In case you don't follow these things, Quake is the followup to Doom. It's huge. Figuratively it's the Next Big Game. Literally it's almost 9 megs, compressed. Morally it's probably questionable, at least to certain testosterone challenged parental units. Undeniably it's pretty awesome. Don't even think about playing it on anything less then a Pentium. As for obtaining it, well, plan to play it in your retirement, 'cause that's how long it'll take you to download it. The sites are swamped. For the impatient you can find a list of world-wide mirrors at: "http://www.idsoftware.com/"
WE COULD SWEAR MSNBC WAS HERE A MINUTE AGO...
InterNIC this week finally implemented a long-standing threat to crack down on and eliminate over 9,000 domain names from its master database because of trademark dispute, non-payment of fees, or any number of other reasons. If you follow Net news to any degree, you should be aware that also this week Microsoft started up its new MSNBC online newsroom. See where we're headed? Have you had trouble getting to MSNBC lately? Can you guess why yet? Media Daily reports that the MSNBC domain was one of those put "on hold" Thursday, apparently because Microsoft hasn't yet paid the $100 it owes. While MSNBC admits it has been offline, its director of technology claims site maintenance. MSNBC (unavailable at press time, heheheh): "http://www.msnbc.com/" Media Daily: "http://www.mediacentral.com/Magazines/MediaDaily/"
The notoriety of Web serials such as "The Spot" has spawned a slew of imitators, some worthwhile, some not. One of these is Zoloft, a visually stunning Web drama that tells the story of a cast of characters living in a former gothic cathedral in an Orwellian setting. Your role is called "Silent Observer". You watch over the community and protect the "Standard of Living" for the entire collective, supervised by the ever vigilant "Lord Protector". The graphics and story are impressive, and the intrigue and excitement of selecting and observing the loft tenants holds the interest of even the most jaded, like us. "http://www.spectacle.com/"
EON-4 is another Web serial, about the first contact between Earthlings and an extra-galactic alien race. The well crafted site, rife with tantalizing graphics and a futuristic layout, tells the tale of the first human explorers sent to encounter this alien race, travelling through a wormhole thing just outside our solar system that deposits them a mind-staggering distance from home and kills one of the crew in the process. Presented in the form of mission documents and briefings, this is one of the better soap operas available on the Net, with fantastic writing and sleek graphics. The EON-4 project is a continuing story that's well worth getting hooked on. "http://www.eon4.com/"
IF YOU'RE ANGRY AND YOU KNOW IT...
Angry.Org is set up to collect and redistribute - well, anger. There are rants and raves of every possible description at this site. The targets of this mass-media spleen-venting include celebrities, corporations, CEOs (Bill Gates merits special mention - what is it about him?), governments and politicians - all the way down to those horrors of horrors, People Who Need to Touch Everyone. Site's founder Angryman exhibits unedited e-mail messages received from angry folks everywhere and categorizes them for more efficient anger display. Audience participation is welcomed, even encouraged. "http://www.angry.org/"
You may have noticed banner ads on Web pages heralding the Internet Link Exchange (ILE). It's a recent phenomenon whereby pagemasters can put free banner ads for their pages on other Web pages. All you have to do is to agree to display others' banners on your own page. It's all good clean reciprocal fun, and useful, too. We actually need more banner ads on the Web because there are still a few sites without them. If you just can't wait to get paid to do it, check out the ILE and they'll try to fix you up. "http://www.linkexchange.com/"
After you've checked out every site in this issue of Netsurfer Digest (you do check EVERY site, don't you?), go back and check them again with the Zippy filter. Yes, you can let Zippy the Pinhead run amok on the Web. Enter any URL to "Zippy-fy" the text of any home page. It's especially fun to try on government pages; Ariana Huffington begins to make sense when read through the Zippy filter. Don't bother trying it on Lyndon LaRouche pages, though... nothing changes. If you're tired of the same old Web, put a little Zip in your life. "http://www.ua.com/games/zippy/"
"A full seven percent of the entire Irish barley crop goes to the production of Guinness beer." "There are 22 stars surrounding the mountain on the Paramount Pictures logo." "A pregnant goldfish is called a twit." What do these stunning declarations all share? They are all (more or less) totally useless facts, and they're collected and archived on a single page. There isn't much organization here, barring the occasional umbrella category such as "Sunburn", "Typing", or "Vomit", so you may just want to gape at the "Fact o' the Day". Naturally, you can submit the results of your own research for publication. Entries are notated with the contributor's address or Web page. The best, or worst, part is that there appears to be no fact-checking, so see if you can get your name in lights. Don't tell them we sent you! "http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jenkg/useless.html"
Quirky? You bet, with hypotheses on the JFK assassination and OJ Simpson (no, not together), a tribute to Judy Tenuda (NSD's useless fact: she was married to Emo Phillips. Still might be....), live video from the top of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and pages for dog obedience school. One apparent employee of the USDA has quite the collection of stuff under the name of Cloth Monkey Press. Truly something for everyone and everything for someone. "http://www.wizard.net/spcook/home.htm"
