Web sites

Wrinkle 2: A Global Moment in Time

http://www.wrinkle2.lava.net/

This site celebrates hardcore "panography" on the Internet, offering over 100 free, explicit, panoramic images from around the world.

"Panography" is, it seems, the art of taking Quicktime panoramas, and these were all taken at the time of the Vernal Equinox on 20 March 20 this year. Subjects range from a Norfolk country estate with the daffs in bloom, to Bangalore, the Philippines and Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica: the images are often spectacular and are accompanied by ambient recordings made by the artist. Like other such exercises in global simultaneity, it's all about breaking down boundaries - the equinox has been a common event for all humanity since time immemorial, etc - but this one adds sports to the mix, comparing the sequencing of the shots with the Mexican wave as practised on the terraces. The chosen medium means this may be the first such trip to be literally "around" the world. Ultimate inspiration seems to lie with writer Madeleine L'Engle, whose science fiction morality tale A Wrinkle in Time gave the project its name.

Sothebys

http://www.sothebys.com

Warhol's blue-lidded Marilyn gazes out from this new site for the auction house with the self-satisfied look of someone who has just changed hands for $17m. The image oversees more traditional offerings: an eighteenth- century Meissonnier tureen and a Courbet or two. No online bidding, but otherwise there's a comprehensive range of services available, including searchable online catalogues for forthcoming auctions in New York, London, Hong Kong and Geneva. Detailed close-ups of desirable items, and a glossary including terms like "The Three Ds" - Death, Divorce and Debt, responsible for much auctioneering business.

The Remedi Project

http://www.theremediproject.com/

Opening with film-style credits and a flutter of butterfly wings, this site both touts for business and sends it up at the same time. A showcase for personal work by a group of professional designers, the rather grandiose aim is to "redesign the medium through discovery", and terms like "antipode" as well as "grok" circulate without embarrassment. It's clever, self-reflexive stuff, some with a light touch: Ultraclean promotes the Web in terms of domestic cleaning products complete with light orchestral jingles, while a fan of the Psion handheld computer wonders if it has feelings or a soul. One piece is called Idiot, while another, Untitled, looks illegible but is actually a meditation on illegibility, with sections printed backwards and

a plaintive cry of "Where the hell is the navigation?" Some striking images and animation, and implicitly some sound design advice too, if not the renaissance it claims to be.

Vision Document - Formation

of an Academy of Invention

http://www.year-x.co.uk/academy/

When not at work developing his wind-up computer, the inventor of the clockwork radio, Trevor Baylis OBE, has been devising proposals for an Academy of Invention to keep bright ideas in the country. The outline for this is now on the Web, expressed cheerily and uncompromisingly:"no crooks, spivs or vulture capitalists! We want people who have confidence in our culture!" Central to the plan is an auction of "fully incubated" inventions, with first grabs going to UK and Commonwealth companies, reversing the present need for inventors to go cap-in-hand for funds. The full text of the proposal is on site and available for downloading.

Money Origami

http://www.msd.si.net/clay/money/

When Clay Randall finishes his lunch, his lucky waiter is likely to be tipped in the form of spectacles or serpents. Randall seemingly earns so much as a software engineer that he would rather fold his loot into intriguing shapes than spend it: full illustrated instructions are here, so use a crisp, clean bill and remember to define the creases sharply. Start with the relatively easy bow tie, proceed to complicated multi-note jobs like the Sailboat or Spider, then follow links to other sites in the online bill-folding community (yes, there is one) for a rhinoceros, working catapult or Christmas tree, stand optional.

No Left Wing

http://www.shopex.com/noleftwing

The striking logo features the American Eagle as amputee. But if the aerodynamics are suspect, the political affiliations are out in the open, emblazoned on shirts, baseball caps, mugs and duffel bags. "Do''t you know that those liberals are wrong. Show it proudly!" Online shopping as a political act, Visa and Mastercard accepted.