PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY DECENT APRIL FOOL'S SITE WE FOUND
It seemed to be a down year for April Fool's jokes, perhaps because so much Net reality has become so silly to begin with. This Canadian spoof pretended V-chip legislation was to be applied to books and fooled many librarians. Ross Kerber of the Wall Street Journal wrote: "The librarians hadn't noticed the April 1 date of the release. (Neither, at first, had a certain Internet-surfing reporter, who thought he had a hot scoop in hand.)" We like it, and doff our caps in the direction of David Jones, president of Electronic Frontier Canada and author of the joke press release. "http://www.efc.ca/pages/pr/V-barcode.html"
THE EASTER BUNNY LEAVES A TRAIL
Once you get past the nauseating pink/purple rabbit fetish background (just try to surf it early in the morning after a traditional Netsurfer all-nighter), this is not a bad site. True, the cuteness factor is way over the top, but forgivable given the context. There's the obligatory religious perspective and Easter craft info, such as making natural egg dyes. But the best parts include tips on finding eggs from savvy kids ["Cheat and watch them hide em:)"], instructions for making mindblowing Ukranian egg designs, and a $1000 Internet Easter egg hunt contest which is just begging for some happy holiday hacker to whip up a Web spider. We'd tell you to "hop on over", but you'd beat us up if we used that kind of language. "http://usacitylink.com/easter/default.html"
WHY IS THIS SITE DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER SITES?
By the time you get this, New York's Temple Emanu-El may have already broadcast a Passover seder over the Net, but there will still be loads of unleavened online fun. There's a collection of illustrated Haggadot (texts outlining the ritual meal), Judaica resources, and history and virtual tour of the Temple - the world's largest Jewish congregation. The online seder, for which you need Xing Technologies' StreamWorks plug-in, will remain online through April 4, 7 pm EST. This fall, the Temple plans to broadcast High Holy Days services. "http://emanuelnyc.org/home.html"
With 20,000 site reviews, iGuide is terrific, compendious, and compelling. A team of journalists from print and electronic media provides slick original content, including Web links designed around general themes such as those on online services: books, computing, games, Internet, kids, etc. Each theme hosts various topics; each topic has original site reviews with links to the featured sites. The wealth of resources in the inSites database is fascinating. Enjoy it while it's free! Your lunch break may well become an iGuide break. A browser that handles frames is strongly recommended. "http://www.iguide.com/"
Logos Research Systems has set up a preview site for a new multimedia CD-ROM titled "Lest We Forget - A History of the Holocaust". This is more a tease than a full-fledged web experience, but it will give you a good sense of what to expect from the product scheduled to be released on Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 15). The pages contain a complete table of contents and screen shots, and movie clips from three major topic areas. The presentation is crisp and the content chilling, but the marketing is a somewhat weak. There is no indication that this is a CD-ROM and there is no pricing or order information to be found. Keep an eye on the site for more information. "http://www.logos.com/holocaust/MAIN.HTML"
AND SHE'S CLIMBING A T1 TO HEAVEN
After all the jokes about the Pope having a T1 line to God, we now genuinely have a home page for the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God. Study the Little Internet Library of the Blessed Virgin Mary or click on the Mission of the Immaculate Mediatrix Movement. No, seriously - we couldn't even begin to make something like this up. St. Francis gets his day in the sun, too, and a finely crafted day it is. Suffice to say, you feel purer just browsing this site. "http://www.ici.net/cust_pages/ffi/index.html"
Ever wonder what it would be like to run for president? Here's your chance to do better than pose as one of the stiffs: be a campaign manager for a fictitious candidate in President '96, a political simulation game. Get news updates, follow the opinion surveys, and debate with other managers over how to handle the top issues each week. Run the show from the real seat of power. "http://www.pres96.com/index.html"
If you're the kind of person who doesn't just eat a hamburger, but eats the hell out of it, you're gonna love the People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA - get it?) site. Here you'll find your one stop animal shop, with connections to information on Meat (all varieties), Leather, Fur, Biomedical Research, Taxidermy, and Hunting. In the Miscellaneous section, you'll find some interesting and thought provoking essays on plant sentience and the ethical soundness of being an omnivore. The real PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is not amused and has initiated legal action. "http://www.peta.org/index.html"