Girls not in front of the camera, not behind it, but holding forth on it. Women reviewing films online might not be unusual, but the number of reviews (about 100) and the quality are. Reading about the number of rape scenes in current movies and seeing "Broken Arrow" get a thumbs down speak volumes about these perceptive minds in front of the scenes. The girls also advise checking out a Dallas cinema that serves beer and pizza: "Few things come close to the euphoria of Dolby Surround and a cold one." "http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~gof/"
Ad Age, the popular trade magazine for advertising types, has a site featuring what it considers to be the 50 best commercials from the 1940s to present. Remember Speedy, the kid with the big Alka Seltzer tablet on his head? What about 1984's dramatic Orwellian spot from Apple? Even if you're not an ad buff, you'll enjoy cruising this fascinating timeline of modern American history. Commercials are presented as still images, so there's no need for special software. Good to the last drop! "http://www.adage.com/Features/Commercials/"
It's 11:52. Do you know where your cyber-rights are? The Digital Doomsday Clock offers a huge chunk of information and resources based on the looming threat of censorship. Groups involved in the debates are extensively listed, as well as domestic situations all over the world. China, for example, has regulated links to the Net by liquidating and re-registering all networks. The closer to midnight the time, the more intense the struggle for freedom in cyberspace. Essential reading if you're sick of commercial and government infringements online. "http://www.io.org/~sherlock/doom/doom.html"
The Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg in 1994, records memories of survivors of the Holocaust. So far, 16,321 interviews have been conducted in 22 languages. The foundation intends to eventually make audio and video archives available to the public and the Web site is the beginning of the digital dissemination. The pages are well crafted but don't yet provide much, predominantly occupied by pointers to other Holocaust sites. A bit of digging on our part turned up ten interviews at the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University. Sample the interviews in text, audio, or QuickTime clips. Shoah: "http://www.vhf.org/" Fortunoff: "http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/homepage.html"
in the 1960s, for the first time ever, a witch was portrayed on TV as a pretty, intelligent, good guy - er, gal. The show was "Bewitched," and the star, Elizabeth Montgomery, is thoroughly loved by these archivists. Plenty of good photos, and general information, though it lacks links to other Bewitched/Montgomery sites. A couple of good articles from TV Guide and Cosmopolitan magazines are worth reading, and a list of collectible memorabilia is worth checking just in case you've recently stumbled onto a Samantha doll or "Bewitched" comic book. "http://www.erols.com/bewitchd/index.html"
The World Nap Organization (WNO) upholds your right to take a catnap. Catch 40 winks. Rest your eyes. We all know how great it feels to take a half-hour (or hour, or two-hour) siesta in the middle of the day. This site pays homage to the often guilt-ridden practice. Proclaiming itself an "open society for the advancement and study of napping", the WNO plays host to nap opinions, nap survey results, other nap links, and a MIDI music jukebox, for those who enjoy tunes while they snooze. Stop by and take the WNO survey or become a member. "http://www.bluemarble.net/~amyloo/wno.html"
"Life and Death" is an e-zine put out by the Society for the Elimination of All Truth (SEAT), an organization that stands as humanity's last line of defense against that unspeakable evil, Truth, which haunts our every waking hour. It focuses on the necessity of not, under any circumstance, searching for Truth, which SEAT defines as "the full consciousness of Reality". At first glance, this may all sound a bit flaky, but beneath the odd exterior lies some substance, with philosophical articles and discussions touching on topics like the role of religion in modern society. The Truth may be out there, but if it is, SEAT says leave it alone. "http://www.ozemail.com.au/~kevsol/seat1.html"
Rock 'n Road calls itself the most extensive North American climbing site on the Web, and it may well be. Gnarly graphics, great image-maps for the visually inclined, and a good search engine and help feature all zero you in on where to do it all, from bouldering to peak-bagging. For each site, rock and climbing info is provided along with road directions and written references. The list is constantly growing and updated thanks to reader additions. Super resource. "http://www.rocknroad.com/"
Business and vacation travelers will want to check out Fodor's, the Web site based on the popular line of paperback travel guides. There are, of course, descriptions of Fodor's Guides. Most visitors will likely head first to the free Restaurant and Hotel Index database, a model of navigational simplicity. Thumbnail reviews are available for establishments in major cities only, but that's the price of world class. The Free Services link provides toll-free phone numbers and links to airlines and car rental, hotel, and motel chains. Some may consider the pages a little thin, but you get the feeling that this site will grow and grow. Expect ads and increasing traffic here soon. "http://www.fodors.com/"
Pop quiz, hotshots. Canada is: a) a Cherokee word for "bloody cold"; b) a country to the north of the US composed of 20 square miles of arctic wasteland and a population of several hundred; or c) a really great place to live, netsurf and, well, generally exist. The creators of this site would certainly opt for c), since their Web site serves up Canada's best of the Net. The site offers a Canadian Internet search tool and the Canadian Internet Daily e-zine (CAID), which presents news about the Web at large updated daily. If it's a matter of interest to you, the site's worth the download time. "http://www.canadas.net/"
