:::::coolstop/2003:::::

:::::Best of the Cool Site Reviews:::::

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prior listings

Please note: Our format changed as of 10/18/07 – see the front page and full archives for more recent listings. Thanks.

Luminescent.org 5/30/03
Description: photography
Comments: Creative photography from Toronto – the kinda site that makes coolstop tick!
zawar 5/29/03
Description: online portfolio of szájmon
Comments: From the keys come the artworks of Hungarian designer Szájmon ("say like 'Simon'"). The second cover choice for the main page grabbed me with its rich color scheme and subtle motion graphics. Is it graffiti on a wall? A number of interesting sites in the "homepages" section engaged me for a while, but the "images" and "other" sections really brought home the same excitement I felt from that main page cover...
Frisbee.A Collective.Interactive 5/26/03
Description: the bloodstream of the universe
Comments: "Frisbee and its life affirmative embracement, give evidence to what is high culture in our society. To partake of and achieve frisbee greatness requires great skill and responsiblity." Philo's a believer for sure and would have been great company when we used to play Frisbee Golf in the park on the bay down in Coconut Grove. His collection of over 50 Frisbees promoting everything from world championships to movies to wrestling heroes is nothing short of amazing. And I've got to echo what mschmidt says. The site sure brings back fond memories...
polar inertia journal 5/24/03
Description: stories and images weaned from the culture around us
Comments: Though making the size of those tiny fonts user-adjustable would definitely be an improvement in my opinion, I really like the overall design of this "journal of nomadic and popular culture." Originally founded in 1993 by a retired mine worker who now spends his time traveling in the West as an art scout, the journal was digitally reborn as a webmagazine last year (if I'm not mistaken). There's three previous issues in the archives, each one focused on different aspects of "urban infrastructure and nomadic culture." The current issue features a number of stories and photo series related with airplane storage and desert trailers among other things. Marcel, the founder, has arrived in Utah and the issue comes directly from the "culture" around him (and his cat Lucy). Makes for good content. Mac, the publisher and photographer, is "pursuing urban research among the strip malls and car washes of greater los angeles" and D.M. Speck, who's from Kentucky, is the "resident writer and critic." All-in-all, a really good mag from some intesting people...
SWIKIRI 5/23/03
Description: african creativity unites
Comments: Toke said "RESPEK to our African brethren" when he mentioned the site at k10k. Kirill at crossmind described it as an "African creativity portal." The site's mission statement is clear, calling itself "a gathering of African creativity through design. It is a platform for collaboration, discussion, inspiration and exposure of visual design, art, music, writing and all forms of creative innovation." Tasty "eksibits" and a real good "direktree" plus a design "sweet mama Africa" should be very proud of...
emptyPictures 5/20/03
Description: digital photography of laura sina
Comments: From amazing black & white skies to a cute peeping kitty and random shots "put here for no particular reason other than they made [Laura] happy," the pictures are anything but empty, thank you. Laura's shots are thoughtful, loving, and colorful in spots, and the monthly archives seem the perfect way to browse her work. [Love it... [bingwalker]
THESCREENSTYLE Designlab 5/18/03
Description: an online portfolio of artwork plus the battle area
Comments: 16-year-old Steve says "if you want to battle against me, just ask, but you must know I don't fight against everyone..." The young Austrian who calls himself "theScreen" is lookin' for a fight, but you gotta show him your stuff first. Violent? No. Visual! And speakin' of visual, his personal artworks are really good, too. Super-clean design... [stock.brainpixels | pixelmaniac.net]
Images against war 5/16/03
Description: an exhibition of visual statements against war
Comments: "The exhibition shows works of more than 350 artists" and Tina says more participants are welcome. The concept is simple. If you're against war, make a visual statement. I'm saying no more about this one, as the content amply speaks for itself, documenting real people grappling with real issues in the real world... nicely done.
suresure 5/14/03
Description: archive of animation, photography and graphic work
Comments: A 19-year-old named David, living in Bedford, England, is "filling an unplanned gap" in his studies by archiving a pretty good-sized collection of works online. Though he's majoring in Photography (and showcases it on the site), David also shares a number of Flash experiments, plus a collection of "logos and design." And if you need to know the time, just click-and-hold on the logologo... coolcool.
