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prior listings
Search results for: cool
prior listings
Please note: Our format changed as of 10/18/07 – see the front page and full archives for more recent listings. Thanks.
Search results for: cool
- Elaine 10/7/07
Description: pictures of everyday surroundings
Comments: "Photography has always been attractive to me but I am really starting from scratch as I hadn't touched anything else than a small compact digital camera since 1982..." Living in Paris, Elaine has been out to capture the everyday in pictures since launching the photoblog at the beginning of the year. Look – another spiral to add to the collection, not to mention great shots of a one-man band and a beautiful blur...;~))
- somerandomshots 10/4/07
Description: a random photoblog
Comments: I like random. As in random cool for example (hope it lands you somewhere delightful). Or, as is the case for today's pick, random shots – might I suggest you use the Random link on the menu – it just might lead to something delightful... again and again.
- Tobias Battenberg 9/2/07
Description: experimental typography and design projects
Comments: Tobias' Akzidenz Grotesk project is what I consider to be the main attraction here, though his other design and typography-related works are cool too. Projecting characters of an old typeface onto urban surfaces is what it's about and the series of images is also downloadable as PDF file – unique...
- The Whitezone 5/28/07
Description: the lab of the weblog 'Central Scrutinizer'
Comments: Marco, who happens to have another site previously reviewed here, says The Whitezone exists to "collect the experiments made" in his Central Scrutinizer weblog. Besides some amusing material and cool scripting experiments, both the lab and the blog (just like that other site) sport really cool designs – impressive!
- Dave's Web Of Lies 2/27/07
Description: trawling the world's information nets seeking out falsehoods
Comments: "How much of what you read can you trust?" One of the Stars of the Month at Ample Sanity, today's pick is "seeking out falsehoods" and shares a new lie daily. There's over 4,000 lies in the searchable/browsable database, but I like random approach myself. "If you were to lay all the chickens in the world end to end they would stretch to the sun and back...........twice." Wait a minute! I thought that was true. "George Bush is actually an undercover Greenpeace member trying to infiltrate the government." No comment. Have fun...;~))
- 5ft10™ 1/26/07
Description: photos, living in London (Flash)
Comments: Paul Richardson, originally from New Zealand, arrived in London just about a year ago and the site presents a dozen photoseries done since then. His most recent views from walking home is a series of night shots along the Thames – very nice! I also enjoyed his shots of some rather well-known faces, taken in a famous wax museum. There's also several series taken in Paris, plus a bonus link today, Paul's old web playground from back home with even more cool photos... [Newstoday® PBS]
- Detour 8/5/06
Description: photos and the stories behind them
Comments: A claims to have coined a new word for photoblog – Phlog™. "To share or show-off, I'm never sure." Besides cool street-art and colorful glimpses of people, the other assorted goodies found on this particular phlog™ are all-in-all very good. And I also like the way he shares the stories behind each shot in its expandable details panel. Choose light or dark background color and enjoy!
- [F]laboratorium.org 7/25/06
Description: experimental bytes plus photos (Flash)
Comments: "You think of being a dancecommander too? Just let us know!! We only need a short videoclip of your mad, unbelievable dancing skills and some information about yourself..." Evidentally, when !BrainbuG! put the message out, several recruits were ready to "join the army" as dancecommanders and the result is a bit of interactive fun. Found that in his news, then went on to his big collection of other experimentelle bytes, various visual works and Flash animations – some very cool diversions. I like the section of photos too. And if you don't care for the soundtrack, a little exploration with your mouse should help you discover how to change it. [F]lab is a good thing...;~))
- fladdict.net 6/13/06
Description: experiments in Flash
Comments: Each worm painting you generate will be a uniquely organic piece of art. Or just sit back and watch it get more and more elaborate on its own. This amazing work is one of 4 interactive Flash experiments from a self-proclaimed fladdict. All very cool!
- marc steinhausen 4/3/06
Description: photography galleries
Comments: Marc announced his dailyberlin blog, which also led me to another of his projects, Steamhouse. Each of those sites is cool on its own, but Marc's main site has over 2 dozen mini-galleries, each with its own slideshow (which you can control). After viewing the ahoi grouping and the street gallery, it was clear to me this was the perfect starting point to all his tasty visual content, captured with an assortment of cameras.
- Joe Cunningham's Photo Journal 3/2/06
Description: personal photo journal based in Minnesota
Comments: Two similar photos, one Joe's most recent and the other, taken about a month ago – both very cool shots thanks to the new camera, which Joe says was like "getting a guitar once owned by Clapton." The universe answered Joe's request for an upgrade. Other shots like Three in flight and Into the sun, feel to me as if the universe was answering my request for something a little different today. Besides the photo journal and its glimpses into Joe's life (tell Lori I like Zeppelin too), there's also several series among his Projects that simply rock...;~))
- solaas 2/12/06
Description: interactive explorations in Flash and Java
Comments: Leonardo's first Flash project, done in 2003, was intended "to play with simple forms and sounds to represent scenes with a minimum of elements." Road Play is simple but very cool in my opinion – an interesting precursor to more complex things to come. Like Dreamlines, a Java project done last April, where your choice of dream subject keywords provides an interactive visual experience. And on the fun side, be sure to check out the Orifice suite of 'applications' – the "abnormal cousins of a paint program and a word processor" – unpredictable and most amusing...;~)) - HEL LOOKS 1/16/06
Description: street fashion photos taken in the streets and clubs of Helsinki
Comments: Liisa and Sampo call it a hobby project. They like "fashion, clothing, young people and photography" and with permission, take photos of people on the street and in clubs around Helsinki to "document Finnish looks." Along with each photo are comments made by the photo subject regarding their tastes in fashion and style. The duo behind the project say they "we want to encourage people to dress individually and create their own styles" and among the entries are many interesting individuals indeed – cool concept!
- New York City Walk 1/11/06
Description: images and commentary from a 2-1/2 year project, walking every street on the island of Manhattan
Comments: "The biggest celebrity in New York City is New York itself." After living there for a few years, Caleb came across a building "off the beaten path" and realized that what one sees on the "heavily-travelled Avenues" of Manhattan is a small part of the real picture – there were secrets to be discovered on those smaller streets and he decided to "explore them systematically." Well. By the time Caleb was done, 2-1/2 years later, he had walked every street in Manhattan – all 700 miles of 'em! Amazing determination to have pulled that off – cheers to Caleb for the accomplishment and for documenting it so well in photos and commentary on the website. Now we're talkin' cool...;~)) [what about the plastic animals? < Disarranging Mine]
- International Corporation of Lost Structures 11/7/05
Description: still trying to connect you to our 9th-dimensional architectural space
Comments: "ICOLS loves you." In all the years I've been doing this coolstop thing, I don't think I've ever worked so hard (and enjoyed it so much) trying to come up with a simple description for today's pick. After about 2 hours exploring countless pages, I finally settled for something said in a truly amusing .mp3 linked on Founder and Director Suzanne Treister's bio page. She founded the corporation back in 2000. Did I just say corporation? When's the last time you remember me reviewing a corporation's website? Okay, so it's a corporation, but not just any corporation. Where else you gonna find a Department of Revolutionary Nostalgia, a Local Unit of Missing Links, and an International Department of Local Aesthetics? Among the long list of staff, you'll find a Voodoo Therapist, Tea Person, Psychic Architect, and Guilt Adjuster. You'll also find an assortment of artworks and deep thoughts and even a picture of the office each person occupies. A little activism and art plus accounts of organizational events all over the world – total entertainment for the easily amused, yet ample fodder for those who like to think...;~))
- Design Detector 11/6/05
Description: web design and other areas of personal interest
Comments: If you ever wondered what a house would look like built entirely with CSS, here ya go. That's just one of Chris' many code demos. You might recall seeing his CSS Pencils early last year. Besides the interesting demos and a number of articles related to web design, Chris also presents what he calls his "amateur photography and artwork" – cool stuff, including wallpapers and The September Project...
- Sketzh.com 10/15/05
Description: "mini-graff the movie" and other graffiti/murals
Comments: "Nerdish but cool!" said armed rob in a post at Newstoday® – indeed. If you wanna tag a slew of trains without having to deal with local anti-graffiti forces and other such nasty business, mini-graff may be your answer. That's what Sketch is doing and I think it's great. The site's other content tells me Sketch has been out there on the streets doing waycool graffiti and murals for a long time too...
- rok2 graffiti writer 7/29/05
Description: Lay back and enjoy!
