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Worldwide Picks: - USA - Aus/NZ - Canada - France - Germany - Spain - Italy - Norway - Sweden - Denmark - Brazil - Asia
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Worldwide Picks: - USA - Aus/NZ - Canada - France - Germany - Spain - Italy - Norway - Sweden - Denmark - Brazil - Asia
What makes a Yahoo! UK & Ireland Pick of the Week? Sometimes it's a site that makes us laugh, sometimes it's one that's being talked about, other times it's because they're quirky, useful or just plain interesting. If you have any suggestions for cool sites to be included in a future Picks of the Week, why not send us an email? If you only want to view the list of this week's picks, click here.
It's Autumn already, there's a chill in the air and the trees are losing their leaves as the horse chestnuts are scattered over the ground. As we approach the turn of the Millennium, Trees of Time & Place is encouraging everyone to collect seeds from their favourite trees, sow them and let them grow to "leave a lasting legacy for future generations". This Millennium initiative is supported by Esso, and on the site you can get information on the different kinds of trees you could plant, and if you pledge your support on line, your name will appear in one of the Trees of Time & Place capsules to be planted at the turn of the Millennium, as well as gaining a place on the Millennium Map on the site itself. What better way to make your mark as we exit the 20th Century?
Someone who has already made his mark on this century is notorious East End gangster Frankie Fraser - and who'd have thought - he has his own site now. The Mad Frank site begins with a plea for £200,000 to fund a movie, but once you're past that, you can then read all about the man dubbed "the most dangerous man in Britain" by two Home Secretaries. Having spent the best part of 40 years behind bars, here he is on the World Wide Web. "The war was wonderful, for thieving wise, gangster wise and everything," he writes. "I'll never forgive Hitler for surrendering, they were great days." Nice guy, eh? His experiences in prison and with other East End gangs is illustrated here, and now Frankie has his own CD-ROM, book and is a celebrity in his own right. Who says crime doesn't pay?
From criminology to Egyptology, and the Trustees of the British Museum has a new site to promote its famous collection of Egyptian relics. Ancient Egypt is a sweetly designed site, split into ten unique sections. In each, there's a chance to explore pictures, read stories and rather like a CD-ROM encyclopedia, clicking on highlighted words in the text brings up an explanation or definition. Within each section there's also a little game to play, but in one of them, the Picks Team chose the wrong spells and got eaten by crocodiles before things had even warmed up - it must've been tough being an Egyptian God. Primarily aimed at children, this is a very educational and well made site, which should keep both kids and adults amused for a while.
At the other end of the culture spectrum, the Vengaboys are at Number 1 singing about Ibiza, and it would seem that it's a non-stop 24 hour party on the Balaeric Islands. According to The Times Manumission "has become the largest weekly party in the world", as every Monday night, 8000 clubbers hit Ibiza's top night spot that mixes DJs, cabaret and performance as revellers dance the night away in a drug-infused stupor. The site itself contains audio clips from the Manumission album, a trailer of the forthcoming Manumission film and other bandwidth-squandering delights for your perusal. Call us old fashioned, but frankly the Picks Team would rather have a nice cup of tea.
Strange site of the week award has to go to The Chap Magazine, probably best described as a parody of a Gentleman's Periodical from days gone by. The online form of this print magazine contains many an erudite fop and has sections called Random Acts of Common Courtesy, Gentlemanly Ailments, and most intriguingly The Semiotics of Hair where you get to put various hairpieces on a photograph to see the effect. If you've ever seen a certain Mr Cholmondley-Warner on Harry Enfield's Television Programme, you should get a good idea of where the chaps at Chap are coming from.