Tinsel has been draped around Netropolitan鈥檚 computer and the plastic tree
precariously balanced on the newsdesk鈥攕o it must be the season for
conspicuous consumption. Or rather, it would be if only the Net wasn鈥檛 so
painfully slow. The fact that Christmas shopping is easier if you buy stuff
online鈥攏o queues, shop rage, road rage or overcrowded public
transport鈥攈as slowed networks even more. To a standstill, in some
cases.
In the US, the web servers of toy retailer Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us were out of action
for hours last week after demand for its online store exceeded all expectations.
If you find the shopping area at http://www.toysrus.com too busy, there are
diversions just in case you have a fascinated child looking over your shoulder.
At http://www.toysrus.com/asset/playground/htdocs/indexColoringBook.htm
you鈥檒l find a host of animated games, including an onscreen colouring book鈥攂ut
to start colouring you鈥檒l need Macromedia鈥檚 ShockWave plug-in.
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Of course, you will by now have sent all your season鈥檚 greetings cards. But
if not, you can alleviate the guilt by sending an e-card. There are heaps of links to such sites at
Birdie鈥檚 Nest, at http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1465/greetlst.htm.
One site that offers greetings for Chanukah, Ramadan or Christmas鈥攕ome with
sound and animations鈥攊s Blue Mountain at http://www. bluemountain.com/ index.html.
There鈥檚 always a danger that Santa Claus will get stuck down a chimney. So
it鈥檚 important for kids who are nervous of him being waylaid to know where he is
on Christmas Eve. Step forward the North American Aerospace Defense
Command鈥攁ka NORAD鈥攚hich is once again lending an over-the-horizon
radar and the Pentagon鈥檚 satellite remote sensing network for the task of
tracking the generous old-timer. Catch http://www.noradsanta.org for the full
lowdown from Santa traffic control early on 24 December.
