We live in interesting times and one medium which we really haven't had access to before is having an influence on what news and information we receive.

Twelve years ago the Internet and email were not common words in our day-to-day conversation but they are now. In the last couple of years we've been able to gain access to international newspapers, magazines, commentary, radio and video by typing just a couple of words. We can search the Internet on all kinds of topics and be presented with thousands of related sites to read, listen and view.

Our age has been described as the "information age". Perhaps a better description is the "data age". All this data remains just that until we understand, weigh up and ponder it. Only then can it be called "information".

So over on the right there is a large list of sites on all kinds of topics, some of which you'll find interesting, others you won't. Some sites are Australian, others aren't. It can be a challenge to become familiar with the world's different time zones but it's rewarding to be able to access for oneself the latest news from around the world and not be told it by someone else.