CHINESE TO TAKE AWAY
www.chinese-tools.com
Five stars
The best thing about this delightful site, devoted to all things Chinese, is that it holds out the tantalising promise that you can learn to speak Mandarin in 10 minutes a day. Free, downloadable audio clips begin with one word at a time, while the calligraphy studio demonstrates how to write Chinese characters, stroke by stroke. It is enough to persuade you this highly complex language might not be so difficult after all. Elsewhere, the tone is playful — find out about horoscopes and proverbs, translate your name into Chinese and add it to a printable picture, or see photos of Miss Tourism China 2006. In a section on caricatures, the polite description of Chairman Mao suggests the site is made by the party faithful, but the explanation of who runs it links to a page from a Chinese newspaper. So to find out, you will have to learn Mandarin.
DIY SUPREMO
www.uktvstyle.co.uk
Four stars
This is an upbeat, magazine-style site that mixes household tips (“Don’t let the soap dish let your bathroom down!”) with practical DIY. In fast-loading videos, neat-looking handymen, who never get wet, hammer their thumbs or unscrew the wrong knob, demonstrate how to solve common household problems with practised ease: fix a non-flushing loo, for example, replace a cracked tile or put in a new light fitting. There are interactive mood boards, and extremely useful decorator’s calculators that estimate how much paint or how many tiles a given room needs. When you get bored with DIY, you can dip into less demanding sections, such as wedding-list etiquette and whether it is rude to ask guests to contribute to your honeymoon rather than buy a toaster. Or maybe just settle for a mole wrench instead.
RIFF LIKE HENDRIX
www.workshoplive.com
Four stars
It is no small task teaching a musical instrument at a distance, and this ambitious American site does a difficult job remarkably well. Using video clips and some clever interactivity, it will teach you how to play the piano (absolute beginners only for now) or the guitar (beginner, intermediate or advanced). You will need to be very motivated, but the teaching is excellent: clear, friendly and informal (“Don’t freak out on me now!”). There are a few technical gremlins: the lessons take about 45 seconds to load and, irritatingly, the video packages stop and reload halfway through. But the pluses are many: there is a guitar chord finder that shows and plays any chord; you can see each note on a stave light up as it’s played; and speed up or slow down the music. There is even good live support (about 2pm to 4am), all for £16 per month.
CANNY INVESTING
www.investopedia.com
Three stars
If you work your way through the mountain of information here, you should be able to manage your own hedge fund by the end (well, almost). Alongside a useful financial dictionary sit articles and tutorials covering subjects such as short selling (selling a security you own in order to buy it back at a lower price). An interactive test checks if you’ve been paying attention. You can play at losing virtual cash by the bucketload with the excellent investment simulator, or seek out the lively forums and everyday financial advice. The downside is that it is American: the fundamentals don’t change, but beginners may be confused.
CLIMB THE LADDER
www.mindtools.com
Three stars
We all want to improve our performance in the office, but where to start? Oozing American work ethic, Mindtools summarises a bumper crop of career-skills advice, from time-management techniques and leadership skills to personal presentation. There are some great nuggets of information: stimulate creativity with “Creative Pause” (essentially a way to take a step back from a problem); prevent stress overload by putting aside less important tasks. Graphics, such as the “to do” list template, help too. Handy to dip into, though the design is dull and explanations vary in quality. Free, but paid-for sections (£3) offer greater depth.
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COOK LIKE A CHEF
www.911cheferic.com
Three stars
You can see exactly what is cooking here with the recipe video clips (especially useful if you have no idea what petit salé aux lentilles d’Auvergne actually is). Run by the French chef Eric Arrouze, the site’s 300-plus cookery classes include hints and tips in heavily accented English. Arrouze advises checking lentils for “leeetle rocks” (spread them out on a baking sheet) and points out that salt doesn’t dissolve in oil, so dissolve it in vinegar first when making vinaigrette. It’s great stuff, but some demos don’t work (we may never know how to make the fish soup of Marseille), and not all the recipes are videoed. Cost: £4 per month.