The Spot is a grunge Melrose Place, a peek into the rambling journals of housemates in California who just seem to enjoy telling the world about themselves. They often give personal perspectives of events (see Lon's Night from Hell), and have strangely compelling lives. From Spotnik the dog to Bobby Dooley Jr. - the cross-dressing original owner of the Spot - this place can keep you reading for hours. The dilemma over renting out the spare bedrooms, the invitations to Saturday's party, the awful singing voice of poor old Jeff - it just keeps coming. Although share housing is all about communication, haven't they taken it all a little far? "http://www.thespot.com/"
Five hicks livin' in a trailer with a horse, who reckon chicken-fried pork fritters taste "just as good the other way too" after a wild night of drinkin' and dancin'. A great satire of "The Spot", with funny pics of adventures at the Silver Bullet, the bowling alley, and, of course, the trailor in Paradise Park, parked over an Indian burial ground. Lots of great inbred lingo and bizarre anecdotes like Larlene's bout of bikini mud wrestling, which earnt her a pretty penny. Earl, well, "he's got one of them voices that makes a girl want to sin." "http://theory.physics.missouri.edu/squat/welcome.html"
What's on the Web, relieves boredom, and gives a daily dose of intellectual stimulation the likes of which haven't been felt since the Sphinx? The answer is Riddle du Jour, which provides a new brain-teasing riddle every day of the week. As if the sheer intellectual satisfaction of solving riddles isn't enough, the site also rewards the first lucky netsurfer to find each correct answer. Prizes range from the useful (electronic gear, rainwear) to the sublime (lobsters), but the site is certain to provide at least a few minutes of relaxation in an otherwise pointlessly stressful day. "http://www.new3.com/riddle/index.html"
THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR, EXCEPT YOU'RE THESEUS
From the server that brings the Riddle du Jour also comes a test of skill and memory called the Labyrinth. In a Net incarnation of the ancient Greek Minotaur myth, visitors are asked to navigate a series of Web pages, each representing a different room of the Labyrinth, in search of the big, nasty, supernaturally hungry, man-bull beast. The designers have cunningly placed traps such as one-way rooms that can be entered and not exited to confuse unwary travelers, but prizes await those whose memory and visualization skills lead them to the Minotaur. These prizes are far better than those awarded to people who found the Minotaur in myth, which were, with one notable exception, pain, death, and digestion, not necessarily in that order. "http://www.new3.com/labyrinth/index.html"
Setting new records in procrastination, two students at Rice University spent time not studying for finals conducting experiments on this infamous tubular sponge cake. In a series of tests dubbed the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. (Tests With Inorganic Noxious Kakes In Extreme Situations) project, the Hostess product was torched, soaked, squished, nuked, electrocuted (great picture!), flung off balconies, and questioned for intelligence. Complete with control subjects, photo evidence, and possible applications, this tongue-in-cheek site is too funny to pass up. We all will rest easier knowing that you can fit 100 compacted Twinkies into the space of 32, and they still will taste the same. "http://www.rice.edu/~gouge/twinkies.html"
In the recent years, the United Nations (UN) has gained importance in the public eye. With this in mind, a Web site has been created to concentrate info on the UN, its departments, and other international peacekeeping and humanitarian groups into one readily accessible site. The SACIS International Affairs page accomplishes this task with a smooth, no-nonsense approach. Links include the UN's proprietary Web server, Amnesty International, and bodies such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The presentation is matter-of-fact, with little time spent prettying the page, but in terms of content, this is a one-stop shopping center for gaining information on forces that shape our world. "http://www.cam.org/~sac/SACIS.html"
FAR FROM BRIEF - THE JOE BOXER SITE
For the uninitiated, Joe Boxer manufactures those wild, unabashedly bright boxer shorts featuring prints of farm animals, smiley faces, hot peppers, and other paraphernalia. Not surprisingly, the Joe Boxer World Wide Web Playground is an equally busy theme park of visual stimulation. While you're learning all about the stuff Joe Boxer makes, you'll stumble upon curious images, puzzles, hidden prizes, and more. The trick is finding the time and motivation to make it through the massive 250-page site. "http://www.joeboxer.com/"
Almost as good as being there, the Treasures of the Czars site is a fantastic exploration into the history and royal booty of Mother Russia. There are plenty of excellent descriptions and photos of the individual treasures, and lots of good historical information to explain both the origins of the pieces and their importance to Russia and its peoples. Appropriately, the exhibition is located in St. Petersburg, Fla. "http://www.sptimes.com/Treasures/Default.html"
