Subject: Free Pint No.77 - Auctions, Horseracing and Finances Free Pint "Helping 33,000 people use the Web for their work" http://www.freepint.co.uk/ ISSN 1460-7239 14th December 2000 No.77 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = IN THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Dr. Pita Enriquez Harris FREE PINT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery TIPS AND TECHNIQUES "A Look at Online Auctions" By Ina Steiner BOOKSHELF "Mining For Gold On The Internet: How to find investment and financial information on the Internet" Reviewed by Caryn Wesner-Early FEATURE ARTICLE "Horseracing on the Web" by Christopher Webber EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES CONTACT INFORMATION ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/141200.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Use Cruiser - for hosting with a difference! http://www.globalgold.co.uk/ Are you looking after multiple accounts or managing multiple brands or clients and in need of a more flexible hosting solution to help you handle your business efficiently and effectively? If so, think Cruiser. http://www.globalgold.co.uk/Hosting/Cruiser > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [gg771] >>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<< Free Pint is a community of business professionals who use the Web for their work. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet. Signing up at provides free access to the substantial archive of articles, book reviews, industry news and events, with answers to your research questions and networking at the "Free Pint Bar" and "Student Bar". This newsletter is best read when printed out and viewed in a Courier font. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EDITORIAL Are trade shows supposed to be quite that much fun? We had a great time last week at the Free Pint Bar, our pub-themed stand at the Online Information 2000 exhibition in London. We had queues of people waiting to try their luck at winning real free pints, and the Free Pint Players (that famous Irish folk band lead by our very own Simon Collery) were a real hit with the crowds. Welcome to the many new Free Pinters who signed up as a result of all the frivolity. You can find out just how many freebies we gave away in the "Free Pint Fact" a bit lower down, but we were also telling visitors about our new UK Company Research gateway in partnership with ICC. This service certainly seems to have struck a chord with our membership since its launch in the last issue, with hundreds of searches taking place on the first day alone. I would urge you to have a look since it's free to search and view basic company details, and you can purchase more detailed information immediately with a credit card without setup or subscription fees: http://www.freepint.co.uk/icc Never one to be shy of a promotional opportunity for Free Pint, I'm flying off shortly with the BBC to spend a week trying to survive in the wilds of North America somewhere. If you're in the UK then you may have seen a TV programme called "Bare Necessities" where six strangers from two occupations (e.g. three nurses versus three estate agents) are dumped in the middle of nowhere and filmed trying to build suitable accommodation and sanitary amenities. There are various challenges, including preparing and cooking dead animals, and the teams are scored on their team spirit and achievements. This is a major personal challenge for me and you can find out how our team fare when the programme is aired on BBC2 in the new year. I hope you enjoy today's Free Pint, which is packed with the regular mix of articles, reviews and tips. Since this is the last edition of the year I'll shortly be sending you the handy Free Pint Index which you can keep as your quick reference guide to all our content over the last three years. I hope you have a super Christmas and New Year break and we'll see you on the 4th of January. If you don't receive another Free Pint newsletter after this one then you'll know that I didn't do too well surviving with just the bare necessities. Cheers William William Hann BSc MIInfSc Founder and Managing Editor, Free Pint e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Free Pint is a trademark of Free Pint Limited http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> Research a UK customer or competitor <<< http://www.freepint.co.uk/icc/ Search over 1.6m UK companies and view basic details free within seconds. If you require more detail then purchase statutory and financial information by credit card without setup or subscription fees. Reports displayed immediately on our secure server. Try a search today at http://www.freepint.co.uk/icc/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Dr. Pita Enriquez Harris * The Standard - My favourite source of news, articles and metrics about the Internet industry . I am addicted to the mobile edition! The new European edition has just been launched at * Moreover - I primarily use this for its terrific news search engine, complete with WebTop and InfoSort search-refining technology. Unlike most news aggregators, Moreover has good coverage of the British press * Avantgo - The best