Websites: activitysuperstore, GoForTea and others

10 best sites of the week

Yes, unfortunately that feeding frenzy of commercialism, over-spending on gifts you don't want for people you don't like, and face-stuffing gluttony also known as Christmas is almost upon us. It doesn't have to be like that – you could give some money to charity and buy yourself something from the Activitysuperstore.com. It's bursting with more than 250 of the UK's most amazing experiences and unforgettable adventure treats.

www.activitysuperstore.com

Yes, unfortunately that feeding frenzy of commercialism, over-spending on gifts you don't want for people you don't like, and face-stuffing gluttony also known as Christmas is almost upon us. It doesn't have to be like that – you could give some money to charity and buy yourself something from the Activitysuperstore.com. It's bursting with more than 250 of the UK's most amazing experiences and unforgettable adventure treats.

www.GoForTea.com

GoForTea.com is the first internet site dedicated to providing information on where one can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea in the grandest of Britain's hotels. You can search for hotels by location or by name and, also find out where the tradition of afternoon tea first originated. As Henry James put it in Portrait of a Lady: "Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony of afternoon tea."

www.ask.co.uk/

The PG Wodehouse-inspired internet search engine has been quick off the mark in jumping on the Christmas bandwagon, so if you're suffering from seasonal gift-buying dilemmas take away the hassle by clicking on the 'Ask Jeeves Christmas Special' at www.ask.co.uk/events/ christmas/index.asp?page=1 and let Jeeves answer all your festive questions. Apparently, "You can even win the ultimate New Year's Eve Party" – whatever one of those may be.

www.houseandgardenaddresses.co.uk

"The decoration super-highway openS!" or so we're told here. And it's all because "The House and Garden Book of Essential Addresses has gone online". Wow, must be impressive stuff, I hear you cry. Well, it answers every conceivable sourcing question from amateur home enthusiasts to decoration professionals alike. As well as a basic directory listing of more than 3,000 companies, the site offers suppliers a visual "sampler", and a fast link to their own email and website addresses.

www.seniority.co.uk

Proving that the internet doesn't have to be the domain solely of children and teen geeks, this is a community for people aged 50 (ish) that's been putting the lazy younger generations to shame. The site, the content of which, comes from the readers themselves, is witness to some of the most adventurous "silver surfers" around – including a 70-year-old skydiver birthday and 50 year old mountaineer.

www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/conspiracy.html

Let's face it: everything you know is wrong and "they're" out to get us. This website knows it too. By typing words into a series of menus you are able to generate your own unique conspiracy theory. For example, "In order to understand UFOs you need to realise that everything is controlled by The Rolling Stones." Sounds reasonable to me – did you hear their last album?

harrypotter.warnerbros.com/
www.lordoftherings.net/
disney.go.com/disneypictures/monstersinc/index.html

You might as well get used to the idea – there will be no escaping from these three films over the next few months, as they battle it out for the hearts, minds and cash of children and adults alike. Harry Potter is the obvious candidate to become the most successful film of all time, but Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of J R R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings may prove to be stiff competition. However, Disney's animated feature, Monsters Inc, may surprise everyone with a strong showing at the box office. You can find out more about these films at their respective websites.

www.uar.co.uk

Those who desire something for nothing will be disappointed to learn that it'll cost £15-25 to find out if there's an undiscovered nest egg with their name on it, but since an estimated £15bn of life insurance and pensions goes unclaimed each year, the expense could prove worthwhile.

www.imdb.com/

The ultimate movie resource, with films new and old, facts, figures, cast details, trivia, bloopers – if it isn't listed here, then it isn't worth knowing. Plus, up-to-date movie news, gossip and box office takings.

www.bluefootbear.co.uk

What the world needs at the moment is more bears. Blue Foot Bears are handcrafted and there are more than 25 different outfits and accessories to customise each one. For that finishing touch, why not have a name or message embroidered on the garment? Every Blue Foot Bear carries its own individual passport complete with the sender's private message and are delivered overnight.

netgains@independent.co.uk