the British Museum, then Silbury Hill a probable burial ground standing 130 feet high. Finally, the immense hill fort of Maiden Castle to the south of Dorchester. A site well worth a visit!
Visit the World
Another touristy-type web site is
http://www.strolling.com This site offers a virtual tour of London, New York, Paris and Dublin and very good it is too. On your first visit you'll automatically download a component that enables you to view the panoramic images. I don't know why, but London's seem to be the best and most comprehensive. Shame they only go as far south as St George's Circus, there are some real characteristic areas in South London - especially my old haunting grounds in SE6! Seriously though, you can really get a 'feel' for London at this site. Views are provided of most of the tourist spots and you can pan left, right, up, down, and sometimes all the way around (isn't there a song here?). I was impressed with the London views but not so with Paris and New York. The World Trade Centre in New York was an exception though.If you go to http://www.strolling.com/wtc.htm you could view an excellent panoramic view of New York, including zooming-in using the ‘Ctrl’ key and zooming-out by using the ‘Shift’ key. Another site well worth a visit.
Well, I'm over my word limit, so the other sites will have to wait till next month. C Ya…
HAUNTED LONDON
Call Sign is continuing to provide you with details for the scariest London tour of all - haunted buildings! Every issue, we bring you some additions to your catalogue of frighteners. Here are another five true hauntings to scare your passenger into giving you the biggest tip ever!
Cock Lane, Giltspur Street, EC1
A Miss Fanny, who died of either arsenic poisoning or possibly smallpox,
became such a famous ghost that Horace Walpole and the Duke of York
visited her Cock Lane house in 1762 to listen to the scratching noises
made by the apparently uncomfortable lady:
"This was not an apparition, but
an audition!", wrote Walpole later.
Amen Court, EC4
The ‘thing’ that supposedly has been seen creeping along the top of
the wall around Dead Man’s Walk, where
Greyfriars Churchyard, Newgate Street, EC1
Queen Isabella (who murdered her husband) and Lady Alice Hungerford (who
poisoned hers), are both said to frequently show up here. They were once
observed at the same time, having a terrific row. A meeker lady ghost here
is Elizabeth Barton, sometimes known as the Holy Maid of Kent, who was
executed for speaking treason while in a trance in 1534.
St Bartholomew The Great, Smithfield, EC1
Rahere, the monk who founded St Bartholomew’s Hospital, has been
identified as the benevolent figure frequently sighted here. He has also
been spotted amiably roaming some of the nearby courts and alleys - Cloth
Fair in particular. Less agreeable, perhaps unfortunately for such a
pleasant monk, is the stench of charred flesh to be sniffed in those
parts, stinking across the centuries from the stake where heretics were
burned. Just the place for a new eatery…!
