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prior listings

 

• fadein 1/26/03 
  Description: a digital sketchbook - a place to try out new ideas (Flash)
  Comments: Among Chris' content are three sound loops he created, presented in a small pop-up without visuals.  Might I suggest that open the sound loops and select the "dirty beat" before opening the "illustration" section (also in its own popup).  The colorful illustrations are wonderful all by themselves but the sound loop enhances the experience (for me, anyway).  The interface (you guessed right - it opens in its own popup) is quite artsy with tasty, twitchy motion graphics, including the words "hard to navigate" in the background.  Personally, I think it's easy to navigate and the multiple window approach to presentation that Chris uses works for me.  There's also an interesting "video title sequence" done in Quicktime plus some choice links.  Chris' digital sketchbook has great style...  [devgfx < surfstation]
   
• operatique 1/23/03 
  Description: each eye has its share of secrets
  Comments: There's a few links to pop-up visuals on the splash page worth checking out, but when you enter the site from there, it may seem dark and mysterious to you, as it did to me.  Alex a/k/a Betablocker would call it melancholic.  The cursor (in IE) adds to the mystery but mouseover effects help expose where the links are.  The content is artistic and includes both static images and Flash pieces.  There's an easy-to-miss link to another of Betablocker's sites with even more excellent visual content.  Cheers to the twenty-something designer in Montreal behind the site...   [thespot]
   
• TOCA ME 1/21/03 
  Description: a platform for experiments, dialogues and discussions on art and design (Flash)
  Comments: Touch can mean a lot of different things to different people.  It could be someone's signature or can mean a trace of something or to contact someone.  Or it could be one's deftness.  But surely, it always has something to do with the senses...

  are you here?
  i'm waiting for you.
  i think we are alone.
  where are you?
  can't you see me?
  i can feel you.
  i can feel you. breathing.
  my eyes are closed.
  i'm very close.
  talk to me.
  touch me.
  ...please.

  There's some intriguing works and offline events are also being planned.  A wonderfully creative platform, tastefully executed...
   
• CROSSMIND.NET 1/18/03 
  Description: designer's know-how and inspiration portal with unique site catalog filter plus forum, news, know-how links and issues.
  Comments: Here's another good alternative portal to add to the list, with a twist.  You can filter the catalog of linked sites using criteria like color scheme, design elements and layout style – that's unique and very cool in my book.  "While working as designers, we have started collecting screenshots of the best sites on the internet and after a few years we had thousands of them. One fact has attracted our attention: many sites had a lot of things in common."  Great screenshots and user-friendly options, but there's more.  Knowledge for designers is the other component of the site's mission.  There's half-a-dozen interesting articles in the current issue plus a forum, a "featured sites" section with mini-reviews, and plenty of fresh links in the news.  The site's only a few months old, but it's already looking mighty good from here. Go explore...
   
• ningen.com 1/17/03 
  Description: llustrations, photos, and wallpapers from humankind
  Comments: The name of the site means "humankind" and each time you visit the main page, a random illustration of a face appears.  The designer/editor of the site, Chigono, is one of six "ningens" and I'm guessing that the other 5 are content contributors.  There's over 150 personal photos in the "ningens" section alone.  The "bob" section of the site has tasty daily images going back to April, 2001.  The latest photographic feature to be added to the "pix" section showcases 50 photos taken in China.  That section also has 161 photos taken in Tokyo plus more from the US (Chicago), Korea, and Thailand.  Excellent navigability and presentation and the background sounds are a nice touch.  It's only human...
   
• Phirebrush 1/15/03 
  Description: view.submit.enjoy
  Comments: Two designers started the site in October, 2001 with the idea of having a place to display their works.  The plan was for them to take turns redesigning the site on a monthly basis.  As a designer myself, I've got to say that would be a hard thing to keep up with.  It was and the "staff" of two was expanded to four, but "things were still slow" until it dawned on Kriegs, one of the original founders, that a "new direction" was in order.  The crew expanded in size again and the site's mission was redefined.  "A bi-monthly issue based site with their [i.e., the staff's] works and works of the viewers!"  Part of their thinking was to create more of a community that "not only lets the members display some new work but also lets the new designers or designers not known in specific groups to get their work out and noticed."  In other words, it's not "for members only" like many other issue-based sites.  The rest is history and they're now on "Issue07."  "This month we are packed with over 60 submissions from some of the great visitors to our site."  The current layout is planned to stay in place for a few months, with only minor design changes the next few issues.  "Indy art, music, photography, wallpapers, and writing" are what you'll find and it's packed with good stuff.  The next issue is planned to launch on February 1st.  view.submit.enjoy! 
   
