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Jelly Web
A showcase of ultra-new interactive media, Jelly Web offers innovative
products, from the intriguing bouncing ball menu that challenges visitors
as they enter the site, to customized web sites that push the boundaries of
web technology. The interface moves users beyond conventional
point-and-click, and the site requires Flash 5, but patience is rewarded
with innovative and creative displays of what the future may hold.
Predicting that interactivity will invade our toasters and TVs, the site's
creators claim to be revolutionaries, and their portfolio shows it all off:
character animation, 3D modeling and QuickTime animated movies.
jellyweb.com
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Time Capsules
Enter a date and get a "time capsule," a listing of the top news headlines,
songs, toys and books, plus sample prices (like stamps at 2 cents each in
1921) and a list of celebrities born on that day. A cool birthday gift, the
list can also be customized by adding your own headlines, songs, etc. to
those of history.
dmarie.com
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Home Economics History
A class in human development at Cornell University studied rare manuscripts
to create this exploration of "the intellectual history of home economics"
-- which may seem like an oxymoron to those who recall learning how to make
quesadillas in a microwave oven. But when scholarship is applied to home
economics, the result is alot more than just perfect gravy.
The extensive exhibit includes social, political and economic theory that
makes a strong, even feminist, case for housekeeping as both an art and a
science leading to higher education, social stability and the mental and
physical health of the nation. Biographies of early Cornell home economics
faculty and audio clips of oral histories from women like Florence Beck,
seen modeling a Mexican bonnet for an exhibit of foreign costumes in 1919,
make these early 20th century women and their field of study come alive.
rmc.library.cornell.edu
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The Victorian Web
We may speak of "Victorian" and "repressed" in the same breath, but this
period of roughly 75 years named for the British Empire's Queen Victoria
gave us a wealth of social, political, philosophical, literary and artistic
product that has yet to be duplicated. A web-based translation of materials
for courses in Victorian literature at Brown University, the Victorian Web
is an exhaustive resource covering it all.
Visitors will find everything from detailed essays on movements in 19th
century British thought to illustrations of men's informal sporting dress
in the late 1880s. The period gave rise to thinkers from Locke to Malthus,
discoveries from the Daguerreotype to evolution, and art styles from the
crafts movement to clutter - not to mention notions of sexuality we
struggle with even today. Every nook and cranny of it is explored here.
landow.stg.brown.edu
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Rare Bob Dylan
This site of previously unreleased live recordings of Bob Dylan in concert
includes many rare recordings via RealAudio. Among the gems, two songs
intended for the 1964 never-released Bob Dylan In Concert album, "Lay Down
Your Weary Tune" and "John Brown" - the latter not released until the 1995
Unplugged album.
Most of the recordings are from the 1990s, but many of these are also rare,
including "Visions of Johanna," heard by the public only a few times. The
recent re-release on DVD of the classic film Don't Look Back includes five
unreleased and uncut performances, and two of them can be heard here: "To
Ramona" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," from the opening and closing
nights, respectively, of Dylan's 1965 UK tour. Brief notes and music links
complete this treasure.
bobdylan.com
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Lab Tests Online
Today consumers must be their own best advocates in the sometimes scary
health care marketplace. This site is just what the doctor ordered. Lab
Tests Online offers vital info about the most "invisible" yet routine of
health care processes, clinical lab tests.
Designed for consumers by lab professionals, the site is peer-reviewed,
non-commercial and truly patient-centered. Pull-down menus make it easy to
select a test and get a thorough, simple explanation of how and why it's
done. Select a condition to read about its symptoms or select a group (like
adolescents) and read about the right preventive and diagnostic tests.
Go Inside the Lab to follow a throat culture from gathering the sample to
reading the results, or get tips on how to give a true specimen at
Understanding Your Tests - so you won't have to be needlessly poked or
swabbed again.
labtestsonline.org
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Smart Cookbook
Dedicated to making shopping, cooking and eating good food easier,
Recipezaar's goal is to build the "world's smartest cookbook." They may be
on the way, with more than 6,000 searchable recipes to browse by course
(main, appetizer, dessert), cuisine (French, Italian, Indian), main
ingredients, preparation or special categories like holidays or "kid
pleasers."
