Welcome to ELLE

Though I may not be the fashion vixen you think I am (ack ack), I do know a good Web site when I see one. And, though it may pain me to rain such praise over a fashion magazine, I have no choice but to do just that. ELLE has got a great Web development team (or so it appears) and the site is stunning. ELLE won't taunt you with teaser paragraphs and dead-end links. It's nothing but top-rank professional. The site walks you through selected features on style, fashion trends, society, and culture from last month's issue, and gives the table of contents for the current newsstand issue (wouldn't want the paying subscribers to get miffed).

The features are long enough to keep you busy for hours, and they're laced only with the highest quality graphics. The haute couture set would be proud. Dahhrling, pass me the Gray Poupon and the Netscape, please!
But that's not all. ELLE also invites repeat visits with a model gallery (for gawkers and fans of the world's top super models), a link list of ELLE's favorite online fashion hot spots, and an event list that'll "put you in the thick of things." Sure, they lay it on kind of "thick"themselves at times, but isn't that what glamour is all about? But I do have a complaint with the "numerology" report. When I checked in December, it gave me a reading (with an oh-so-clever birth date calculator) for October. Ooops, a bit late (though luckily, ELLE also provided me with a 900 number - billed at $1.25 per minute- to call for weekly updates). Oh well, we can't all be as perfect as Linda Evangelista.

The organization of the site is superior. It's an easy and intuitive path to uncover the feature stories, jump to trends, get in touch with editors, and subscribe (though it wasn't quite ready for online transactions when I checked - get ready for the 800 number- I suspect it won't take much time for ELLE to remedy this).

Overall, ELLE is the best fashion magazine on the net. And the special tenth anniversary page is super-cool, with almost animated ELLE covers of past years. -SK
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with that big round butt of yours I'd like to butter your muffin
Miss Butta's Homegrrrl Page celebrates all things B-grrrl - "a new movement based around grrrls involved in the hip-hop/funk/skate scene."B-grrrls dig hip-hop, but add a non-judgmental spin to an art form traditionally laced with misogyny. You'll find band profiles, album reviews, and impassioned fanzine-style commentary. You'll also discover sound files from recently released rap and hip-hop albums - a service that all appropriate Web pages should emulate. Unfortunately, the site is "over-linked." Tread carefully, or you may find yourself in No Grrrl's Land.-JP
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THE UTNE LENS Issue # 10
Broken down into community, society, art, travel, culture, media, technology, mind, body, and spirit sections, the Utne Lens focuses on what a real Web magazine should embody. As the companion Web site to the magazine *Utne Reader*, the Utne Lens needs no introduction as a place for articles and opinions that mainstream media tends to ignore. However, Utne Lens also offers a fun grassroots section, where readers can create their own mini-home pages or chat in the cafe with other readers.-BJB
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THE PM ZONE
GIFs of rivets and sheet metal decorate the *Popular Mechanics* magazine online site, The PM Zone. With more than 1,000 pages of text, The PM Zone wins hands down for its quest in informing the Web public on do-it-yourself home projects, computing, new technology, and, of course, auto maintenance. Watch clips of *Popular Mechanics* movies, or talk shop in the HomeArts On-line Network. Travel in the PM Zone Time Machine to see the progression of technology spanning from 1900 to 1960.-BJB
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The Old Farmer's Almanac
The next time you mutter to yourself about forgetting an umbrella while walking home in the pouring rain, remember to visit an old farmer on the Web. The Old Farmer's Almanac is online and ready to help readers outwit the weather. Get a five-day forecast from a link to New Jersey Online, or read about the history behind the successful almanac, published since 1792. The site would only improve with more articles from the actual publication, but the sun graphic peaking out from the corner of the page reminds us that Mother Nature could be a lot less accommodating.-BJB
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The Morpo Review Cover Page
The Morpo Review morphs stereotypical views of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction into a bizarre escape from the traditional world of literary magazines. With poems are soaked in dysfunctional family angst and a twist of subway passenger diversity, Morpo delivers readers an unique blend of writing styles. The site goes beyond basic print and asks readers to step in the CyberCafe to chat with writers about their work. Unlike stuffy journals, the Morpo Review online magazine grabs your attention and refuses to let go.-BJB
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Outside Magazine
Sitting behind a computer all day leaves most of us with an itch to ditch work and go outside. Thanks to *Outside Magazine*'s online site, you almost feel the dirt beneath your feet. Read articles on skiing, hiking, celebrity athletes, national parks, wilderness therapy, and more. *Outside Magazine* also displays some breathtaking photography and amusing illustrations. After exploring the Web, the magazine encourages its readers to explore the best interactive site of all - outside.-BJB
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Nigel Wears 2 Nighties
NW2noise - what's this about nighties? - is pure in mission, and a cinch to explore. You'll find underground music journalism and "complete tracks from the World's most obscure, unlistenable, and ear-damaging artists."If your system doesn't support sound playback, you can always read the highly detailed record reviews. Even die-hard "alternative" music fans should be impressed by the site's menu of bands, the majority of which hail from overseas. The most mainstream offering I encountered was Team Dresch - hardly a Pearl Jam or a Green Day. Graphic presentation is adequate, but you came for the sound files, right?-JP
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Multiworld
If it's a small world after all, the Web only shrinks it further. Multiworld sends this same message to its readers. As a bimonthly multilingual publication relating to such topics as nature, wildlife, culture, people, traveling, and art , Multiworld offers articles in languages other than just English. Read a New York diary in Chinese or an account of an academic experience in Taiwan. The photo snapshots and arty graphics only add to the quality of this site.-BJB
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Kudzu a digital quarterly
Kudos to Kudzu, a quarterly journal dedicated to saturating the Web with the best in underground poetry and fiction. By making it available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format or standard ASCII text, the founders of this literary magazine want to make sure no one is left out of reading the latest issue. Kudzu features unusual perspectives, including a tale of murder at a magazine kiosk, an ode to dead grass, and a short story about an annual beach house retreat shared by friends.-BJB
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InterText The Online Fiction Magazine
InterText is more memorable for the magnificent cover art than the actual stories. The illustration of a swirling blue sky behind a little boy begins the journey of entertaining stories within the online fiction magazine. With titles to stories such as "Barefoot Sinderella" and "Storm's Child," InterText creeps inside the reader's imagination and never climbs out. Other stories go into the minds of hackers, fishermen, and dead Russian leaders.-BJB
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Gray Areas Magazine

