Websites
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tyburn Convent
www.tyburnconvent.org.uk/
Some very interesting websites are created by religious groups, but few are as dramatic as , a "cloistered community of Benedictine contemplatives" near the old site of London's Tyburn Gallows. Executions there began in 1196 with the dispatch of William the Beard for sedition. Among thousands of others since were 105 Catholic priests and their supporters, including Edmund Campion, celebrated here.
Despite the English history, the institution itself has French roots - the founder moved to Marble Arch from Montmartre in 1903 to begin the continuing 24-hour prayer mission for the saints. The latest Shockwave plug-in is needed for the virtual tour of the refectory and the nun's private cells, and a page offers CDs and books, such as Love's Fugue by Mother Xavier McMonagle.
Powers of Ten
www.wordwizz.com/pwrsof10.htm
Size is the subject of this vertiginous site, based on a popular scientific book. It's simply a long, slow zoom through 42 powers of 10: travel from subatomic to galactic levels. The quarks-to-quasars exploration of "the effect of adding another zero" of magnitude travels outwards through the void until reaching a final view of a uniform and severely boring universe. Novelty from then on "is to be sought over time".
Odigo
www.odigo.com/
Latest of a growing series with silly names - others include Gooey, and Utok as well as well as Third Voice - that let users annotate other people's websites, get in touch with kindred spirits checking out the same site, "pick up passengers", chat and send instant messages, find sites currently most popular among subscribers, and join the fray. Unlike some rivals, it won't allow "post-it" graffiti to remain after the user has logged off - that caused concern from commercial and other sites.
The 24-Hour Museum
www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/
If Sainsbury's can stay open 24 hours a day, why not the V&A? Alas, only the Web offers 3am visiting at this interactive gateway to the UK's museums, galleries and heritage attractions. This Department for Culture Media and Sport initiative lists some 2,500 non-profit institutions, as well as a museum website of the week, and a "Trails" section aimed at children and grouping museums by geography or theme. You can also search for particular regions or types of collection.
Austin Powers
www.austinpowers.com/
Second best website of the summer (after Star Wars, of course), this new Powers film page at least plays down the usual UK dental jokes. As well as a Shockwave Move Your Mojo game, perhaps most interesting is the special "shagadelic" browser.
Send interesting, quirky or, at a pinch, cool site recommendations to websites@dircon.co.uk
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments