Get away!

I sympathise with people whose job is to pick the prize-winning novel from a sea of mediocre manuscripts, or cast the lead role from amongst the starlets who strut their stuff to so little effect.

My sympathy arises from the fact that we get sent suggestions for new websites for the Gateway, sometimes from the actual promoters of the sites. We always try to give these a fair consideration, but for a variety of reasons – too commercial, too narrow, just crap – we have to reject quite a lot of them. But there are exceptions…

Fly me to the moon… or Malaga if it’s cheaper

We got a request to include airlinedestinations from Paul Keogh-Davies who, with his partner Rachael, aims to provide

"an independent, impartial guide to 'who flies where' and aims to help people get the best information and save money by listing every flight, on every airline (scheduled/budget or charter) out of all the UK's airports -(large and small, from Heathrow to Inverness)."

I was a bit surprised that this information is not readily available already, but a bit of digging proved that it is indeed difficult to find. Although you can find information on where Airline A flies to, or which airlines serve Airport B, there is a distinct lack of websites which pull it all together.

airlinedestinations takes it a stage further by listing flights regionally, so you don’t have to scratch your head trying to remember which nearby airports you should check out. The flight map shows which airports constitute each regional cluster. Click on a region to get an index of countries served from that region, and click on your preferred destination to get details of who flies there and from which airport. Slightly confusingly, the indexes are based on a standard, catch-all list, so a destination is only served if its name is underlined as a link. But as soon as you realise that, it ceases to be a problem.

Extras include travel advice, featuring links to and tips from the Foreign Office, some wise words on why you need insurance, and the sort of packing checklist which you sneer at before you go, and wish you’d printed off when you arrive at the poolside without your swimsuit.

What’s in it for the website promotors? They get a small rake-off every time you click on any of the adverts. But they do not plug these companies in the text, and the ads are at the bottom end of the annoyance range.

If there are snags, I haven’t found them yet. Paul and Rachael seem to have identified a gap, and used their professional experience to fill it. Good stuff.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Transport & tourism". airlinedestinations is under "Other Links/Air".)

Picture credit: hotblack/morguefile.com

How green was my Gateway

When we were tinkering with the Gateway to websites recently, we tried to draw together some useful websites for green types of a practical disposition. So here are a couple of recycling suggestions, and a route-finder for shanks’s pony.

Pick out the useful bits

RecycleNow combines good practical suggestions with some really naff trendyspeak. All the stuff about integrated advertising campaigns and "celebrity ambassadors" is probably more about getting government funding than it is about serious recycling. But ignore the guff and you’ve got some helpful hints on what and where to recycle.

The A to Z list gives general advice about whether you will be likely to be able to include an item in your recycling sack, box or bin. Even more useful is a search box where you can insert your postcode. What you get is a map showing local recycling points, and a cut-out-and-keep list of what your local authority will collect from the kerbside.

RecycleNow’s home page (which rather tediously mentioned Christmas card recycling four times when I looked!) has tabs at the top which lead to news and features.

Aimed at Westminster residents, with local information and links, Recycling in Westminster is another source of sound advice.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Environment & geography". RecycleNow and Recycling in Westminster are both under "Going green".)

Steps in the right direction

I love Walkit. It does one thing and it does it darned well. To quote from the website:
"We want to get people walking more. We think walking in and around town can often be a smart choice. No timetables to keep to, no journey delays, no overcrowding, healthy, green, free, direct, access to services (and sunlight!) en route."

I think the bit about sunshine is just some sort of joke, but the rest is great. Pick a couple of points in London (or Birmingham, Edinburgh or Newcastle/Gateshead), and the nice Walkit computer will find you a choice of routes, either direct or "less busy". Since I intended to walk from Baker Street to the Aldwych, these were the locations I naturally chose.

The direct route cut a knife through the West End, and would have got me there in quick time. The "less busy" route was a bit longer and much more complicated (turns and twists galore), but avoided the worst of the main roads very neatly.

As well as telling the distance involved, I got information about the calories I would burn (depending on whether I stepped out or sauntered) and the carbon dioxide I would save compared with a car, taxi or bus journey. There is a cost: unless you have a really good memory you would need, especially for the "less busy" route, to print out a map and directions. What percentage of a tree this represents is not divulged. Less damaging to the environment than driving, I guess.

Oh, if you’re taking a walk to lose weight or save money, ignore the notes about the restaurants you pass!

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(From the Gateway to websites, select "Environment & geography". Walkit is under "Going green".)

Picture credit: xpistwv/morguefile.com

The cream (or so they say)

Our brand new way of getting Who’s Who online coincides with the publication of the new edition and the addition of over a thousand more of the great and the… good heavens, is that the time? Must get on!

Cuddly not clunky

Who’s Who has been available, through KnowUK or Credo Reference, for several years. And we know from the stats (Big Brother really is watching you) that Who’s Who is the top-used resource on both databases. So why mess with it?
Well, the Credo version is a bit clunky, and the KnowUK version is even clunkier. Step up to the plate, Oxford University Press. They have just launched a new, cuddly version of Who’s Who 2008, together with Who was Who for the late-greats.

It looks a lot like the online version of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) - this is a Good Thing. Just like the ODNB, Who’s Who is searchable in oodles of different ways, and it looks nice when you get to the actual entries.

Different perspectives

In some ways, of course, Who’s Who is not like the ODNB. The entries are written by the subjects, and even when someone dies, and their entry transfers to Who was Who, it remains their own assessment of themselves. So unless you’re a very honest crook, you’re unlikely to list your criminal activities in your Who’s Who spiel. In the ODNB, on the other hand, the biogs are written by people who are often happy to spill the beans.

For a hilarious example, try looking up Robert Maxwell. His Who was Who entry is a model of non-communication. Self-educated captain of industry, benefactor and all-round good egg – it’s all there in Who was Who. The ODNB entry starts with the words "publisher and swindler", and goes on to expose every last bit of his monstrous life.

Bearing its limitations in mind, the new version of Who’s Who is an extra gem glittering in the crown of Westminster Libraries exclusive resources for library members.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Biography". Who’s Who is a Key Link, as is the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Or go to
www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/ict/exclusive.cfm for a complete list of all the fantastic resources which come free with a library card.)


Picture credit: about.com