U/LAFF AND THE WORLD LAUGHS WITH THEM
With over 100 pages of original humor, U/Laff is the stuff comedy skits are made of. While the site was created by Scott Schaefer, a senior segment producer for the TV show "Bill Nye the Science Guy", it also features the work of several other funny artists. Stop by the "Vault of Comedy" for a few nifty CyberPranks. There's even a Top 11 List - a humorous attempt to one-up Letterman. We mean Dave, not the "Electric Company" guy. "http://www.uspan.com/u-laff/"
Slick, professional, glitzy, seemingly endless - you'd expect nothing less from the site of the Oscars. The Envelope Please details just about anything you could want to know about Oscars from years past and this year's nominees. There's also a "pick the winner" contest. With links to Microsoft Network's Cinemania, there's plenty of detail to be had, but after wandering around a bit you begin to wonder where the audio and movie clips are hiding - the site begs for multimedia. It is there, but available only to folks surfing with Microsoft's Internet Explorer (which comes as no surprise when one learns that the site is a collaborative effort between Microsoft, Virtualize, and the Academy Awards folks). It's an odd decision, but at least the site doesn't sport a "Netscape Now" button. "http://oscars.guide.com/"
Could Fidel Castro, Cuba's formerly cigar-smoking, currently Communist dictator, be elected president of the United States of America? This is the interesting, sardonic concept put forth by the "Fidel for President Home Page", a site devoted to catapulting the ultimate Washington outsider into the Oval Office come November. The designers of this site have put together Castro's take on today's most pressing issues ("Family Values - vocal dissidents are jailed."), as well as a "dream team" list of potential vice-presidential running mates. The Photo Gallery and the discussion areas round out this witty, well-constructed poke at the process leading to November's general elections. That's Mr. Presidente to you, buster. "http://www.iuma.com/imagesmith/fidel/fidel.shtml"
With Black History Month behind us and baseball ahead, it's appropriate to devote a bit of Web space to the men who played in the other major leagues. The Negro Leagues Baseball Online Archive spotlights those men who set the stage for today's integrated baseball leagues, and to tell the tale of the hardships, both racial and financial, that had to be overcome in the course of the struggle. The site allows surfers to get an historical perspective on what obstacles there were to integration, as well as descriptions of the teams and the players that resisted prejudice, disdain, and violence to prove that they too could play and be a part of the national pastime. "http://www.infi.net/~moxie/nlb/nlb.html"
A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF THE VIRTUOUS JIMMY STEWART
If you're a Jimmy Stewart fan, you'll applaud this site's careful capturing of the essence of the actor. A "virtual extension of the museum in his birthplace of Indiana, Pennsylvania", the links encourage fans to trace the life of this American classic. You'll pick up some great trivia (the accordion, which Jimmy learned to play from a Pennsylvania barber, may have helped him to begin his show business career), marvel at his filmography (his 50 years in Hollywood produced more than 80 movies), and get the opportunity to buy Jimmy Stewart T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other souvenirs. "http://www.jimmy.org/"
The highly regarded PBS documentary series now has its own WWW site. Featured on the site are supplemental materials, program transcripts, and hyperlinks to relevant additional sites for recent Frontline programs. Also included are graphics, maps, and charts, all of which extend the traditional concept of a "documentary". For those who want to know the stories behind a documentary, the site should prove worthwhile. "Rules of the Game," for example, shows how campaign financing regulations are often avoided through loopholes, with links to sites about the presidential race and campaign reform. We especially liked the Gulf War resources and RealAudio interviews. "http://www.pbs.org/frontline/"
THE PAGE OF THE POST-PRINCE PERSON
Part photo gallery, part political statement, and part pure commercial push; the person previously patterned Prince is present and preening. He presents his pretty princess for your pleasure in poetic fable form. Potboiler politics over creative ownership populate the pages. Plenty of purchases can be planned where Prince peddles his products (the Galleria). Pop in to Pop Heaven. "http://www.thedawn.com/"
IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH CAMPAIGNING YET - ELECTIONLINE!