web application ever for an information junkie. It allows you to download web pages to your Palm/Handspring for reading offline * Backflip - Instead of just bookmarking a site, I Backflip it. That way I can find it again from any computer, and also search the content * FilmUnlimited - A favourite Avantgo channel of mine. Excellent content laid out brilliantly for the mobile device user! Pita Harris is a director of The Oxford Knowledge Company , which develops content for Web sites using a combination of technology and human experts. Tell us about your top five favourite Web sites. see the guidelines at or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ** Isabella joined the Internet start-up to end up rich ** If she's not careful, she'll end up dead! Starting in January, read the first instalment of the serialised mystery, 'Trouble at Risk-eGames.com' exclusively presented on the Factiva InfoPro Alliance portal. http://www.factiva.com/infopro > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [fa773] >>> FREE PINT ADVERTISER UPDATE <<< Free Pint is a great place to advertise. For information simply sign up for the Advertiser Update, a brief monthly email with details of special offers, discounts and forthcoming article topics. or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/141200.htm#bar Free Pint Bar - http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar [Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] There was a particularly thought provoking question raised on the Bar last week: what features would the perfect search engine have (6297)? A search tool with all the features suggested would indeed be a boon. However, I would like to see the tool evolve over time with the collaboration of super searchers, the best search tool developers, usability experts and search trainers. Many users seem to suffer from a lack of training and this is not helped by the fact that search tool instructions are often very poorly written. Also, I suspect that much development is done without input from those with the skills listed above. Of course, I could be wrong. As usual, I looked at several search tools in the past couple of weeks, a 'vortal portal' (6294), an academic resource directory (6325) and a collection of search facilities (6215). But finding online message boards (6344) and mailing list hosts (6246) sounds like a job for directory browsing. The information is there but you may need to browse in several directions, depending on what subjects or industries and what countries or regions you are interested in. Business researchers have shown some interest in mobile start-up companies (6233), British supermarkets that have expanded into other countries (6231) and content provider revenue models (6174). Two good sources of quantitative data turned up for review, one a detailed report on US Internet usage (6191) and the other a big collection of Internet and related statistics and reports (6359). UK sources of ebusiness information are still being sought (6275) if anyone can help. And our mystery boozer is still looking for an estimate of the number of accountancy students in the UK (6330). Yet again we had some great resources highlighted on the Bar. High tech company information (6244), film (6239), the automotive industry (6347), knowledge management courses (6211), ecommerce funding and grants (6300), the paper market (6194), engineering (6251), herbal medicine (6284), UK shareware (6349), neuro-linguistic programming (6159), first editions of books (6252) and finding British contacts in foreign countries (6173). Many thanks also to the US toper who sent us the new URL for IBM's patent database (6327). Oddly enough, some people have been ringing the death knell for librarians while others have been heralding an age when they will be more in demand than ever (6167). There have been queries about call centre charges (6311), information systems department job titles (6238) and utilization of real time online reference facilities in libraries (6312), the last two still requiring an answer. Should one ask a librarian before they all disappear? We have had techie questions about distribution lists in MS Outlook (6279), the email editor in MS Word (6320), site monitoring tools (6250) and FrontPage tools (6221). We've also had a couple of questions about newsgroups (6234, 6235) and one about setting up Web cams (6350). The question of choosing an ISP for home use has come up, not for the first time (6195), and if you know who to complain to about a British host provider (6230), sock it to me! What has happened to JustNames.co.uk (6264)? All the sites related to it seem to be down at the moment. Do you know anything about the impact of equal opportunities legislation on insurance (6332)? We have had some pretty miscellaneous questions about Latin translations (6288, 6314), the theme tune for The Money Programme (6287), the English meaning of the Japanese 'Five Ss' (6286), the words to a Vince Vance lyric (6240) and posting job advertisements online (6318). The great source of pleasure is variety, according to ... Free Pint Student Bar - http://www.freepint.co.uk/student [Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] You