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>>> May 4, 2000
1,2,3, fight! You smell! The original Sissyfight hit the Net last year, and thousands of pseudo-schoolgirls have mercilessly taunted each other in virtual schoolyards ever since. The game of tattling, poking and ganging up has spawned a sequel--Sissyfight 2000. Fear not, the mechanics of the original game are still intact, but this new version promises to be even crueler. Take a tip from Networthy, people really hate being described as "hoochies." Nyah nyah at www.sissyfight.com. True, true Inspired by the Budweiser Whazzup commercials and the ongoing Elian saga, two wiseacres at playboy.com combined the two phenomena, resulting in a Flash movie that landed them in hot water with the Associated Press. Pilfering AP photos and Budweiser's soundtrack, the result is as funny as it is disturbing. See whazzup at www.geocities.com/elian_true. It's just waffle Gospel, country, and R&B influenced by breakfast food. Previously you could only hear these at Norcross, Virginia's The Waffle House but now thanks to the magic of RealAudio they're accessible to everyone. The site bacons at www.wafflehouse.com/rajukebox.htm. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Apr. 27, 2000
Gangsta, gangsta Goodfellas: Straight out of NYC, Jerry Capeci has been writing about the mob since 1986, and still hasn't gone for a swim in cement shoes. His Web site, Gang Land (www.ganglandnews.com) features a weekly column on what's going down in the underworld, as well as profiles of today's most famous mobsters. Ever heard of Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso? According to Gang Land, he was quite a button man in New Jersey. This site provides hours of entertainment for any would-be Elliot Nesses or Don Corleones out there in cyberspace. Perhaps if Mafiaboy saw how these guys paid for their crimes, he would be behind his computer right now. Bric-a-brac: Some artists use strange mediums for self-expression: spray paint, shoes and even their own bodies. There's a Japanese man by the name of Ken-Tucky who uses Lego bricks for his art, and the result is the most fascinating (and maddening) gallery of plastic creations. There are dragons, robots, and surreal chairs. Oh my! Connect at www.bekkoame.ne.jp/ha/hj22438/WORKS.html. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Apr. 20, 2000
Do you compute? Math Pop: Throughout most of history, physicists stood around in laboratories, looking important in their lab coats and bow ties, and rolled small coloured balls down ramps. With the advent of modern technology, they now have a new tool to advance their science, and guess what? It's fun. Sodaplay (www.sodaplay.com), developed by an intrepid band of British Web designers and programmers, is a Java applet that lets you create and animate two-dimensional models. Think Tinkertoy meets Newton's second law in your Physics 201 notebook. You can play with the existing models, which include a self-propelled triangle and a dancing pylon named "Dirk Jiggler," or create your own. Vectors were never so much fun. Cybershoes: When they were first released in 1984 at the time of the Los Angeles Olympics, Adidas' Micropacer was heralded as the shoe for the new millennium. Whether it's due to '80s nostalgia or irregularities in the water cooler at corporate headquarters, Adidas has decided to reissue the sneakers with the built-in electronic pedometer. Only now they're Y2K compliant. Keep track at www.micropacer.com. : Michael Citrome |
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>>> Apr. 13, 2000
WWW is a joke The Posse: "André the Giant has a Posse," says the ominous text staring out of thousands of photocopied stickers. What does it mean? That cryptic message has confused people the world over, but it's all the work of N.Y.-bred, Cali-based artist Shepard Fairey. Obeygiant.com (www.andrethegiant.com) functions as Fairey's manifesto/art gallery/store, where you can order videos, giant posters, and a multitude of André-themed stickers. Obey the giant. Yeah, boyee! Guess who's back. That's right, the original crazy guy of hip hop, Mr. Flavor Flav. The man described as the "creator of crazy styles now commonplace in the diversity of hip hop," now has his own Shockwaved Web site where you can download audio and watch the Flav in action. There's MP3s of brand-new material. Give up props at www.flavorflav.com. Parroty: It's the South Park kids doing Monty Python's dead parrot sketch in RealVideo. How funny is it? Well, let's just say that elective surgery will suddenly become urgent. Tell your friends at www.comedycentral.com/download/southpark/spmp_main.shtml. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Apr. 6, 2000
