It seems like every day there is a cool new site for photo manipulation and sharing.
This week is no different, as I kick off my recommendations with this frivolous yet very funky offering from Graphita.com.
This site lets you do fun and silly alterations to your digital pictures.
Do not expect any artistically enhancing features like red-eye reduction or colour filters. This place is all about fake noses, silly glasses, outlandish hats and amusing captions.
You will need to register to save any pictures, so you might as well do that straight away.
Upload a picture from your computer and then select it from the bottom panel before clicking continue.
I found that uploaded pictures do not work in the edit screen unless you are registered - but as this site is still being developed, some strange behaviour is to be expected.
If you come across a problem - let them know.
Alternatively, if you are lacking inspiration or the material to work with, why not have a play with one of the preloaded pictures, also available in the bottom panel?
Once you have selected your picture it will open up in the edit window. Use the tabs across the top of the options panel to add your objects and any caption text, then just click save.
Clicking My Pictures at the top of the home page will open your personal gallery, and you can then use the buttons at the bottom for various ways to share your work.
Again, some of the options are there but not yet clickable until the site's developers get a little further down the road.
A few weeks ago we talked about online applications. Well jooce.com is one of them.
According to jooce, 500 million people access the internet from cybercafes each day. And if you happen to be one of those people, or you just want a consistent experience when browsing the web from multiple locations, consider this place.
The idea of this site is to bring the functionality of your personal computer at home to any computer you might happen to sit down at - even if you do not actually have a machine at home.
You will be able to access files, e-mail, instant messaging, storage and lots of other applications.
The first step is to register and reserve your own private space on their servers.
Next up, enter your instant messenger account details and click the green arrow to confirm.
Be warned, when you want to talk to a contact, jooce will send them a message inviting them to sign-up every time you text them through their ordinary instant messenger client.
Next, click the forward arrow to run through all the options and set up your desktop how you want. There is a useful tips run-through when you first start up, teaching you everything you can do with jooce.
As well as being able to use this virtual desktop in exactly the same way as a normal desktop - storing files, making folders and chatting to your friends - there is also a public desktop (known as a joocetop) accessible through the green desktop icon at the bottom.
Here you can allow friends to access and share files you have placed on it.
It works in exactly the same way as the regular desktop, but through your jooce instant messenger client, contacts can open up your joocetop, and vice versa - making sharing files and information a breeze.
As well as being a really useful tool, I love the way the interface looks and works. Though if you are stuck using an older machine on a low bandwidth connection, you might find all the animations make it slow to load.
A quick look at a very useful site next. if I want to catch up on the world of business and current affairs - as you do - there is only one place I point my browser to Economist.com
This is a site from the popular publication the Economist, and includes all of its articles past and present, plus a whole lot more. It is a really useful resource if you want to check up on some news you may have missed in months gone by.
There is insight and opinion on international news, politics, cultural trends, science and technology. In fact for anyone running a business, large or small, this is pretty much essential reading if you want to stay on top of world affairs.
All sections are accessible through the navigation panel on the left. Of particular note are the useful city guides and country briefing sections, plus an enlightening collection of audio and video behind the link of the same name.
King.comFrom high brow to very low brow now. A little time waster after all this serious surfing. Get yourself along to King.com.
King is a social gaming website with more than 80 games to play and over 196 million games played per month.
Rather interestingly, more than 70% of King's players are women, and the stable of games is vast and very appealing. I especially like the word games.
Just browse through the sections and have a go.
You will need to register if you want to progress through the later levels.
Registration will also allow you to take part in the multiplayer games and sign-up for tournaments (many of which are free to enter), but you can dive into any of the single player games to try them out with no setup at all.
Competing in a tournament will earn you prize jewels, which you can use to unlock additional features on the site.
The only downside is that the annoying music and sound effects might drive you crazy quite quickly.