Comments: Selected for its cool original content, today's pick houses the works of a graffiti writer in Innsbruck, Austria who's been at it for almost 10 years. There's also pieces done with the BDMSK-crew from Poland, which Rok2 joined in 2000. Besides dozens of works on walls, there's big productions and works done on canvas. Rok2's style has changed several times through the years, but all his work is quite unique and colorful. Lay back and enjoy! [cancontrollers.net]
- Lake Detrus 7/19/05
Description: experimental trippy graphic design
Comments: Listed in the zone for almost 2 years, I bumped into the site again this morning. And my, was it green! Trippy visual creations and photos plus big colorful goodies for the desktop. Experimental is a good thing...;~))
- break into pieces 7/14/05
Description: gallery of Lomos (Flash)
Comments: If you like Lomo photos, you'll enjoy this collection of recent shots by Japanese photographer Yoshiyuki Yatsuda. Photos scale nicely to your window size – very cool interface (though a sound control would make it even better). Some magical images here...;~))
- Whateverland 6/2/05
Description: a collection of photographs taken by Archie FlorCruz
Comments: Having lived in Chicago for many years (a great city, thank you), today's pick is a treat for me. Of course, I hope it is for you too. Years ago, I worked on almost the top floor of the tall white building in the top left corner of this picture – is that an amazing photo or what? Archie's fisheyes and macros are cool too – enjoy a visit to Whateverland...;~)) [Raster]
- Nursery Grotesque 1/3/05
Description: "beauty that offends"
Comments: Thanks to coolstop visitor Alx for letting me know about the site. Today's pick houses the graphics of Greg Richardson, an Australian student majoring in Electronic Design and Digital Imaging. Alx calls Greg's work "very dark, very cool" while Greg calls it "beauty that offends." They're both partially right. While there is a dark and grotesque (sometimes bloody) side to some of the imagery, other works are bright and colorful and hardly offensive. All-in-all, there's some really creative stuff (including some great wallpapers). I'm wondering if those earlier writings Greg mentions, which "dealt with childhood afflictions and the like," are still available anywhere online – sounds interesting...;~))
- Joystick 11/24/04
Description: a collective of Colombian artists living in Barcelona
Comments: Today's pick aims "to build channels and comunication spaces." The site documents various events organized by its collective of artists, as well showcasing "the work of young artists presenting online monographic exhibitions of works made with non-web specific media." There's some cool stencils and stickers to view (and download) plus several interesting projects dealing with trash – "encouraging other people to make good use of what we consider useless." I enjoyed it – art with a tinge of activism...;~))
- Doubleperf 9/16/04
Description: film, music, travel, photography, and other observations
Comments: I love the first shot in a series of over 100 pics from a recent trip to Iceland. Another neat project, a directory to photo booths in 9 U.S. states plus London (so far, that is), which I discovered via Axis of Ævil, is actually what led me to the site. Brian's into running, music, travel, nostalgia, and the local scene at home in Massachusetts – the blog's an intereresting mix. But all those photographic projects on the sidebar, like the 2 mentioned above, are really cool in my opinion – and so is Brian's Amherstiana site...
- hambot.com 7/16/04
Description: biomechanical transgenic nanotechological artwork (Flash)
Comments: Just imagine! If you had a couchbot, you could "perform daily tasks without having to leave the convenience and comfort of your couch" while you make some moolah with your very own advertiseplant. Peter's inventions are just one vehicle for his cool illustration skills. There's also nanoworld, a work in progress where bots are propagating, plus sections of silkscreens and sketches. And I wouldn't wanna forget to mention the robo-generator and Mac icons – it's a colorful and fun Friday... ;~))
- The Japanese Garden 7/11/04
Description: the Bowdoin College web site on Japanese gardens (Flash/Quicktime)
Comments: As the saying goes, now for something entirely different. From a professor at a college in Maine comes this thorough resource on Japanese Gardens "designed to provide the visitor with an opportunity to visit each garden, to move through or around it, to experience it through the medium of high-quality color images, and to learn something of its history." Clifton Olds is the educator behind the site who shares a wealth of photos and also wrote all the texts. Nice use of Quicktime for "Quick tours" of the various gardens – the site's design, layout, and graphics are excellent. Educationally cool...
- Enfin Libre 5/9/04
Description: a platform of graphic experiments
Comments: The site's name translates to Finally Free and I think the two little, playful line-art guys must be David and Philipee. They're speaking in French, which I don't understand well, but I'm picturing it goes something like this. "Will they find the menu David?" "Sure Philippe, but not immediately. It'll drive 'em crazy." Well. It might take Jakob all day to figure it out, but I got it pretty quick (like I said, I was in a hurry). Here's a clue – Plop. Figure it out and you're on your way to cool graphics, cheery tunes, and cute cartoons (which I'm sure are even funnier if you can read French). ... have fun!
- brainold.com 4/3/04
Description: I take photographs
Comments: His name is Brain and I believe that's a Polaroid he's using. Photography can be fun. There's people with painted faces posing in "you're pretty." The odd "wife beater" narrative ends in a flame war. A number of other series have some very cool people pictures, to say the least. And I wouldn't wanna leave out what I enjoyed most – Brain's collages!
- Planewalk 3/18/04
Description: a harbour for my visual creations
Comments: Eleni a/k/a curly-haired monster, a 21-year-old artist, launched the site last September after several prior attempts and I'm glad she made it. A harbour for her art, the site's simple ink-splattered design is appealing. The works, going back as far as 1998, include traditional paintings, pen & wash, and pencil sketches plus digital portraits, paintings, scribbles, and collabs. Cool style – I love the untitled pencil drawing of a tree done in August, 2001. Eleni says "explore, enjoy, and perhaps be inspired." 3 for 3... [raster]
- Daniel Lee 'Manimals' 3/11/04
Description: digital images combining human portraits with animal features
Comments: There's an amazing animated .gif called "Fish out of water" done in 1998-99, which shows Daniel Lee's "view of evolution." That's just the online representation of the actual work of art which is a sequence of 11 larger digital C-prints with a 5-minute animated presentation on DVD, currently on display at the JM Kolar Art Center in Wisconsin. That project is 1 of 5 showcased here. It looks like Daniel started doing his "Manimals" in 1993 and his work has been exhibited all over the world. Drawing. Photography. Fine art. Photoshop. Uniquely cool... [pictoblog]
- AlterFin 2/23/04
Description: art & play – design & programming – friends & links
Comments: This morning, I found myself thinking about the face of Dominique, a cool "inter - Face" I had found last year. Didz called it a "very nice non-flash thingie" and for some reason this morning, I remembered it and how cool it was and the fact that I never checked out rest the site it was on. So that's what I did early this morning and am I glad! After watching a weird "UnCommercial" and taking in "Twenty Drawings" (IE), and then being totally amused by "Scrumpdillyishus Land" and realizing how much more there was, I knew my job was done. Yariv Alter Fin is the person behind it all and to learn more about this interesting guy, just view the source...
- transforma 2/10/04
Description: video and graphics. oscillating between discourse and loss of control (Quicktime)
Comments: If you like sharp motion graphics and you're looking for an excuse to crank up the volume a bit, check out today's pick. They produce "images for soundworks" and perform "live screening, editing and deconstruction" of their video material at clubs and concerts around Berlin. There's 6 Quicktime movies and I started with "yellowbeats." Short, but sweet subwoofer goodness. A newer video called "spaque" done in January features a mix by digital-gadget – extreme techno sound (if I had to label it) with cool graphics and type, plus a subtle reference to another site that may be in the works. Left curious about that, I moved on to the other works and found each one just as interesting, but each in its own way...
- stevelawler.com 1/31/04
Description: experimental Flash plus music and visual art
Comments: Different webpaths often lead to the same place. I guess I must have missed a turn last March when another recent pick led me to a cool gallery of photographic creations. Actually, I think maybe I didn't take the time to explore Steve's unique interface at the time and missed the fact that it also led to good things. Impatient? Me? Naaaw...;~þ Anyway, a new path taken this morning led me back to Steve's site, only this time I clicked... and I clicked... and I clicked... and over a dozen menu choices eventually appeared, leading to all kinds of goodies. Flash experiments (check out "Flesh" and "Fusion"), some real good music (if you press the keys), and yes, that gallery originally found elsewhere. It's all good if you keep drivin'...
- painted dreams 12/23/03
Description: portfolio of the artist anita kreituse
Comments: I may be just imagining it, but it seems the arrangement of thumbnails on the opening page form the number "23" and I wonder if that's significant. Anita Kreituse got her diploma from the Latvian Academy of Arts in 1980, which was 23 years ago. But she had graduated from art school 8 years before that and had started exhibiting her art the following year. So, whether the "23" means something or not, here's an artist who's been doing it for over 30 years – kudos for that! Besides her large showcase of paintings and drawings, I also found something interesting in the "profile" section – portraits of the artist, taken by various photographers, going back to the late 70s, including a picture from each of the last 6 months. The warm smile says it all...Follow-up: Anita let me know that the "23" is for today's date and the arrangement changes daily to match the date. Pretty cool. I have to admit it never dawned on [silly] me... ;~)) - Newstoday® 12/8/03
Description: design broadcasting network – for a better tomorrow
Comments: This one's long overdue. Over the last 2 years, I've reviewed 20 sites found there and it dawned on me over the weekend that I'd failed to add it to the listings. Today's pick provides a "people's voice platform, public broadcasting system." From what I can see, most of the registered members of the "Alliance Network" are designers, and it's easy to join. Besides the public broadcast, there's also a news column featuring posts by a "selected team of broadcasters" plus a public discussion area. The posts are frequent and on any day, you'll find a fresh supply of links to great design sites and other odd and amusing destinations. A truly great alternative portal, powered by people...
- Biro-Web 12/7/03
Description: made with pens...
Comments:
- bwoup.com 11/4/03
Description: the art of Morgan aka. "Splif" Thomas
Comments: Splif's "very own homepage and portfolio" has an odd name. The word for "the language of the clouds" is also the name of the red airship that greets you on the splash and main pages. Not surprising that the navigation rests on the belly of Splif's big orange balloon. The "artwork" section includes the "junkyard" of sketches and fast drawings, "inkings," both rough and monocromatic, and colorful hand-drawn illustrations – dozens of each. There's 7 other sub-sections/pages including 3D work and cool doodles. If you're a designer or graphic artist, you'll probably enjoy the "themas" section. The nav-balloon leads to other stuff too. Impressive site design and works... (renders best in IE) [finelayout.com < Newstoday®]
- BlogShares 8/10/03
Description: fantasy blog share market
Comments: Okay. I gotta get something outta my system today. Maybe it's because I just can't get the site outta my system that it's time to make sure it's listed here at coolstop. And Sunday's a good day to do it, when things are quiet, 'cause Lord knows I use quite enough of Seyed's bandwidth already. It's not the type of site I typically review but it certainly is special. If you haven't heard of the site yet, I wish you a safe journey back from whatever planet you've been on...I've been spending at least 1-2 hours a day there for the last few months. It's more fun than any other site I've frequented. Did I say fun? Let me rephrase that. Addictive! That's what it is. It's caught on like wildfire with thousands playing the game. I love it and have to recognize it for what it is – a truly unique website. And while I'm at it, counting my phony moolah, let me mention that what it's really about is helping people find new and interesting websites, which it does quite well in the context of the game. That's what I call cool. I want to be sure to point out that you don't have to pay to play, unless of course, you just can't enough of it like me. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go call my accountant...
- StyleReactor 7/17/03
Description: experimental multimedia art
Comments: Staying on a path. Today's pick was a previous site of the month* at yesterday's pick. The path from Portugal led to Copenhagen where multimedia artist Kasper Ledet shares his print, interactive, and photo works. "Electric Avenue" and "Chemical Garden" are static illustrations clearly reflecting Kasper's unique style and there's 18 more cool works in print. "Organic Flash 02" is one of a dozen interactive pieces -- I love it! I looked at 2 of the 3 photo series and was simply blown away. This is the site's fourth version since 2002 (all versions still accessible). Kasper calls it a "self promotional website" to "show the skills." It certainly does...
- Karin Hanssen 7/2/03
Description: paintings and drawings
Comments: Web paths know no borders. I could take a quick trip to the Big Apple as I did yesterday, or places like Belgium, the UK, Australia, or Japan, which just happen to be other locales visited by coolstop in the last 7 days. If you wanna talk about the power of the web, you can't ignore its global nature. Again today, we're in Belgium, probably because word-of-mouth led a talented artist in that part of the world to make me aware of her site. Our last stop in Antwerp was about photography, while this stop is about paintings, collageprints, and drawings from one Karin Hanssen, who's been exhibiting her works since the early 90s. Extraordinary works I would not have been aware of had she not reached out by email. For that, I am grateful . Traveling the world virtually, I love the web!
- channelping 6/19/03
Description: a mixed bag for higher primates
Comments: Lower primates are sure to be confused by the dingbat icons. And the side menu, which mixes together internal and external links, arranged by line length, sure looks cool but just might leave usability experts laughing (and lower primates groaning) in the aisles. Then there's the question: "Does this site have a purpose?" Lower primates thrive on such curiosities, and will probably want to know who created this scattered collection of useless crap. Higher primates, on the other hand, will want to learn about chairs and they're hungry for data to put on their PDAs. They won't care about the side menu 'cause they love the little icons, and things like the prose clock and phrases like "all your base are belong us" knock their socks off. I've run out of hands, but need to mention yet another kind of primate - your average, run-of-the-mill human kind, like me. I'm scattered and somewhat random and easily amused. More important than that, I'm curious and like to explore. That's why I think today's pick is simply golden (sorry, it's an inside joke). Seriously though, it's the creativity that attracts me the most...
- wonk 3/7/03
Description: Photo portfolio of a graphic designer from Colombia. Urban and experimental photos in Bogota. (Flash)
Comments: There's something about close-up, black & white photos of classic cars that I find really appealing, especially when the photographer has an eye for composition. Color shots of buildings, street posters and signage unique to a given geographical area are cool, too. Add a few striking black & white portraits, among other things, and you've got a great photo site. Jorge, a graphic designer, takes pictures in an around Bogota, Columbia. An interesting window...
- Image*After 2/18/03
Description: free images and textures database
Comments: "The cool guys" behind today's pick, Lex, Tristan, and Stefan, hope to offer a large database of highresolution images for free*. Excuse me, guys, but I see you already have over 4,000 images in the database, which seems pretty large to me, and there's plenty of tasty images to choose from. Okay, so they must mean they want to get really large, "so almost everyone should be able to find what they're looking for." They're adding 5 to 10 new images daily, so just do the math, baby! This well-designed resource for creatives is on the move...Free is big buzzword on the web, so please be sure to read the terms and be fair to this generous trio if you plan to download any of the big images in their database. "Because we know how hard it is to find good material to use for your work, we offer everybody who wants to, our highresolution pictures for free through this website. Keep in mind though that these are NOT meant to be stock-photos or stand-alone pieces of work - they are raw material, to be used and/or edited for whatever purpose you see fit." Fair enough, if you ask me...
- the 5 line self portrait 2/15/03
Description: a design school project for years, it is the ultimate self-expression experiment...
Comments: "Can you sum yourself up in just 5 lines?" That's the question they ask and the gallery is a collection of over 40 simple self portraits drawn using only 5 lines, many submitted by the site's visitors. They define a line as "when you put the pen onto the paper to when you lift it off" and submissions must be 380x380 in size. The cool concept comes from an experimental project that's been around for years in "art and design schools." It got "passed down" from one architect to another, then a friend said "ya know, we outta have a website for that stuff." Great idea... [4showcase < lounge72]
- nicole is online 2/7/03
Description: a gallery of illustrations, animations, and graphic experiments (Flash)
Comments: Considering where I found the site (see review), I'm not at all surprised how good it is. The large showcase of illustrations and animations of French graphic artist Nicole De Rueda are presented via an artsy Flash interface. The sounds are hypnotic and the art, colorful and engaging. Nicole's beautiful place... online.
- pickone 2/4/03
Description: photography and Flash of David Hoffman and others
Comments: One of David's "Family Members" was a daily pick here on 8/19/01. It's still one of the best photography sites in the portal cool zone in my opinion. Another of the member sites houses 2 of David's photographic series, all taken with a Nikon Coolpix880. One of those series had 80 different shots you can send as e-cards and the photos are outstanding, in that series as well as in the "South Africa" series. Considering the nice Flash interface, that site was going to be today's pick. But after going back and exploring more of David's photos taken with various other cameras and several of his Flash pieces, plus the work of some other talented photographers, today's pick is definitely the right choice if I only wanna pick one. It'll lead you to the whole family if you've got the time... [linkdup]
- NINEAEM 12/11/02
Description: where logic seems transcendent (Flash)
Comments: I've got a great pick for you today. Wonderful sights and sounds, which I won't even attempt to describe, are what you'll find there plus several related projects that are all good. Pep is the designer behind the site. He's also an extraordinary photographer. Though Pep has also composed/performed the musical backgrounds for previous issues, the music for the current issue was done by Cylens, where you can find three fresh, tasty .mp3s for download. According to the splash page, today's pick is presented by the Acces(s) Festival, where you'll also find another interesting supported project called collège invisible > a_distance. If you're visiting coolstop from work today, you just might wanna tell the boss you'll be busy for a while... ;~))
- Photomatisme 10/2/02
Description: faces of anonymous websurfers
Comments: Does the Internet have a face? Sure, some sites include a mugshot of the person behind them, but all-in-all, it's easy for people to hide behind their sites and present just what they want to present publically – hardly like talking to someone face-to-face. Then, there's the site's visitors. Who are they? It's hard to know. So, the web may indeed have a face, but you seldom see it. Today's pick changes all that – it's been around a few years and I have to admit that coolstop is hardly the first to recognize it. The French tagline translates to English as "test of filing for a face of the Internet" and the content is hundreds of anonymously submitted photos of faces, each telling its own little story. There's some side attractions as well and if people pics interest you, you're in for some fun browsing...
- City Creator 9/1/02
Description: build a unique city and send it to a friend as an ecard
Comments: If you want to send someone a unique ecard, here's a new idea for you. Go to today's pick and create a city. They'll provide you with plenty of components – buildings, roofs, people, vehicles, roads, and walkways. Choose a background, then "drag and drop pieces from the palettes" onto the canvas and before you know it, you'll have a beautiful pixel-flavored city to email to a friend. Pretty cool if you ask me...
- Ftrain.com 7/22/02
Description: I have much to learn.
Comments: Today's pick is one of those sites I've been aware of for a long time – visited now and then, always enjoyed it, but never picked it. Why? I dunno. It's a great website and belongs with the best of the cool – it's about time! The site launched back in October, 1997 (coincidently, the same month that coolstop was born). The tongue-in-cheek copyright date (8/11/74) is actually the birthday of Paul Ford, the site's creator. Paul's a writer (a very good one, in my opinion, though "I have much to learn" as well), which is no surprise considering he was raised by creative parents who both wrote poetry. "You know how that goes." Sense of humor? If you really wanna know Paul, "My Busy Day" should do the trick – it'll give you an idea as to how he thinks – most amusing. It's not only funny amusement, though – there's excellent literary content here – stories and narrative from "Career Development: An Artist" to "The Naked Woman Across the Street" to "The Subway Diary" to "The Insurance Agent", Paul's writing is sometimes humorous, sometimes making serious points, always thought-provoking. There's also creative content contributed by others, either written by them or submitted in response to such calls as "Please Send Me Your Favorite Poem." What we have here is what I think of as a well-designed, organized literary repository. There's a number of different ways to get to the content – in my book, this site exemplifies good usability. There's a bonus, too – links – oodles of links with commentary. Though "cool" is an ambiguous word, calling today's pick a great website is right on the mark...
