Perhaps a clever marketer at Sealy came up with the idea of creating a really boring Web site that would make people think of sleep, and therefore, the Posturepedic comfort of a Sealy mattress. The Sealy site sports the standard product information, sleep information (represented by the requisite naked woman's back), corporate information, and customer relations information (inexplicably represented by one of many close-up shots of a woman's mouth and nose). Unless you have a specific question about mattresses or sleep-and even then, I knew before visiting the site that a big cup of caffeinated coffee before bedtime is a major sleep inhibitor-I would spend my waking time elsewhere. - Rachel Saidman
Mita may be the world's third largest manufacturer of copiers, but it still has a bit to learn about Web site design. Each page features a frame with links to the nine major sections of the site, as well as navigation bars on the top and bottom that link to the same nine sections. This means there are three identical navigational structures on each page, which clogs up the site with unnecessary clutter. Aside from this design flaw, the site manages to be friendly and functional, with information, specifications, purchasing information, and an Ask Mita section for technical questions about its products. - Rachel Saidman
There's no nice way to say this-Vaughn's HammerNet is a mess from a design standpoint. Where do I begin? How about with the awful background colors, which range from a nauseating mustard yellow to a vibrating red (with royal blue type, no less); the non-existent navigational structure; or the unappealing graphics? As for the content of the site, HammerNet offers a few do-it-yourself tips for tool buffs, but there are numerous other home improvement sites that do it better. I suggest you skip HammerNet unless you have a specific reason to visit. - Rachel Saidman
Sugar-induced sensory overload ahead! Adults may need a Tylenol after a visit to the Candystand site, which features "mini-sites" for Lifesavers, Bubble Yum, Gummi Savers, and a host of other candy and cookie products, but this may be just the right speed for kids. A dizzying array of frames, colors, animated GIFs, Shockwave games, and other effects should keep the young and hyper occupied for hours. The site also features zines on sports, comics, health, beauty and fashion, games and puzzles, and life and leisure. Like the candy itself, the there's a lot of sugar here without much substance, but isn't that why we love it so much? - Rachel Saidman
Duracell's site makes good use of Shockwave technology, but I'm not sure to what end. While it must be difficult to generate ideas for a site about batteries, Duracell's efforts to incorporate fun into its site feel rather forced. For example, The Alec Trolyte Show (get it?) features animations of a flashlight interviewing different characters. Episode Two interviews Major General James Soque, who lost his partner in, you guessed it, the dryer. The highlight of the site for me is The Story of Packaged Power, which uses Shockwave to explain how batteries work and teach the history of their use and development. - Rachel Saidman
Kotex delves into the female period with a countenance slightly more peppy than an issue of Tiger Beat. "Here's a ton of information about the miraculous thing we call menstruation," the site declares before chattering on about an adolescent girl's budding anatomy, changing emotions, and toxic shock syndrome. The info is friendly and thorough, even sometimes frank, making the site a fairly good resource for adolescents. Don't forget to plug in the product chooser and select the right tampon or pad for all times and kinds. Heavy flow with an activeday planned? "Lucky you-you've got plenty of Kotex products to choose from!" Lucky indeed. - Robert Capps
Nagged by the troubling incompleteness of your Swiss Army knife since the toothpick and tweezers disappeared? Clear your mind with a trip to Swiss Army Brands's knife accessories section, where you can also pick up a new spring for your scissors or a sharpening stone to keep those blades ready for emergencies. Though the folding and unfolding of the animated knife at the top of the page is mesmerizing, and the dozens of models with their tiny saws, hooks, blades, openers, and whatnot are certainly tempting, there's no need to worry about impulse buys while you're here since you can't buy anything but accessories online. Just as well ... do you really need a knife with a reamer and a sewing eye? - Sandra Stewart
You'll never forget where you are while browsing Paul Allen's Wired World, because Paul Allen's name appears in nearly every sentence of this pronoun-hating site. Topics covered range from Allen's business strategy to his favorite things (guitar, scuba diving, and certain Jimi Hendrix albums among them). This intensive focus makes the site seem oddly like the portrait of a teen idol, but you will still find plenty of solid information here. In addition to reading about Allen's strategy for investment in other companies, you can get advice on submitting a business plan by filling in an e-mail form for feedback within 30 days, and find out about grants from Allen's foundations. And if you still have questions, you can always send Allen e-mail. - Sandra Stewart