• twexus 1/10/03 
  Description: database of thousands of images taken with small digital cameras... all by the same person
  Comments: Over 17,000 images.  All taken with small digital cameras by the same person in less than 1½ years.  Astounding!  Today's pick is a big database that's accessible in several ways.  Search by keyword and add your own words to the database for any given image.  Or, if you prefer, view randomly generated "pairs" with user-defined controls for frequency of refresh, new or same window, and image size.  Love it.  Then, there's the "symmetry" section.  "Randomly selected areas of images mirrored around both axis.  Your feedback is used to sort good from bad.  Symmetric images that have negative feedback will be deleted and replaced with new variations."  What a cool site!   [surfstation]
   
• WRDSNPIX 1/9/03 
  Description: It just gets bigger...
  Comments: Steven's journal has archives going back to May, 1998.  The black & white photo accompanying the words of auld lang syne got my attention immediately and sent me looking to see if there were more photos.  Back to the root directory and bingo!  In addition to more recent shots, there's two series of photos taken in New York City, all in 2000, and they are really good.  Not that the journal wasn't good – I like Steven's writing.  A recent entry, which was really a major rant ("what the hell is the matter with you people?") takes its shots at several things, one of them being weblogs.  I'll preface it with the last sentence of the paragraph.  "Not that there's anything wrong with that."  With that said, I feel his comments about blogging are probably true in more than a few cases, but not in the vast majority.  Nevertheless, I find them totally amusing.  "First off, there's all you slackers who've lapsed into blogging.  You went from some real writing to basically cutting pictures out of magazines and sticking 'em up on the classroom bulletin board.  You lazy bastards are climbing your way sideways into imposterity..."  In the same entry, he also rants about door-to-door salesmen and talks about how much disclosure on one's site is safe.  "I ain't chicken, but I ain't stupid either. The woods are full of wardens these days."  I found other entries equally thought-provoking, as I did this quote from his "bio" page – "Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this -- that you are dreadfully like other people."  By the way, if you see a guy on a black Harley with camera gear somewhere on the West coast, it just might be "the mainguy" behind today's pick...
   
• notmyself.com 1/8/03 
  Description: drop past the color come up through the summer rain - a personal domain
  Comments: Her name is Maura.  21 is her favorite number and just happens to be her age, too.  She's "two semesters away from graduation" and is excited that soon she will be able to "do something other than work, go to class, sleep, and eat."  Three cheers for her well-done "Maura" page.  The current site is "version 2.0." and Maura says "it's the first real layout for this domain."  I think the layout is impressive – a nice implementation of MT.  In addition to the weblog/journal found on the main page, there's a section of photos (22 different series), a big links page (which I intend to explore soon) and another journal (which is private).  All-in-all, an interesting personal site with style that's purely original...  [digitalnap]
   
• vegasqueen 1/7/03 
  Description: an interactive exhibition of the creative work of lesley keen (Flash/Quicktime)
  Comments: "All mysteries will be uncovered in time..."  Graphic artist Lesley Keen graduated The Glasgow School of Art in 1975 and, over the next 15 years, produced a number of animated films.  The site is intended to "bring together [her] creative work" from those years.  Web meets pre-web work and makes sense of it.  "Putting all the pieces together for the first time in this hyperlinking catalogue or interactive exhibition, the stylistic progression and interrelatedness of the work can finally be seen..."  The result is an engaging website that provides not only the creative work, but interesting background information on each piece as well.  Referring to "burrellesque," one of the films in her catalogue, Leslie writes "this is the last animated film I ever completed. I was aware the film represented the end of a journey, although at the time I simply thought this meant it would be my last film to be done by conventional means, without using a computer."  Creative spirit captured alive, right here on the web... 
   
• Popelevator 1/2/03 
  Description: experimental, interactive lounge and lab of Finnish graphic designer Juha Siirilä (Flash)
  Comments: Usability.  Forget about it (at least, for today) but don't forget to bring your Flash.  You'll have to figure out how to ride the elevator and once you enter either the lounge or the lab, you'll still have to be in explore mode.  I ended up first at a thing called "peeping tom" and what it said at the top was intriguing (in a tabloid news kinda way).  "Insert yellow coin..take a peek at some of my friends secret lifes.."  So, I had to go find the yellow coin.  I saw a blue one on my way in, but where's that yellow one?  I find it, then figure out how to activate the thing with it and I'm in!  Darn!  I click to learn more about "line_boy" and it tells me to "come back later."  Oh well.  I still enjoyed going for it.  Further explorations led me to the "font-o-matic" and the "design diary."  The discovered visual goodness keeps me busy for a while and I think to myself, "Gee, that was fun..." ;~))