Tripod
Perusing the first well-designed page of Tripod, I was expecting to find
a hip and somewhat frivolous e-zine for mindless GenXers. I happily scanned
through the table of contents looking for something to take my mind off
impending deadlines, but all the articles I ran across seemed overly serious
and practical. Advice on how to invest my money? An article and test about
personal safety techniques in an urban environment? Where's the fun in *that*?
Just wait.
According to its mission statement, Tripod attempts to bestow the "Tools
for Life" upon people in their mid-20s. This concept took shape in
1992, when Bo Peabody and Brett Hershey, two Williams College students,
and Richard Sabot, a Williams economics professor, were working on a project
to teach young adults about financial investments. But it wasn't until 1994,
when Peabody attended a demonstration of the Web, that the group found the
appropriate publishing medium for Tripod.
The editors expanded content to include other practical sections, such as
Travel (with some of the Fodor's books online), Work, Health, Community,
and so on. The News section has grown to become a major portion of the content,
with daily updates and extensive coverage of the 1996 political campaigns.
But Tripod is much more than an online publication. It's truly interested
in promoting Internet communities. This explains why it has its own Multi-User
Object Oriented Environment (MOO), a graphic-oriented chat space. Tripod
has also broken new ground by being the first Web site to allow users to
create their own personal Web pages. "We wanted users to start establishing
a face and a presence on the site," says Ethan Zuckerman, Tripod's
"Webkeeper."
While the site's founders and a good portion of its staff are Williams College
alumni, Zuckerman did post-graduate work at nearby Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, where he recruited some great art talent to work on graphics.
Tripod's page design is some of the best I've seen on the Web. You'll find
extremely good integration between text and art.
A staff of 16 works out of a converted Greek revival house in Williamstown,
Mass., although the site's actual servers are in Northampton because of
the proximity to a T1 line. With investments and advertising dollars starting
to line its coffers, Tripod looks like it will have a promising future as
a top Web site.-WKC
A+
21st
Century Magazine
This bimonthly online magazine focuses on the question, What will be happening
in the 21st century? While the site's treatment sounds kind of new agey,
the few, short articles posted here were all about how genetic engineering
is going to improve our lives in the future. The graphics were ugly, and
I found myself longing for the simplicity of unenhanced gray tones.-WKC
C
Cyberwest Magazine
Saddle up and head out for Cyberwest Magazine. Tap into the spiritual energy
of Sedona, Ariz., or visit the Great Sand Dunes, the best sandbox in Colorado.
Cyberwest displays some of the best snapshots this side of the Rio Grande.
And when y'all cowboys are bored wrestling cattle, you can find a sunset
to follow in the events calendar. Most of the news features focus on Colorado
cities and ski resorts. Git along, little cyber doggie.-BJB
A-
dEPARTURE
fROM nORMAL
Here we have an art and poetry magazine that seems willing to publish any
work slipped through the proverbial mail slot. These arbiters of aesthetic
either have low standards, or were scraping for content, and accepted some
material that could only *claim* to be poetry because it didn't follow the
rules of sentence structure. Bad grammar is not the soul of poetry. Most
of the site's content is pretty decent, though, and attendant imagery is
quite nice.-WKC
B+
Depth
Probe
Ah, the personal computer revolution and its ability to put the power of
the press on anyone's desk. Now the ramblings of any idiot can be distributed
to the masses. Depth Probe bills itself as "a collection of thoughts,
ideas, comments, and reviews on modern American culture." But it seemed
more like the online diary of a single individual. The tone is semi-new
age, with roller-blading and snowboarding content thrown in here and there.
While you'll find a lot of material, a depth probe can only go so deep in
shallow waters. -WKC
B-
Electronic Newsstand Homepage
Instead of walking down to the corner bookstore for the latest business
journal or newspaper, consumers can find free articles from popular magazines
at the Electronic Newsstand. The Newsstand lists publications covering entertainment,
technology, business, automotive, health, recreation, and politics. Read
the latest South African news in *Weekly Mail & Guardian*, or discover the
best method to catch trout in *Field & Stream.* The entertainment section
lacks the wide variety of links the business and computer sections boast.
And don't try to find an underground zine such as *bOING bOING* or *ZUG*
here -- this newsstand is for mainstream titles.-BJB
B
Hot
Hollywood Gossip
Random scribbles on bathroom walls have better graphics and content than
Hot Hollywood Gossip. This text-only zine takes all the fun out of talking
behind people's backs. Instead of feeding our heads with eye candy and tasty
tales, Hot Hollywood Gossip teases readers with one-sentence rumors, and
a series of sarcastic questions. Readers can ask for free e-mail subscriptions
of the "unabridged" gossip column. Then again, a trip to the bathroom
may be more entertaining.-BJB
D-
Imagination
Imagine a literary journal with odd graphics, unique story plots, and experimental
poetry. Imagination takes readers into a cerebral journey of SciFaiku (science
fiction haiku), virtual reality columns, and an art gallery consisting of
blue blobs. Unlike other online publications, Imagination isn't concerned
about cashing in on subscriptions or wooing advertisers. It proudly stands
alone as an exceptional literary journal barely escaping the clutches of
commercialism.-BJB
B+
In
Vivo
In Vivo is a literary magazine willing to consider unsolicited submissions.