We know a buyer. EvilPeople Inc. will give top dollar for that already-tarnished soul you haven't been using. If you have an interest in candy stealing, mind control, or vindictive bitching, there's a position open for you at EvilPeople. The site is very nicely set up, easy to maneuver, and the Property section must be read. "http://www.gaijin.com:80/EvilPeople/"
Have ya bin feelin' lower'n a snake's belly? Are ya ugly as homemade sin? Could ya use a little hep? Then head fer the Redneck Gal's Home Reader. This gal's smarter'n a registered coondog and willin' to tell y'all all she knows about lovin', manners, and being a Godfearin' redneck. Grab yer boots, yer Skol, and yer best K-Mart sweater, it's time for a low-rent rendezvous. "http://metro.turnpike.net/~dwc/bredarae/"
Consumers will enjoy "CARveat Emptor: Tricks of the Great American Car Deal", a site for the education of everyone affected by fraud, sleaze, and manipulation in the auto industry. The first page alone will ring so many bells you'll wonder how you're ever going to remember all the dos and don'ts before the next time you're taken to the cleaners. Hard feelings are evident - the authors recommend you take public transportation instead of a car. Of course, car dealers too will get a lot out of this site. Visit before you buy or lease your next car, or you may regret it. "http://www.well.com/user/kr2/"
Yours will too after you try answering the backlog of trivia questions found at "Is That a Fact?", a real-time interactive trivia game played at regular intervals in an IRC chat room at the site. You have to register before you can play (they have to know where to send the prizes) and find the answer to a qualifying question, but after that you can take on the brainiacs for the chance at some loot. If you're not quick on the trigger but still love trivia, you can submit a question for others to ponder. "http://pathfinder.com/pathfinder/fact/"
This tribute to the great chanteuse, Edith Piaf, is peppered with quotes about her from many renowned artists and RealAudio sound clips that don't do her real justice. The sorrowful story behind the mesmerizing voice that poured from this fragile four-foot-ten woman is mostly presented in text, but it reads easily. For further flavor, take the tour of Paris. It's all part of a masterful concept called Soundprint, a combo radio documentary series/Net site. "http://soundprint.org:80/~soundprt/more_info/piaf.html"
BRITISH DEAR ABBY AIDS THOSE IN AGONY
Known as an "agony aunt" where they speak the Queen's English, a new self-help columnist now offers her words of wisdom on the Web. Philippa urges readers to visit and "soak up some emotionally supportive atmosphere." A click on the "Click here and I'm listening" hyperlink brings up a mailer dialogue box. Call it virtual listening. Collections of past problems you can read include: Mum is an alcoholic; Toddler Tantrums; and For Transvestites and Their Partners. Don't miss the featured Problem of the Week. "http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Mrsagonyaunt/"
Pitcairn Island, the paradise found by the mutineers on the HMS Bounty, has put together a Web page to inform the Net community of its truly fascinating history. The island currently supports a population of around 50, all of whom can trace their ancestry to Fletcher Christian and five other Bounty mutineers. The place names on the island (Christian's Cave, John Catch A Cow, Bounty Bay) read like a Who's Who of the sailors who stood up to Captain Bligh's tyranny in August 1789. Several images of the island's more picturesque locations are available for download. "http://wavefront.wavefront.com/~pjlareau/pitc1.html"
HOTEL CALIFORNIA, CANBERRA, OR EVEN CALCUTTA
TravelNow Hotel Reservations shows why the travel industry is rushing onto the Web. Searching for a hotel is a breeze - click on a flag, a map, a state, and basically you're there. You'll wish the listings provided more information, because this site has an online reservation form as well as a faxable one. It's fine to know a hotel or motel has an indoor pool or data ports for your PC, but it would be cool to see photos of a typical room, too. For some out-of-the-way lodgings, only a price range is listed. Still, you can send this URL to your boss with confidence. "http://www.travelnow.com/"
Fezzes off to "The One and Only Morocco" page, providing an insider's look at the land of Casablanca and casbahs. This country is so rich in culture and mystique, you can almost taste it - and indeed you can, because nestled within this site are several mouthwatering North African recipes. Most importantly, general information about Morocco's history, cities, sports, and other practical stuff is neatly arranged for your browsing pleasure. "http://maghreb.net/morocco/"
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MARK STACHIEW?
