Round The Piano

www.pianoworld.com. This site holds lots of information on where to get piano lessons, how to tune a piano and all the latest piano news. There’s also a links section to sites where you can download free sheet music.
Doctor Green Fingers

Mistakes And Errors

Bob Monkhouse famously said ‘We all make mistakes. That’s why they put rubbers at the end of pencils’. But if you like to laugh at other people’s mistakes, visit www.regrettheerror.com. This site holds hundreds of mistakes that broadsheets have made and the retractions they’ve had to make.

Taxi Route and fare checks

Have you ever wondered how much a taxi fare should cost you? Now you can easily find out. No matter where you are in the UK you can go from point A to B using your own local licencing authorities rates and find out how much the fare should costs you.

A quick chat with the author of the website and he says this...

Basically, I have written and launched a Taxi Fare Calculator site for the UK. The idea was borne out of the confusion I had over consistently getting different taxi prices when using the same route. I never understood why they were so different so sat down to do some calculations myself... and so www.taxiroute.co.uk was born!

It took a long time to write the code, build the databases, build the website and compile the fare tariffs from the various Licensing Authorities in the UK but it's almost there now! Feedback is good from the people who use it both from a usability and an accuracy point of view, so I intend to keep going with it!

Hopefully, when some of my other ideas get built into the website it will be a sort of "compare-the-taxi.com" type of site. It will have both a web front end as well as a Pocket PC and an iPhone version.

Both taxi users AND taxi companies seem to be using the site a lot. The taxi companies love it because not all of them have the money to pay their software suppliers for a quotation system. Some companies have told me they have been quoted as much as £8,000 for a system that does nothing more than mine!

Anyway, just wondered if you might like a look and possibly feedback any thoughts you might have on it?

Thanks

Trev
Taxiroute.co.uk

Tiny Pocket People

When you’re a long way away from your loved ones sometimes a phone call just doesn’t suffice. That’s why www.tinypocketpeople.com have decided to print the faces of the one you miss onto a tiny doll for you to carry around. Take a look at the site and decide for yourself whether it’s cute or creepy.

Useless Old Phones

When you buy a new mobile phone it’s always hard to know what to do with the old one. But the people at www.whatgoodisyouroldphone.com have come up with ingenious ways to dispose of their broken mobiles. There are tens of videos of people barbequing, running over and shooting their old phones. If you’ve got rid of your mobile in an usual way make sure you upload your footage onto the site.

That’s Entertainment

www.blinkbox.com is an entertainment hub that combines the best elements of YouTube, Facebook and LoveFilm. It lets you watch and share video clips from a wide variety of films and TV shows. As it’s all legal and above board, the quality is fantastic and each clip is accompanied by an option to buy or rent the whole movie or programme.

Blinks can be shared via email, web link or your profile, and customised with tag, comments and ratings. The site also offers fun quizzes, contacts lists and many other interactive tools.

Spot The Difference

As the name suggests, www.spotthedifference.com is home to hundreds of those ’spot the difference’ games you used to love playing as a child. So spot away to your heart’s content, although you may give yourself a bit of a headache as some of them are very tricky

Comparing Phones

There are lots of sites that let you compare the latest mobile phone deals, but few are as quick and easy to use as phoneslimited.co.uk. Simply select the handset you’re interested in from a drop-down menu for an instant list of current offers. Results include contract, pay-as-you-go and SIM-free options, and are accompanied by images and product descriptions that help confirm you’ve picked the right phone.

Fuel For Thought

If you love your car but want to do your bit for the environment, visit ecomodder.com. This energy-saving community is more concerned with fuel economy than power and speed, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still love your motor. The site is packed with driving techniques and common sense to help you squeeze every penny out of the pumps.

So Embarrassing

Have you ever done something so embarrassing that when you think about it you cringe and turn bright red? If you have visit www.embarrassing.us and share your shameful story online. There are hundreds of people’s excruciating moments already on the site, which are sure to make you feel better about your own embarrassing incident.

St Georges Day

PATRIOTISM will be promoted across Furness on Thursday as a whole host of events are planned to mark St George’s Day.

An afternoon of celebrations will take place in Barrow town centre, focusing around Forum 28.

England flags will be handed out and Barrow Tourist Information Centre will promote holidaying in this country.

Staff at Forum 28 will be offering people a traditional English lunch menu of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding followed by apple pie.

Magician Joel Dickinson will entertain crowds while pianist Noel Kennetts plays a variety of patriotic tunes. Ann Taylforth, town centre and festivals manager for Barrow Borough Council, said: “We have over many years celebrated St George’s Day in Barrow. This year we arefeaturing traditional English holidays, food and entertainment.

“The patron saint of England is honoured in our town and the St George’s walk explores the area around St George’s Square.

“I am sure everyone will enjoy this celebration of St George’s Day and the opportunity to celebrate England’s national day.”

A number of events will take place at St George’s Church, St George’s Square, Barrow, throughout this week. Reverend Jane Nattrass, vicar for the South Barrow Ministry, said: “On St George’s Day the church bell will be rung and the flag will be flying.”

There will be a concert from Barrow Male Voice Choir at St George’s Church tomorrow and a lunch club on Thursday.

There will be a service for people from St George’s, St Luke’s, St Perran’s and St Aidan’s on Sunday, followed by a parade.

(Taken from North West Evening Mail. Click to find out more)

Am I Right ??

If you’re a fan of strange jingles and misheard lyrics take a look at www.amiright.com. This online music forum holds a large collection of funny albums and song parodies for you to laugh out loud and sing along to. To put it simply: any silly song is welcome here.

Dear Anyone

If you think you would make a great agony aunt you can share your opinions at www.dearanyone.com. This site will keep you a real-life problem to solve and give your advice on. And if you’ve got a question that you need answering you can even leave your own dilemma.

