Miles Mendoza's Website of the Day ... and more!

The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Website of the Day: Tuesday 28th June 2005

>> Pepys Diary.com
Today we salute the original blogger – Samuel Pepys, whose daily diary combined details of his own life with a personal view of a fascinating period of British history. This site republishes the text of Pepys’ original diary in the form of a contemporary weblog, with a new entry appearing every day. The site is currently at June 1662, which means the momentous events of the plague and the Great Fire of London are still a few years off but you can already read Pepys’ comments on the restoration of the monarchy. See also:
>> Samuel Pepys biography on Wikipedia

Glastonbury 2005

Website of the Day: Friday 24th June 2005

>> Official Glastonbury
>> Glastonbury on bbc.co.uk
As you'll have heard flooding this morning seriously disrupted the start of this years festival and even put some of the BBC on-site compound underwater. As a result all coverage (online, on TV and on radio), is subject to disruption, but assuming the power supply in Pilton holds out, the BBC site will rermain your definitive guide to the weekend’s events in Pilton. BBC 2, BBC 3, Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio 4, BBC Somerset and BBC Asian Network will all be covering different elements of this year’s festival. Twelve sets from acts including New Order, Baby Shambles and Basement Jaxx will be webcast live on the BBC site, plus there's a version of the site optimised for WAP. You’ll also find full line-up details and TV & Radio schedules for all the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage and plus information about this year's red button coverage offering the best ever choice of bands for digital TV viewers.
Also worth a look:
>> Glastoblog
Does what it says on the tin - really conveys the spirit of the event from a (damp) punter's point of view!
>> Glastonbury Weatherwatch
Highly entertaining but possibly a bit fruity for sensitive dispositions!  This isn't being updated on-site so is more of a useful bookmark for Glastonbury 2007!

Roald Dahl

Website of the Day: Wednesday 22nd March

>> Roald Dahl: Official site
We don’t feature many authors’ sites on Website of the Day, but with the new film version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opening next month, and BBC1 screening an Alan Yentob profile of Roald Dahl tonight, it seems a good time to say hats off to Roald Dahl.com. Like Dahl’s books, the (all-animated) site is illustrated by Quentin Blake. Characters including James (of Giant Peach fame), Willy Wonka and the BFG take it in turns to act as your tour-guide for the site. You navigate the site by clicking on the Great Glass elevator, which gives you access to features including Revolting Recipes, How to Gobblefunk, The Wonkaltor, Tips for Teachers and an elaborate section about Dahl’s life, influences, and writing technique.
Also mentioned:
>> Roald Dahl Museum
>> BBC Four: Roald Dahl interview and profile
>> Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Official film site

Wimbledon 2005

Website of the Day: Tuesday 21 June 2005

>> Official Wimbledon site
The world's biggest tennis grand-slam has always had an excellent online presence. This year there’s broadband video and audio coverage and webcams on all the main courts and scattered around the grouds. You can sign up for daily email updates or SMS Alerts and the real-time On Demand Scoreboard introduces Shot Tracker, featuring shot-by-shot animated coverage of every rally in key singles matches.

>> Wimbledon on BBC Sport
Hawkeye is the name of the technology that’s been used for the BBC TV coverage for the last couple of years to track whether a ball is in or out. This year Hawkeye features on the online BBC Sport Player letting you review animated video clips of key rallies with analysis of service angles and match strategies.
>> Hawkeye on BBC Sport
>> BBC Wimbledon Blog

The Dark Knight Returns

Website of the Day: Friday 17 June 2005

>> Batman Begins: Official Site
If you like your Batman camp and full of humour then you’ll be best off sticking to the 60’s TV show or to George Clooney’s 1997 version of the Caped Crusader. Christian Bale’s 2005 big screen Batman is dark, sinister and menacing, and the official site looks the part – at least it does if you’re on a broadband connection. If you’re on dial-up expect a very long wait for the site to load.

Meanwhile, if you missed Tim Smith talking to Batman Begins stars Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Katie Holmes on Tuesday’s programme you can use the Listen Again feature on the Radio 2 site to hear those interviews between now and Tuesday lunchtime.
>> Listen again to the stars of Batman Begins on Steve Wright in the Afternoon
(The interviews start approximately 2’25” into the programme)

In search of the perfect sandwich

Website of the Day: 15th June 2005

>> The Sandwich Guide
>> The Sandwich Project
A pair of sites paying homage to the great Earl’s foodie invention. The Sandwich Guide is a newish site which aims to review and rate pre-prepared sandwiches for sale on the UK high-street. The Sandwich Project is a bit more ambitious, as it sets out to suggest and debate contenders for the all-time greatest sandwich whether home-made or bought in a shop, cafe or restaurant. Visitors are encouraged to submit recipes and rate any of the 2378 (and counting) fillings already listed on the site. You can view recipes sorted by date submitted, user rating or search for recipes including your favourite ingredient.

Sudoku online

Website of the Day: Monday 13th June

>> Wikipedia: Sudoku for Beginners
Just back from holidays, and while my biggest holiday treat was reading a book, Mrs Website of the Day has been immersed in the so-called puzzle-sensation that's sweeping the nation. I've yet to complete my first Sudoku puzzle, but I can see why it's being called the 21st Century Rubik's Cube. Wikipedia's excellent page explains the rules and origins of the game and has copious links to sites where you can play or solve puzzkles. For those who are already hooked, the sole daily Sudoku in your newspaper won't satisfy your craving, so here are some quick links for more puzzles:
>> Web Sudoku: Play online
>> Daily Sudoku: Print puzzles to play offline
>> Sudoko.com: Download a version to play on your computer
>> Play on your mobile