evanizer.com 5/13/03
Description: personal journal, artwork, and photography
Comments: "Last night I dreamt of being at the bottom of the sea, treading on soft orange sponges, glimpsing diamonds inside of stern grey clams before they snapped shut." It looks like Evan's journal is a brand new thing, the oldest archived post being from April. He calls it "a place to polish, arrange and admire words and ideas" and I like the style. Actually, I found today's pick via Retrolounge which pointed to another project of Evan's, They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships. It's his collection of very old pictures... of sailors. Love those old sepia shots. There's other photograph collections and artwork worth getting into, plus a tribute to Achille Castiglioni, who recently died at the age of 84. Evan calls him "one of the greatest designers of the 20th century" and his presentation of objects designed by Castiglioni makes the case well. Evan's personal space is very cool if you ask me...
ORANGE-TRASH 5/11/03
Description: pictures about HUNGARY
Comments: I had to guess the email address of the person behind the site and if I'm lucky, they'll know they're today's pick. Someone anonymous somewhere in Hungary put hundreds of photos on the site with the simple message to "use free." Some really good photos among 'em. No contact info. No name. Just "use free." Drumroll and a big thank you, whoever you are... [blue vertigo < linkdup]
invisible-made-visible 5/10/03
Description: an online exhibition of urban art photographed in and around east london
Comments: Art is hidden all around us. Today's pick is out to expose urban street art found in East London (invisible-made-visible). Stickers, stencil, and graffiti art are presented via a great DHTML interface, though the pop-ups could be further developed to enhance the experience. There's over 100 photographs of genuine street art to enjoy, most of them just added on May 5th, plus an excellent links section. Very nice... [for the masses]
intherain.org 5/7/03
Description: the story of one
Comments: "Life seems mostly like a dream" says Jasmin, a student in Biomedical Science who thinks she may have "done much better in Arts instead of Science." She loves both. "To write is like to breathe. I need to write almost everyday. Love or compulsion? I have no idea." Jasmin also loves photography, admitting it's a "slowly cultivated skill." Impressive site design, too. Like life itself, she seems to be all about the learning. And learning it well... [Eloquentsky.net (see 4/16/03)]
blindsound 5/4/03
Description: dedicated to network art
Comments: One of the "art workshops" you'll find at today's pick was the source of another recent pick (4/28/03). There's a half-dozen other "cover projects" to help you discover new artists and works. Backtracking to the root, as I frequently do when exploring a site, I found a literal wealth of other cool content. A site you'll wanna dig into when the urge for net art hits you...
bingwalker 5/3/03
Description: photographic adventures
Comments: There's archives going back to last Fall, and Brian's got oodles of cameras. Picture that...
Horizon Zero 5/2/03
Description: digital art + culture in canada (Flash)
Comments: The theme of the current issue (08) is "remix." Calling its latest issue "a collage of recycled and regenerated media" and available in both French and English, the site focuses on Canadian "art + culture." Dig into prior issues when you have time - great design and content. I found this one late, but I'm sure glad I did... [crossmind.net]
The Black Table 5/1/03
Description: wonderfully eclectic site offering an unapologetically diverse collection of writings
Comments: Eric wrote that his site, which turns 4-months-old next week, features "a wide variety of content that's intellectually challenging and extremely funny." Wide variety is putting it lightly, as the length of the main page illustrates, and this isn't your typical online magazine. It's produced on Eric's nickel and all of the content comes "from hard-working people who write for free." Unlike most magazines, Eric's lacks "a coherent editorial mission that is dictated from one central location." I'm thinking that just might be something that makes a positive difference in the reader's experience. What you get is "like a mosaic, with all kinds of bits and pieces glued together" and Eric says "I don't think the picture of what we are is 100% clear yet." Updated daily, the content's a "marvelous array" of humor with a brain that seems to me to have something for everyone. Not your typical online magazine. It's "betrothed to no corporate entity and exists, mainly, because [its] writers want a place to put their work where readers can appreciate it." As a new reader myself, I guess I'll just say thanks...

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