Right now, he's in Montreal working for The Gazette but this ambitious travel writer has literally been all over the globe. If you like seeing the world through the eyes of others, take a look at his well-documented travel works. His collection of columns and pics puts you on the back of a rhino-hunting elephant, lands you in the Galapagos, and sends you on the high road to China. "http://www.vir.com/~capt_xerox/markworld.html"
Wondering what it would be like to dash through Eastern Europe and Turkey? Sit back in the luxury of your computer chair and join one traveler as he describes his 1995 trip to Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Links include descriptions of how Tan Wee Cheng "sped through the region the kiasu Singaporean way - see the most in the shortest time." Highlights include his accounts of being "conned by blackmarketeers in Bucharest" and his problems with the "corrrupt customs" at the Bulgarian border. "http://www.singnet.com.sg/~tanwc/"
HOTWIRED'S ROUGH GUIDE TO MEXICO
HotWired has just launched Rough Guide Mexico, a traveler's database of things to do and places to go south of the border. Although it's not as complete as a Baedecker's or Fodor's, the site features an interactive map to help guide you through the country. If you've been there and done that, you can add your own travel tips and comments. Future Rough Guides to Canada, Australia, and Europe are promised. "http://www.hotwired.com/rough/mexico/"
GREAT TRAVEL RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
This all-in-one site for all kinds of travel information has a multitude of links to US and worldwide sites for hotels, cars, cruises, railroads, airlines, tour operators, theme travel, and agencies, as well as news from two of their own publications. Travel Weekly and Hotel and Travel Index are trade publications, and their electronic alter egos are good places to find travel deals. "http://www.traveler.net/"
AND JUST BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST EASTER... EASTER ISLAND
We couldn't resist bringing you this great Easter Island page, which should really be called the Rapa Nui page. It's packed with historical and travel info and includes a huge number of links to everything remotely connected with the island. The hyperlinks simply beg to be clicked on, teasing you with petroglyphs, stone Moai, Rongorongo script, Thor Heyerdahl, and even extraterrestrial influence. There's much travel information, as well as many links to other Rapa Nui pages. Makes you want to pick up a book and read the history of this lonely outpost and what was possibly a prophetic experiment in isolated eco-social evolution. "http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html"
The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has a Web site with news, images, backgrounders, and speeches. Americans yearning to say "Hello, Dalai" in person can browse information on Mr. Gyatso's upcoming September visit to the United States. "http://emma.manymedia.com/tibet/DalaiLama.html"
If you're into coolness for the sake of coolness instead of utility, check out this 3D Web index. The premise is that the visitor walks through the "town", entering buildings of interest. "http://www.gic.net/xroad.html"
Jealous of the myriad page counters out there? Here's a quick and easy way to get your own. Fill out a simple form and paste the generated HTML into your page. Voila! Free for low volume usage. "http://www.digits.com/"
With all the online newspapers, it was only a matter of time until this appeared. Just like the classifieds in your local rag, this site lists items available for sale, but these listings are from around the world. The ads are thoughtfully arranged alphabetically by subject. "http://www.commercial.net/vault/ads/"
If there were an Oscar for the most gratuitously annoying Web site, Pals restaurant would take it hands down. On the other hand, it's worth a look, kind of like slowing down to view an accident on the highway. "http://www.homesmart.com/pals/"
Looking for a place to golf? Here's a site that focuses on golf, with a smattering of extra expertise in the marketing of golf resorts and vacations. "http://www.gto.com/"
DIGITALEAVES: THE FALL 1995 LEAF COLLECTION
"This is my collection of leaves collected during the last three months of 1995." What a three months! Lots of pinkish big and small ones. Lots of leaves, what else can we say? "http://rtuh.com/adl/dl/"
EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
People who provide emergency services and those who are simply hooked on such things should visit this site. It's high on local (Chicago) content and news, low on other links. "http://www.emergency.com/"
PANGAEA, THE CORPORATE CONTINENT
Pangaea.Net (motto:"...we're putting the continents back together"), hopes to become a central brokerage location for information on global commerce. The site offers Interactive Global NEWS e-zine and various factoids. "http://www.pangaea.net/"
Browser Watch
If you can think of only three popular web browsers, come to Dave Garaffa's browser central to discover 57 others. Each browser is annotated with a link to its home page and a list of supported platforms. Rumors and news provided by readers vying for "NetFame" (their name in lights on these pages) key you in on the newest releases and latest developments in browser-land. A comprehensive list shows breakdowns by browser and platform drawn from actual accesses to this site over the last week (example from week of 3/23/96: Of 85,000 accesses, 85% used Netscape). A plug-in section gives descriptions of over 70 utilities with links for you to grab 'em. If you're hungry for more data, ride the links to other browser stats pages. "http://www.browserwatch.com/"
Last issue, we mentioned that Mr. Media's mailing list was available, but the printer inadvertently left the e-mail address off the Digest. Yeah, that's what happened.... Subscribe via e-mail at: andelman@mrmedia.com
Netsurfer Digest Home Page: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/index.html
Netsurfer Digest FTP Site: ftp://ftp.netsurf.com/pub/nsd/
Subscribe WWW form: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/subscribe.html
Subscribe E-mail: nsdigest-request@netsurf.com
Include one of the following commands in the BODY of the
message:
HTML Format version: subscribe nsdigest-html
Plain ASCII version: subscribe nsdigest-text
Submission of Newsworthy Items: pressrm@netsurf.com
Letters to the Editor: editor@netsurf.com
Advertiser and Sponsor inquiries to: sales@netsurf.com
Netsurfer Communications: http://www.netsurf.com/
General Information: info@netsurf.com
NETSURFER DIGEST © 1996 Netsurfer Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
NETSURFER DIGEST is a trademark of Netsurfer Communications, Inc.