Visitors can also create their own personal cookbook of favorite recipes
from the site's database, save them for future access, and search and
browse their saved selections any time. Shopping is not forgotten either:
My Grocery List gathers up the ingredients needed and sorts them into one
shopping list. For those who want to eat right now, Fridge Search lets you
list everything on that lower shelf that hasn't yet spawned its own life
form and gives you a recipe to match.
recipezaar.com
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Real Workout
Workout.com is an online workout, with high quality graphic-assisted and
video workout programs for all levels of sports and lifestyles. Designed as
a one-stop site for those who wants to get in shape, the site promises to
help you "feel comfortable, find support and discover new challenges" in
the process.
The Exercise Zone has more than 500 exercises, organized into nine
categories from muscle development to agility. The Program Zone offers
regimens for every training level, organized into seven areas of
concentration from sports training to post rehab. There's also a special
section for strength coaches, physical therapists, personal trainers or
physicians who want to join the Workout network.
Users must register with a valid e-mail address but services are free and
include personalization, like My Locker, a non-smelly virtual holding tank
where you can store your goals, workout logs and favorite programs.
workout.com
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Our Favorite Things
An experimental program, History Wired is a virtual tour of objects from
the vast collection of the National Museum of American History. But it's
unlike any other museum site you've visited. Here visitors can look at
hundreds of artifacts, most not on exhibit in the real museum.
The site is object-map based. That is, users click on areas representing
categories like Clothing, Photography and Sports and then select items like
flour-sack dress, Mathew Brady's Custer or Chris Everts' tennis racket to
see a thumbnail image and explore the item more. Click on Chaucer's
"Canterbury Tales," for example, and see a page from the original text in
Gothic style, then on a link to Making Type by Hand for more info - and
then listen to an audio clip of the preface from the Smithsonian.
historywired.si.edu
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Wild Africa
Living in America, it is easy to forget that there are still places on Earth
that remain unexplored and uninhabited. Central Africa is one of these
pristine places, home to breathtaking natural environments filled with exotic
animal species, many of which have never laid eyes on human beings.
With help from National Geographic, visitors can relive conservationist
Micheal Fay's intrepid expedition of The Green Abyss, a wild swatch of
territory situated between The Congo and Gabon in Central Africa. The
journey, dubbed a Megatransect, spanned fifteen months and twelve hundred
miles, and is documented by Fay with a strenuous attention to detail.
tricksandtrinkets.com
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Wood That Works
'Wood That Works' is an art website dedicated to the displaying David C.
Roy's mesmerizing wooden sculptures. His pieces are kinetic mechanisms that
seem to move almost randomly.
In addition to showcasing and interpreting Mr. Roy's work, the site also
provides a biography of the artist, insight into his techniques and artistic
processes, as well as the ability to purchase individual pieces of art (most
start at about a thousand dollars). His work is also for sale in galleries
across the United States.
woodthatworks.com
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Skyscrapers
Born in the early twentieth century, these breathtaking tall buildings were
given a poetic title and dispatched into the heart of most major cities as
austere symbols of power and progress. Located in New York City, the
Skyscraper Museum pays tribute to these architectural monoliths, their
history, symbolism and construction.
The website behind the museum is equally interesting, complete with virtual
exhibitions that examine topics such as urbanism, architecture and business.
Don't miss 'Building the Empire State', a look into the 'design and
construction' of the most famous skyscraper of all.
skyscraper.org
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Cultures on Edge
'Cultures on the Edge' is a quarterly online magazine whose mission is to
preserve and promote awareness of different cultures around the world. The
publication is a gathering ground for 'cultural visionaries' from both modern
and developing countries, a medium in which people can use writing, art and
experience to educate, learn and share with one another.
The website is broken up into several sections, including a 'Gallery' that
contains articles and art projects from a variety of contributors. Currently
on display is an interesting look into one man's lifelong relationship with
the sounds, colors, customs and cultures of Southeast Asia.