Easy As ABC

Even young children now are finding it difficult to resist the lure of the computer, but it need not be a bad thing. Encourage your kids to read more by visiting www.lovereading4kids.co.uk. The site allows you to download and print off opening extracts of hundreds of children’s books, and encourages kids to discover new authors through their recommendation service.

Bright Spark

You can’t move on the internet for sites about the supernatural, but if you don’t subscribe to that world view, there’s now a home for you too. If the prospect of ghosts and gods sounds like hogwash, head for www.the-brights.net. There you’ll find a movement of like-minded people who believe in nothing but science and evolution. So if you’re an atheist, humanist, or just a skeptic, check it out.

The Young Ones

Being a student can be one of the best times of your life when you stay out all night with your friends and don’t have to get up for work in the morning. And if you’re just about to leave for university you need www.thestudentroom.co.uk. This site is a great place to help you decide which university to go to, how to survive a long-distance relationship and money saving advice. There’s also a message board where you can chat to other freshers.

A Million Stories

There are a million untold stories in the world and one of them is yours. www.amillionstories.co.uk is a collection of personal true stories from people all over the world. These pieces range from heart-warming love stories to hilarious anecdotes, so you’re bound to find something no matter what mood you’re in.

Sweet Dreams

We’ve all had strange dreams, but if you want to know what yours mean, visit www.askfreud.org. Just type in a brief description of your dream into the Freud machine to see what the psychologist makes of your unconscious thoughts.

Bored To Death

The internet can be a powerful tool for finding information and communicating with your friends. But sometimes you can find yourself bored of searching through unexciting web pages. That’s why www.boredtodeath.co.uk is packed with pictures, videos, jokes, puzzles and games to keep you amused for hours.

My Pet Peeves

Sometimes its good to get things off your chest. And if you need a platform to shout from visit www.mypetpeeves.com. Just write a post on your biggest pet peeve and leave it online for other people to agree or disagree with. You can also leave your own comments on other people’s biggest irritations.

Library Of Sounds

www.soungle.com is what you get when you combine sound with Google. It’s a free and fun sound search engine that helps you root out all manner of noises and effects. It looks and works very much like Google, except that it searches its own database of sounds rather than the whole web. Soungle is a fantastic time-waster, letting you listen to short audio clips from, for example, nature and around the home. You can preview all the sounds, download them or upload noises you’ve recorded yourself.

Work Hard, Relax Hard

Paperwork strewn all over your desk and the constant demand of attention from the computer screen can fry your brain. But www.mandolux.com offers a digital deluge of harmonious images that will soothe your mind in between tasks. The site features computerised graphics, abstract photographs and stylised images that will help calm you while keeping you at your screen and productive.

Invention Inspiration

If you’re full of good ideas and want to get one of them off the ground, then www.nesta.org.uk is the site for you. This site helps would-be inventors launch their ideas by giving them support and guidance. What’s more, if you’re struggling to think up a good idea for your next innovation the site also offers creativity inspiration and encouragement.

Overheard In The UK

The funniest conversations can sometimes be the ones you overhear. That’s why www.overheardintheuk.com have put together a collection of quotes overheard on buses, trains and streets from across the UK. Old ladies talking in the hairdressers make some of the funniest lines on
the site.

Game Of The Day

If you’re a computer game addict you’ll love www.gameoftheday.net. This easy to use site uploads a different game every day, from retro puzzles to state of the art graphic games. It’s a great way to unwind and spend a couple of hours.

The Nappy Lady

When you have your first baby you might be left feeling like you don’t know what you’re doing. But don’t panic - just visit www.thenappylady.com. This handy site tells you everything you need to know about how to change your baby and all the products you need. You can even leave questions for the Nappy Lady to answer.

Pen To Paper

Getting your big break as a writer isn’t always easy, but if you want to share your talents with the world, go to www.yousaid.com. This online writing competition will give you a list of topics to choose from, you write a short piece and then enter it for the judges to read. You can enter as many times as you like and you could end up winning some great prizes.

Keep Calm

If you’re off on your summer hols soon, the last thing you want is to be feeling stressed before you go. So do something that helps you relax, be it mediation, reading or walking.

Visit www.relaxationforliving.co.uk for some ideas on how to keep calm

Find Your Friend A Job

What could be better than finding a job for a friend and getting paid for the privilege? www.zubka.com has hit upon the novel idea of rewarding people who find the best candidates for job vacancies. If your recommendation is successful you are entitled to between 6 and 8% of the salary. So if a job pays £50k, the successful referrer will be entitled to a whopping £3,600.

To start referring you have to sign up, which is free and easy to do, and then download the Zubka widget to keep you informed of new jobs.

Access From Anywhere

www.jooce.com is a must-see for anyone who can only access the web from internet cafés and miss the customisability of a home PC. The site bundles all your chat and email accounts into one easy-to-use virtual desktop. You can upload files, videos, photos, music and access it all from any computer, whether you’re trekking through South America or sat in a cyber café in Warsaw.

The Whole Truth

Politicians aren’t known for being the most reliable individuals, which is why www.crooksandliars.com is such a popular website. The site is updated daily with political news from around the globe and is packed with video and audio clips of politicians on radio and TV. You can also leave a comment on the news of the day or share your own conspiracy theory.

A New Venture

Take a look at www.taxistorys.blogspot.com. Think its self explanatory. full details at http://taxistorys.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger.html

Bad Gifts

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And you can now swap your rags for riches at badgiftemporium.com. This site lets you trade the worst presents you’ve ever been given for somebody else’s. It can also be quite addictive to see the dreadful gifts other people receive.