CALLING ALL AMATEUR DETECTIVES
Leave it to creative advertising types to successfully combine business and pleasure. While this interactive mystery site is a promotional vehicle for KVO Advertising and Public Relations, it's also a compelling game for visitors, who are invited to solve the bizarre case of "Where's Pierre?" Whether or not you solve the mystery, it's worth visiting for the striking graphics and clever concept. "http://www.kvo.com/"
With riches too great to ennumerate in such short space, let us direct you to HalluciNet. There you'll find, among multitudes of other gems, the "Retail Slut" slide show, which downloads continuous images from the tacky-chic SoCal clothing store. Of course, you might also like to listen to "Brentwood", an audio soap opera with text available for the soundcard deprived, check out the poetry, or read about the latest releases from Cleopatra records. So much stuff, so little time! "http://www.hallucinet.com/"
What time is it? Don't bother looking at your watch because the US Naval Observatory timelord's page will deliver the precise (based on 60 cesium atomic clocks and ten hydrogen maser clocks) second directly to your electronic door. Beside the famous Dali melting watch adorning one page, this site is strictly business. Find out more than you ever wanted to know about timekeeping with the wealth of documents here and pointers to Telnet and FTP sites. Addresses are also provided for Internet network time servers. This is the only place on the Net where the phrase "leap second alert" might merit an exclamation point. "http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/time.html"
50 GREATEST CONSPIRACIES OF ALL TIME
What better place than the Web to uncover the true history of the world? Fifty Greatest Conspiracies of All Time (courtesy of Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen, authors of the book of the same name) lays them all out for you, from Jonestown as a CIA mind-control program cover-up to the alien autopsy cover-up affair. Basically a promo for the book, this glossy site bulges with conspiracy analysis, from the academic to the verging-on-the-insane. Links to conspiracy klatches across the Web will help keep an evening's wanderings lively. A must for those who see a cabal on every corner, as well as those who knew all along that NASA had something to do with the Kennedy assassination. "http://www.webcom.com/~conspire/"
A CAN OF PINEAPPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
Dole's 5 A Day (sic) home page is chockful of good stuff: kid's contests; quizzes on your fruit and veggie eating habits; mouth-watering recipes; tools for teachers; and even a virtual classroom for kids to correspond with their favorite fruits. Just make sure to bring along a healthy snack while you surf because this site's so slow to surrender its backgrounds and graphics, you might get hungry while waiting. "http://www.dole5aday.com/"
The Visitor's Guide to London states it is "ideal for foreign non-visitors". That's no idle boast, since this site wouldn't make a whole lot of sense in any language. High-contrast black-and-white images of London lead you past landmarks, through back alleys, and into dead ends. You navigate through town via compass directions, graphic scrawls, and/or deconstructed words. There's a lot of weirdness as well as a good deal of wit here. The combination makes a visit to this town far more enjoyable than to many of the slick but soulless sites that promise to ..(sub)+(vert).. (as the Guide would have it) some of the Web's enjoyable intellectual mayhem. If you're planning a trip to London, though, take the Michelin Guide. "http://194.72.64.233/london.html"
CHERCHEZ LES ESCARGOTS AND OTHER FRANCOFUN
Tongue-in-cheek at every click, the (virtual) Baguette is designed for lovers of French culture, especially tourists. With an enticing use of spare graphics, photos, and verbal teasers, the pages celebrate innovation for the sake of innovation. Bien sur! Do the Eiffel Tower in one page. Write a poem with the interactive form here and you could win a camembert. Or check out "the first interactive comics on the Web". A recent issue asks, "Have you ever fallen in love with a bidet?" It's urbane, to say the least, in both French and English versions. Papa Hemingway might call it a loadable feast. "http://www.mmania.com/"
Instead of cyber-touring real San Francisco neighborhoods, z Publishing offers a mouse-stop tour of virtual Bay Area sites. Comfortably ensconced at zpub is the San Francisco Cacophony Society (with full reports on the latest St. Stupid Day parade); media z, a site for media mavens and wannabes; z San Francisco, an off-beat guide to San Franciscan Web sites from Alcatraz to the well-known Well; and z Times, a media-focused e-zine. While probably more helpful to the natives (do you really need a local movie guide?), zpub gives the rest of chance to leave at least our virtual hearts in San Francisco. Sorry about the headline to all those who pronounce "Z" as "zed". "http://www.zpub.com/"
