www.netradio.com is where you listen to music before you buy it. There is a whole range of music-from rock and blues to R&B and classical-that you can hear and if you are pleased with it, buy it. It has a section that gives you mini-lessons on music, on how to recognise the different genres and categories within these genres, for instance what is the difference between Chicago blues, country blues, electric blues and…gasp…Texas blues. You have the choice of listening to all this music on RealPlayer or WindowsMedia.

http://indymusic.com is where you go if you are keen on hearing some great music without being distracted by all those ads. You can listen to some new and unusual kinds of music and find out if you like them. Here's your chance to explore new vistas in music and broaden your knowledge of it…could be really helpful against all those indulging in name-dropping and showing-off at local watering holes and discos. Go on, learn to recognise Craig Lurey and David McLauchlan and differentiate between Splendorgrass and The Puddle Jumpers.

Want to listen to some of the best blues music, but can't find any? Then, this is your opportunity to drive away your blues of not finding any blues music. www.bluestown.com should be your answer. The site has recordings of concerts of some of the greatest blues artistes such as Ann Rabson, Corey Harris and Chris Cain. It also showcases the works of new and upcoming blues performers. Bluestown also has the cassettes and CDs on sale, which you can actually listen to before you buy.

Some of the best news coverage comes to you courtesy www.bbc.co.uk. The coverage is broad and in-depth and you get the latest updates on events. The BBC site offers you news on politics, economics, sports, weather, technology, gardening, history, health and what have you. Of course it would do well to have great connectivity in order to watch (and hear) the video smoothly with no breaks in the sound and images. So get ready to hear Stephen Cole, Jill McGivering, Peter Dobbie and their likes on your PC.

Cnn.com is another news site that you must check out for its great audio and video news coverage that is offered over the Internet. Obviously, other programs can also be viewed over the Net, so you need not worry about missing your regular dose of Larry King Live or Q&A with Riz Khan simply because you are not near your television. Certainly, a great connection is necessary to enjoy an uninterrupted flow of audio and video content.

If you are looking for news of the world as well as entertainment news, then http://speed.nbci.com is where you should be headed. The site has a good list of entertainment videos besides covering politics, business, technology, sports-the usual stuff covered by other news sites too. This Web site is a must-see simply for its entertainment section, which features Frasier, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 3rd Rock from the Sun…the list goes on.

Another site, www.audiobasket.com gives you a good mix of news under various categories such as news, sports and entertainment, earth and science, etc, brought to you by leading media providers such as CNN, BBC, The Wall Street Journal and several others. The best part about this site is that you can create your own mini basket or program list by choosing news categories that interest you from the content providers that you pick. The audio content in your basket is automatically updated, so that every time you log on to the site, you can listen to the latest editions of your favourite programmes.

http://ArtMuseum.net is a not-to-be-missed for the artistically inclined. This site offers you a virtual tour of its various exhibits, which include a One Stop Warhol Shop (works of Andy Warhol are on display) and the works of Vincent van Gogh besides other exhibits. The site requires you to sign up for membership if you want to enjoy it thoroughly, but it does offer a preview. In the van Gogh's 3D exhibit page, you can move around in the 10 virtual galleries, chat or even opt for a guided tour of selected works. The 3D versions of some of the works allow you to step inside the paintings and learn more about the work and the artist. The Art of the Screensaver is a section that contains digital art projects. You can download and use them as screensavers for free. You will need the latest version of RealPlayer and Macromedia Flash to enjoy the ArtMuseum experience.

If you are curious about proceedings in US courts, if you are interested in listening to a lot of legal-speak and watch courtroom drama, all you have to do is access www.broadcast.com/video/courttv. You can watch hearings on some of the latest headline-grabbing cases in the US. Even the recent hearings on the Bush-Gore election fiasco are all there for you to watch.

Get ready for some amazing animation at www.wildbrain.com. The site has brief cartoon films on a wide variety of subjects. There are characters like Romanov in episodes titled Nocturnus Interruptus and Rocket Romanov and satires like the one on Dante's Inferno. The movies are not mere movies but are satiric comments on society, culture and all that we see around us.