can tell that students are on holidays at the moment. The only questions have been about library work experience (1095) and MBA action research (1097). Simon Collery, Content Developer To read a message: - Enter the id number in place of XXXX in the address , for example - For Student Bar postings please use the address - Alternatively, view this summary online with activated hyperlinks at If you have a tricky research question or can help other Free Pinters then do post a message at the Bar or the Student Bar . Visit daily for "Today's Tipple" - a different Web site reviewed every working day at the Bar. Every Tuesday there is the "Pub Crawl", a look at full text articles from a range of information and Internet publications. Access the archive of Tipples and Pub Crawls at . To have the latest Free Pint Bar postings sent to you every other day, send a blank email to . For the Student Bar Digest send an email to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> LET FREE PINT TELL THE SEARCH ENGINES ABOUT YOUR SITE <<< Enter your Web address and Free Pint Submit will contact the top search engines on your behalf. It's quick and free at: http://www.freepint.co.uk/submit/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Download your FREE 30-Day Trial of BullsEye Pro, the Ultimate Research Assistant for Professionals. In the June 8th issue of Free Pint, Chris Sherman describes how "BullsEye, a desktop based meta search engine, can also access many of the sites included in InvisibleWeb.com." With fine-grained filters and up to the minute trackers, you will control information rather than having it control you. Go to http://info.intelliseek.com/promotions/fp.htm and receive a 20% discount off the price of $249 if you purchase a copy by 12/31/00. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [in774] TIPS AND TECHNIQUES http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/141200.htm#tips "A Look at Online Auctions" By Ina Steiner eBay, the largest consumer-to-consumer (C2C) auction site on the Internet, has proven that online auctions are a viable business model. eBay categories have expanded from consumer items, such as collectibles, clothing and electronics, to business items, such as tractors, medical equipment, surplus inventory and assets from bankrupt businesses. Dynamic pricing has become a vaunted buzzword as organizations try new business models to make the Internet work for them. Dynamic pricing is any selling situation in which pricing is not static: examples include - auctions - eBay , reverse auctions - Priceline and demand-based pricing - Mercata . This article examines C2C online auctions and the tools and services that have sprung up around them. Online Auction Background ------------------------- Whether it's cookie jars, antiques or books, most people collect something. eBay quickly built up a community of collectors when it started operations five years ago. Visitors to eBay remain on the site to research items, browse and bid. There are special-interest forums where people can share their collecting interests and ask for help in identifying items. Auction sites make money by charging sellers listing fees and commissions. Online auctions are similar to "real-life" auctions in many respects, with sellers taking on the role of auctioneer. Sellers research the item's value, list the item and wait for would-be buyers to raise the price with each bid. After an auction has ended, buyers and sellers communicate directly with each other and arrange payment and shipping. Once sellers have received payment from buyers, they send the item as requested. When the transaction is complete, buyers and sellers are encouraged to leave mutual feedback that can be seen by all. The feedback system helps keep people honest, and buyers avoid bidding on items posted by sellers with negative feedback. Fraud ----- Despite feedback systems, problems between auction buyers and sellers arise due to misunderstandings, deliberate deception and outright fraud. Companies have sprung up to make the auction process safer. Escrow companies like I-Escrow and Escrow.com act as middlemen, ensuring both parties live up to their obligations. There is a charge for using escrow companies, and many auction users assume the risk of dealing directly with each other. SquareTrade offers a unique service - online dispute resolution (Roger Fisher, co-author of "Getting to Yes," sits on its advisory board). SquareTrade provides direct negotiation between auction buyers and sellers at no charge. If this process fails, either party can request an online professional mediator for a fee of 15 US dollars. Online Appraisals ----------------- When you think of online appraisals, think "Antiques Roadshow" on the Internet. Owners can send photos and descriptions of their items to an online appraisal service. These services don't give true appraisals since it's a "virtual" inspection, but they help identify the item and its potential value based on the description supplied. Services like Eppraisals.com and Ask the Appraiser charge 20 US dollars per item and leave a record of the online appraisal on their Web site, which sellers can link to in their online