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>>> March 8, 2001
Scary monsters Stalinvision: Guess the Dictator or Sitcom Character is another addictive Web game to waste your time. The premise is simple. You think of a TV character or evil despot, and the site will ask you questions until it determines who you are. If it can't guess whether you're Pol Pot or Paul Pfeiffer, you get to add yourself to the database. But don't try to outsmart the computer, it knows nearly all. Guess again at www.smalltime.com/dictator.html. Yidelature: Nathan Walpow is the leading author of botanical-themed Jewish detective novels. His Joe Portugal mystery series has drawn extensive praise from critics and his Web site is chock full of fun content, including some of the strangest science fiction on the Web. Check out Walpow's short stories about intergalactic garbagemen and time-travelling tofu. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy Walpow's quirky sci-fi, but it couldn't hurt. There are also entire chapters from his novels online. Get meshuggah at www.walpow.com. Michael Citrome |
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>>> March 1, 2001
The world without zinc Gamma gamma: Your watch is missing and you suspect that your ill-mannered pooch swallowed it down with his kibble. If you had your own X-ray machine, you could expose Barky to homemade gamma rays and find out if your Timex is ticking inside him. Wonder no longer, because instructions on how to build your own X-ray machine, for about $20 in parts, are available on the Web. Just remember to take the appropriate safety precautions. www.noah.org/science/x-ray/. Stalk different: It's only slightly less nerdy than scrawling your ICQ number all over your backpack in Liquid Paper. Clothing from skim.com comes pre-printed with a special ID number so some guy who saw you on the bus can e-mail you with propositions. Sign up and receive a free skim.com account and the opportunity to buy network jeans. Just off the top at www.skim.com. Michael Citrome |
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>>> February 22, 2001
The world without zinc Jargon style: A "pyrokleptic" is someone who pockets lighters and matchbooks. Racking up extra minutes on your mobile phone plan is "accelurating." Just what sort of funky jive-talk is this? It's some new-school fresh-out-of-the-box slang courtesy of www.pseudodictionary.com, a site devoted to bringing clever bends of phrase to public attention. Browse through an extensive list of new words and definitions, or submit examples of your own crew's lingo and watch them pop up in episodes of Student Bodies. Educational: Whether it's where beef comes from or the story of Jebediah Springfield, industrial and educational films are a part of our pop-culture landscape. Without them, how could we contemplate a world without zinc? The Internet Moving Picture Archive is a collection of hundreds of such short films, available for free download. From Cold War cartoons to hillbilly farming films, it's all here. You might remember it from such URLs as www.archive.org/movie. Michael Citrome |
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>>> February 15, 2001
Loft this! Talking head: Whether you're a commuter or a headbanger those two speakers on the sides of your head are your best friend on the noisy metro. But make no mistake, they're no second-string sound gizmo. Check out Headwize for the up and coming info on headphones and information on how to make your sound better. While you're there you can also check out the latest in wireless surround-sound headphones and download WinAmp plugins to make your computer sound like a concert hall. Stick it in your ear at www.headwize.com. TV feedback: When the Life network's The Lofters first appeared I thought I was watching some twisted version of Student Bodies. That wasn't far from the truth. The Lofters is a Canadian cross between Big Brother and The Real World. You can spy on the Lofters 24 hours a day on their Web site and--here's the good part-- actually tell them what you think in live chat. So far, I've had a lot to say. Talk back to your TV at www.u8tv.com. Michael Citrome |
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>>> February 8, 2001
Computervelt Bleep blop: The retro sound of analog synths is a big part of avant-garde music, but move over Moog, here's retro-digital. Some crazy bitheads at Elektron in Gothenburg, Sweden have been pulling the MOS6581 Sound Interface Device (SID) chip out of old Commodore 64 computers and putting them into a synth they call the SidStation. Designed in the early '80s, the SID chip was the last of its kind. Since then the focus in synths has been on sampling. Check it out at www.sidstation.com and order now, cause when they run out of C64, there ain't no mo'. Brain eaters: What do you get when you mix vampires and the banality and pathos of everyday life? Why Vinny the Vampire, of course. What's supposed to be an amateurish but funny comic strip about a regular guy who suddenly finds himself to be a brain-eating bloodsucker is actually a sad commentary on life stuck in a rut. It's a bit like Clerks with fangs, but more believable. Be driven to drink at vinny.myqth.com. Michael Citrome |