Anthrax?
The riddle of who posted the seven letters laced with anthrax to US government and media offices last year remains unsolved. Ed Lake, a 65-year-old retired computer specialist, believes there is so much confusion about the case that he has begun his own unofficial investigation and posted the results online. Lake has worked on the case for eight hours a day, compiling information from other sites.

The result is a site of obsessive details, much of it well referenced scientific data, coupled with some sound thinking. Far from dismissing him as a crank, the FBI has thanked him for his efforts. Among Lake's conclusions are that the anthrax attack could not be the work of al-Quaeda - more likely the letters came from the US right. He also thinks that the handwriting on the notes is that of a child.
www.anthraxinvestigation.com
www.computerbytesman.com/anthrax

Mars ahoy
You have just eight days to make your mark on Mars. November 15 is the last chance to add your name to a list that will be recorded on a DVD and carried on board the Mars Exploration Rover, which blasts off into space next June. All the names collected - and there are already 3m - get a printout of their own certificate, and it is free. Nasa's Space Kids site has the details and news of a mission to send two mobile rovers to the red planet. Nasa has provided a site for grown ups, too. http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/2003
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/future/2003.html

Palin's way
Travels of a more earthly nature are celebrated in the launch of Michael Palin's website. The former Python has a new television series and book to promote, but rather than the standard online plug, Palin offers an incredibly rich site in terms of content. Not only are the whole texts of his first three books online, there's also a massive picture library and some impressive interactive maps. As Palin puts it: "You can wallow, crawl, body-surf or gently breast-stroke through an enormous amount of information on what there is to see in the wonderful world out there." The site links to the BBC shop where you can buy his books and videos, but unlike similar celebrity sites, Palin's Travels carries no ads "no[r] spam on toast, just the Palin product, taken apart and put together again, for you to use however you want". www.palinstravels.co.uk
www.pythonline.com
www.bbcshop.com

3D music
English composer Sam Hayden has just written 3D Music, a new piece for the London Sinfonietta, which can only be experienced online. Visitors to the site are invited to explore a virtual world that allows interaction with a musical landscape through their browser. It is an attractive and addictive piece of contemporary music that features four different rooms. The only trouble is that for it to flow like a symphony, you will need a fast computer with a broadband connection. www.ntlworld.com/3dmusic www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk

Twin peak
At first glance, the Two Towers Protest reads like a satire. A website calling for the makers of the second Lord of the Rings film, which is being released this Christmas, to change its name as a mark of respect to the victims of 9/11. Really? But the site's organisers appear guilty of a little more than bathos as much of the site reads like self-parody. The site describes the actions of the film's director, Peter Jackson, as "hate speech" and intentionally naming the film "in order to capitalize on the tragedy of September 11". Of course, JRR Tolkien originally published The Two Towers in 1954. The offending buildings belong to two very evil wizards. It would be sad if it weren't so silly. www.twotowersprotest.org

Virtual nature
British artist Andy Goldsworthy is famous for using everything from icicles to irises to build the sculptures he photographs before the seasons take their toll. Since the end of October, Goldsworthy has been photographing his latestcreations near his home in Scotland, and emailing the images to the Haines Gallery in San Francisco, where they are being printed and displayed on the wall. The project will run until November 30, and new works - like the beautifully named Red river rocks, ground to a powder, slowly released - are being displayed on the gallery's website. Goldsworthy is no stranger to the net - a number of his earlier works can only be visited online. www.hainesgallery.com/AG.work.html
www.eyestorm.com/events/goldsworthy
www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues97/feb97/golds.html

New & noted
· Left and right unite against the war on Iraq: http://nowarblog.org
· Download bootleg remixes: http://4trak.net/dsico
· Build a face from mug shots: www.ericmyer.com/stereotypes.htm
· The last word on racial politics: www.blackpeopleloveus.com
· Atari Adventure as Flash game: www.scottpehnke.com/programming/flash.htm#

Six of the best Libraries

The British Library
www.bl.uk
Ask a librarian
www.libraryspot.com
Library links
www.libraries-online.com
The Wellcome Trust
http://library.wellcome.ac.uk
Picture library
www.mepl.co.uk
For art's sake
www.nal.vam.ac.uk