Patently silly
The US patents office has long been the object of ridicule and the patents recently granted to Amazon.com have become the web issue of the week. The online bookseller now owns the rights to its affiliate programmes technology (which lets other website owners link to Amazon and take a slice of any resulting sales) and to its One-Click technology, which enables a returning customer to pull up purchasing details with a single mouseclick.
In the face of a wave of opposition to the patents, Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos last week rethought the issue and responded in an open letter at www.amazon.com/patents. Computer book publisher Tim O'Reilly and science writer James Gleick have also commented. For an overview of the issues read the San Jose Mercury columnist Dan Gillmor.
IQ seek
Those wanting to take their own online IQ test can visit www.queendom.com, where Queendom's popular exam (more than four million test-takers so far, it claims) has been given a makeover. After you find out how fat your brain really is, there are puzzles, brainteasers, exams and quizzes to keep your grey matter in shape.
With flare
Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, which is why everyone should visit the BadFads Museum. This repository of hideousness documents the fashion, collectibles, activities and events most of us would rather forget. The images of alarming sideburns, horrific hairstyles, eight-track tape players and other pop cultural detritus are guaranteed to keep you awake at night. Go to www.badfads.com
Talent spot
If you want a job in the BBC, the web might open the door. The broadcaster has decided to find new faces through its BBC Talent website, though it's hard to tell whether the Beeb thinks there's hidden talent in cyberspace or is simply in search of a recruiting gimmick. Either way, the BBC is seeking some 40 "stars of the future". In some cases, a web element is integral to a person's application. Those applying to the Radio 1 Talent and New Composers sections must take an online psychometric test (for Radio 1) or send in work that will be streamed to a voting online audience (for composers).
Webbies
It's that fabulous time of the year again. Nominees for the Webby Awards ("the Oscars of the internet", says the New York Times, somewhat predictably) are out this week at www.webbyawards.com, though MTV pegs the event more accurately as "a cybergeek lovefest". Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, whose members include David Bowie, Esther Dyson, Francis Ford Coppola, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Nominees slot into 27 categories, from Arts to Weird, including five new ones for 2000: Kids, Personal Web Site, Activism, Services and Broadband. But the best feature of the May 11 awards ceremony in San Francisco is that acceptance speeches are limited to five words.
Lady thrillers
Mystery fans are sure to like www.femaledetective.com, a website featuring female sleuths. Reviews, mini-biographies, book lists and information on author tour dates focus on US and British fiction. The site has plenty of news and links as well.
Private lives
Many web users don't realise that when they use the net's most popular search engines, their query is often passed on to the site they visit, where it can be used as marketing information or to build help consumer profiles. Sounds scary? Then try a new ad-free, cookie-free "privacy search engine" www.topclick.com.
Privacy issues also hit the headlines last week after Wired News www.wired.com obtained a copy of a yet-to-be-released US government report, Unlawful Conduct On The Internet. Most controversial was a suggestion that there should be limits to the level of anonymity allowed to web users. The report is archived at www.politechbot.com/docs/unlawfulconduct.txt.
New and noted
For a mother's day gift that lasts longer than a week, www.e-garden.co.uk offers living plants, including potted orchids. Film buffs can sign up for the pay television channel FilmFour through its website, www.filmfour.com. Horror champ Stephen King's latest chiller is available this week, only as a $2.50 download from www.netlibrary.com for PCs or handheld devices.
