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

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

>> Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Official Site
Definitely one of the better film sites of recent months (not least because ther's a version optimised for people on dial-up connections, so you don't have to have broadband to enjoy it). There are mini-sites for each of the children who tour the Wonka Factory, plus a set 5 great addictive games including Chocolate Rapids, in which you help to steer Willy Wonka’s boat throught the churning rapids of the chocolate river and Oompa Lumpa Round Up in which Veruca Salt has to round up her very own pet Oompa Lumpa!

Cambridge Folk Festival

>> Cambridge Folk Festival on Radio 2
Radio 2 is live from Cambridge this weekend, with interviews, acoustic sessions and live music highlights. You'll find full line-up details, a schedule of Radio 2's festival coverage and Mark Radcliffe's pick of the acts playing this year's event

The best TV adverts ever?

Website of the Day: 28th July 2005

>> Visit 4 Info: Video showcase of the best TV and Cinema Adverts
What’s your favourite TV or cinema advert of recent years? The chances are you’ll find the video featured on this site which showcases some of the funniest or most creative adverts. It seems to be aimed primarily at the advertising industry but is still a really entertaining bookmark for home users. You can search for a specific ad by product name or type, by date or by key word. Alternatively you can just enjoy watching some of the featured ads from lists like Top 10 Cool Ads, Sexy Ads or Funny ads.
Miles' favourites:
>> Hi ... I'm Ray Gardener ...
>> Me Ears Are Alight

Vote on Baby Names

>> Not Junior
This is another attempt to apply the Pop Idol or Big Brother model to naming your unborn baby. Expectant parents can create a shortlist of names and then launch a public online vote to canvas opinion on the shortlist. See also:
>> Baby Name Wizard
>> Name Our Baby
>> The Institute for Naming Children Humanely

Help find a cure for cancer

Website of the Day 25th July 2005

>> Oxford University Screensaver Lifesaver Project
This isn’t new, but like The Hunger Site it’s a brilliant use of the web to make the world a better place, so always warrants a repeat plug!
Oxford’s Screensaver Lifesaver Project is one of the highest-profile examples of "grid computing", in which people volunteer their computers' spare processing power to help the fight against disease. To take part in the project, just download an "intelligent screensaver" which kicks in when your machine is idle.

Interactive recipes for befuddled cooks

Website of the Day: Friday 22nd July 2005

>> The Evening Inn - Interactive Cookery
Now this is good - a food and cookery site which works even for those who are renowned for culinary muppetry! This excellent interactive cookbook calculates ingredient quantities for how many servings you need and adds a time scheduler which tells you exactly when to add each ingredient in order to get your meal on the table in time.

Happy Birthday Friends Reunited / Amazon Search Inside

Website of the Day: 20th July 2005

Happy 5th Birthday to Friends Reunited today:
>> Friends Reunited
>> Genes Reunited
>> Friends Reunited Connections

and welcome to Amazon UK's "Search Inside" facility which lets you search the text of over 125 thousand books for key words or phrases, making the site as much an invaluable research tool as it is an uber-retailer.
>> Amazon UK Search Inside

Statistical factoids in real time

Website of the Day: Tuesday 19th July

>> Worldometers
Worldometers is a list of statistics that update before your eyes in real time – split into categories like population. Government and economics, education, environment and food. Figures include the total numbers of births so far this year, the total newspapers circulated this year and the total numbers of calories consumed around the globe so far this year. The effect is hypnotic and (when reading some of the figures relating to death and disease) surprisingly humbling.

Life Starts At...

Website of the Day: Monday 18th July

>> Lifestartsat.com
Billing itself as the online home for the wiser generation, this magazine site says it’s aimed primarily at over 50’s looking for "innovation, information, interaction and friendship on line". Free registration gets you exclusive competitions, access to message boards and entry into a daily quiz and a range of discounts and offers.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Website of the Day: 15th July 2005

The publication of a new Harry Potter book has become an unparalleled phenomenon in contemporary fiction – No other writer prompts so many bookshops to put on special events at midnight to mark the publication of a new novel. There’s a full list of in-shop events at Bloomsbury Press’ Harry Potter site.

If you’ve never read a Harry Potter book, there’s a very useful summary of key plot points in the first 5 books available at BBC News who have also charged reporter Darren waters with posting a chapter-by-chapter review blog on which you can post your own reviews and comments.

If you’ve never visited JK Rowling’s official site, it’s highly recommended (Read Miles review here). On Sunday Rowling will be giving interviews to two of the most popular fan sites: Mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron so check those sites next week for their special coverage.

Finally online book marketplace Abebooks.co.uk has tracked down and profiled a number of ordinary people actually called Harry Potter. You can vote for your favourite real Harry Potter at the Abebooks site.
AT A GLANCE LINKS
>> Harry Potter on Bloomsbury Press
>> BBC News: Harry Potter for Beginners
>> BBC News Review Blog
>> JK Rowling official site
>> Mugglenet
>> The Leaky Cauldron
>> Abe Books: Vote for your favourite real Harry Potter