Net.philes

www.friendsreunited.co.uk

A nifty little idea that some millionaire in the making has come up with, friendsreunited.com does "exactly what it says on the tin." It contains a nationwide database of primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom, and if you enter your details and your year of graduation it will show you all the alumni who have registered from your school, and more specifically your year. Somewhat surprisingly, the word is already spreading--my old secondary school had 121 people listed, about 20 of whom were from my year. If your former classmates have entered personal information you can read about what they are up to in the new century. The catch--there's always a catch with sites as useful as these--is that you have to pay a subscription of £5 a year to be able to email your old friends.

www.electrotank.com

Electrotank's online mini-golf game is one of the most entertaining ways of wasting time that I've unearthed in a long time. The animations take a while to load, but once you are up and running you have 18 holes to putt and several dastardly obstacles to manoeuvre around. Your South Park-like golfer will hit the little ball wherever you aim for, with your chosen level of ferocity--you just sit back and watch the strokes pile up. It is surprisingly frustrating for a cartoon, but even when you have mastered a five under par game you'll keep playing.

www.bonsaikitten.com

Following hard on the heels of cat-scan.com, Bonsai Kitten is a staggering work of heartbreaking pranksterism. The site provides detailed descriptions of how the company makes bonsai kittens and is apparently "dedicated to the long lost art of body modification in housepets." It is worth logging on just to explore the guest book alone, where there are detailed explanations of why the company does not make bonsai ex-boyfriends or bonsai puppies, as well as a selection of email rants against the site.

www.survival-center.com/med-faq

If you are trekking off to somewhere far flung and hideously remote country on your elective you may want to check out this website. Written by well meaning New Zealander Craig Ellis, the guide constitutes a quick trot round what you need to know and what you need to pack before embarking on your odyssey. There is even a handy guide to diagnosing death and disposing of the body in the section on medical tips.

www.limewire.com

Since the tragic and untimely demise of Napster, the file exchange programme which internet users flocked to, there has been a dearth of information about alternatives. Limewire is one of the best of the newcomers: a program which allows not only sharing of MP3 files, but also other media files. Have you got a short film you want to share with the world? Are you part of a band bent on world domination? Limewire will enable you to share your work with the thousands of other users logged on at any time, and you can share theirs; simply download the freeware on to your desktop. Note that the usual rules apply--only uncopyrighted material should be exchanged, though in practice this is very difficult to police.

ukgovinfo.about.com/cs/taxandmoney/index.htm

If you are due to start your "proper" job next month, or if you are working through the summer holidays, make sure that you use up your tax allowance. If you need to know facts and figures, how much you will pay in National Insurance, and the like take a look at the website above. One of the habitually useful about.com series, it has links to all the forms and figures you will need to make sure you get your due.

www.xe.com/ucc

A really useful tool before going abroad, the universal currency converter provides up to the minute currency exchange rates. Simply type how much of one currency you have in one box, then pick the currency you want to convert it to. The converter does all the hard work, and in a second or two the figures are in front of you. If only real life was that simple.

www.weirdnursingtales.com/

This is a sweet American site that pokes fun at doctors, nurses, and students alike. It has some funny stories, some tales that you can easily relate to, and some nightmare scenarios that cause your stomach to do a neat somersault. It also has a useful resource centre which covers all things medical. And if anyone can work out what on earth "The Dead Guy's Cat" is about please let me know.