Web grooves
Over 14 years ago, more than a hundred companies agreed on a standard way for making music with computers - the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (Midi). Midi player software turns your computer into a virtual musical instrument, as music files tells it - or an electronic instrument connected to it - what notes to sound and in which order. Most modern personal computers, when fitted with a sound card, can play the thousands of Midi files stashed around the Web - and all Macs come with sound circuitry built-in.
You will find a selection of music files in the Electronic Music Forum at http://computingcentral.com.-forums/default.asp?eletronicmusic/index.htm or you can search for works by your favourite artist or a well-loved tune by following the advice at http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~-ckelly/midi/help/midi-search.html.
Rock and a hard place
From hardware harmonies to hard rocks. Easter Island is famous for the ancient civilisation that built massive stone heads and then largely vanished. The unofficial Easter Island site at http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html contains everything an armchair traveller could want: pages describing the local culture, the history of the island, and the possible fate of its inhabitants. Adventurous types can also find out more about travelling to one of the world's most isolated spots.
By Jupiter! :
One isolated place makes way for another. Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet puts on a good show even when there is not an exotic eclipse going on. The US National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) compiles information on the planet and the spacecraft that have visited it so far. A link at the bottom of the pages takes you to the main table of contents of the NSSDC's huge photograph gallery. Visit the planet - through the Internet, that is at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogalleryjupiter.html.
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