Discover HongKong !!!

Hong Kong is a city of colour and contrast - with strong Chinese roots surviving a British colonial past to create a cosmopolitan culture that buzzes with possibility.

How do I know this without having been there? Well, I read about it at Discover Hong Kong, the home of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and the best source I found on the web for getting under the skin of the culture.

Well laid out, with plenty of pictures and narrative, it's a joy to surf. Of particular note is the Interactive Gallery section which has some great videos to help you get a feel for the place. And check out the Hong Kong Stories section for an insider's view on life in this incredible city.

The Skeptic's Dictionary

How much of a sceptic are you? If you find it hard to accept some of the myths and legends that have grown up with our society, then you might find this next website to be a breath of fresh air.

Skepdic is the online home of author Robert Carroll's book 'The Skeptic's Dictionary', and I'd say it's a must read for anyone who is having trouble knowing what to believe in. From alien visitations and faces on Mars, to Chiropractics, chain letters & pyramid sales, the articles in these pages deconstruct more than 400 everyday beliefs and practises, and examine them with a sceptical mind.

The results are refreshing - a frank and open discussion based on reason. You can explore alphabetically or choose a topical category from the menu bar across the top. A really nice touch is the inclusion of the Critical Thinking mini-lessons, which are accessible through the left hand menu panel. Here the author takes you through the basics of reasoned thinking from a scientific angle, allowing you to step back from the issues and consider them from a rational point of view.

AliceBot - Artificial Intelligence

So would you like to have a nice little chat with Alice - a computer chat program which recently won, for the third time, a prestigious prize for human-like conversation.

The pages of AliceBot hold a wealth of essential reading about artificial intelligence. There's even information about the technology used to build Alice, and how you can start programming a robot for yourself.

Click 'Chat with Alice' to begin chatting with the robot herself. It is a unique and surprising experience. It's only text-based, but the artificial intelligence is really very impressive.

Alice responds politely and with complete relevance, and even asks counter questions from time to time. In the past few days I have spent some time trying to trip her up. Getting into a conversation with her about whether she is real or not was interesting to say the least.

But on the whole, aside from the speed with which she replies, one could almost be fooled into thinking you're chatting with a person.