Websites

Bill Pannifer
Sunday 16 May 1999 23:02 BST
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Eurovision Song Contest Online

http://www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision

Cannes may be uninspiring this year, but for a reliable dose of glamour and culture, visit the International Convention Centre in Jerusalem on 29 May. This BBC Eurovision site serves up Real Audio of all 23 song entries in their entirety, along with interventions from Terry Wogan, flashbacks to historical moments such as Belgium's 1956 hit, "The Drowned Men of the River Seine", and the chance to win Abba box sets. UK hopefuls Precious are profiled ("When not in front of the camera, she enjoys riding her horse Carrot"), and a news section provides the latest on near-controversies such as Dana International's biblical-themed interval set. There are links to the large, if rather defensive, fan community, including the Eurovision Database (http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/ 1812/eschome.htm) with its "Are You a Eurovison Anorak?" competition.

Red Top: Photography Online

http://www.red-top.com

This showcase for the work of contemporary still photographers has been put together by a UK Web design firm but says it is "without commercial or editorial agendas". The exhibits have audio narration or sound effects, and there is an events diary. Early highlights include US freelancer Bob Gumpert's bleak monochromes of the Californian penal system, and Andrew Testa's account, with audio, of life in Kosovo immediately before the bombing. Less serious are Sophia Evans's portraits of vendors posing with their wares as advertised in the magazine Loot, whether modelling a wetsuit or a Robert Plant wig, "used once, drunken impulse buy, cost pounds 25, will accept pounds 15".

Gallery of Regrettable Food http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery

Food photography, Forties and Fifties style, is the object of appalled fascination at this display of monstrosities from postwar promotional cookbooks. House specials include lurid tomato and macaroni creations "resembling the interior of a small mammal's abdominal cavity". Meanwhile, Edward G Robinson goes freezer shopping and Eleanor Roosevelt hypes the humble hotdog as a snack of choice for her "picnic for the King and Queen of England". A Meat and Romance section shows a friendly butcher recommending pork jowl and other unusual cuts to a wide-eyed couple.

Evil House of Cheat

http://www.cheathouse.com

"Plagiarise, let no one else's work evade your eyes," advised Tom Lehrer, and this site is equally unabashed. One of dozens of essay databases for use by US high school and university students needing to bost their grades, this claims to have assisted more than two million anxious cribbers since 1995, and currently offers a choice of nearly 10,000 papers for a small annual fee. There's a page on how to cheat in exams ("the long-sleeved shirt method") and some glowing testimonials: "Since I joined Evil House of Cheat, my grade average has gone up from a D-minus to a B-plus!" Screening software such as that offered by Glatt Plagiarism Services (http://www. plagiarism.com) is now available to help tutors spot students' cut'n'paste techniques in essays.

Send interesting, quirky or, at a pinch, cool site recommendations to websites@ dircon.co.uk

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