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Irish Picks: August 2000

Welcome to Irish Picks for August! If you know of a site we should cover, don't be shy.
Just contact our Editor, Sheila McDonald, and one of our reviewers will check it out.

If you're in the market for a new or used car but aren't sure what model to consider, you should stop by the new Toyota Ireland web site, if only to watch all the flashy bits scroll by. This stunning new site includes a database of new and pre-owned cars, plus 360-degree views of selected models and special login pages for Toyota dealers in Ireland. If you've got strong opinions on your Toyota, submit your review and score the car out of 10 on criteria like reliability, comfort, and dealer service. Strangely, the finance calculator doesn't give repayment terms over 12 or 24 months, but shoppers are told to consult their dealers, and a clickable Irish map is provided.
Irish college students have just found themselves the object of one of the smoothest web sites Ireland has seen in ages. Oxygen.ie is awash with news, reviews, and more than a little attitude. A clever addition is the complete online booking engine for long-haul travel, and students are invited to submit their own travel writing. In places the site's own writing is tedious - the music news features rather less info and rather more bitchy commentary than one would have liked. But overall, this site hits on the perfect content package for its hip, late-teens audience, from the funky tunes under "Perpetual Play" to its free web-based email program. If you liked to watch or be watched, check out No. 54, Oxygen's answer to Big Brother.
We didn't spot any infants here with telekinesis, but this Northern Ireland site for BabysRmagic.com is worth a look anyway if you're seeking gifts for new parents. Note the creative spelling here: if you spell babies correctly you'll be routed instead to a US site. Large baskets, including soft toys, baby clothing and bibs, are only for delivery in the Belfast area, although items can be packed in flat baskets for postal delivery. The selection of gifts is just gorgeous; pity about the payment mechanism, which is non-existent. There's no secure order form online, and shoppers must print and fax to close the deal.
As the Irish peace process limps along, thinkers like the poet Brian Dodds continue to offer some worthwhile thoughts on what's ahead and what's gone before, with many poems provided as text and as RealAudio files. There's some fine writing in this online collection, which includes verses about daily and family life as well as Northern Ireland observations. But many of his best pieces are those touching on the uneasy peace, like Bill Clinton's Future Rhymes for Little Belfast Girls: "Peace-porridge hot / Peace-porridge cold / Peace-porridge in the pot / Seventy-eight years old."
They're just bits of shiny metal, plastic and wood, but every trophy holds a special memory for the winner, and the folks at Cork Trophies know all about it. Shoppers can browse the cups, medals, plaques and trophies, and extras like ribbons and presentation boxes are also included. The site doesn't let shoppers complete transactions online, but it does provide a usable ordering form and adequate photos to let shoppers visualise the final product. Space is also provided to submit an engraving to commemorate what ever occasion is at hand, whether it's Salesperson of the Year or merely Best Yahoo! Column Submitted Before the Deadline This Month In Case You Didn't Notice.

Sites Featured in Irish Picks:

Toyota Ireland - the safe way to do a 360 in your car.
Oxygen.ie - for teens who are SO bored with everything else.
BabysRMagic.com - it's a boy/girl! Get him/her something blue/pink!
Brian Dodds - Irish poet speaks online.

Cork Trophies - their cups overfloweth.

Previous Irish Picks of the Month:

[ July 00 | June 00 | May 00 | April 00 ]