Valerie Cowan Surfs the Net

WHAT is claimed to be the world's largest internet cafe, easyEverything, opened for business this week.

The former bookshop opposite London's Victoria Station boasts 400 terminals on two floors, divided into sections for experts and beginners.

The cafe is the first of a chain founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the man behind budget airline easyJet.

There are plans to open more stores in London by the end of the summer, followed by further expansion into other cities later in the year.

The low cost of logging-on at easyEverything is expected to attract users who don't want to shell out for a net-compatible PC at home, as well as those intimidated by the "run by nerds, for nerds" atmosphere of some more traditional internet cafes.

Users will be charged £1 an hour for access, which is considerably cheaper than peak-rate BT costs. Tuition and print-outs will cost extra.

The store opens 24 hours a day and will serve coffee and snacks.

Staff will work eight-hour shifts to provide round-the-clock help for internet newcomers.

Users will be able to pay in advance for online time, and with a user-name and password will be able to use up their allocation at any easyEverything store. Anyone viewing adult or unsuitable material will be thrown out of the store, and users must read and agree to "terms of service" before continuing with their surfing.

Marketing director Tony Anderson said: "The internet cafes are aimed at the people who are fed up with the world wide wait on the web and the 85 per cent of people who do not have access to the internet either at the office or at home.

"We expect to attract around 6,000 people per day."

The airline easyJet made major operators realise that people are prepared to accept a no-frills service if it means lower fares. The long-term effect should be cheaper flights all round.

Hopefully easyEverything will do the same for internet access, opening up the world wide web to even more people.

New RAF site

HIGH-FLYERS interested in an air force career should touch down in the RAF's website, relaunched this week.

The site allows people to apply for jobs online through an interactive application form.

The "intelligent" system helps candidates decide which type of application they should be making and then guides them through the form, highlighting sections they have missed or filled in incorrectly.

Sir Anthony Bagnall, RAF Air Member for Personnel, said: "The innovative way in which web users can apply online puts the RAF at the cutting edge of internet technology and ahead of many employers in terms of recruiting via the net."

The site features a virtual air base to explore, with full descriptions of the various jobs available and profiles of some of the people doing them.

You can find out if you are cut out for the job by playing online games based on the aptitude tests given to applicants at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre, Royal Air Force Cranwell.

The first game on offer places you in the cockpit of an RAF fighter as you attempt to refuel your aircraft in mid-air, and new games will appear on the site every two weeks.

(http://www.raf-careers.raf.mod.uk)

Gates doubles his money

BILL Gates is still officially the world's richest man and he's getting richer all the time.

The co-founder and chairman of Microsoft is worth $90 billion according to US magazine Forbes' list of the world's billionaires. The magazine says his net worth nearly doubled from $51 billion last year.

New technology certainly seems to be where the money is.

Dell Computer Corporation chairman Michael Dell is worth $16.5 billion and Jay Walker, founder of online sales firm priceline.com has $10.2 billion. Pierre Omidyar of internet auctioneers Ebay is worth $10.1 billion.

Have your own robot

IF you'd like an R2D2 of your own, you can now buy one online - or one of his distant relatives, at least!

Cye, claimed to be the first affordable personal robot, can be purchased for a mere $695 - just over £400.

It's Glastonbury - virtually

IF you couldn't afford a ticket for Glastonbury this weekend - or you prefer your festivals mud-free - you could always watch the action on the internet.

Virtual Glastonbury is warming up for the event, which starts tomorrow, with news and those all important weather forecasts.

And during the three-day event there will be backstage interviews with some of the stars of the show, live photographs and reviews.

More than 100,000 people are expected at the event, which is the largest outdoor concert in the world.

Bands booked to appear include REM, Blondie and the Manic Street Preachers.

(http://www.Virtual-Glastonbury.com)

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.