Val Cowan Surfs the Net

WE'VE had webcams set up on street corners, in nightclubs, on beaches and even in people's bedrooms.

But now with Online Surgery (http://www.

onlinesurgery.com) you can see into the operating theatre.

The site offers webcasts of operations in all their gory detail.

At the moment the site is concentrating on cosmetic surgery. This month's big attraction is an otoplasty operation - the one which corrects sticking-out ears.

But there are plans to bring other surgical procedures in front of the webcam - including childbirth, brain surgery and orthopaedic operations.

There is an archive of past ops to browse through, including nose jobs, facelifts and liposuction.

The site is currently offering "suitable candidates" the chance to win a cosmetic procedure.

The downside is winners have their names published on the site, so everyone will know about it.

Hitch Hiker's cult classic

THE Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been a book, a TV series, a stage play and a computer game.

It's now a website offering essential hints on subjects from aerosols to zoos.

Author Douglas Adams is inviting people to sign up to the site (http://h2g2.com) and contribute information about life on Earth. He said: "It is surprising that 21 years after the book was written there is something like the world wide web that is perfect for a thing such as The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"It is absolutely the ideal place for it to exist as the internet is all about collaborations and the sharing of information, which is how we hope the guide to develop.

"We are making this a very serious project and we want people to come to the website and get information about things on a global scale that they might not come across anywhere else."

Burgers in Boulder?

EVER needed the number of the payphone in the Mountain View Motel in Joseph, Oregon? Or the one in MacDonald's in Boulder, Colorado?

Probably not. But the information is out there in cyberspace, if you ever need it.

The Payphone Directory (http://www.

payphone-directory.org) lists thousands of numbers for payphones in the USA and Canada. The site was created by someone who simply calls himself El Jefe - the Boss - who admits to a lifelong fascination with telephones.

I'd prefer to call it an unhealthy obsession. Do we really need pictures of El Jefe's own phone, payphones from around the US and - the most worrying bit - photographs of payphone wiring?

Lump worries

FOR women, finding a breast lump can be a terrifying experience.

According to the Breast Care Campaign, however, in 14 out of 15 cases the lump will be benign.

The organisation has launched a website (http://www.breastcare.co.uk) aimed at educating women about breast health and addressing common fears.

It has sections on self-examination and common non-cancerous breast disorders, as well as links to other groups which can help.

Worldwide channel hop

VIRGIN Net has been offering radio broadcasts from around the world for some time now.

But now you can watch TV stations too. Virgin's TV Tuner (http://www.virgin.

net/tv/index.html) offers programmes from Ireland, Cyprus, Spain, Brazil, the USA, India, Bahrain and Tunisia.

The "screen" is tiny and the picture quality variable, but it's interesting flicking through the channels all the same.

I picked up a Beastie Boys video, a drama from India and a Spanish religious programme during a few minutes' channel-hopping. You need the latest RealPlayer software to watch the channels, but it is available via a link from the TV Tuner site.

Teachers' pet sites

OVER the past couple of weeks I've been talking to teachers at internet awareness days organised by the Telegraph's Newspapers in Education co-ordinator.

I gave them a few ideas about websites which their pupils might like, and in turn they recommended a few to me.

Among them was Baxenden Community Forum's site (http://www.Forum99.freeserve.co.uk), which has basic information about the group and its projects, and the official Sainsbury's site (http://www.sainsburys.co.uk) which has recipes, celebrity interviews and information on genetically modified foods.

FIND out what happened when the Spice Girls met Star Wars in Spice Wars (http://home.ptd.net/

dbohr/wars.html).

SEEN something interesting on the web? Let me know. Send an e-mail to vcowan@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.