STORY:
Celebrate New Year Online

Stay home and enjoy New Year's Eve celebrations around the world

A couple of Internet sites will even does most of the web searching for you. Here's a look at New Year's Eve on your home computer.

One of largest Internet party sites this year will probably be the Earthcam site. (www.earthcam.com) The site is linked up to cameras around the world and therefore they are calling themselves the "Webcast of the Century". The Internet site will follow the New Year as it dawns around the world.

Here's a short list of where the Internet celebration will take you. The party will move from a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan to Germany, the Eiffel Tower, the streets of London, Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, New York times Square and even backstage at Celine Dion's Montreal concert.

When you log on to Earthcam you will see a "Webcast of the Century" banner. There will be a world map there and you click on the city whose celebration you want to see. Surfers will have a choice of five views of Times Square alone. There will also be opportunities on the site to chat with other web surfers and send e-mail and instant messages.

Another Internet celebration you can check out from home the "Virtual First Night 99" web page. The 23-year old group has been giving non-alcoholic parties around the world. This year the online celebration will include links to many worldwide celebrations. There are 206 parties in the United States, 16 in Canada plus several parties in Australia and New Zealand. The site also contains a "coffee house" with links to sites on writers, poets, artists and other people you may find in coffeehouses around the world. To check out this party log on to www.virtualfirstnight.org.

If your idea of a good time is searching for UFOs then there's an Internet site just for you. "The Starlite" is located in Roswell, New Mexico and a camera will point at the sky. The company will beam messages from customers into space on New Year's Eve. This isn't a free site like the others, to get your message sent to space you have to pay it's $9.95-$44.95 depending on the type of space message you plan to send.

So this New Year's Eve there's a little something for everyone on the Internet. You can stay home enjoy your family and still be a part of worldwide celebrations. There's just one small hitch. Y2K. It's possible that little bug could ruin your plans to surf the Internet this year, but party providers are confident that the show will go on Y2K or not.

Source: Reuters

DATE: 12/14/99

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