- infinite wheel 7/18/02
Description: home of the Dub Selector (Flash)
Comments: When you throw the the little guy around the interface, the little character activates sounds he encounters in his path to add to the already cool Reggae mix you've got going from your interaction with the "spots." His grin and the little callout that says "Throw Me" is most inviting – use your mouse as the little guy runs around and it gets better and better. Lonita, the cheery personality behind Saturday's pick (7/13/02), let me know about this site a few days ago. "It's got all these nifty noise making things on it, including this one with flowers that plays a different note for each petal on the big flower." I liked that "nifty noise making thing" as much as I liked "Spot" and yes, Lonita, the flowers do seem a little "shouty" when you mouseover them. Those are just 2 of the 6 choices on the "Dub Selector."Lonita and I communicated this morning about today's pick. She found a link to the site on a friend's "Livejournal" and I really appreciate her letting me know about. While we were talking (via IM), she mentioned the "One Love" piece on the selector. "I thought the one with the floating hearts was a bit odd. The noises are too loud for something with cute little (albeit unhappy and alien-looking) hearts in it." I had looked at that "Dub" earlier, but hadn't noticed the expressions on the hearts' faces – they did seem unhappy but as soon as you mouseover a heart (producing a unique sound), the expression changes, as if it's smiling that you chose it. Another choice on the Dub Selector (which is actually #7, though it doesn't say so) links to a new piece called "Little Axe" – that one is offsite, done in conjunction with a music site – it's even more elaborate than the other Dubs... very nice.As an aside, I appreciate that the music site will let you listen to the whole album it's selling for free, or download some of the songs in .mp3 format. I noticed recently that one of my heroes, Neil Young, is doing something similar at his website. While we watch the record industry treating its customers like criminals, it's refreshing to see some artists realizing that they can share their music freely without being so concerned about whether we buy the music or not – they realize that if it's good music, we will buy it. But I digress and my verbosity runneth over – this review isn't about the music biz.Anyway – there's other animations and amusements to be found at today's pick plus a link to "Metal Baby" – another stand-alone site with even more fun from Jim, the talented guy behind all this stuff – do check this one out, 'cause it's a really fun site! And thanks Lonita – I owe ya one...
- lonita.net 7/13/02
Description: a goddess of disturbed tranquility
Comments: There's currently over 1,800 sites listed in the portal cool zone. One of them is plaid – not just plaid – "this is real tartan." And why would someone chose such a flavor for their website? "Because she felt like it." Let's hear it for individualism as we meet Lonita who's proud of her birth place and has "gone plaid" to honor it. As an aside, I realize now that Sydney is not necessarily in Australia – this one's in Nova Scotia, Canada. and "is always 'home' no matter where you're living." I discovered Lonita's personal site after getting an email from her asking if coolstop has an RSS feed (that's what the orange "XML" button is about) and I'm guessing that she's reading this review in her news aggregator this morning. She didn't mention her site in the email, but I'm always on the prowl for cool personal sites and checked out the domain in her email address. As Dave would say – "Bing!" What I discovered was a unique personal site with plenty of interesting content and, more important than that, personality...
- play / create 6/20/02
Description: a collection of Shockwave interactive art
Comments: At first, the "clock" looks like a simple thing, showing the time with a small, slow-moving animation in the background. Then, I figured out that you can get that 3D box goin' with a little mouse magic – before I know it, the thing is spinning real fast, leaving faint, fading trails of its movement behind – very cool! I'm not sure you could pull this one off in Flash – today's pick uses Shockwave and there's 8 pieces of interactive art. I particularly liked "new flowers" – not to be confused with "(foreplay) flowers" which is just as good! – the intensity of the colors and the 3D movement are astounding – very organic. The piece I liked the most, though, is called "(foreplay) pop" – drag the mouse to one of the corners of the window and keep dragging and holding it in various spots and watch what it does – cool soundtrack, too. The name of the site is right on the money...
- massless 5/28/02
Description: the faster I go the lighter I get
Comments: "If I ever decide to start an online identity anew, I might like to call my online journal Small Nuclear Devices. This is a temporary infatuation to be sure as I am, every day, a small packet of personal fission. And latent energy." Chris wrote his own blogging tool called "BlogLess" last year and uses it to produce the site. When this young software engineer (I'm guessin') isn't doing his blog and writing applications, he's off making pop music with some friends – just finished tracking their 3rd album. And when he's doing the software thing, he comes up with stuff like an ASP Messageboard and a Java-driven headline aggregator. Those are just two projects from a long list – Chris is a busy guy. He writes about all kinds of things, some techie, some not, and I find most of it interesting (and well-written). His sidebar of links includes comments about the listed sites and has a cool design touch – you can sort the list alphabetically (sans descriptions) on the fly without the page reloading – dynamic goodness! The overall design is excellent, and if you don't like the default layout and color scheme, you have 3 more to choose from. There's more - photo series, articles, and resources – great content and plenty of it...
- Pixelbreaker 5/24/02
Description: Flash experiments plus screen savers and walls
Comments: I love the fact that today's pick gives the user a choice before throwing them into fullscreen mode – just click [OK] if that's how you want to view it or click [Cancel] to view the site in a compact popup window, nicely centered on the screen. Next, for those of you who might think I've abandoned my quest to keep adding sites with "pixel" in their name or description – think again – today's pick is yet another one. If you're gonna submit a site, you just might wanna throw the word "pixel" in to appeal to that irrational, somewhat prejudiced side of the coolstop guy (moi) – it might not help, but it won't hurt (hehe). Anyway – today's pick is a collection of interesting Flash diversions with some screensavers and walls, plus some photography, thrown into the mix. Personally, I really like the cool interface...
- youngpup.net 5/6/02
Description: dreaming up new ways to interact with data
Comments: "Bringing better ui to the people!" was the random tagline... on reloading the page, "I'm not a programmer, I just play one on the internet" was next in line – I just love those little random thingies. Anyway, I bumped into today's pick in the source code of another recent pick – a really cool scroller got my attention and thanks to the conscientious designer leaving the credits intact when he grabbed and used the free script, I found the source of the source, so to speak. It's a cool personal site of a young "programmer/developer/designer person" named Aaron who's into discovering and developing new "ways to talk to a computer system." He wants to see "the web community continue to lead the software industry into the future of interface design." That's part of what motivated him to open his site in early 2001. So, I found a wealth of "components" and "snippets" at Aaron's site, not to mention some interesting writing about trends in design and scripting. Aaron is deep into CSS and DHTML and it shows in his site's design. "There is something that just feels good about developing open-source software and then seeing people use it." I'm thinking it feels good to know that people like Aaron are out there doing their "new school stylie" thing and sharing it with us. Cheers to Aaron, and wishing him luck in finding his new digs in NYC...
- Ghost City 5/5/02
Description: an interactive urban environment designed by jody zellen
Comments: It's funny. A long time ago, I had recognized a site that is definitely one-of-a-kind in terms of it's mission and value as a useful web resource and the person behind the site ridiculed the fact that the notification message he received said the site was entertaining. Every site reviewed here at coolstop receives the same generic notification – there's simply not enough time to handle it otherwise, so the message is written to apply, in general, to most of the sites that get picked. I've modified the standard message several times since then – it's amazing how "and/or" can affect it – "excellence in graphic design and/or usability" – "entertaining and/or useful content." So it goes in my little world of doing the daily webthing – I expect that when the person behind today's pick receives their notification message, they're probably gonna scratch their head and say "huh?" Today's pick is definitely not about usability, easy navigability, useful content, or excellence in web design (though it does shine graphically). It's more about original, meaningful art and exploration, which I find extremely entertaining – on some days, nothing else matters...
- Drunk Men Work Here 5/4/02
Description: fresh zero-content for compulsive clickers
Comments: It's Saturday morning so, chill and be prepared for a little web fun. I've noticed that a search for the word "drunk" in the portal cool zone, which has roughly 1,750 sites listed in it, turns up zilch. I'd say that's probably a positive thing, but with today's pick, it all changes – drunks are now officially represented thanks to the name of the site I've chosen to review today. I guess it's all downhill from here, baby! Anyway – the odd looking navigation menu on the main page might validate the idea that drunks do work there, but don't let it fool you – some of the experiments they've been doing are far too cool to have been pulled off in a stupor. Go for the "archive" link to see a list of 149 "editions" done since February, 2001 – it was edition #146 that got my attention – giving the phrase "mirroring a site" a whole new meaning – see what a mirror of coolstop looks like? Edition #144 ("recycler") is kinda cool, too, and I noticed that some of the images in the "gallery" have something to do with it. There's also a long list of "games" you can play. To be serious, I've gotta give kudos to the people behind the site – it's fun net art and if they really are drunks, more power to 'em...
- photo-document.com 4/28/02
Description: selected projects of photographer Burkhard Walther
Comments: Anyone who visits coolstop on a regular basis knows that I like photography sites. The web is a perfect medium for displaying photos, in my opinion anyway, and many sites give you the opportunity to see places you'll probably never have a chance to visit otherwise. Such is the case at today's pick, the showcase of German photographer Burkhard Walther. There's 18 different projects covering places like Instanbul, Stuttgart, Saint Petersburg, Prague, and and Bamako. Along with the photos are literary excerpts and informational texts and most of the site is available in German and English. Nice site design and navigation, too – enjoy...
- bodytag.org 4/27/02
Description: experiments in, and explorations of the web, using Java, JavaScript, DHTML, PHP and other languages
Comments: Remember Brent Gustafson from assembler.org? It seems that Brent was a source of inspiration for Glen Murphy, the guy behind today's pick – I learned that from one of the "resources" Glen provides called "dragdiv." I'll definitely be playing with it soon. Several other thingies Glen offers are "iconattach" and "shaded" – both very cool! Geez, I didn't know you could do that! These neat resources are a tiny part of Glen's content – there's also over 4 dozen other experiments to view in which Glen explores possibilities using Java, JavaScript, DHTML, and PHP – fun, fun, fun...
- futabita 4/11/02
Description: static and motion visuals (Flash)
Comments: Like Futaba a/k/a Futabita, I also love cats (one of ours is over 20-years-old, believe it or not). Her motion graphics piece called "i love cats" is one of those I could look at over and over again – great photos of cats, some taken at home in Brooklyn, and others in Barcelona and Tokyo. There's a cool geographical navigator to the 6 different photos and I guess it also represents places that Futabita has been to. If I'm not mistaken, she's from Japan. There's another interesting motion piece, plus a big gallery of static visuals and another section with samples of some of her commercial designs. The folders/files interface that dims the icons for the pieces you've already viewed is a nice design touch. I really like viewing portfolio sites, especially when it's one like today's pick – appealing design samples without the hype...
- Designity.net 3/29/02
Description: publishing creations from you and others - animation, photography and design
Comments: I discovered today's pick via coolstop's very own Visitors' Gallery. Had Gabriele not submitted several images (1 | 2), I might never have known about his websites unless, of course, I was lucky enough to bump into them at one of the other "alternative portals" featured here. I guess one gallery leads to another, because today's pick is also a collection of works submitted by a number of talented artists and designers. The 40 square thumbs on the main page, arranged in 10 rows of 4, in itself is quite the piece of eye candy – click away, 'cause there's great art to be found. And that's just the first of two pages of static visuals. There's also a whole page of Flash animations from a number of different contributors. You're not done yet – go to the "About Me" page and you'll find tons of stuff done by Gabriele – we're talkin' visual art to the tenth power...
- Artkrush 3/19/02
Description: a website about art™ – interviews, reviews, features and daily art news plus other art-related information
Comments: For a site with an "LLC" behind it, today's pick has a remarkably non-commercial tone to it. I have a feeling how they might be paying the bills and commend them for presenting advertising (if, indeed, there is any paid advertising) in such a low-key, non-invasive way. There's a number of people behind the scenes – they even have a "Minister of Propaganda." The site is all about the visual arts and the current featured artist is Katrin Sigurdardottir, a sculpture/installation artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide. Twenty of her works are showcased – outstanding stuff. The archive has another 13 featured artists in it – this one feature represents a significant amount of content all by itself. Then there's the "featured articles" which likewise total 14 – in-depth, interesting reading for you art lovers. Add "Eye to Eye" to the mix if you like interviews. Then head to the "Projects" section, which I think is really cool. "Exposed" is a collection of almost 100 "self-portraits" submitted by artists. I love the guidelines – "Submit your most interesting or revealing self-portrait (any medium). And don't bother with the high-concept stuff (ex. toothpicks stuck in mud, or a hacked up Barbie), we want to see you." – and I love the submissions even more...
- the xanthic eye 2/7/02
Description: online gallery containing free wallpapers, icons, skins, and paint shop pro and photoshop tutorials
Comments: As designers, one of the things we try to avoid is the appearance of horizontal scrollbars... sometimes. In the case of today's pick, horizontal scrolling is intentional and the sleek interface, inspired by the look of the iMac ("this one is shiiiiiiny oooOooOo") is quite wide on some of the pages – personally, I think it's worth having to scroll left to right – it's such a cool interface! Today's pick has been listed in the portal cool zone since May, 2000, but after seeing the current version (V6), it was clear to me that it belongs with the best of the cool. V6 was launched last September. There's a wealth of great graphics in the "Gallery" as well as in the "Wallpapers" section. Add some skins and icons for download plus some tutorials – as far as graphics-type sites go, this one has a lot of good, original content. Raymond's been on the web since 1999 and – get this – he's only 16-years-old...
- floorpie.net 1/19/02
Description: a boy and his stuff
Comments: I saw the picture of David's "inflated zeppelin" foot – ouch! – hoping it heals quickly. His "Modrian wanna be" is certainly less painful to look at, and it would be cool if "Kneel" eventually showed up as a sculpture on a city street somewhere. "The Coliseum" is one of the neatest black and white photos I've seen and the "Junkyard Jive" series is fun to browse. So – He calls the site "Baby and a Shotgun" and the "teetotaler" expecting his "tan chinos to be arriving any day now" seems a clear picture of a down-to-earth Silicon Valley character who's "enjoying the possibility" of succeeding as an artist. The blog is really the main content of David's site – it just celebrated its "one-year blogiversary" and the post about that from the "god of sorts of this little land" brought an interesting response from a reader – "You know you're the whole reason I started blogging in the first place!" There's some interesting stuff (and stuff) in the blog – I found the post about driving (1.13.2002) to be insightful – how true! Check out the "Plates" project, too – vanity plates are a little like domain names, dontcha think?
- 404lounge.net 1/13/02
Description: the anteroom of the most beautiful 404 sites of the internet
Comments: "I noticed that it would be very unfortunate if one would ignore these many creative and wonderful 404 sites" says Desiree – "That's the purpose, nothing more." Today's pick is a gallery of over 500 custom Error 404 pages – an "art form" unique to the web. Desiree categorizes each listing, warning that it's "absolutely subjective" – "funky", "freaky", "funny", and "misc" are the categories and I really like the square screenshots she does. In fact, I think the site design is very tasty, using a color scheme you don't see a lot of and a "dirty" style that's quite artistic. It's an interesting way to surf, starting at a site's 404 page instead of the home page, especially because most of the listed 404s are really creative. If you don't know how to customize your 404 page, that's explained here, too. Cool concept – nice site...
- untitled1.co.uk 1/12/02
Description: graphic design explorations, news and links
Comments: "This product is not suitable for childeren under 36 months as it contains small parts which may cause choking." They must be referring to their little pixeled action figures – you can change Martin or Mike's clothes with a click and the mouseover will tell you that the yellow icons are Martin's projects and the red ones, Mike's. Okay – so there's only one yellow icon and one red icon for now – these guys must be pretty busy or something. "Construction due for completion in late* October 2000" is what it says and the asterick pertains to the note that "we are lame." Guess I meant to say "lame or something" – the news window was updated one time (that's right, I said one time) in 2001 (in December) – it said the site "probably won't be seeing much action over the next four months [not that it ever did ;) ]" and went on to explain that Martin will be attending a design school in the US and that the site will probably be redesigned in July. Busy – lame – whatever! So, you're saying "Joe, the site hasn't been updated in ages – it's just sitting there with two cute little pixel figures you can play with – big whoopie! – are you nuts or something?" Yes, I am, but that's besides the point. I picked the site because those two projects that are there for now are very good. Martin found a camera on the London Underground and posted their images plus his own (11/00), and Mike took a bunch of cool photos in New York when he visited in April, 2000 – excellent design and presentation! Lame? No – I don't think so...
- Privacy Foundation 12/19/01
Description: To enhance the privacy of U.S. citizens by informing them of threats to their privacy, by providing them tools with which to protect or reclaim their privacy, and by helping develop the broader ethics and culture of information privacy in the electronic world.
Comments: Ahhh... technology. Our friend. It's changed our life. Isn't it amazing? We can look for a job online – how convenient! You're probably doing just that these days – I know I am. Or maybe you have one of those cool TiVo® devices, a whole new way to watch what you want, when you want. And then there's email – needless to say, we're all connected and communicating in this wonderful new world. Ahhh... technology. So – what do these things all have in common? Think about your privacy – each of these fantastic tools at our disposal have something going on in the background that may not be so pleasing to you. Today's pick is all about that very subject – privacy, or the lack thereof, and provides a wealth of information along with ways to enhance your privacy in this new age – now, that's cool...
- flash effects 12/5/01
Description: experiments exploring the possibilities of Flash
Comments: Japanese Flash designer Kazuloshi Shirai seems to be an explorer at heart – the possible effects and functionality one can achieve with Flash are what he seeks and his showcase of 31+ experiments represent his many discoveries (so far!). Several of the "about" pages, or movies are amazing all by themselves – as I learned a little about him, I couldn't stop wondering how he made the text stay upright when you rotated the 3D holder vertically – and the piece about his "environment" is a very cool dynamic diagram. "Masterpiece" is a drawing application with a big collection of user-submitted pieces (submit your own on the fly). Another piece called "polygon" shows some 3D effects I didn't know were possible with Flash. That's just a small amount of the stuff you'll find here – this is one of the better collections of actionscript demos I've seen – if that's something you like, you'll enjoy exploring today's pick...
- secretsituation.com 11/13/01
Description: intellectual property of a jaded generation
Comments: It always pays to explore, especially if a site's content appears to be on a single page with no internal links. Sure – the usability experts will tell you that navigation should be obvious – the user's a dummy who needs to be prompted by the clarity of some pre-defined logic or he/she won't know what to do. There's value to that line of thought, I guess, but in some cases, the user wants to discover secrets about a site, if there are any, and they just might be bored if engaged in a typical way – a website can be an adventure and if one provides a way to progress or move about the site that's not the same old same old, many users will figure it out, though maybe not immediately. That's what happened to me on today's pick. At first, I thought it was just the piece called "How To Better Your Childs Viewing Pleasure" which really is an interesting guide to bad parenting – most amusing. There's a few little linked, icon-size logos along the bottom and my first impression after checking the first few was that they were all external links – though the user is not necessarily a dummy (I hope), it is so easy to assume. So, the site went to my potentials' list with a mental note to watch for more content. This morning, I went looking again, thinking there must be more and I will find it, dammit. It dawns on me that I didn't check all of those logos the first time, and viola, I'm on my way to some more real cool stuff. A single icon represents the site's navigation but you have to commit and keep going – the content is delivered in a preset order and though I'm inclined to back out, I decide to keep going as the secrets unfold. I eventually arrive at "The Sociopath's Guide to Modern Living" and I'm really enjoying it – I read every word. The path leads to more interesting things and some more serious – this is a wonderful combination of images and words, all the way to "this is a rip" and the teaser at the end – explore!
- Rosy Beyelschmidt 11/8/01
Description: works and projects: video installations, videotapes, b/w photography, photo installations, copyart, audioart
Comments: Today's pick features the "works and projects" of German fine artist Rosy Beyelschmidt, providing separate English and German versions. Her works have been exhibited widely offline – Cologne, Hamburg, Atlanta (USA), Paris (France), and Charlotte (USA), to name a few. The site features installations, video art, photography, and "CopyArt" plus a cool "Digital Art Cam" presented via Real Video. Her most recent exhibition is running in Cologne through November 10th. The black backgrounds seem perfect for the work on display – a most engaging site...
- Golden Shower 9/29/01
Description: the name of the virus behind Markus Karlus and Kevin Rodgers and the monicker by which their music project is known to the public
Comments: Markus Karlus and Kevin Rodgers had a vision back in the early 90s – they saw themselves becoming the world's foremost "avant-garde classical composers" and built an amazing "audio-visual complex" that would help them pull it off. Unfortunately, a virus took over, leaving poor Markus and Kevin behind in the dust of its destruction. But the virus lived on to create its own musical masterpieces and the rest is history. What a concept! The entire album is downloadable right here at the site that dons the virus' name – I started this morning with "Coffee" and that's all it took to say "Yo, Joe – this is today's pick." Plenty of pixels and visual downloads are also waiting for you at this well-designed center of silliness and musical talent plus one of the songs even has it's own minisite – it's cooler than cool. One day, Markus and Kevin just might be "taken seriously as classical composers" but, for now, at least we can all bask in the virus' afterglow... [robocore.]
- pixelgraphy 8/19/01
Description: photos by Daniela Börner
Comments: What a glorious day it is! Not only have I managed to add yet another great site with "pixel" in it's name (an obvious obsession with me), but I've also added yet another great photography site at the same time! You don't really have to speak German to enjoy the site 'cause if you can't read the words, you still get the key content – the photography of Daniela Börner. People, architecture, landscapes, and still life photos, nicely organized and presented – and the "special" section, unlike the others, has several Flash presentations. I really liked the series of "trains" related photos and it's neat horizontally scrolling interface. The color scheme of the site is different – strikes me as shades of "peach" – nice use of frames and perfect navigation, too. Add the cool "photo of the month" feature where the user can vote on other peoples' submitted photos to the things I like about today's pick. Pixels and photos, designer and photographer, all in one – nice site, Daniela! [HSE7EN3 aka h73]
- IM crew 8/13/01
Description: showcase of graffiti art from a team of 5 French artists (Flash)
Comments: I'm not sure why but graffiti art is fascinating to me. Okay – so, I'm not saying to grab yourself some spray paint and go deface some public property or anything like that – do that here in Chicago and get caught and you'll find yourself doing some time in the pokey. But, it fascinates me nevertheless – maybe it's the unique canvasses or the fact that it's done with spray paint, or maybe it's just because it's so big and colorful. The crew of 5 behind today's pick is doing it's thing in Paris and Grenoble and I'm not sure if they have to watch their backs or not, but they've managed to capture their art in photos to share with the world. Their site showcases a large assortment of their work, divided into four sections – "fresques", "chromes", "trains", and "lifestyle." It's all done with Flash, and though each section presents you with a wait for 200-400k to load, the presentation is excellent and worth the wait, in my mind. The Flash interface is one of the coolest I've seen in a while – great rollovers and motion. Cheers to the crew...
- RINZEN 7/20/01
Description: exists somewhere over the rainbow, bending reality into shapes pleasing to the eye and the ear (Flash)
Comments: So – the path to today's pick goes something like this: coolstop > robocore. > robocore.archive > robocore.archive.5th page > RMXXX > Today's Pick. Robocore, picked earlier this week, was promptly added to the sidebar as an excellent place from which to explore the web in search of inspiration, and I guess today's pick sorta proves the point. Okay, so I actually could have picked RMXXX for today – it's produced by some of the same folks who are behind today's pick and features the work of over 30 designers from around the world, all participating in a big "visual remix" – "golden goodness" is what Rilla calls it. But as cool as that site is, it wasn't exactly what I was seeking at the moment – it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. So, that link to the final spot on the path, today's pick, was really appreciated. I ended up on a page with a simple, somewhat mysterious interface and started playing around. Stickers, posters, characters, CD covers, themed stuff – all kinds of tasty visuals in a backdrop of odd sounds. This very artisitic portfolio appears to include personal and work samples, but it's all presented simply and unembellished. Though Rilla and her group are obviously in the design biz, a "mailto" contact link is the only thing you'll find here besides all of the cool stuff in the portfolio. Wonderful, inspiring diversions (without commercial distractions) are what I was seeking on this particular excursion, and it was at the end of the path where I hit paydirt (everything along the way was really good, too). Respect goin' out to Rilla and her "collective" for their cool art and designs...
- singlecell 7/13/01
Description: an online bestiary of interactive life-forms
Comments: It's true. These little creatures came into being as the new medium evolved. New life forms, some raised on Java and others fed on various Macromedia nutrients, squirm around the screen waiting for user input. Input. We need input to complete our existence. Wasn't it Paul Simon who said something like "it's all happening at the zoo?" He was right. Seems that one of these new beings has come into existence every month since January of this year, and each of the parents also has some other cool things to show ya. In some cases, the user actually creates the creature "on the fly" or is that creates the fly "on the creature?" A most interesting site. Real web art. Did I tell ya I love the web?
- transphormetic.com 5/31/01
Description: vector experiments as internet art
Comments: There's something about the simple shapes, in various grays and black, that hold the square or rectangular visual content window (depending where you are), that I really like. It looks like an elaborate machine or something, but it's incredibly simple – a case for what form becomes through our perception of it. Anyway – today's pick is a real treat for those who enjoy vector motion graphics, and if you don't have Flash (or just don't like it), there's still two sections of the four that you can enjoy. Section 2 is a collection of static visuals and Section 4 is primarily a listing inspirational links. But those other two sections are what I really liked – one is an assortment of interactive Flash pieces that are colorful and fun to play with – the other section contains what Paul, the guy behind the site, calls "generative art" and it's really cool – very smooth motion graphics! The "updata" section has some good links, too, but if you're at 800x600, go to fullscreen mode if you don't see the link to it. As far as "experimental" Flash sites go, this one is more artistic than most – definitely worth checking out...
- derailer.org 5/12/01
Description: close the popups yer damn self
Comments: I thought the "Artwork" section of today's pick is rather interesting. Several DHTML scrolling experiments plus several big, black and white designs are what grabbed me, but there's an assortment of other goodies in that section as well. I also enjoyed the "Cover Archive" – more cool visuals. The author has a certain sense of humor and attitude that shows through at times. Like telling you to "close the popups yer damn self" or explaining that "disgruntled" cover – "I was pissed. Mmm-kay?" I like the grays-plus-red color combo – the site definitely has a unique "Ninja" flavor to it. Wevah, who just happens to be in my neck of the woods for an event today, serves up an inspiring design style...
- Subdisc 4/10/01
Description: experimental design from sweden (flash)
Comments: Though you'll find a wealth of sites in the Portal Cool Zone that have been around a long time and are just as good as they've always been, one of my key missions here is to make you aware of brand new sites worthy of your time. Today's pick launched just yesterday. If you're set at 800x600 resolution, I suggest you either go into fullscreen mode or set your taskbar on "auto hide" if you're in Windows – that way, you won't miss part of the text at the bottom. What I really like about today's pick is the cool Flash interface and clean, colorful look acheived by Swedish designer Marcus Ericsson. There's some good content already with the promise of more in the works. Even though it's hosted by the design firm he works for (which always comes off as being a little commercially promotional in my mind when the link to the "host" is so prominent), Marcus defines this as his own personal playground and that's exactly what it really appears to be. It's got a fun look and feel and Marcus' creativity definitely goes in more than one direction. The "merchandise" section even has a shopping cart feature, but it's non-commercial and where you'll find freely downloadable wallpapers and screensavers – only one of each at the moment, but I'm sure that's only temporary. Then, there's the "jukebox" with several songs written by Marcus – they're not solo performances, though – he's got other musicians playin' with him and it's pretty good stuff. Had to wait a bit for loading, but I'm on a low bandwith connection at home, so I really didn't mind. I'm looking forward to seeing how the "exhibition" section grows – Marcus promises it will. So – I'm pleased to share this 2-day-old site with ya – enjoy...
- STRUCT 4/6/01
Description: structure-random-pattern-basic-form-examine-[º_º] (Flash)
Comments: I've looked at today's pick at least a half dozen times over the last week, and sure enough, right after deciding to call it today's best of the cool, there appears to be some server problems. But I'll stick with the pick and hope that the host is clearing up whatever is causing the "403 Forbidden" messages I'm getting from the site this morning. Hopefully, by the time you read this review, the permissions, etc. will have been corrected, and you'll be enjoying today's pick.It's the type of Flash site that's perfect if you're in "explore" mode and interested in a type of web art that's really only possible with Flash. In effect, Flash is the interface, and it's the content as well. I think what separates a site like this from all those other Flash sites you'll hear me whining about on a regular basis, is that the experiments on display here are intelligent studies in form and motion that appear based on the designer's real understanding of actionscripting and the mathematical possibilities it allows. There's a large assortment of engaging pieces that defy the clichés I keep encountering when looking at so-called Flash labs. In the end, it's a matter of personal taste and I'm banking on this one pleasing the Flashers among us...
