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Last Updated: Friday, 4 August 2006, 15:41 GMT 16:41 UK
Webscape
Kate Russell
By Kate Russell
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Kate Russell gives us her latest selection of the best sites on the World Wide Web.

Wood That Works website

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Every now and then you find something truly beautiful on the web, and my first recommendation today - Wood That Works - is exactly that.

This is the website of a guy who makes kinetic sculptures out of wood.

This means his creations move thanks to a spring driven mechanism, which is bit of a technical description for something that is so awe-inspiringly beautiful.

These sculptures are offered for sale, but you do not have to pay to enjoy their grace, as there are animations and videos of them in motion on the site.

In the History and Techniques sections you can learn more about the inspiration behind the pieces and how they are made. Then go to the Archive to review the works that he has completed so far.

Each sculpture has a page with an animation of the motion, and a still photo of the piece.

Click the video page link under each animation to see the actual sculpture in motion, but these files are quite big, so be prepared to wait for the download.


Angry Alien.com website

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

If you love the movies but never get time to go, you are going to love Angry Alien.com.

This site houses the Bunny Theatre library which is a collection of 30 second films where animated bunnies re-enact the entire plot of popular movies such as Jaws, Star Wars and The Shining. Just click on a thumbnail to load the movie of your choice.

It is worth noting that some of the cartoons, like the films, contain adult content or language, although nothing too outrageous.

But there are warnings on all those that do so you can easily avoid them if you are likely to be offended.

This is just supposed to be a bit of sit-back-and-watch fun.


Lastminute Auction website

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

If you are an online auction addict you will know that the trick to grabbing the super bargains is to snap them up at the last possible minute, and that is where Lastminute Auction can help you.

The site is suitable for searching eBay auctions in America, the UK, Germany, Italy and Australia, but can be used by anyone because you can still snap up bargain buys from abroad if you are willing to pay the postage.

Just click the flag in the top right hand corner for the country that interests you.

The site will then display a list of auctions that have up to one hour left and feature items that are currently on bids of under one dollar.

Obviously some of the items will not be worth more than a dollar, but many of them will be, and this is where the super bargains can be snapped up.

Clicking the item will launch you into the eBay site so you can place your bid - good luck!


Vertical Farm website

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

And finally, some food for thought.

As the population of the world continues to grow, and farming land becomes ever more precious, the author of Vertical Farm believes the answer might be to start farming upwards.

The site contains plans and diagrams describing a new and futuristic concept to provide enough food for the world by layering farming plots on top of each other, skyscraper fashion.

Read the summary on the opening page to learn more about why this might be necessary as population of the world continues to grow.

According to the site, by 2050 80% of the world's population will reside in urban centres, and the vertical farm concept aims to reclaim some of the space lost to buildings by stacking arable plots in a managed design to make the most of the natural resources that are available.

The designs, ideas and statistics to support the concept are accessible through the navigation panel on the left, together with a very readable essay which explains the whole concept further.

SEE ALSO
Kate's downloading advice
01 Jul 05 |  Click


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