For sheer beauty and complexity of design, you just can't beat this site. The photo gallery with its Creatures of Myth should give you a pretty clear idea of what can be achieved with origami and a lot of experience.

Joseph also provides links to numerous other origami sites, as well as pointing to folding diagrams in several different formats (GIF, PDF, Postscript). A real source of inspiration!

The Garden of Origami is another great site to start with. A strong Oriental feel runs through this site, from the simple-yet-elegant design to the recurrent theme of origami as philosophy. There are extensive links to folding patterns on the Internet, as well as a great section on using origami in the classroom to teach such things as geometry and Oriental culture. This is a great resource for teachers.

It should come as no surprise that a structured hobby like origami would lend itself well to organization, as shown here by the non-profit OrigamiUSA.

On this site you can get information on conventions and other origami events, as well as access a massive database of 4,800 origami model appearances (in magazines or on websites). And if your 7- 11 (like mine) always seems to be out of origami books and supplies, you can order them here.

Cranes and other creatures are great, but humans are a species that like to label things "World's biggest . . ." and "World's smallest . . ."

Welcome to Centelles On-Line, where origami takes on a bit of a carnival air. Over in this corner at .3 mm, the World's Smallest Flapping Bird! And here, a Cat Face Made From 10,375 Pieces of Paper, and a Record T Rex!

Lots of photos and objects made from folded cans and coins make this seem more like something out of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" than feudal Japan.

You wouldn't settle for just one flavor of ice cream, would you? One of the many flavors of origami is Money Origami, or the use of bills/cash/currency as raw material for folding.

This site has several simple designs that will cost you just a buck (or two) to make. Step-by- step directions and photos will lead you through the processes of turning your money into boots, shirts, and bowties without having to go to the store.

Another flavor of origami is modular origami, or the art of folding paper to create complex geometric shapes. Many of the objects in this genre are composed of numerous identical pieces that are folded and then fitted together like in some of the geometric models or ornaments.

Other shapes, like boxes and containers, are more traditional (one sheet of paper, fold fold fold!). This site features great photos and links to diagrams and other modular resources.

Have you ever been to a really large library, one that goes on for miles and is thick with the scent of knowledge? Welcome to the Origami Interest Group. At its center, this site houses the archives of a mail listserver dating back to 1992.

Sign up via e-mail and share your thoughts and questions with other origami enthusiasts. Other areas of interest here include Online Origami Magazine, origami programs and articles, pictures, and various FAQs.

Somebody has filled the equivalent of a cyber-warehouse with information here, and the best part is . . . it never closes.

It is the old meeting the new: origami on the Internet. But even better, it is the new greeting the old and making it feel welcome. By gathering and housing a wealth of information on paper folding, the Internet is ensuring that future generations will find and cherish this most eloquent of art forms. Now: log in, click on, and fold up!