- alt.sense 3/23/01
Description: affiliated only to those involved in the networked culture and its interest only pertains to the aesthetics of communication
Comments: You've probably noticed that I don't mention the names of the daily picks in my site reviews. "Today's Pick" above is linked to the site and I guess I like the elements of surprise and curiousity that my choice of writing style allows. As the saying goes, "there's a method to my madness" that makes sense to me – then I recall that now famous title from the Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense. So, today I will deviate from my typical approach and allow the name of the site to appear in the following quote which clearly describes the philosophy of the forces behind the site (I think). "May the struggle to write a definition for alt.sense be an everlasting and satisfying project. Hopefully, the diversity of content and contributions will forever be an irritation to portals, yet an inspiration to those who participate." I visited this site a few months back when I heard about the "happy birthday" project. If you'd like to adorn me with gifts the next time I turn the page, you can find my birthday listed there. When I submitted my information back then, I was probably in a hurry and didn't realize that the project was just a small piece of what you'll find there. It's collaboration at its best – a great section of submitted photos, plenty of tasty links, and some engaging written pieces, too. And if you like discussion boards, they have an excellent one going – I've been talking a lot lately about how so many new sites are being done in Flash and how that gets to me sometimes as I try to find meaningful content to share here at coolstop. Well – I found an interesting discussion about that very thing at today's pick, too. This totally non-commercial site is just the type of thing that motivates me to do what I do – they're not "an irritation to portals" at all... they're an alternative – and a great one at that!
- davezilla 3/4/01
Description: anagrams, interviews, original cartoons, aliens, illustrations and more fun than your parents will allow you to have
Comments: I've got to admit that I haven't visited Dave Linabury's site in quite a while. It was a featured cool site last May and I really liked it, though, for whatever the reason, it wasn't chosen as a daily pick back then. I hear about Dave now and then at other sites – he's a great illustrator and people love his anagrams of celebrities' names and the great caricatures that accompany them. His cartoons and alien signs are cool stuff, too, and he also writes some interesting essays and blog entries. I think it's the new design that grabbed me, looking at Dave's site again recently. Funny how that all works – I explored Dave's site much more thoroughly this time and I think it's the new look and feel that made me wanna hang around longer. That's not to say that his old look and feel was chopped liver, either. It's just to say that for me, as one individual user with their own preferences and prejudices, the change in Dave's design had a definite impact on my motivation to explore his world. The good news is that Dave's site is great, whether you want to look at it as a personal homepage, an artist's portfolio, or an important spoke in the wheel we call the web – great content and spirit! There is no bad news...
- Notes from the Road 2/6/01
Description: Travels in city and country.
Comments: Inspiration isn't always about design. It's not always the quality of the visuals or the precision of page layouts that count when we feel empty and need to be inspired. Sometimes, it's a matter of substance and the imagery of far away places we've never seen that fill the void for us. I've looked at this site at least six times in the past and passed on it. Maybe I was looking at the quality of the photos instead of the images themselves – maybe I was in too much of a hurry to stop and read the detailed accounts of Erik's travels – maybe the page layouts just didn't impress me enough – maybe I just didn't need to be inspired at the time so the meaning and creative spirit behind the site simply escaped me. For whatever reason, I looked, I passed, I looked again and passed again, and so it goes. This time around, something clicked in. Erik's been to all these places and the images are genuine. I need to be inspired a little, so I take the time to read all of the cool stuff that comes to Erik's mind when he visits a place – his impressions about the people and the conditions that surround it. It dawns on me that maybe sometimes I have to simply let go of that pursuit for excellence in design (whatever that really means) and stop looking with such a critical eye and take in the experience for what it's worth. Try it sometime and thank guys like Erik for choosing to share his love for the road with ya...
- reFrag 1/30/01
Description: Flash experimentation and creative outlet.
Comments: Mikael's done six new experiments in "actionscripting" this month (so far). The latest, "Global Positioning", is a world map for you to mark your location on. As the little comet (I guess that's what it is) moves about the map it exposes the name of the user who marked a specific location as it passes through that user's claimed area. Intriguing. Mikael started the site last August and there's quite a bit of content here – to reach the different experiments, you'll be using a really cool interface that was introduced in December with the "relaunch" of the site. The menu system is "generated on the fly" and provides access to calendars for each month in neat little internal popups – very much like a desktop within your browser and very fast. Flash doesn't have to be something that takes forever to load and it's not always useless intros and slow transitions, either. Mikael proves that Flash can be a super-fast means for content delivery and user interaction with the data system. Check out the "link engine" and the "story engine" and feel free to participate – I love that type of interactivity and when it's combined with the newer powers of Flash, it's downright cool. Keep up the interesting work, Mikael...
- Kobalto 1/27/01
Description: design lab
Comments: Today's pick, from a designer named Javier Revilla, is an interesting collection of visual art. I like the background graphics and the simple popup presentation of his showcase. Most of the pieces are static, but there are a few cool Flash pieces with neat motion graphics and a little interactivity. There's also some free downloads and several other new features coming soon. But there is a problem here which is definitely not Javier's fault – it stopped me dead in my tracks from enjoying all of his tasty content. Seems I was missing a component for QuickTime when I went to view his "Camacho" piece, so I followed the prompts to download it. After three failed downloads, I think to myself "those guys at Apple really suck" and decide I don't have time for this nonsense. Not only do they try to upsell you to their "Pro" player everytime you wanna view a QuickTime piece, but they can't even provide a reliable download when you need to grab a needed plug-in. Anyway, like I said, it's not Javier's fault but I'll bet that the piece I couldn't view was as good as the rest of the site and it's unfair to the artist, Javier in this case, that he spent all that time creating something that can't be viewed because those guys at Apple can't handle it! Sorry, but yes, I feel better now – kudos to Javier for all those great visuals I was able to enjoy...
- Schillmania.com 12/16/00
Description: Schill's Home On The Web. Experimental, creative design with DHTML; interactive, user-configurable site.
Comments: I put my heart into this daily CoolSTOP webthing and when a site like today's pick is submitted, I get excited. Why? Because joekitty spends tons of time going through sites submitted by people who just don't get what CoolSTOP is about and when a site comes through that the admittedly prejudiced and full-of-attitude little kitty thinks IS really COOL, the little guy starts dancing and his little eyes glow. Schill is a wiz at DHTML and is as savvy a designer as I've come accross lately – this totally personal, non-commercial webspace will amuse you as you play with the preferences and drag things around as you please. I like the windows within the interface and the list of "subsections" which showcases previous designs, though you'll need to use your [back] button to get back to Schill's current design. This, my friends, is the heart of the web as far as joekitty is concerned...
- Morgan Henry 12/8/00
Description: Showcase of portrait and sports photographer (Shockwave)
Comments: If you haven't noticed it yet, I'm a sucker for great photography – in fact, if you do a search in the portal cool zone for "photography," you'll come up with a list of roughly 50 sites (about 4% of my total number of picks to date). Today's pick comes from a professional photographer in Portland who specializes in portraits and sports-related shots and the galleries are rich in content. With that said, I've got to admit that the Shockwave interface and tasty site design is what really grabbed me. I won't bend your ear today with details, but if you like top-notch photography and techy presentation, you'll like this one...
- rowena dugdale 12/2/00
Description: collage & photomontage illustration
Comments: Design. It can't always be about Flash and bells and whistles, though it can be. Sometimes, it's a matter of simplicity. Clean white backdrop to cool, colorful visuals and easy navigation is the ticket sometimes. Today's pick is a sweet combination of design and content, in my humble, but always consistant opinion (not to mention, purely subjective and prejudiced) . Photomontage art is the main attraction and Rowena's uncomplicated presentation keeps the user focused on the content. Nicely organized – as a user, I appreciate sites like this one... go enjoy!
- forcefeed:swede 11/28/00
Description: personal space of oz dean . . .flash ideas, illustrations and designs
Comments: Oz Dean is a professional web designer, but as any designer will tell you, what you produce at work is just a small part of what you do. I'll stick my neck out and say that no matter what you do for a living, the same truth applies – it's a question of balance. "This site is an area for all the bits and pieces that don't truly have a home elsewhere..as far as my design is concerned. It's for me and my friends more than anyone else, but if you enjoy any of it it's a bonus..." That's the "why" for Oz and his motivation fits perfectly into my little quest for the best of the creative and non-commercial side of the web. There's an interesting assortment of things in his head here. The "celebrity sickbags" concept is one of the strangest ideas I've seen for a collaborative feature and I've got to wonder if it will fly – if it does, we're in for some amusing visuals. And speaking of visuals, Oz showcases some good stuff - "Stickman" is terminally cute, humorous, and somewhat interactive, though it looks like T-shirts may be in its future (shucks!). There's other cool things on display (though I really don't get "Post-it Note Tim"), and the "gallery" is "coming soon" – I've got a feeling it will be a good one. I like the design (especially the big background image) – lookig forward to seeing what it becomes...
- NIKDAUM.COM 10/21/00
Description: Site features the weird art and ego of Nik Daum.
Comments: Personal site supreme! Nik Daum, "one of the most recognizable faces in the world" and quite the artist, lets it all hang out and does it well. I'm not sure where to point you first, 'cause it's all good. I'd say the "bio" is as good a place to start as any, and if you're not quite in the mood for what he's telling you about himself, just reload the page and a whole new side of this character will present itself. I think Nik's probably as random as that bio thing is. And the splash page which is really a nice navigator, shows a random piece of his "weird art" and, to tell you the truth, that was the first thing I clicked, being the sucker for visuals that I am. Cool stuff – the main page for the art section is unique – mouseover one of the titles on the long list for a preview and it's all nicely categorized for you. I think I like this a lot better than a page full of thumnails. Then, there's "N-the book" which is even more about the art and ego of this interesting person – "Through the changes in his life his nature is revealed. But for each piece of knowledge gained, more seems thoroughly concealed." Well said – go spend some time with Nik – you WILL enjoy it. (Oh, yeah – this is about sites, right? Then, insert "cool design" and "perfect navigation" wherever you want in the above.)
