Open Sorcery
Open Sorcery is dedicated to the intersection of computer games and art. Although much of the material is available elsewhere on the web, what it has collated is something called a game patch: a hacked piece of code that subverts a commercially available computer game. A patch allows a game such as Quake or Tomb Raider to be manipulated, changing the characters or setting and altering the experience of the game.
Most patches are trivial, the most famous being Nude Raider - alas, no longer available for legal reasons. But Open Sorcery has links to more subversive patches that radically alter games to promote an agenda of their own, most notably feminism.
Net worth
Britart is a new online gallery selling contemporary art on the web. It offers works by up and coming artists for around £3,000. It has a clean interface and a front page that looks like one of Damien Hirst's spot paintings. The work on sale is of consistent quality and well displayed. It should give rivals LondonArt.co.uk and Eyestorm.com a run for their Monet.
Poptastic
Alan McGee, the former boss of Creation Records, has launched Poptones, an online record label. The site looks a little bare at the moment, plastered as it is with Coming Soon signs. But there is a RealAudio channel, information on the four bands he has signed, and a request for unsigned demo tapes. When McGee left Creation last year, he claimed that the traditional way of marketing music was dead. It should soon become apparent how he intends to replace it.
Also worth a look is www.channelfly.com, an online music promoter's site. It is packed with material about the gigs they promote, supported by webcasts and free MP3s.
Spread the word
The London literature festival The Word is now online, just in time for its start next week. The festival will be opened by science fiction writer J G Ballard, and includes readings from Margaret Atwood, Arthur Miller and Hanif Kureishi, as well as the Guardian's Gary Younge. There is even an opportunity to tell Bob Geldof your favourite word and why. Email: geldof@theword.org.uk.
Virtual boozers
Even though the bigger backpacking bars now offer internet access, websites and pubs do not seem to be ideal drinking partners. However, a nationwide directory of pubs has just been launched at www.pubs247.com. The site relies on its punters to fill in reviews and build up a nationwide community of online pub-goers. Meanwhile, a new Wap-enabled pub and cocktail guide is available at wap2bar.com.
Foil the filters
The New Jersey-based Digital Freedom Network (DFN) has launched an online competition to expose the flaws in net filtering software. The contest encourages surfers to take to test sites, chat communities, and bulletin boards to uncover the most ridiculous examples of "censorware failure". For example, one user has already reported that they were kicked off a bulletin board when the censorware recognised the word "whore" in the phrase "who reported".
DFN is looking for more examples, both of phrases and names which pass through filtering software but should not, and of phrases which the filtering software would like to stop but cannot.
Filtering software is not used just to block pornography. It is also used in countries such as China to filter information that the authorities do not like. See http://dfn.org/Alerts/censorware.htm.
UK backpacker
The Young Travelers website is a new portal for backpackers visiting the UK. It is a busy site packed with advice on accommodation and where to find work. There are already some busy message boards and numerous discounts on nights out and flights. See www.youngtravelers.com.
Perfect pitch
Pitch TV is a New York-based site that collects animations and short films from southern Europe and Latin America. Each short is either dubbed or subtitled, and the films are shown in a little pop-up box courtesy of Macromedia Flash. There is also a notable world movie e-zine to accompany the films, but some of the shorts are, literally, poetry in motion.
New and noted
A new horoscope site is online at www.future365.com. The first ever Olympic Torch is being auctioned over the net from Monday at www.sothebys.amazon.com. The site at www.uniquelyglobal.com offers a selection of gifts that have been handpicked from around the world. There is a new online sports network at www.rivals.net, and www.e-street.com is asking users to share information about London.
Six of the best Nightclubbing
Rising to the top
www.cream.co.uk
Super club portal
www.ministryofsound.co.uk
Clubbing community
www.partypeople.co.uk
Interface net radio
www.pirate-radio.co.uk
Flash ticket seller
www.nightclub.co.uk
Nationwide directory
www.clubsuk.com
