MoneySavingExpert

I spend a large amount of time on the net and have a huge number of bookmarks (anyone who has seen my bookmarks file will vouch for this !), but if I was asked for the most useful site that I know, I would definitely say it was http://www.moneysavingexpert.com. This is only really useful for UK readers (not so much use for US readers), but if you are in the UK, I guarantee that you will save yourself some serious money by visiting the site.

It is split into sections (e.g. Credit Cards, Shopping, Savings & Investments, Travel, Phones & Utilities, etc.) and has lots of articles written by Martyn Lewis (the MoneySavingExpert guru) all designed to save you money. There is also a chat forum which is invaluable - almost as important as the articles. Take a look around the forums and you will find tons of imformation. You can also ask questions from other savers and help out others if you can - it is very interactive.

I have personally saved lots of money by looking at this site and it is the first place I go to before making any kind of financial decision (buying something, subscribing to something, changing electricity/gas/phone provider, etc.).

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Frustrating !

Really cool little game - very simple, but very infuriating ! Basically, them aim is simply to get to the goal by moving your mouse. However to thwart you in doing this the actions of your mouse have been reversed - up is down and down is up, left is right and right is left. Sounds easy, but can get very challenging.

A new way to sketch

OK, I know that this is rather geeky, but I think this is quite cool. Here is a video of someone (who incidentally looks a little like an Open University lecturer, but he is from MIT, so I suppose that's why) demonstrating a new way of sketching. He draws on a whiteboard and hits a 'run' button and the drawing comes to life. It is only using some very basic concepts, but I would be interested to see this develop. Take a look - unleash the geek inside you !

Browster

If you do any web surfing at all (and let's face it, you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't), then there is one small app that you absolutely must get - it is called Browster.

What it does is pop up a little icon when you hover over a link and if you either move to that icon or click on it (depending on how you set your preferences), then it will open up a hovering window with the site displayed. You can follow links from there and enter and submit data. As soon as you are done with the window you move your mouse away from it and it disappears. No more open up lots of windows (or tabs if you use Firefox).

This really makes surfing so much easier - I've been using this for a while now and cannot live without it - it's that good !

Any budding abstract artists ?

If you've ever thought of yourself as a budding abstract artist, now is the time to step up and show everyone what you are made of. Here's a site that allows you to splodge and spatter away with just your mouse and create that priceless work of art. Who knows - you may just be able to make that million after all !

The next Google ?

Google have been playing around with some new features. Instead of doing this in their 'live' environment, they have created a new environment called SearchMash without any of the logos, etc. It is definitely Google-maintained, though. There are one or two interesting features:

• Drag and drop the results to order them as you like

• When clicking on a green URL link, you are offered the option of opening the listings in the current window or a new window, seeing more pages from the Web site or finding similar page

• Additional results are added to the bottom of the original results page by clicking on a "more web pages" link

All in all, this looks quite interesting. I think we might be seeing some of this functionality in Google sometime soon, hopefully.

Bored ? Try chatting with a random person.

This is a novel concept - the idea of chatting with a complete stranger at random. You can leave whenever you like and never have to reveal anything about yourself. Sometimes a complete stranger might be just who you need to talk to ! Can't guarantee you will find intellectual conversation, but worth a try.

The most fun you can have with your clothes on ?

Not sure about that, but this certainly looks great fun. IWOOT !

Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living

This is an incredible story of a reporter on a private jet that was involved in a mid-air collision. The line that sent shivers up my spine was "And then the three words I will never forget. “We’ve been hit”" - not something you are likely to forget in a hurry. Read it here.

Amazing footage of Iraqi sandstorm

Take a look at this video - a sandstorm whipping up in Iraq. It's amazing to watch it come in. Some people just wander around very calmy, whilst others are a little more urgent.