- dack.com 10/14/00
Description: the 2¢ of Dack Ragus, a guy living in Minneapolis, MN (USA) who likes to golf, cocktail, and watch movies ... in that order
Comments: For over a month now, I've been sitting on several questions that someone sent me. They wanted to interview me and I thought "what the heck" and said "I'm game." They wanted to know how I decide what's "cool" and if awards "work" and since then, I've come to the realization that calling this an award site is probably one the dumbest things I've ever done in my life. I don't know what's "cool" any better than you, my friend, and if awards are supposed to "work" in some way, maybe someone can fill me in. So, those questions are sitting way back there behind the back burner, if you know what I'm saying...I guess today's pick will show you that it's not always about design around here. Frankly, I don't care for the pukey yellow background and bland layout, but when the content amuses me a little, there's days (like today) that I might just decide "you're cool." Anybody who could actually conceive a list of things that suck with 1,100 entries on it obviously is in this web thing for the long haul. His copyright says 1978-2000 on it and I'm inclined to think that maybe it's true – maybe he started that long list of things that suck 22 years ago, long before the web – yeah, right! The weblog's kinda interesting and there's also sections on golf, movies and stocks – a real hodgepodge of content from someone with more to say than most will wanna hear. I guess the moral of the story is that on those days when I just can't put my finger on a site that's "cool" in terms of those stuffy criteria I normally use, you can at least count on my pointing to something that might be, at least, amusing and fun to visit – then again, maybe not – that's for you to decide...
- MoserArt 10/7/00
Description: Critics call Moser a major artist compared to Goya, Francis Bacon and the Renaissance masters.
Comments: Today's pick is a beautiful site full of art from a contemporary artist who some consider to be a master – I was particularly impressed with the commentary about the individual works and found this site quite engaging... go enjoy!I'm sure to get at least 2 or 3 e-mails today from irate users whining about how unfair it is that I won't feature their commercial sites – yet here I picked another site that displays the works of an artist who obviously makes his living selling his art and that makes me a hypocrite, etc., etc., etc.Today's pick (which was not submitted) is an opportunity to clarify what I consider to be commercial or non-commercial around here because it's an excellent example of an important distinction I make when reviewing a site – like it or don't like it, I'm taking the time to explain in the hopes that those complainers I hear from day in a day out will find something better to do today – CoolSTOP is not a commercial website promotion vehicle. Here it is, pure and simple – on the "information" page of today's pick, a simple "mailto" link "to request information on price and availability of original Moser works" is the only phrase anywhere on the site that has anything to do with the fact that the artist sells his art. The pages displaying his masterful works do not have prices or "buy" links and no pages have sales pitches. If you're one of those many designers who keep submitting sites full of claims about how wonderful your services are and how you can help businesses take full advantage of the new media, etc., stop and compare what your site is like compared to what I describe above. I have nothing against commercial sites and wish you the best, but I don't feature selling sites at CoolSTOP. If you still don't get it, I guess I'll be hearing from you shortly...
- cubadust 9/5/00
Description: very cool design featuring wallpapers, fonts, and an arcade
Comments: The fullscreen interface launched from the splash page of today's winner is impressive – the deep blues and black and fine lines and yummy images combine together just right. It's got a certain richness that I find quite pleasing. Though I think the information in the "latest updates" popup (which appears a little funky in NS as compared to IE) might be better presented by incorporating it into the interface itself, that's just a preference – I just don't like the way it immediately blocks a portion of the beautiful artwork behind it. Featuring unique wallpapers and fonts, all excellent, I have a feeling that the site will be adding things with time. This is an advanced design with superb graphics and I would love to see an actual gallery of the producer's artwork – I'd be willing to bet that something along those lines is being planned. And my tip of the day is don't ever ignore that ambiguous "misc" link, folks. Click it on today's pick and you get a mini-arcade... there's several challenging Java games that load pretty quickly. I'm glad this site was submitted – though the number of submissions is constantly growing, only a few are as cool as today's pick. "Very cool design" he said – I'll have to agree...
- spent2000 8/15/00
Description: the post millennium conundrum - world domination through deconstruction & design
Comments: Today's pick is a step into the future... somewhat of a mystery that you dive into and wonder about as you take in the multimedia attack on your senses. Tim Nolan a/k/a Webjunky apparently has some visions to share that defy the expected and the usual, though with a little patience a lot of open mind, the user can taste the meanings behind it all without really understanding any of it. The Flash intro is subtle and demonstrates an uncanny sense of timing and balance, and the three directions you can choose to go to from there each provide a unique mulitimedia experience. If I had to categorize the trio of sites that make up today's winning "site" in a word, it would have to be entertainment... web-based entertainment. As far as web design goes, it's as good as it gets. If you're a modern web surfer with a basic set of plug-ins installed on your system, thanks for visiting and please come back to CoolSTOP tomorrow -- but for now, take your plug-ins and check out today's winner -- it's an excellent way to spend the time...
- bindii digital designs 7/19/00
Description: online portfolio of Paul O'Neill
Comments: Paul O'Neill calls this version "a whole new beginning" and I call it a great website. I really appreciate the fact that Paul's design portfolio is free of the typical sales pitches that cross the line between "creative" and "commercial", because I'd hate to miss this chance to recognize such an innovative site. At the outset, you notice that Paul is only using one half of the window space for content (vertically) and if you're like me, you wonder how he intends to pull that off. I found myself hoping that a vertical scrollbar wasn't part of the plan and was I pleasantly surprised His "slider" idea is unique and fun to use - and the "thumbnails" are done quite well, thank you. I was really impressed by the many covers Paul has designed and submitted to other design sites, and the collection of big "banners" that includes many submitted by other designers... there's a sense of community spirit here that you'll pick up on immediately. It's obvious that Paul's still working on several sections, but this site is good to go and easily grabs today's Best of the Cool -- what a sweet design!
- hit-or-miss 6/25/00
Description: the weblog and personal journal of Matthew Kingston
Comments: As soon as I hit the home page, I'm interested. I immediately notice the images with personality at the top - a "new windows" checkbox and a "preferences" link on the sidebar. It looks like a weblog/journal sorta thing, but there's a complete personal site here... good content, excellent usability and some pretty cool programming savvy. Matt seems very interested in how the web works and the potential for making the user experience even better. His open letter to Blogger not only calls for them to consider implementing a "native-comments system", but he takes the time to get into the technical side of it in considerable detail. You see a guy who knows what he's talking about being proactive about improving an already amazing web tool - there's an obvious love for the medium behind it all. So - the weblog - in the last few days, he's talked about comments systems, his new apartment, coins, gender stereotypes, cell phones and things related to his being a residence hall director - diverse and interesting content. And - that proactive attitude of Matt's comes out again in his "web queeries" and "glbt weblogs" sections. He's also got a webcam thing going and makes the site available in Palm and XML-RRS versions. I like Matt and I like his site... and I just met him today!
- prolific 2000 6/14/00
Description: in the port of amsterdam..."the magical web. It swept me up and pulled me in"
Comments: The producer of today's winner is not new around here. She's also the spirit behind croon, a collaborative gem, which won the Best of the Cool back in December, 1998. I learned just recently that Caroline was behind several other sites, today's winner being one of them. This is a really good weblog...the design is light and subtle - vibrant color scheme - cool page backgrounds and nice touches of style in the form elements. She had an entry Tuesday about Yahoo! that I could really relate to...it's one of those all so typical stories about trying to communicate with big corporate portals who aren't paying attention to people. I like her writing style and the variety of things she talks about - it's her personality which I find really interesting here - the message on her about page says it sweet and simple - the web is magic to her and it changed her life. I also like the fact that Caroline included a search engine - instead of just giving the user an archive to browse - it's nice to find all her entries about a single topic so easily. Bright spots like today's winning site are what make the web so special to me - Caroline's one of the high-spirited people who keep reminding me about the medium's true potential.
- The Alternative Museum 6/10/00
Description: provides a global forum where all nations celebrate and embrace their artistic and cultural differences
Comments: Today's Best of the Cool winner does not exemplify my typical pick - I actually enjoyed a daily pick from PooPooPortal and you know what that means, kiddies - today's winner has a store but I'm gonna overlook that ('cause it supports this unique project). This site has so much going for it that I'll gladly deviate from my usual criteria in the interest of assuring that you know about it. Brought to you by a "not-for-profit arts institution founded in 1975" located in New York's SOHO district, their positive mission is clearly stated. It's about using the power of the web to reach a global audience - it's about contemporary arts media and supporting the development of digital and web-based art as important parts of today's art world. The site design is exceptional and the exhibitions are wonderful. This is powerful use of the medium presenting web-based, digital, and non-digital art - the quality of the presentation is outstanding - there's a lot more here than the exhibitions, too. This is a real museum - it's been around for 25 years and the web has brought it into our homes quite well, thank you!
- Head-Space 5/28/00
Description: a cooperative non-commercial creative weird-space
Comments: "A refuge from commercial restrictions, no rules, just a creative baseline, we wanted the ... project to be provocative and challenging. Then we decided to open it out, make it no longer an us thing but an everyone thing, maybe alter the way we looked at web creativity by making it all of ours." That says it all! I see this site as a great alternative portal - it's got a cool DHTML interface and spotlights over 1200 pages of non-commercial creative content. The participants list is long and spending only about 30 minutes there for now, I could probably stand a few more hours soon. To those who think the web is losing its spirit - maybe you should go see this site to regain your perspective... and please don't forget where you found it!.
- antitext 5/24/00
Description: antitext megapowerful corporation, a subsidiary of the Global Garbage Networks
Comments: When an artist makes a statement and chooses not to embellish it with "meaningless jibberish" or filler content, all that's left is the artist's statement. It may be brief and quite simple, but the point is, it says what it says and nothing more. That's the impression I get from today's Best of the Cool winning site - at least, I think that's the point being made by it. The content is a simple presentation of a small series of very original graphics - a collage of sorts - and if that's just to brief to satisfy, the producer also gives you an escape route which is a gateway to some very cool places elsewhere. The site defies normal navigation and site structure paradigms and really has nothing more to say than what you get out of it - I like it!