Burning Press: The written word is gaining a new meaning, thanks to the new online media. And this site, that presents radical ways of creating literature and poetry, is certainly going to pit traditionalists against innovators. Such features as 'Textworx Toolshed' ("downloadable programs for aleatoric text manipulation, manglement, & other fun..."), 'Wr-eye-tings Scratchpad' ("an online laboratory and showcase for WWWeb-based intermedia...") and 'Machine Made of Words' ("virtual gallery of online vizlit and audioart...") will delight the open-minded and disgust purists. Anyway, just imagine... you don't have to wait around for your muse to strike to put pen to paper, or rather, fingers to the keyboard. The electronic aids here promise "go anytime" inspiration. There's also a 'CybpherAnthology Project' that tries to locate communities among various online writing projects, and the cleverly-titled 'InYrEar', that presents performance and sound poetry in RealAudio, is a real treat.

DoHistory Home: So, you never made history? Y'know, neither became famous nor did well in the subject at school. Anyway, here's a chance to redeem yourself by learning some basic skills and techniques to interpret historical documents. "An experimental, interactive case study based on the research that went into the book and film A Midwife's Tale, which were both based upon the remarkable 200-year-old diary of midwife/healer Martha Ballard" (gasp!), DoHistory offers pointers on how to make sense of "fragments that survive from any period in history". It's a fascinating site that has lots of helpful links, including some for teachers who might want to make their history classes more interesting. The main page loads fast and the design is admirably visitor-friendly.

Medieval Drama Links: Drama producers, teachers, students and enthusiasts will find much that's enlightening and engaging at this home page of links selected by Sydney Higgins. There's information on everything from authentic set design to props and makeup for productions of medieval dramas. And the links -- more than 200 of them -- cover the subject as comprehensively as you could expect from the best Web resources. Aranged on four pages under headings like 'Texts', Performance & Set Design', 'Propes & Make-Up', 'Medieval Instruments', 'Medieval Dance' and 'News and Discussion Groups', the connections take you exactly where you want to go. A site like this makes you realise how truly wonderful the World Wide Web is in putting hard-to-find information at your fingertips.

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center: Here's another great site for astronomy buffs, especially those who're turned on by the history and science of X-ray imaging. The Chandra X-ray Observatory Center, named in honour "of the late Indian-American Nobel laureate, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekha", is operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The Chandra images are presented in the Photo Album section under 'Cycle 1 Chandra Science Images' and 'First Chandra Images'. These are truly magnificent, mind-blowing sights. And if you're into cerebral soap opera (Editor: "Is that sort of a cross between Dallas and a Discovery documentary?"), you'll love the Chandra Chronicles, which is goes into its fourth episode, 'Beyond the Veil', this month. There are links to 'Press Releases', 'Pressroom', 'Name Contest' and 'Human Spaceflight Web', and if you want to know more about Subrahmanyan, click on 'The Man Behind the Name'. The loading, including that of images, is pretty fast which makes your visit here even more enjoyable.

Museum of Web Art: A site "dedicated to the art, technology and culture of the World Wide Web" that appropriately celebrates the power of the wired (wireless soon!) media. There're great examples of cutting-edge Web design and computer art, and you can choose from five different-themed galleries -- West, North, South, East and Linker Hall -- to have your fill of visuals. The interactive computer art installations redefine creativity in the cyber age, and young people will love the games tailored to test their artistic skills in the 'Kids Wing'. The 'front door' could do with a better design but once you pick the entrance (Visitor's Center, Kids Wing, Main Entrance or Information Exchange) that interests you the most, things get more exciting.

IExplore.com: Here's something for those who hate to travel the boring way -- rigid itinerary, limousines, luxury hotels, leather briefcase... yawn! With an emphasis on ecotourism, IExplore.com offers you information on adventure travel in any part of the world. Although it's a commercial set-up, you can find free expert tips on 'Bicycle Touring in Italy', 'Cruising the Galapagos Islands', 'Mountain Biking the American Southwest', 'Safaris in Botswana', and just about any kind of 'last frontier'-type expedition. A team of experts will offer answers to e-mail questions and if you're feeling desultory and have the desire and the dough, you can sign up for one of iExplore's own "adventure and experiential travel" packages. It's an easy site to navigate and there aren't too many 'in your face' ads to send you scampering.

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