auction listings. Payment ------- Many users sell from home on a part-time basis. Services have arisen to allow sellers to easily accept credit card payments from buyers while keeping the buyers' financial information private. Each of the major auction sites has its own payment service: Ebay BillPoint , Yahoo! PayDirect and Amazon Payments . PayPal , owned by X.com, quickly became one of the most popular payment services in 2000 through viral marketing using two powerful incentives: free service and generous referral bonuses. PayPal now charges transaction fees to business accounts, but the service is still one of the cheapest methods for obtaining credit card merchant services. BidPay is another popular payment service. Buyers supply their credit card information to BidPay, and for a 5 US dollars fee, BidPay sends a money order to the seller, expediting the transaction. Consignment Sales ----------------- People who don't have computers or Internet connections or who have hard-to-ship items can use consignment services. Two relatively new services are myEZsale.com and TIAS.com . Just drop the item off and they will take photos, list the item on an auction site, collect payment, and package and ship the item to the buyer. MyEZsale.com uses packaging stores as drop-off points and TIAS.com utilizes antique malls. They both charge fees and take a commission of the selling price. Auction Search Engines ---------------------- Auction search engines search multiple auction sites. BiddersEdge.com searches over 200 auction sites and lists all found auctions matching your search criteria. You can further narrow your search by category (i.e., electronics), auction site, Merchant Auctions versus Person-to-Person Auctions, auction-end period (i.e., auctions ending in 30 minutes) and new items only. You must search eBay separately by clicking a special button, at which point a new browser window is opened containing eBay's search results page. Another search tool, PriceRadar.com , goes beyond the task of simply finding items. PriceRadar.com calculates the final selling price of similar items that have been auctioned in the past. The site is still being developed, but promises to have some interesting price analysis capabilities. Resources --------- Online Auction Users Association is a membership group for online auction users. It has a useful tips section for online auction newbies at and a page of links at . There are many companies that provide services such as auction counters, image hosting, message boards, daily news and the like. My own company, AuctionBytes.com , publishes a free twice-monthly email newsletter with product reviews and auction tips. The AuctionBytes Web site also has a daily news feature and a Yellow Pages directory where users can leave ratings and reviews for the products listed. Online auctions have allowed would-be entrepreneurs to set up virtual shops on the Internet. They have surpassed their reputation as global "garage sales" and have become efficient marketplaces for consumers and businesses alike. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ina Steiner, MBA, is Editor and Publisher of AuctionBytes.com, a resource for online auction users. She is also Operations Manager for BiblioData , publisher of The CyberSkeptic's Guide to Internet Research print newsletter for researchers and librarians. Ina writes about the online auction industry in AuctionBytes-Update, a free email newsletter available at . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Post a message to the author now at the Free Pint Bar * Access the entire archive of Free Pint content > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> FREE PINT FACT <<< As predicted, last week's Online Information show was a frenzy of freebies. The final counts are in and we gave away some 3000 free pint beer mats and 2000 branded bottle openers from Bar sponsors Factiva. Visitors to the stand tried their luck on our antique one-armed bandit fruit machine and won some 300 bottles of quality beer and ale, as well as 300 mini bottles of gin from our information partner ICC. We have subsequently been accused, quite justifiably in fact, of encouraging both alcoholism and gambling. William Hann, Managing Editor > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BOOKSHELF http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf "Mining For Gold On The Internet: How to find investment and financial information on the Internet" Reviewed by Caryn Wesner-Early The book's subtitle tells it all. This is an exhaustive source for all kinds of financial information, covering everything from saving for college to day trading. Mary Ellen Bates is an expert searcher of long standing, and offers clear explanations every step of the way. This book is aimed at people who are already using the Web, although they need not be experts to understand it. There are explanations of general directory sites such as Yahoo and About, repeated in capsule form throughout the book for those who dip in here and there. Unlike many other Internet guides, this book also describes helpful proprietary sites on services such as AOL and Compuserve. The first chapter provides generally useful tips, such