Valerie Cowan surfs the net

THOUSANDS of music fans will be getting the blues in Burnley this Easter.

The 11th National Burnley Blues Festival runs from April 2 to 5 and is set to attract some of the biggest names in blues. The line-up includes James Cotton, who has played alongside Janis Joplin, Muddy Waters and the Grateful Dead and guitarist Bernard Allison, son of blues legend Luther. The event, which is sponsored by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, has its own website, at http://www.bluesinburnley.co.uk.

The site has full details of the main festival programme as well as the festival fringe.

There is also information on how to book and where to stay if you are coming to Burnley especially for the festival.

Rabbit, rabbit

FIND out what this week's Chinese New Year celebrations are all about by visiting http://www.chopstix.c

o.uk/newyear/

As well as information on the traditions connected with the festival, there are brief details of celebrations happening around the country.

Hamster feet

ONE to waste a fun few minutes on...the mis-spelled website http://www.hampsterdan

ce.com/ has, yes, hamsters dancing to hamster music.

Golden oldies

BLONDIE astounded everyone by crashing back into the charts at number one with their latest single, Maria, making them the only band to have hit the top spot in the 70s, 80s and 90s. You can join the band's revival at their official website, http://www.blondie.net/

Knockdown prices

KEEP up to date with the latest East Lancashire news and sport at http://www.this

islancashire.co.uk.

And don't forget - you can also access AuctionHunter, the latest way of buying and selling items via the Internet, at the same address.

Red-faced in space

TERROR in Space tells the story of the trouble-prone Russian space station Mir. The website, at http://www.pbs.org/wsg

bh/nova/mir/ takes you on a tour of the station to find out what a typical day on board is like. You can also preview the next big space thing - the new International Space Station. And to put you off space travel, there are details of some space-related accidents.

Jargon buster

IF you've ever been confused by the jargon used in connection with the Internet, the Webopedia can help.

It's a searchable dictionary of technology-related terms and covers everything from home page and hot link to screen scraper and the sinister-sounding blue screen of death.

Start your search at http://webopedia.inter

net.com/

Full steam ahead

INDIA'S railways have always held a fascination for rail enthusiasts.

The system carries more than 11 million passengers every day and often, it seems, it is more efficient than the UK services which carry considerably fewer people.

Indian Railways has an interesting website at http://www.indianrailway.com/ which includes a brief history of the service, timetables and descriptions of the trains.

There is information for tourists and even an explanation of what do do should you fall ill while on board.

Essential for anyone thinking of travelling to India or simply interested in life on the tracks.

First steps with cyber babe Emma: THE First Nine Months is a personal homepage with a difference. Lots of parents put pictures of their children on the net - but Joseph Moore put his daughter in cyberspace before she was even born.

The site is dedicated to the nine months baby Emma Katherine Moore spent in her mum's womb before entering the real world.

And although Joseph admits it was a way of sharing his excitement over partner Deanna's pregnancy, it has ended up as a useful resource for parents to be and anyone with an interest in pregnancy.

The site takes you through the development of the baby in the womb, from conception to birth, and links the various stages with what the mother is experiencing, from the first wave of morning sickness to the developing child's kicks.

Schmaltz and talk of the joys of parenthood are kept to a minimum and the overriding impression you are left with is how wonderful nature is.

The site has won several awards already and deservedly so. Baby Emma was born a month ago but Joseph has promised to keep the site up and running for as long as possible.

Find it at http://www.first9months.com/.

SEEN something interesting on the Internet? 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.