ABC News, The Washington Post and Newsweek have teamed up to bring you ElectionLine!, an on-the-campaign-trail experience even David Brinkley would appreciate. Check out the political issues, election results, late-breaking news, and more. Come on, if you're a US citizen, it's your patriotic duty to stay up-to-the-minute on this stuff. Then again, it is a free country. At least until Fidel gets elected. "http://www.electionline.com/"
The US Dept of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics has a Web site for those seking an in-depth analysis of the effects of crime and criminality on society. The Bureau's reason for existence is to catalogue and classify all varieties of crime and perform a statistical analysis on these mountains of wrongdoing to extract and disseminate among the law enforcement community those statistics that most directly affect their efforts (whew!). Interested surfers can download either ASCII or .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) synopses of some of the data sets available from this site. "http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/"
Sandbox.Net has put together Cyberhunt, a slick Internet game that allows players to follow the exploits of Vincent, a poor slob trapped in the electronic intricacies of cyberspace (hey, sounds like us). The site offers players downloadable movies and sound clips, as well as clues that provide cryptic riddles to help solve the daily mystery of the search for Vincent. Players will need to register to become eligible for the daily prizes, but the registration process is relatively painless. "http://www.sandbox.net/"
A page that's as much into wild backgrounds as they are weirdness, the message here is cyber silliness. The Centre is a compendium of Web timewasters, and that's no oxymoron. We played Pick Up Sticks, ventured into Cindy Crawford's Concentration, and cruised through a huge menu of links. The presence of a link to the wondrous Mentos site is a sure sign of quality. Great exploration of the horrendous amount of strangeness online. "http://www.amused.com/"
Grope past the annoying, text-obscuring, gravestone background images and you'll discover an impressive collection of data on cemeteries. The caretaker has crafted a tightly integrated set of pages that offers a glimpse into the netherworld. More a conglomeration of pointers than a destination unto itself, the featured item is the Post-Mortem page which contains crisply annotated descriptions of other death/cemetery sites along with a site rating of from one to four (head)stones. Also check out guidelines for related Usenet groups and a short list of books and magazines. Sounds dry? Browse the list of top reasons for cemetery visits to learn it's "to have a good chuckle over a clever epitaph." "http://www.best.com/~gazissax/city.html"
The Tennis Server received the "Awesker" award for Awesome Sports Site of 1996, so we figured we'd look in. One of the oldest sports sites on the Web (est. July 1994), it's designed for both pros and amateurs, with columns (including one on sports psychology by a former tennis pro turned clinical psychologist), wrap-ups and reports from tournaments, as well as tips, news, rules, the "Code of Tennis" (don't toss your racket, flip a skirt, or bad-mouth an umpire or linesman), links to clubs and groups, a "Sponsor's Corner" with links to commercial players, and, of course, a tennis FAQ. The Tennis Server will improve your appreciation of the game and maybe your backhand. "http://www.tennisserver.com/"
With St. Patrick's Day either upcoming or over depending on when you get this, we thought it worthwhile to visit a pair of new related sites. PaddyNet offers lots of variety. You can chat, send e-postcards from the mundane to the risque, or tour a fabulous set of links devoted to Ireland's wonders and mysteries hiding behind "The Island" button. Clover All Over is less an Irish site than one whose focus is the secular aspects of the holiday. There's history, fun, event information, recipes, and shopping. And a 1 MB .au file. PaddyNet: "http://www.paddynet.ie/index.html" Clover: "http://www.invision.net/clover/"
COLORFUL FIJI PAGE BY GUIDEBOOK AUTHOR
Rob Kay's Fiji Islands Guide pages are colorful and informative. You'll sample the flavor of the islands with everything from luxury accommodations to backpacking. Learn about island hopping via Sunflower Airlines; world-class scuba diving; the people, history, and culture; and much more. Click around this site and you'll find some very striking photographs of the scenery and people of Fiji. The site also includes other visitor news and useful travel links. "http://www.aloha.com/~rkay/"
Abbington Village is a charming online rendition of a small New England village, complete with farmers' market, general store, and antique shops. Stroll along the streets and take in the sites. Learn about the area's history. Or stop by the online visitors' center, where you'll find travel information on the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Best of all, you'll have the place all to yourself. No tourists. No crowds. "http://www.abbington.com/"
BEFORE NEXT YEAR, CHECK OUT GOSKI
You'd think they'd send us this in autumn.... You can now get facts on over 1,000 ski areas world-wide from this cool site. It supplies stats and first-hand accounts where available. They are currently adding 30 to 50 new personal reviews per week. GoSKI features world-wide travel, weather, and equipment info, along with feature articles by patrollers, ski and snowboard instructors, and others. For the latest on snow conditions, or just to see what other people think of your favorite slopes, check out GoSKI. Apologies for our Northern Hemisphere bias. "http://www.goski.com/"
