|
|
What's New - US Picks - Yahoo! Aust./NZ Picks - Yahoo! Canada Picks - Yahoo! France Picks - Yahoo! Germany Picks
Irish Picks - Scottish Picks - Picks of the Week
|
|
|
What's New - US Picks - Yahoo! Aust./NZ Picks - Yahoo! Canada Picks - Yahoo! France Picks - Yahoo! Germany Picks
Irish Picks - Scottish Picks - Picks of the Week
We've had fun finding the sites that make Yahoo! UK & Ireland one of the best places to find UK or Irish sites, so we thought we'd share a few with you. If you have any suggestions, please send us a note about them. Also send any general thoughts or comments about Picks of the Week or even suggest sites you'd like us to consider for the next issue. Click here if you only want to view the list of sites.
Well, there is no escaping it. The final year of the millennium is well and truly upon us and, if Nostradamus is to be believed so is our doom. The gloomy prognosticator forecast that the final year of our century would see a mighty comet swat the earth with predictably apocalyptic results. And, quite frankly, if it would end the living hell that is the post-New Year collective hangover which currently pertains in Picks Central, we’d welcome it. Anyway, we thought we’d wile away some of the last few hours before the earth is reduced to interstellar dust by offering you a selection of particularly 1999-specific Picks.
One of the more exciting events of the year will occur on August 11, at about 10 am GMT, assuming that the aforementioned comet hasn’t completed is dastardly mission by then. For several minutes large portions of the UK, Europe and Asia will be plunged into darkness by a total eclipse of the sun. It will be the first time the UK has witnessed such an event since 1927 and, according to Eclipse 1999 -- a comprehensive guide to the solar ocurrence, the best UK vantage point will be Cornwall. Eclipse 1999 offers information on the path of the eclipse, guides on what will actually happen, eclipses which will take place in the next century, and information about where you can stay in Cornwall if you decide to go there. Oh, and if you think it’s not worth bothering about because eclipses are like buses and there will be another one along in a minute, be warned that the UK won’t witness another one until 2090.
Among those who will be unable to be in Cornwall on that date will be the intrepid crew aboard the Nantucket clipper Gabrielle which will be making it’s way between Oban in Scotland and Belfast in Northern Ireland on the sixth leg of Gab 99, a round Britain voyage to raise money for the Island Trust charity. The trust aims to give disabled and disadvantaged young people the chance to experience the joys of the open sea using a variety of crafts. The website offers full information about the adventure, and particularly how you can become involved.
On October 1, the Welsh and Argentinian Rugby teams will clash in the opening game of the 1999 Rugby World Cup. The final takes place six weeks later in the massively revamped Cardiff Arms Park stadium. You can follow all the action on Klitch’s Rugby Union World Cup Alternative Homepage. Amongst the features on offer is an overview of the competition, results of the qualifying matches, and the latest news on ticket availability. There is also information on the women’s world cup which took place for the first time in May last year and which was won (with a certain degree of inevitability) by the invincible All Blacks from New Zealand. There is also a fairly exhaustive selection of Rugby specific links, including one to the official Rugby Union World Cup page.
Though the Welsh are officially hosting the tournament, matches will take place at stadiums all over the British Isles, including Hampden Park in Glasgow. After a stint as European City of Culture earlier this decade, Glasgow will end the millennium as 1999 UK City of Design and Architecture, and has a spiffy new shockwaved website to prove it. A programme of special events has been compiled to showcase some of the unique features of the city, and details can be obtained by browsing the Programme of Events Database. Other sections offer information on the City’s burgeoning design community, it’s architectural excellence and it’s educational programmes. If you think Glasgow is a grey city peopled by dour Scots, 1999 may well be year in which you change your mind.
Finally, we couldn’t let a 1999 Picks selection pass without tugging at least one forelock in the direction of Gerry Anderson’s seminal 1970’s TV show Space 1999. The show will shortly share the fate of George Orwell’s novel 1984 and be consigned to the bin marked ‘incorrect forecasts about the future'. This is a shame since we were really looking forward to wearing one of those body-hugging catsuits favoured by the show’s leading players. If you have forgotten just how great this drama was check out the Space 1999 Cybrary, which contains the script of every episode for each of the two series. In addition there is information on publications about the show, and the massive array of collectibles. The exhibits section contains a wealth of information about the sets and props used in the show -- including screengrabs of the opening credits sequences, images of the uniform patches and much more ephemera. What is staggering about this site is the sheers amount of background information provided by fans -- a group at least as dedicated as the much more ubiquitous Trekkies. If you follow the show you will undoubtedly know about this site. If you don’t, it may well make you a convert.
So that’s the first column of the new year over and done with, and all without once mentioning that awful song by the Artist Formerly Known as Pillock. Only a week into the year and already we are sick to death of it. And for any regular readers who note that last week we liked Prince enough to pick a couple of sites dedicated to the miniscule majesty of music we can only say: "hey, that's showbiz!". See you next week...