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December 31, 1999
Web posted at: 9:45 a.m. EST (1445 GMT)

by James A. Martin

(IDG) -- If you don't have an exciting, glamorous party to go to this New Year's Eve, relax. Uncork the bubbly, boot up the computer, and usher in the new era in an appropriately futuristic way -- on the Internet.

The following sites can help you prepare for, as well as celebrate, the Big Night.

Everything2000.com is exactly what its name implies: a Web site devoted to all things Y2K. The site is a handy reference for all the parties, concerts, and other events you plan to ignore. In the entertainment section, for instance, you can find out who is performing in your area on New Year's Eve and what your favorite performer's concert plans are for that night (did you know that The Osmonds will be performing in Branson, Missouri?). The site also has an entertaining humor section, with links to all those bad-joke pages about the Y2K computer bug.

The dawn of a new age has undoubtedly put many in a cosmic mood. If you're longing to communicate with your fellow galaxy dwellers, head over to The Starlite. To celebrate the new millennium, you can "send a personal message and greeting to the stars and beyond, through eternity." Your message will be beamed into space via a communications laser housed in a former nuclear missile silo in -- where else? -- Roswell, New Mexico. The price is $9.95 to $44.95, with big spenders getting a "holographic launch certificate" confirming their message was beamed. The company didn't say how many messages it plans to beam or if the intended recipients have call waiting.

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What better place to get jazzed for New Year's Eve online than at the Web site of Mr. New Year's Eve himself, Dick Clark? Beginning December 20, registered users of DickClark.com can send animated year-end greetings featuring Clark, the world's oldest teenager and perennial New Year's Eve party host. You can also win an all-expenses paid, grand-prize trip for two to the Big Apple for the Big Event by voting for your favorite songs and musicians. The runner-up prize: a bottle of Clark's eternal youth elixir.

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If you don't win that grand prize, don't sweat: You can always watch the ball drop with a virtual trip to TimesSquare2000.com. On December 31, Webcams will zap video feeds from Times Square to the site. As the new millennium dawns around the world, the site will feature Webcam images from celebrations in Cairo, Paris, Tokyo, and other cities.

You can also check out what's happening across the globe at Earthcam, which promises that its New Year's Eve event will be "the Webcast of the century." On December 31 you can follow the festivities via Webcams in New York, London, Paris, Moscow, and Hong Kong. Web surfers will have a choice of five views of the Times Square area.

The morning after

With all this cyberpartying, you'd better be prepared for a wicked morning after. Available online, Sob'r-K: The Ultimate Hangover Cure is claimed to be the "only product guaranteed to combat the adverse effects of alcohol." The sellers state that the "cure" has "received praise from doctors and users world wide for its fast and effective relief." The price: $5, plus shipping and handling, for a five-pack.

Finally, after you've partied online like it's 1999, beamed your message into space and gotten rid of your hangover, you're ready to start planning for the real dawn of the new millennium. The Greenwich2000.com site reminds us that the new millennium technically begins on January 1, 2001, and being the city in which the world's official time begins, the folks in Greenwich know what they're talking about. But don't be discouraged. Look at it this way: By staying home this New Year's Eve with your computer, you really aren't missing a thing.