The Potomac River flooded this past winter and swamped the Chesapeake &Ohio Canal National Historic Park. A drive is underway to fix the damage and this page is updated every few weeks. Along with photos of the Potomac River in full flood last month, there's enough disaster and recovery info here for all. "http://www.canal.com/"
Want to know more about your favorite TV chef? Missed that recipe on the morning cooking show? Well this site is for you. The TV Food Network has schedules of all its popular cooking shows, bios on the chef celebs, ask the cyberchef, and yes, recipes too. "http://www.foodtv.com/index.htm"
Continuing the trend of customizeable sites, Hamilton Beach, of blender fame, creates a page for you based on a few "lifestyle questions". Enter your virtual kitchen and design your perfect appliance, or submit an entry to win one already built. "http://www.hambeach.com/"
This is a great idea, but it's not yet working. TaxThanx wants to give out Ten-Forty Awards, in recognition of the top personal taxpayers of 1995. They need nominations, real or guessed. E-mail: taxthanx@aol.com "http://members.aol.com/taxthanx/"
EUREKA! LETS YOU SEARCH THE SEARCH ENGINES
Eureka! lets you specify a search on most major Internet search engines from one simple but super-long form. This site is most useful for the novice Internetter, and those who are not put off by tons of descriptive text about how to use "simple" interfaces. "http://www.best.com/~mentorms/eureka.htm"
WhoWhere? provides e-mail addresses and links for people you want to stalk - er, find. Hit or miss, this service is quick. You can add your own listings to the database, too. "http://www.whowhere.com/"
GOOF OFF AT HOME AND GET YOUR CAREER IN GEAR
Not in the mood to drive to a job fair but feel guilty about not job-hunting? The Westech ExpoCorp's high tech virtual job fair features more than 10,000 high-tech career opportunities. You can send your resume directly to prospective employers or create your own resume home page. "http://www.vjf.com/"
THE ONLY PLACE A GREEN JACKET IS REVERED
Golf voyeurs and others planning to be in Augusta, Ga., in mid-April will want to visit masters96.com, the site of the 1996 Masters Tournament. Features include historical photos, golf news, a course tour, and even shareware. "http://masters96.com/"
Sort of. It's not limited to 10 entries, and anyone can start a new topic or add to an existing one. Old lists are archived, so there's plenty to look at. Some of the entries are pretty good. "http://www.oir.ucf.edu/~mike/topn"
The Automotive Concours has ads not only for cars, but for almost all forms of mechanical transportation. Listings are a tad slim, and biased toward the higher price ranges, but it's worth a look. "http://www.asrinc.com/autoconcours"
ARTBEATS WEBTOOLS HELP MEET YOUR WEB GRAPHICS NEEDS
This CD-ROM contains all sorts of hot looking graphics, such as bars, icons, buttons, patterns, and even sounds. The site has representative samples and ordering info. Price is $90. Looks pretty useful. "http://artbeatswebtools.com/"
The Communication Research Center, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, want volunteers for a WWW survey focusing on the actions and needs of online communicators. "http://nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu/~jocom02/"
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR MOVES
We covered this fine mag in an article on its Bosnia info. It has moved. No, not to Mostar. "http://www.csmonitor.com/"
Anyone who has ever wondered whether they have the latest version of a program on their computer will welcome these sites. The two keep you informed of software updates equally well. VersionCheck's search engine produces links to Web sites, phone numbers for tech support, and customer-support e-mail addresses if these are available. Versions requires an account, provides more relevant info like minimum system requirements, and can e-mail you as soon as it learns of any update you've chosen. Its drawback is a potentially huge list of software that takes forever to scroll through (try "Word"). Developers and end-users alike will probably need these pages more often than they'd wish. VersionCheck: "http://www.versioncheck.com/" Versions: "http://www.versions.com/"
Having suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous earnings, Apple Computer is hard at work trying to convince the world there's nothing rotten at its core. Always Apple, we're told, is the creation of bummed-out Apple staffers who were spurred to spread the good news about Apple by some "don't give up" e-mail from Apple loyalists. The result is a slick site, replete with the good news about Apple (it's number one in Australia!), some "let's set the record straight" info, Apple boosting e-mail from happy customers, and a schedule of online chats with Apple executives. Excuse us if this all seems a little self-serving, but then that's PR, and it does beat checking Apple's latest stock quotes. "http://always.apple.com/"
BOY, WE SHOULD CUT DOWN ON THE RUM....
No sooner is the paragraph/line problem solved than we go ahead and send out NSD 2.6 again as 2.7. Then, clerical error turns 2.7 into a mere header. Oh, and btw, the Kramer link in 2.5 left out a slash. Can you forgive us? Didn't think so... Kramer: "http://www.bway.net/~kramer/home.html" NSD2.7: "http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/nsd.96.03.07.html"
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