as how to search back up through the directories at Yahoo (find a known site, see what directory it's in, and look at other things in that directory). Bates also mentions a few things that everyone should keep in mind when searching, such as considering who would care about a topic enough to create a Web page about it, and evaluating a Web site for bias. When she arrives at the main purpose of the book, i.e., finding investment and financial information, Bates is very specific. She says, "When you get to this site, click on this, scroll down until you see that, click on it, and read the section headed thus." Most financial information sites are fairly stable, so this should be useful, but it could be confusing if the site has changed since this book was published. The second chapter covers broad sources of financial information such as portals, and recommends some fantasy investing sites for practice. In ensuing chapters, both free and for-pay information sources are discussed, comparing them and explaining why a for-pay source might be worth the money. There are chapters on choosing and analyzing stocks, and information on bonds, mutual funds, and other investments. Bates doesn't stop there, though. There is information on monitoring investment-related news, finding company-specific information, and discussing these with other investors via chat rooms, mailing lists, discussion groups, and message boards. Specific information on finding funds for college covers non-Web resources such as one's own membership organizations or alma mater, school counselors, military service, and much more. There is a chapter on investment fraud which could be worth the price of the book all by itself to those who tend to believe everything they see on the Web, and finally, a chapter on choosing an e-broker to handle all these details for you. The book ends with a useful list of all URLs mentioned by chapter, and a well-organized index. Much of this is US-centric. Some might be useful to investors in other countries, but everything on government information sources and laws and regulations concerning investment is based on US practices. With that caveat, however, this book should be useful to people wishing to use the Internet to manage their finances. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Caryn Wesner-Early is a librarian, contracted to the US Patent and Trademark Office Scientific and Technical Information Center. Her interests include reading and cats, and she maintains a list of Christmas-related mysteries at . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read about other Internet strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com * Details: ISBN 0071349812 published by McGraw-Hill written by Mary Ellen Bates * Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Bookshelf To propose a business-Web-related book for review, send details to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> HELP FOR STUDENTS ON INFORMATION COURSES <<< If you're a student studying for an information degree then you may like help with projects or in coming up with a dissertation topic. How about finding a placement or full-time employment? The Free Pint Student Bar is there to help, so why not post a message at: http://www.freepint.co.uk/student/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FEATURE ARTICLE http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/141200.htm#feature "Horseracing on the Web" by Christopher Webber With its global popularity and strong ties to a broad range of commercial enterprises, the Sport of Kings has been keen to embrace the Internet. Multinational breeding and betting operations; national organisations and publications; racecourses, trainers and owners; even specialist local equine dentists and fencemakers - all have latched onto the information and advertising opportunities the web provides. As expected, there is a plethora of information out there. The difficulty is sorting out the wheat from huge quantities of chaff. Several high profile attempts to develop effective catch-all Racing Portals - such as "kickon.com", which classically tried and failed to be all things to all horsy men and women - have spent huge amounts of money backing their horses at the start, only to fall spectacularly at the first fence. The best and most useful sites in the UK thus far have been those which have limited themselves to one area of expertise only. Links ----- The most useful starting points for exploration of Racing's diverse Internet resources are the collected links pages. On the international scene, Cindy Pierson at The Mining Co. leads the field by many lengths. She has some quirks - Scotland and Ireland are gratuitously lumped together, although Scottish Racing is administratively a part of the UK scene - but her links are easy to navigate and regularly revised. For Britain and Ireland, my own Nashwan's UK Racing Links are organised into logical sections and feature descriptive comments and a search facility. As racing-related sites are almost all national rather than international in scope, I will confine the rest of this guide to the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Other countries