Like its print counterpart, Gray Areas' Web site explores the fringes of fringe culture through a skeptical, libertarian filter. Click on a profile of the self-destructive (and now dead) rocker GG Allin - a man who regularly attacked audience members and ate his own feces during stage performances - and you'll find not a gratuitous shock-rant, but a thoughtful investigation into Allin's First Amendment rights and the world that begat such a loathsome demon. The site is light on graphics. Save for a few run-of-the-mill psychedelic backgrounds, its pages are almost completely devoid of art (though links are logically arranged).
-JP
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GOGREEN ECOTOURISM MAGAZINE
Instead of shelling out a few dollars for a tacky resort t-shirt, GoGreen Ecotourism magazine wants tourists to plant a tree. This online magazine promotes eco-happy travel ideas complete with useful packing tips. GoGreen lacks any photos of tourists rolling up their sleeves and cleaning up a camp site, but you can read some of inspiring tales of traveler environmentalism in the EARTH-Y section. GoGreen dares you to go where most tourists fear to tread, void of air conditioning and plumbing - the great outdoors.-BJB
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Cipher Comic Graphic Novel
It's captivating in most every aspect. The logos float through blackness inviting with mystery. The words are simple and few, provoking curiosity. And the content, the content is stunning and thoughtful. Cipher is a graphic novel -a collection of original pen and ink drawings, stories and digital artwork. The site debuted early last winter and has been steadily growing since, definitely one to bookmark as it promises to continually evolve. I'm dutifully impressed.-SK
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Inquisitor Mediarama
Inquisitor might be a great magazine, and it does mention at the very top of the page that this is just a sampler of what's available in the print zine... But I ask you, what could be more irritating than getting hooked with a paragraph of an article and then required to order back issues to read the rest? Why couldn't they print just one full article instead of a zillion mini taunting teasers. The layout is fine and clean and whatever, but I'm pissed. Bleachk. I suppose its a triumph for their marketing ploy that I'll just have to go out and buy it now.-SK
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Spectrum
Spectrum is a "Family" zine a la web. There's stuff for kids of ages; folktales, artwork, political humor (nothing too brash, fear not) and editorial features (usually geared for the older family members.) They also sport links to family-esque advertisers and software like the "Puzzle Pack" to use with the Spectrum designed "Puzzle Page." It's still a bit thin in places but it's got a good foundation. And make certain to read the story of "The Brave and Bold Little Squirrel."-SK
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The Atlantic Monthly
Say hello to the Web page and goodbye to its print progenitor: This online version offers all of The Atlantic's erudite, exhaustively researched content, and much more. Current issues appear in their entirety, though art and photos are played much smaller. Links are logically arranged, so navigation is as intuitive as flipping through the print version. Web technology has turned this liberal think-piece journal into a whole new affair: The Book Browser allows you to read the first chapter of each book reviewed; a search engine helps you find specific content; interactive word games award prizes to "Jeopardy"-caliber readers. Overall, this site raises the benchmark for repositioned magazine content.
-JP
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Threaded Contents
My first reaction to this zine was kind of harsh. I thought "Not another twenty- something look at the world by people who might not really understand what it is like to be twenty-something." But after probing a bit deeper I found some interesting articles ranging from sexism and racism to body art and American politics, streamline layout, and a broad range of opinions. There's also a helpful Net Reference section that should help newbies along the dirt path that is becoming cyberspace. So open your mind and take a ride.-SK
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