It's the Land of Lincoln. The state of Chicago. The center of the Silicon Prairie. Illinois is all of these things and more, as you'll soon discover by visiting this informative Illinois site - perhaps the most complete Web database dedicated to the 21st state. A special trip planner lets you plot your vacation in and around a variety of golf courses, parks, and recreational sites. Regional maps give you the lay of the land. Stop by sweet home Chicago for an urban retreat, or head for relaxing forests, meadows, and grasslands. "http://www.enjoyillinois.com/"
At the Adventure Travel site, really nice graphics, not overdone, lead you from land to water to air trips filled with unusual memories to be made. Ride horses in Arizona, ski the mountains of New Zealand, or fly a WWII-style dogfight. It's quality over quantity here. There are even excerpts of additional reading on featured locales and you can book a journey online. "http://www.adventure-travel.com/"
Gonna be in Atlanta this summer? The Georgia on My Mind Online site has info for visitors to that state with a nice search engine to help you find your way by map region, city, county or activity and store your findings in a personal travel planner. You can reserve your rooms at a Days Inn while still online. "http://www.gomm.com/"
Whoopie has a search engine dedicated to locating audio and video samples via the WWW. The catalogue is massive, and provides one of the best starting points for scouring the Net for multimedia downloads. Way cool. "http://www.whoopie.com/"
This site is stuffed with virtual tours of museums, the world, the US government, and a heck of a lot more. But what we like even more is the Crescendo soundtrack. At least for the first few minutes. "http://www.dreamscape.com/frankvad/tours.html"
COOL INTERNET RESUME BY A REALLY CREATIVE GUY
If you want to see how creative a resume can really be, you'll want to spend some time navigating the pages put up by screenwriter Gary Apple. It would spoil the fun to say any more, so have a look for yourself. "http://www.verbaljudo.com/apple/"
WASHINGTON SLEEPS HERE, ETERNALLY
Manus Hand has visited the grave of every American president save four. Read all about it here, with bonus coverage of their lives. "http://www.sni.net/~mhand/Presidents/"
Forgot Mom's birthday? Here's another free special-occasion reminder service. Enter a name, relationship, special date and the day you'd like to be reminded. Easy to use and update as often as you like. "http://www.buyitonline.com/"
In case you have a thing for grown men in makeup and glam gothic getups who dribble blood on their instruments - we're kind of iffy on that, though Cher apparently approved at some point - here's a page devoted to KISS. "http://www.otaku.net/"
If you're one of those tidy types who adore household hints such as "pour baking soda down your disposal each week to reduce icky odors", you'll want to have the Hints from Heloise site bookmarked. "http://www.heloise.com/"
The Info Technology Talent Association site is an employment resource for computer professionals that lets employers and potential employees search for each other. "http://www.it-ta.com/"
The "Ayrton Senna - The Legend" page commemorates that fallen hero in part with the author's emotional account of the tragedy. The F1 Renault Web site, maintained by the company for which Senna raced, provides information on the current Renault team. Senna: "http://public.srce.hr/~mkovac/senna.html" Renault: "http://www.renaultF1.com/"
HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGY IN THE WINDOW?
BreederLink offers a way to find reputable breeders for the dog of your dreams. The home page includes dog-related links, articles and stories, tips on purchasing a purebred dog, and, for breeders, the opportunity to become a member. "http://www.breederlink.com/"
SECURE SOCKETS LAYER 3.0 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TOOLKIT AVAILABLE
SSLRef 3.0 supports client and server side authentication, a variety of encryption mechanisms, and offers enhanced session management performance. Fully documented source code is available free for non-commercial use (though the PR does not say where), and for a low flat license fee to commercial developers. SSLRef was developed for Netscape by Consensus Development, who'll be happy to sell you a commercial SSL development package for a cool $40,000. Happily, this includes a T-shirt. Consensus: "http://www.consensus.com/" PR: "http://www.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease167.html"
It's not often we get to write about old software. We mean archaic stuff, from the 1970s and early 1980s. Does the name Eugene Jarvis ring a bell? Jarvis designed games such as Defender and Robotron. Certain of us can remember playing Defender on our home Atari units. Brook Bakay began this page as a class project. The site is incomplete, but hopefully still growing. It offers interview excerpts, game sounds, and a bio of the great one himself. And check out that funky background. "http://www.cs.uregina.ca/~bakay/jarvis/jarvis.html"
AN E-ZINE FOR THE 75% OF YOU WHO USE NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR
Although it's designed for Netscape, "Navigate!" (the online magazine for Netscape users) has enough general-interest content about the Web to draw users of other browsers. It's an eclectic mix of brief site and product reviews, along with short articles that have appeared in other locations. The overall effect is one of slickness and slimness. This publication has no official affiliation with Netscape Communications. We thought the magazine could use more content about Netscape itself. "http://www.netscapepress.com/zine/"
We're not ready to admit we screwed up, but the Eldercare URL we provided in NSD 2.19 was wrong. After all, it is possible that we the one we gave worked at one time, isn't it? The correct URL follows. "http://www.mindspring.com/~eldrcare/elderweb.htm"
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