have a similar pattern of sites, which Cindy Pierson's links cover comprehensively. News ---- The Sporting Life is defunct as a newspaper, but its all-sports website survives. It is centred on racing, and features full racecards, instant news and results and considered editorial content. The Racing Post has superior in-depth form details. Both are invaluable, and both are free. Racetips365 is the British arm of an Italian conglomerate, and offers lively features and comment which are less apt to toe the establishment line. Organisations and Clubs --------------------- Most ruling bodies of the Sport in Britain have bald, anodyne sites. An exception is the Racecourse Association which offers practical information on Britain's 59 Courses, with fixtures, contacts and maps to supplement their individual websites. Most of those are pretty poor, and very few offer live audio links on race days, something which is commonplace now in the USA - though Ascot is a notable exception. Many Racing Clubs such as Yorkshire Racing have informative and eye- catching sites advertising their activities and offers. Breeding -------- Breeders come in all shapes and sizes, from global concerns housing high-price stallions, the pampered Monarchs of the Equine World, down to small farmers with a couple of mares in the back of the stable yard. All are keen to advertise their services and/or produce, and certain Big Players with more money than sense provide some of the best - or worst - examples of flashturbation on the web. Still, there's no doubt that graphics as well as hard information can be effectively wielded to advertise the services of those stallions. The powerful Coolmore Stud in Ireland and Darley Stud in England are leading global players, and both employ their websites to good effect with online booking forms and data as well as tasteful eye-candy. Betting ------- All the major bookmakers, such as Ladbrokes and William Hill now have betting online. Specialist Internet firms such as BlueSquare have led where the majors were initially cautious to follow. Tipsters proliferate horribly, and specialist companies offering aid to form analysts, such as the well-established Timeform , have a solid web presence. Books, Prints and Publications ------------------------------ Browsers Books is the best site for new and second hand horseracing books, though Weatherby-Allen is a good online source for prints and memorabilia as well as expensive official annual publications. Trainers, owners ---------------- Many of the "Old Guard" stable masters have been resistant, but younger trainers such as Ed Dunlop and Mark Johnson have spotted the value- added benefits of swift and effective web communications. They are expert at presenting daily updated bulletins about the horses in elegant and swift-loading format. Mark Wilkinson even uploads videos of training sessions, so that any owners stuck in City Stockbroking parlours can see how their beloved beasts fared on the gallops that very morning. Some major owners, such as the all-powerful Arab Oil Sheikhs of the Godolphin partnership have elegant and informative advertisement sites. Jockeys have been notably slow off the mark to self-advertise over the web, although the popular Frankie Dettori has a neat fan page all to himself. Horses ------ Surprisingly, anyone needing comprehensive web listings of such things as champion trainers and jockeys will be out of luck, but at least the famous Legends of the Turf themselves are well served. Two sites in particular are beautifully presented, with textual and graphic illustrations of heroic equine endeavours. Both Famous Racehorses and Thoroughbred Heritage should be marked on everyone's racing Internet cards, and the latter at least has winner listings of several of the world's great races, such as The Derby, Kentucky Derby and Grand National. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Christopher Webber is an actor, writer and stage director as well as Racing enthusiast. His Bluff Your Way at the Races has been a best- seller since its publication in 1989 and he has written plays and adaptations for performance at Nottingham Playhouse, Glasgow Citizens' Theatre, Santa Fe Opera as well as London. As an actor he is noted for his work in Alan Bennett's plays, and with Sir Alan Ayckbourn at Scarborough and the Chichester Festival. His Nashwan's UK Racing Links has been written up in that peerless trade journal Racing Post as "the best place to start on the Web". He is also the leading British expert on zarzuela, the Spanish national form of opera or music theatre, and has written or revised the articles on Hispanic composers for the upcoming new edition of the Oxford Companion to Music. