Some are cool, some are silly and a few are just plain odd but the animated GIF has come a long way in a short space of time. Here are 10 of the best on the net at the moment. Prepare to be ever so slightly amused, preoccupied and maybe dazzled.

Kung Fu

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This gif is wonderful - I could watch it again and again!  Two Kung Fu martial artists go through their paces with stunning Chinese scenery in the background.  Could be useful on a Kung Fu site to show the novice how it is done!  A sequence of eighteen moves with the haolin Monastery Wushu Institute at Tagou in the background.

Death of the Goonie

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Did you hate the fat kid from The Goonies.  Here we can finally see him dispatched to Goonie Heaven by that old favorite of ours, Captain Jean Luc Picard.  Finally, someone had the get up and go to do what we have all wanted to do for so many years!  Go, Jean Luc, go!

 Bored at the Airport

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Ever been well and truly bored at the airport?  Then why not try this?  Take a lot of pictures of yourself on the escalator, and then create a cool animated gif out of them when you get home.  That is if you don't get arrested by airport security for being strange, scary and mad not to mention upsetting the other passengers!

Endless

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Join us on the endless circle of life as a young girl is born, grows up and has a child, becomes old and - ultimately - dies.  The greatness of this gif is in its simplicity - a fine line drawing which is just the right style for the story being told.

Psychedelic

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This one should probably come with a health warning!  It may not suit every type of website but would certainly be memorable on the right one!  The colors used are dazzling!

Given the Boot

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The colors used in this gif are extraordinary and give it an overall effect which is nothing short of hypnotic.  Go on, admit it, you have just watched the shoe go by about a million times.  Thought so!

Creepy Heads

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Spooky things happen at night in the plastic head factory!  When the lights are switched on the heads come alive.  A spooky gif which may well give you the colly wobbles!

Cyber Chaos

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The cube rotates again and again.  This is extremely hypnotic and if you are of a suggestible nature do not spend too much time staring at it.  The next time you are asked for something you will give it willingly.  Give me your money, now.  Give me your money now!

Puppet Regime

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It can't be much fun being a dictator when your secret is revealed to the world.  Here is the true meaning of puppet regime!  One wonders how many of the world's dictators realize that they have been immortalized in some unexpected ways!

Waterfall

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Here's a completely gorgeous gif to end with.  The waterfall cascade is wonderfully done - such a shame that no sound comes attached to the image as this would make it perfect!  What use it might be on a website is anyone's guess.  However, for sheer unadulterated viewing pleasure, this one is marvelous!