The big picture (and the small one)

Film… television… films about television and TV programmes about films: it’s a symbiotic relationship (symbiotic! Hark at him!). Two excellent websites reflect this closeness.

All our yesterdays on screen

Screenonline is "the definitive guide to Britain’s film and TV history". Sounds a bit dry, doesn’t it? But spend a few minutes exploring this fascinating site and you will be hooked.

From 1890s film of the Derby-winner to fly-on-the-wall TV documentaries, this website from the British Film Institute has got it covered. You can browse by medium (film or TV), by decade or by theme, and there’s a search box if you’re stuck.

There are commentaries, synopses, cast lists and photos. Also, but only if you are using a Westminster Libraries computer, there are clips from some of the films and TV programmes – even complete episodes in some cases.
Want to be embarrassed by the things you used to watch as a kid? Look no further! Cringe at Crossroads, boggle at Benny Hill, shudder at Shoestring (sorry if any of those were your favourites).

This site sprawls and spreads. Getting the most out of it takes a little time. But the rewards, not to mention the opportunities to gasp at your youthful (lack of) taste, are great.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Stage & screen". Screenonline is a Key Link.)

A true pioneer

It’s perhaps surprising that the publishers of Radio Times, the most venerable of the radio and television listings mags, should have realised so long ago that a presence on the Internet was essential. It’s a long time since I’ve done more than glance at the print version, but the website has a remarkably similar "feel" to the dog-eared journal I remember from the days when it lived near the television in the living room – the same mix of background articles, gossip and programme listings with, of course, far more channels in the listings than ever before. But there’s more. There’s film.

Not just film on television; they have news and reviews of all the latest cinema releases, and an archive of more than 26,000 previous reviews. The roundup of programme downloads is alone worth a visit to this site. There’s a lot more – look for yourself.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "stage & screen". Radio Times is under "Television & radio".)

Adventures in the corridors of power

“ 'I want to know--'

'Look here. Upon my soul you mustn't come into the place saying you want to know, you know,' remonstrated Barnacle junior [of the Circumlocution Office], turning about and putting up the eye-glass.” (from Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens)

Information from government – has anything changed?

The direct route?

“Easy access to the public services you use and the information you need, delivered by the UK government.” This claim for the DirectGov website might provoke a hollow laugh. Whatever they claim (and whatever their motives), governments are not noted for being fleet of foot when it comes to sharing information. Dickens's Circumlocution Office is still going strong, although it might have changed its name to the Department of... well, I'm sure you can fill in the blank. So is DirectGov worth a moment of your time?

Yes and no, but more yes than no (how half-hearted is that?!). If you want to track down a central government department, office or responsibility, you may well get help from this site. The “Straight to” topics laid out on the home page are well chosen and expressed in normal, as opposed to civil-service, English. And the “Let DirectGov point the way” articles are a creditable attempt to bring together useful advice and pointers to where you can find further government information.

Surprisingly (I'm such a cynic) the search engine is very good. I searched for “immigration”, and I got 85 hits which appear to have been presented in a “most relevant” order, so an introductory article on nationality and citizenship comes first, followed by a news release on the points-based immigration system and details of a parliamentary bill on the topic. This is the sort of mix I would expect, and I was duly impressed.

The highest compliment I can pay to DirectGov is to say that I would usually try it first, before I turned to Google. Which is more than I could say for a great many official websites!

(From the Gateway to websites, select “Government”, then “Government & politics: national and international”. DirectGov is a Key Link.)

A bottle for your messages

WriteToThem is a brilliantly simple concept. I sit here and type in my postcode, and up pops a page setting my local councillors, London Assembly members, My MP and MEPs. With links to electronic forms to contact the said reps. What's not to like about that?

Of course, sometimes it does not work. If your representatives do not make available an address to which the electronic form may be sent, the system will break down. My local councillors can only be contacted using the council's own form. Which is a shame, because it limits the usefulness of an otherwise amazingly useful tool of democracy.

Despite this glitch (no fault of the website) WriteToThem is still great. The one-page run-down on who is responsible for what is alone worth a visit. First class.

(From the Gateway to websites, select “Government”, then “Government & politics: national and international”. WriteToThem is under “Your representatives”.)

Minus the shooting

“Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules, and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.”

Thank you, George (Orwell) – let's get on with the fighting.

The panorama and the nitty-gritty

The Virtual Library of Sport is not pretty. It's been online for 15 years, and age has not done much for its appearance. But stick with it if you want background information about a wide range of sport.

The site is essentially a catalogue (or, if you like, a gateway) of links to external websites. When it was started in 1993, a trawl of all the existing sports websites netted just 100. Now they list many thousands. They still use humans to organise the links, and these days they include some paid-for entries as well as the free listings.

I had a look at cricket. You don't need me to tell you that cricket attracts a range of enthusiasts – it's a moot point whether the actual players of the game are outnumbered by the statistics junkies and the rules freaks. But whatever your interest, there is a good chance that you will find a useful link here, ranging from the history of the game to advice on improving your batting technique. The coverage is global, but if you scroll down the page far enough you will see a case-by-case coverage of the main cricketing countries.

I followed a link to an explanation of the Duckworth-Lewis method of deciding the outcome of rain-affected matches. This, it seems, “ is simple to apply provided one is prepared to take a few minutes to understand its logic.” When I woke up, luckily, it had stopped raining.

(From the Gateway to websites, select “Sport & recreation”. The Virtual Library of Sport is a Key Link.)

Lee Valley! Ra ra ra!

London 2012 – I wonder what that's about? Yes of course, it's all things Olympic. Maps, pictures, videos and web cams – they're all here, along with news, future plans and opportunities to get involved as a volunteer.

As you would expect from the official website, it's all irrepressibly upbeat, but I found that a rather refreshing change after being fed recently on a constant diet of carping criticism by BBC London.

(From the Gateway to websites, select “Sport & recreation”. London 2012 is a Key Link.)