It's not entirely mind blowing, but is a great example of using the Web
to circumvent cost-prohibitive print and paper endeavors. The editor who
sifts through outside submissions is sufficiently critical. Content is better
than average, and the whole site is well-organized, including the author
index, which spans archives as well.-WKC
B+
indy
This is the Web presence for a magazine that covers independent and alternative
comics. Primarily consisting of comics-oriented reviews and interviews,
the site's content is repositioned material from the print version, and
is very good. The site also features a lot of scanned cover art. One page
offers subscription information, but, unfortunately, you can't subscribe
online. You should love the links interspersed throughout text that shoot
you to other comic book resources on the Web.-WKC
B+
Kill
Yourself
Kill Yourself? Indeed. Readers may simply die from boredom waiting for this
site to download. Kill Yourself focuses on punk and ska music, as well as
political issues. The publication claims to be a "sociopolitical e-zine
that explores everything that's wrong with the world today." If readers
live long enough for the huge logos to finish moseying on in, they may be
impressed by the angry twenty-something commentary. From essays on Bosnia
to debates on censorship, Kill Yourself attacks issues from all sides.-BJB
B-
Lady in the
Radiator
I particularly like the mission statement, which states the site is "produced
by a bunch of kids to counteract the soul-draining boredom of suburban life."While it isn't the slickest thing you'll find on the Web, it's got a lot
of heart and sophistication, especially considering the contributors' young
ages. Issue 2.5 consisted of one long page full of art and poetry ravings.
I hope the editors triumph in their creative fight against "suboredom"life.-WKC
B
Net Rag
Cha-ching! It's easy to hear the cyber cash registers ring when visiting
Net Rag. For a weekly $99 sponsorship fee, a company can have its URL displayed
on this online zine. It's confusing whether Net Rag is a magazine or merely
a series of commercials. The site publishes more advertisements than articles.
Even though section categories range from animals to finance, many of the
articles are text-only and lack personality. Somehow the name Net Rag seems
appropriate.-BJB
D
Pneuma
WorldWind
Pneuma WorldWind is as cryptic as its name. Pneuma editors promise not to
follow traditional tenets of online publishing. This Web journal does such
a good job being non-traditional, most readers may wonder if the publication
is being obscure or elitist. Instead of labeling a section "fiction"or "related links," sections are entitled "Educate,""Old Capitol" and "Lifebreath." Once this journal figures
out its audience, readers should be able to breathe easier.-BJB
C+
Quanta
Quanta never compromises between quality and quantity. This online science
fiction publication features numerous short stories about robots, computers,
vampires, big black cats, and headless snakes. Published both on and off
the Web, the editors describe the publication as "shareword,"and request a donation from those readers who enjoy the stories enough to
put money where their mouths are. Quanta's content makes up for the lack
of dazzling graphics and illustrations.-BJB
B+
Sackcloth
and Ashes
Wow, a magazine for hip, irreverent Christians. Is this the smallest demographic
in America? This strange little e-zine accepts unsolicited contributions,
and is published whenever its editors have enough material and time to get
it together. One seemingly regular column is titled "Heresy,"and contains a description of some kind of alternate belief system. There
are also articles on esoteric mythology. A very strange mix, but very enjoyable.
Some issues are available in PDF, the Adobe Acrobat format.-WKC
B+
Sea
of Noise
The typical zine used to be a photocopied pamphlet of barely edited, unadulterated
creativity. Web technology has allowed e-zines, zines' online soulmates,
to be as slick as the publication you're currently reading. Kind of a shame,
really, but Sea of Noise manages to retain that zine look by publishing
in unenhanced HTML. While it may not be all that pretty, there is something
comforting about the look. You'll find good articles with a sophisticated
sense of humor, plus record reviews.-WKC
B+
The Virtual Baguette
Attendez! Attendez, Francophiles! The Virtual Baguette is a French online
magazine that graciously provides an English language version. The gimmick
is to attack all our senses by offering sections for sound, taste, sight,
touch, and speech. (And smell? I guess smell isn't a sense in France.) The
Sound area covers material like French rock bands, while Taste offers recipes.
Graphics and content are great, a little Java game is fun, and the English
translations are downright quaint.-WKC
A-
VAJ Magazine
Issue
VAJ is a Canadian music magazine featuring interviews and reviews of underground
and independent bands such as Squirm, Forgotten Valley Gene Pool, Stone
Tree, and Mother Earth. Even though the zine promises exclusive focus to
indie bands, the main feature in one of the issues is a full-length interview
with the mainstream band Faith No More. If readers want a break from another
tour bus tale, they can also read movie reviews and humorous horoscopes.
VAJ is not a typical online music mag.-BJB
C+
Return to main page