Mark Templeton Surfs the Net

PEOPLE travelling the information highway can get the upper hand on regular commuters thanks to a great new Internet service.

Lancashire County Council is developing a Journey Planner, offering net users the chance to get instant details on travelling by coach and train in and out of the county.

All you have to do is key in your start and finish points for your journey and let the computer do the rest.

In addition to information about the next available journey, timetables can be called up and printed out.

The Journey Planner is free and discussions are currently taking place on the possibility of making it available in libraries.

At present, it does not contain info about onward connecting trains but it is hoped new software will allow the installation of rail data to allow access to virtually all rail journeys which start or finish in Lancashire.

A full launch of Journey Planner is expected in January.

Web site: http://www.lancashire.com/lcc/su/surv3.htm

100,000-dollar brainwaves

INVENTORS are being offered a 100,000 US dollar prize to find the innovation that will change the way we communicate - and you can join in via the Web site.

Judges include astronaut Buzz Aldrin, broadcaster James Burke, media owner Lachlan Murdoch and lateral thinker Edward de Bono. Those interested in the award can visit its site where they will be able to see some of the inventions that the organisers hope will set the standard for the shortlist. These include the clockwork radio - intended for places where batteries are too expensive and electricity is unavailable (I want one for my bathroom), and Micromaps which put all the details of a full size map on to a credit card sized print which is viewed through a magnifying glass.

Web site: http://www.saatchi-saatchi.com

Viva virtual Vegas!

IF you can't afford a trip to the gambling capital of the world, a virtual tour around Las Vegas is next best.

The official Vegas page is as glitzy as the city itself and there's plenty to see, even if you're not planning a trip.

But if you are going, this is definitely a great way to get a taster. You can book a hotel after you've taken a look at what's on offer.

There's also a wedding guide where you can pick a church to get hitched in. You can even hire an Elvis suit!

Web site: http://www.vegas.com/

Fishy goings on

WHY anyone wants to put live pictures of their aquarium up on the net is a complete mystery to me.

But there are dozens of places you can view all sorts of tropical fish including at the 3D Live Cam page which is updated every 60 seconds so you don't miss any "action." Definitely something fishy about these people...

Web site: http://chaos.ais.co.kr/_1_ais_home/3DLive_Cam/index.html

Facts to hand

BRITANNICA has launched an on-line encyclopedia so you can get all the facts and figures you need in just a few seconds.

It's easy to use and well presented. In fact, it's a lot better than any printed version. Web site:

http://www.ebig.com/

Home front

BRITSTUFF is a site that aims to collate and promote homepages produced by Brits. Your postcode will ensure safe entry. Great design, great idea. Join up and see what happens. Web site:

http://www.britstuff.com

DON'T forget, you can reach me by e-mail. So send me all your Internet news and views to mtempleton@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk

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