Mark Templeton surfs the net

IT should be a very happy New Year for anyone interested in the Internet.

This year we will probably see the first serious use of Internet applications via digital television.

And watch out for e-mail which will appear more and more on mobile phones.

Trials of public "net kiosks" will become fully-fledged projects and they should start to spring up all over the country.

Effectively, the theory is that they should become as widespread as telephone boxes and just as easy to use.

These changes are just the ones on the surface that the public will notice.

Behind the scenes, investment will be made in backbone networks and router technology, to make the net work faster.

And computers themselves are changing too. Desktop computer prices plummeted in America this year and it is only a matter of time before similar price cuts appear in the UK.

By the end of 1998 computers will have invaded our daily lives more than ever before.

Whether that is good or bad news is up to you.

Put yourself in the frame

INTERNET users who send a passport photo to Dollond & Aitchison can see just how they will look in different specs.

Using specially developed technology, PersonalEyes is believed to be the first ever Internet "try on" service.

Users can select images of spectacle frames and place them over a previously scanned-in self image.

The idea came from Dollond & Aitchison's existing ComputerEyes system in its 400 branches. New spectacle ranges will be added to the PersonalEyes image library when they go on sale and users who have registered with the site will be notified of range changes.

Mark Dickinson, managing director of Indexfinger, who developed the technology said: "This is a real example of cutting edge web technology being used to deliver consumer benefits.

"Too many sites have gizmos for the sake of it, but PersonalEyes really does provide something uniquely useful for Internet users."

Web site: http://www.danda.co.uk

Smart move nets extra sales

A FOOTBALL club is preparing to sell match tickets on the Internet.

Chelsea FC recently opened an online shop designed to sell club merchandise such as kit and souvenirs via the World Wide Web.

Until now, fans could only buy goods through Chelsea's MegaStore at Stamford Bridge or by mail order. Now the club is offering secure technology to take orders online and dispatch goods anywhere in the world.

Chris Manson, managing director of merchandising, said the new service was a natural extension of the club's online strategy, which will eventually offer match tickets online as well. "The MegaStore is part of a merchandising programme which will provide our supporters with real value from our Web site. In the coming months we plan to provide ticket purchasing and on-line access to ticket availability to our many supporters," he said.

Web site: http://www.chelseafc.co.uk

Sweet music?

SOME parts of the music industry are eyeing the Web suspiciously - others are grabbing it with both hands and using it to maximum effect.

Dorado is one of the latter record companies. Be warned, this site requires Shockwave and Real Player plug-ins, but they are used for functionality rather than for the sake of it.

There are many clips from recording artists and lots to explore. Utterly enjoyable.

Web site: http://www.dorado.net

Interested in art?

HERE you will find a comprehensive guide to art in Great Britain and Ireland. You can search by artist, location or gallery, and there are kids' areas and a discussion board too. Very fine stuff indeed.

Web site: http://www.artguide.org/uk/

Countdown to Christmas!

THE festive season is over but even when Santa is long gone you will enjoy playing with this little page called Rooney Design's advent calendar.

Great animations and a sense of humour - so important on the Web these days.

Web site: http://www.rooneydesi gn.com/home.html

YOU can e-mail me at: mtempleton@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk and take a look at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph web site at: http://www.newsquest.co.uk/let

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