Superheroes and supervillains Ultraweb: Japan's longest running Sentai--a live action costumed superhero show--features Ultraman and his family of Ultramen and Ultrawomen from Nebula M78. A huge fan culture has grown up around Ultraman, wherever it has been shown in its various incarnations, from North America, to the Philippines, to Brazil and France. One of the best Ultraman sites is Ultraman Never Dies (http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Club/9395/), especially if you love toys and manga. For the Ultra-ignorant, check out the Ultraman FAQ at (http://home.iu.net/~jsewell/FAQs/Ultraman-FAQ.html). Radical, dude! Sure, we always hear about terrorist bombings, but do we ever get to know the terrorists for who they really are? The answer is no, we don't, and with good reason, because terrorists are basically nuts. The Index of Terrorist Group Files (http://www.scivis.nps.navy.mil/~library/tgp/tgpndx.htm), maintained by the U.S. Navy Graduate school, lists many of the big-name terrorist groups, and some you might not have heard of. With this info you could be the next Tom Clancy, or Una-bomber. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Mar. 30, 2000
Happy fish day! Kick out the Jams: Culture Jammers be aware, April 1 is more than just a day to pin a fish on your boss's back, it's also the Fools Festival, the observance of which is explained and advocated at the Adbusters WHQ (http://www.adbusters.org/home/). Whether it means "tweaking the nose" of the establishment or turning Joe Camel into a chemotherapy patient, Adbusters is there with advice and a gallery of spoof ads that'll turn your laser printer into a machine of subversion. Pranks for Geeks: At MIT, when you perpetuate a "hack" it means a clever prank, and those crazy science geeks have a talent for some extremely clever pranks. Check out the MIT IHTFP Hack Gallery (http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/) where pranks include converting the great dome into a convincing replica of R2D2. Fresh: What better present for your poisson d'Avril than a sushi robot from Tomoe Co. Ltd (http://www.tomoe-co.com/). These fully automated robots can produce up to 2,000 pieces of sushi per hour, with variable wasabi dispensing. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Mar. 23, 2000
The road less travelled Kustom kulture: Holy blowers! Take a look at this hot rod site. Mooneyes has been in the hot rod scene since the 1960s and their Web site, www.ratfink.com, is a detailed catalogue of all of their custom accessories, as well as the largest selection of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth merchandise anywhere. You'll no doubt recognize Rat Fink and his cast of characters, who were totems to an entire generation of surfer dudes and dudettes. The only source for a flaming 8-ball gear shift knob, there's also lots of photos of hot rod cars, trucks and even bicycles. Hang Ten! Auto-expression: Ever felt like tooling down the highway in a Cadillac painted in black cow spots with Astroturf upholstery? Someone else did. You can share their vision at Art Cars in Cyberspace (www.artcars.com/ArtCarIndex/cover.html), a bastion of automobiles transformed into works of art in motion. Essential for fans of psychedelic Volkswagens and Subarus turned into sharp-toothed monsters. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Mar. 16, 2000
Funky badass superheroes Whazzuuup? By far the funniest thing to hit the Web all year, the Superfriends Whazzuuup commercial parody is this week's best waste of bandwidth. Some clever individual took the Budweiser Whazzuuup commercial, lifted some scenes from the Cartoon Network's Superfriends cartoon (featuring silver age DC comic book heroes) and pasted it all together. The very unauthorized result is a triumph. Check out both the original and the parody at The Ad Critic (www.adcritic.com). Did you plug in the Dragster? A reasonable question if you're a member of NEDRA, the National Electric Drag Racing Association. NEDRA's Web site is a treasure trove of interesting facts on electrically powered drag racing, an exciting and pollution-free sport. NEDRA may have a sense of humour about their cars, but make no mistake, they move fast. Charge up at www.nedra.com. Michael Citrome |
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>>> Mar. 9, 2000
Puppet state Flat city: Home awake late on a Friday night watching a rerun of Bouge de là on MusiquePlus, all kinds of strange ideas can creep into your head. The strangest by far is the yellow fuzzy star in a video by French techno artist Mr. Oizo, a puppet named Flat Eric. Already a fading star in Europe by way of phenomenally successful Levis ads, Flat Eric has quite the fan following on the Web. Find images, video, sound clips, bizarre info and the lyrics to "Flat Beat" at http://flateric.virtualave.net. Something stupid: From our good buddies at stupid.com comes a new assortment of brilliantly idiotic gifts that can be yours with a quick bit of e-commerce. The pocket-sized Magnetic Poetry kit is quite brilliant, but can anyone fathom a ratio-nal use for a talking BBQ spatula? Catch it at www.stupid.com/newstuff.htm Robots Attack! The scenario: a man in a cardboard robot suit terrorizes a suburban Taco Bell, and reads newspapers in the park. It's at www.robotfrank.com. Michael Citrome |