There is also a section entitled 'News and Events', which contains upcoming,
site-related happenings as well as an 'archive' of past issues.
culturesontheedge.com
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Amatuer Film Critic
With so many film critics, it is difficult to know whom to trust when it
comes to choosing a movie to see. James Berardinelli has emerged from the
anonymous chaos of Internet film reviewers to receive kudos from such
seasoned experts as Roger Ebert.
This movie buff, a full time electrical engineer, has created 'ReelViews', a
website that offers insightful reviews of today's current releases. The
honesty and knowledge with which he writes his reviews are impressive, while
he faithfully avoids revealing too much detail about the film.
movie-reviews.colossus.net
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Splash Challenge
While many designers create simply for the pleasure that it gives them, other
artists prefer to test their skills against their peers. Splashchallenge
holds a series of online competitions, each one focused on a highly original
design concept, complete with an objective jury, a grand prize and a fixed
number of entries.
The Splashchallenge site lists detailed descriptions of current contests,
displays artwork from previous winners and runner's up, and has current art
news and events. Be sure to check out one of the current challenges, an
interpretive design melee based on the psychological exam known as the
Rorschach Test.
wallsite.com
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Broadband Delights
FeedRoom.com is one of the coolest broadcasting sites we have reviewed. The only problem is that you need high-speed access to fully appreciate all of its features. Their professional rich-media format combines the best of television and the Internet.
Founded by seasoned television executives, the FeedRoom aggregates the latest news, business, sports, weather and traffic videos from networks, local TV stations and independent news providers. The future promises personalized interactive newscasts, with in-depth links to the top stories of the day, along with instant notification of major breaking news.
feedroom.com
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Find Articles
If you're looking for a magazine article you read a few months back, check out FindArticles.com for articles dating back to 1998 from more than 300 magazines and journals.
findarticles.com
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Strong Numbers
Many of us have used The Kelley Blue Book to obtain the fair price for a
used car we planned to buy or sell. Strong Numbers has taken this concept
one step further by creating a site to provide pricing information for the
huge commerce market of collectibles and used goods.
Their extensive database covers computers, toys, trading cards, home
electronic equipment, video games and more. With all the buying and selling
going on online today, it might be a good idea to check out this site
before your next transaction.
strongnumbers.com
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Immunobiology Animations
The human body is an awesome creation, a complexity of cells, vessels, organs
and systems capable of self-healing, voluntary movement and creative thought.
Among the most complex and critical of these functions is the body's natural
defense: the immune system.
Here you can take a closer look at how this vital system is central to good
health. The Immunobiology Animation Player lets you view diagrams to discover
the elaborate system of responses that enable the body to fend off
potentially harmful invasions and, when it goes awry, to create the
devastation of such diseases as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and a
host of other auto-immune diseases that occur when the body turns against
itself.
blink.uk.com
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Gaudí 2002
Visitors to the beautiful city of Barcelona are familiar with the brilliant
work of Spain's most legendary architect, Anton Gaudi. In his honor, the
Spanish government has declared the year 2002 as "International Gaudi Year,"
during which the Catalonian city will celebrate the many contributions of
this technical magician.
This official web site of the yearlong celebration offers an overview of the
life and work of the architect, as well as a preview of the festivities to
come. Users will learn about Gaudi's life and architecture, read about his
techniques, philosophy and social impact, and be able to plan now to
participate in the upcoming celebrations, lectures and educational activities
Barcelona has in store.
gaudi2002.bcn.es
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Interactive Color Experience
Color is the visual texture of our lives, an emphatic force inscribed with
intense radiance and description. Based on the 1992 book Color, Contrast,
and Dimension in News Design, this site explores the power, physiology and
theory behind color.
The site's founder, Pegie Stark Adam, uses exercises and experiments to
demonstrate the power and influence of color on the mind and explains how her
teaching affects news media and how people navigate and absorb visual and
written information. Visitors will enjoy the many exercises, especially one
using a famous Van Gogh painting to illustrate the emotional impact of color.
poynter.org
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Source: tricksandtrinkets.com |
