Spinal Tapster
While a certain heavy metal band - yes, you know the one! - seems to have some kind of problem with MP3s, archetypal headbangers Spinal Tap, thankfully, do not, especially when they are looking for ways to promote the September re-release of their film This Is Spinal Tap. You can go to the new Tapster site and download the free MP3 of their comeback single, Back from the Dead. While there, why not download some more free MP3s of music "inspired by, ripped off from and dedicated to Spinal Tap". The press release notes: "This will be far more controversial than Napster, really," said Tap's Nigel Tufnel. Bassist Derek Smalls added: "We' re not unnecessarily concerned about intellectual property - this isn't about Harvard, Yale or Oxford."
Rude bits
If the appeal of saccharine electronic postcards with those horrible tinkly computerised music tracks has just about worn off by now, how about going for a mix of naughty bits and atoms instead? At www.moonpig.com you can use the web to send a proper paper card for £1.99 plus P&P, which they'll print out and sign for you. Of course there are clean cards there too, but we liked being able to choose from categories such as Beer and Beaujolais, Lavatorial, and Rumpy Pumpy. Extra bonus feature: a "naughty filter" lets you look at (or avoid) all the dirty-joke cards.
Top of the flops
Lost Musicals is a UK-based site that lovingly chronicles all those painful flops and failures that fleetingly graced the West End and Broadway stages. Moby Dick, the musical, is among them, but you can read the playbills for others or keep an eye on promising failures in the Flopwatch section of the site.
Pop charts
Factoid and pie graph fans will like the Population Reference Bureau, which has every imaginable type of statistic relating to population for 221 countries. The subsection on the European region brings up details on world refugee populations, women's lives, the high death rate among Russian men, and more.
Apocamon now
Many parents already consider Pokemon monsters to be a plague, so the existence of Apocalypse Monsters, or Apocamon, may come as no surprise. See them in full colour and read all about each one at Apocamon, the Final Judgement. A drop-down menu encyclopedia lets you "find out their powers, their missions, and which segments of humanity they intend to destroy". If you doubt the authenticity of Apokemon, note that the site's contents are copyright 80AD to St John the Divine.
Money talks
Political activism is alive and well on the web, even for billionaires. They are getting organised for the US presidential election at billionaires for Bush or Gore www.billionairesforbushorgore.com "because inequality is not growing fast enough". To further their ends, they offer a price/performance analysis of the presidential candidates, and invite visitors to participate in the ultimate posh protest, the Million Billionaire March. If you prefer to rebel at home, the site also offers a section full of useful chants and slogans. "Take to your cell phones, take to your faxes, Join the fight to end all taxes!"
Happy eaters
Finding vegetarian-friendly restaurants can be tough, but it is especially hard for travelling veggie lovers. Globetrotting vegetarians might want to check out the Happy Cow, which offers a listing of more than 1,600 vegetarian restaurants all around the world.
Boo hoo
Reports of the death of the net economy may be exaggerated. But there is a certain grim fascination in watching things go wrong, and sites are springing up to follow the death throes of assorted dot.coms. Best known is www.fuckedcompany.com, "the dot com deadpool", which relishes kicking 'em while they're down. More mainstream is Bubble Economy at www.bubbleeconomy.com ("prepare for the pop"), which tracks the business pundits as they voice their internet angst.
Jargon watch
WordSpy is a word-a-day site dedicated to recently coined words or words that are staging a comeback but used in new ways. It has a random word generator and an archive, or you can subscribe to a daily mailing list. The site also has a Tech WordSpy section.
New and noted
Follow Macmillan Cancer relief's two-week bike-ride across Mongolia from your armchair at www.everyoneswelcome.com; generate your own Corrs and U2 lyrics at www.p45.net; and search for services five minutes from any motorway junction at www.5minutesaway.co.uk.
Six of the best Napster replacements
Homebrew version
Scour daily downloads
Pay and play
Free MP3 a day
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Spinal Tap rules!