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Respond to this article and chat to the author now at the Bar * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Access the entire archive of Free Pint content > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> EMAIL NEWSLETTER HOSTING FROM FREE PINT <<< Do you publish a newsletter by email? Would you like it to be sent out by a reliable hosting company? Would you like all subscription requests to be handled automatically? Find out more about Free Pint's list hosting service at http://www.freepint.co.uk/bulk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FORTHCOMING EVENTS http://www.freepint.co.uk/events There doesn't seem to be much left for December now that the Online Information Exhibition is over, so let's have a look at January. In Orlando, Florida, there's the ASP World Forum, which overlaps a bit with the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Washington, DC. There's a seminar on Synonyms and Taxonomies in New York and the Bot 2001 event in San Francisco, California later in the month. And there's the SLA Winter Meeting in Savannah, Georgia. Outside the US there's the Information Online 2001 in Sydney, Australia and the European Supply Chain Summit in London, UK. That's something to look forward to after Christmas. Full details of these and many other forthcoming conferences and exhibitions in the online-information and Internet industries can be found on the Free Pint Events page . Simon Collery, Content Developer > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> THINKING ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO FREE PINT? <<< Sign up for the Author Update, a brief monthly email with details of books available for review, topics we'd like to cover here in the newsletter, and the promotional benefits of contributing to our community. Full details at: http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT GOLD This time last year we had a review of Free Pint in 1999, noting its changes and developments throughout the year. This was accompanied by a review of the Online Information Exhibition, 1999. * Free Pint No.52, 16 December 1999 "Free Pint in 1999" and "Review of Online Information 99" . This time two years ago, being that time of year, we also had a review of the Online Information Exhibition, 1998. And we took a look at what Free Pint had developed into just over one year after its inception. * Free Pint No.28, 17th December 1998 "Review of Online Information 98" and "Free Pint in 1998" . Three years ago we got the lowdown on the best meta search engines available. And that was followed by a review of the Online Information Exhibition, 1997. * Free Pint No.4, 18th December 1997 "Is Meta a Bit or Much Better?" and "Review of Online Information 97" . Simon Collery, Content Developer > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES [Provisional] * Careers Information Sources * Free Software * Online Media * * Psychology of Multimedia * Voluntary Sector Resources * * Innovation * History * Guide to Employment Law * * Radio Industry * Economics Sources * Energy * If you have a suggestion for an article topic or would like to write for Free Pint then please contact me or sign up for the monthly Author Update on the Web site at . Rex Cooke, Editor > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = GOODBYE We really hope you've enjoyed this edition of Free Pint. You know, if you're stuck for that special present for a loved one this Christmas then you could do a lot worse than printing this newsletter and covering it in giftwrap. Although you may initially be branded a cheapskate, you could well be on speaking terms by next Christmas when they will thank you for introducing them to this fact-packed resource. See you next year! William Hann, Managing Editor william@freepint.co.uk (c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2000 http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = CONTACT INFORMATION William Hann BSc MIInfSc, Founder and Managing Editor e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Rex Cooke FIInfSc FRSA, Editor e: rex@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1342 316027 f: +44 (0)1342 316027 Simon Collery BA, Content Developer e: simon@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1865 434143 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Address Free Pint Limited, FREEPOST (SEA3901), Staines Middlesex, TW18 3BR, United Kingdom (Please add a stamp if you would like to pay for postage) Web - http://www.freepint.co.uk Subscriptions - subs@freepint.co.uk Letters & Comments - feedback@freepint.co.uk Authors - http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htm Latest Issue Autoresponder - auto@freepint.co.uk Advertising - http://www.freepint.co.uk/advert.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by information professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information on the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, it is published every two weeks by email. To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing, advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at http://www.freepint.co.uk/ or email . Your registered email address is listed at the bottom of this message. Please note: Free Pint is a trademark of, and published by, Free Pint Limited . The publishers will NEVER make the subscriber list available to any other company or organisation. The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in its entirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or distributed without the prior written agreement of the publishers. 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