The Castro district, a real San Francisco neighbourhood - the location, in fact, of San Francisco's premier gay community - is presented for your sightseeing pleasure at Web Castro. For a bit of neighborhood history check out this month's excerpt from "94114", an online novel. The community-minded pair that created this site also promotes the Castro's local residents and events, and provides an arts and entertainment calendar. Make sure to check out the celebrity death register while you're there. "http://www.webcastro.com/index.htm"
NEPAL'S SPLENDOR IN WORDS AND PICTURES
Traveler Scott Yost has compiled a charming journal of his 1994 trip to Nepal. In addition to a well-written diary, the site includes a few interactive maps and 37 breathtaking photos. "http://enigma.phys.utk.edu/~syost/nepal.html"
PLANET EARTH, MOTHER OF ALL WEB SITES
This links to everything. Nature, science, education, sports, graphics, travel, recreation - you name it, it's here. The "Comprehensive Image Map" is a marvel of a menu. This is technology at its best. "http://www.nosc.mil/planet_earth/everything.html"
MAJORDOMO, LISTPROC, AND LISTSERV MASTER LIST
Just what the Net junkie needs: a searchable database of some 13,000 listserv, majordomo, and listproc mailing lists. Enter a word or partial word, and you'll get back a list of all the lists containing that word in the title or official description. E-mail: scfaq@indiana.edu "http://scwww.ucs.indiana.edu/mlarchive/"
This compendium of alphabetized links to hardware and software vendors on the Net will get you where you want to go in two or three clicks. Its Internet Magazines page is a model of elegance, simplicity, and usefulness. "http://www.ronin.com/SBA/"
ONLINE LOTTERY INFORMATION SERVICE
Interlotto offers full lottery results for all US state lotteries and a healthy dose of other lotteries around the world. This attractive page has good pointers too, but there are prominent warnings about results being "not official" and "entered manually". "http://www.interlotto.com/"
A compendium and up-to-date list of pointers from the alt.consumers.free-stuff group to companies offering free or sample products to Netizens. A bit of a Star Trek theme here, as well. "http://www.tbsa.com.au/showbag.html"
CATALOGUES, CATALOGUES, CATALOGUES
Search for catalogues, read about catalogues, talk about catalogues, order catalogues: The Catalog Site is the place to surf if you like catalogues, catalogues, and more catalogues. "http://www.catalogsite.com/"
Teleshare brings you information about the UK Stock Market twice daily. Expect news over quotes. "http://www.ws.pipex.com/tis/teleshare/teleshr.htm"
YET ANOTHER WAY TO FIND STUFF ON THE NET
Here's another decent Web index, seemingly geared more toward print media, books, and their electronic cousins. "http://www.interlog.com/~gordo/otis_index.html"
Looking for a new car? The International Auto Mall provides a listing of automotive dealerships on the Internet in 8 countries. Shop around and compare. E-mail: mikea@mindspring.com "http://www.mindspring.com/~mikea/dealer.html"
Looking for someone with whom you shared a moment of terror, be it in a foxhole or in basic? Check out this list of those who served in the military. Add yourself if you choose. "http://www.earthlink.net/~beerborn/index.html"
NBNSOFT - WEB INDEX ON DISKETTE
This neat idea contains 2,500 hyperlinks divided among 210 categories on a disk you get via real mail. While not quite as comprehensive as Web indices such as Yahoo, the huge advantage NBNSOFT's format holds is the speed at which it operates. Since nothing needs to be retrieved from the Net, you can search almost instantaneously and offline. We reviewed Volume I, which sells for US$6.95; a larger update is promised for November. We're disappointed with NBNSOFT's claim that they're Mac-capable, though. The disk they sent us was formatted for PCs, and its replacement (a Fujifilm MF2HD formatted for Macs!) was too. Furthermore, the installation instructions for Macs and PCs - well, they only work for PCs. At least Mac users are used to such abuse. For more info, e-mail Liz Tompkins at "liz@kersur.net" or visit the page. "http://www.tricky.com/liz.html"
NEW IMAGE COMPRESSION TECHNOLOGY
Johnson-Grace Company has developed ART image compression which, the company claims, delivers images up to three times faster for Web pages with mixes of GIF and JPEG images, ideal for users with slow connections. Until the end of the year, Web publishers/designers can download a free trial version of ART Press, a professional authoring tool, or take advantage of a custom demo that translates Web page images into the ART format for your own comparison. Many examples abound here, along with technical explanations. Check out the excellent collection of industry links as well. "http://www.jgc.com."
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