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prior listings

 

• Postcards From LA 7/31/03 
  Description: sometimes words aren't enough
  Comments: First things first!  I want to thank Photoblogs.org for being there and leading me to yet another great personal photography site.  Tamar lives in "a land of palm trees and playgrounds" with her husband, son, and cat.  Since late April, she's been taking pictures daily with her trusty digital camera.  Enjoy the postcards – there's some beauties...
   
• six shades 7/30/03 
  Description: personal work of stephen hyun
  Comments: "How dark the inner thoughts torment all that is pure inside the walls of my mind."  Seldom does an "about" page say so much.  A 15meg Quicktime movie is the backdrop for words that cut like a knife.  It was the movie that made me want to know more.  "My thoughts" continued to impact me and, I guess, set the tone for making the "portfolio" and "photography" so enjoyable.  Maybe I should start at about more often.  "An unshaping clay softened to be used.  Shaped and used in love on the journey set foot everyday."  Moving...  [nobodypanic]
   
• nowheregirl 7/29/03 
  Description: an online comic
  Comments: Rob, whose weblog I read daily, made me aware of the site back in May and I've visited it a few times since.  Justine, who does all the colorful artwork and quite intelligent writing herself, says "the story is me trying to make sense of it all, and confront some of my own prejudices."  There's two chapters online so far.  "Imaginary friend" has 43 pages, and the second chapter, "better world," is 30-pages long.  Some production!  "There's only the one of me doing this."  Could've fooled me...
   
• Walk by Rain 7/28/03 
  Description: This is just the collection of moods. May be feelings. I like when it rains and here are my emotions about it. (Flash)
  Comments: Today's pick is, I guess, what you would call a minisite.  It's one of many projects listed in the Net.Art section of Genn's portfolio ("sites made for 'soul' in a modern art stream of the internet")  I found it in the news at crossmind.net (a great place to begin exploration paths, btw).  Five emotions having to do with rain, beautifully expressed in images with motion via Flash.  Though small (especially when compared to Genn's entire site, I feel the "Walk in Rain" project stands strongly on its own and makes a perfect entry point into Genn's talented world.  There's over 5 dozen other inspiring Net.Art projects, dating back to 1999...
   
• xiiin - chichi's farm 7/27/03 
  Description: dream of animation (Flash)
  Comments: The news at SWIKIRI said "not sure what the point of this website is but it looks damn cool!"  Frankly, when I come across a site like today's pick, what it's about becomes unimportant to me.  Somewhere in Korea, a person going by the name "Character" has created an amazing work of animation art here.  Flash at its best and colorful illustrations with visual impact that jumps off the screen.  "Damn cool?"  Indeed!  I've never seen anything like it...
   
• absorb.org 7/26/03 
  Description: an online resource dedicated primarily to electronic music
  Comments: Sheikh Ahmed, the London-based editor, says "don't expect perfection every time."  He's only got x number of hours to put into his "playtime" but notes that he still enjoys it, despite "late issues and... less than satisfactory issues."  Well.  I think he's done a wonderful job on something that's not his "full time concern" – the end-product is an impressive mag dedicated to electronic music.  With the help of 7 writers from England, Sweden, and the USA, the site has dozens of music reviews, plus a long list of articles.  Add a "media" section with over 30 galleries of photos from concerts and events.  Thanks to Gridface for making me aware of this great online resource...
   
• mind the gap 7/25/03 
  Description: adventures of an (over) caffeinated girl
  Comments: She's been on the web since 1997 and her site's been listed here since January, 2001.  After a few months' hiatus, spent evaluating where she "wanted to be" and realizing the answer, Theressa's back.  It's the writing she's missed the most while she was offline and she's asking her readers to give her a nudge if she disappears again.  The girl was born in Canada but has lived in New York long enough to "think of it as home now."  Or could that be "for now?"  Seems Europe is her scopes, but for now her "heart is split between New York and Toronto."  Though Theressa calls it a weblog, it seems more a personal journal to me.  There's some interesting posts in the archives and I've got a feeling the best is yet to come.  Welcome back and consider this my little nudge in advance... ;~)
   
• photo inside 7/24/03 
  Description: graphic design and photo community
  Comments: An early morning jump to Japan led me to the site in Romania that "brings together photographers and designers from all around the world and provides them a platform for open expression."  The main fare is two galleries - photo and graphics - and between them, there's over 1,400 images.  From the main page, you can access the "Top 10" as well as the most recently submitted photos.  There's also plenty of tasty links related to design and photography, and the community currently has over 400 members.  Good find...explore!
   
• everyday icons 7/23/03 
  Description: for your daily life
  Comments: Like virtually every other website out there, today's pick is "open 365 days, 24 hour."  But that's just part of the message on the splash.  Japanese designer Shinya Inamura also tells you to "have a sweet time."  And if downloadable, colorful icons are your thing, "sweet" is probably the right word.  Organized in two categories, disk icons and folder icons, and available for Mac and PC, each set includes an assortment of colors, which (speaking of organization) seems a good way to color-code your desktop a bit.  If the disks and folders seem a little plain to you (though they're not), just have a look at Shinya's "work" section and be astounded.  Love them pixels!   [linkdup]
   
• lp 7/22/03 
  Description: strive to create
  Comments: I think of today's pick as being high spirit, low noise.  "this is where i'll start - with what i can see - i trust these two eyes - to speak honestly."  Creativity is a scattered thing, or at least, it can be.  Whether it's the photos of "talented friends" or a dissection of the concept of marketing, what I like about the site is its simple personal expression - its honesty.  "Fearlessly seeking a new horizon, a space of my own."  Maybe what it's really about is growth...
   
• sutnar 7/19/03 
  Description: a comprehensive look at the life and work of Czech-U.S. artist and designer Ladislav Sutnar (Flash)
  Comments: There's an exhibition going on in Prague through October on the work of Ladislav Sutnar, artist and designer who lived from 1897 to 1976.  "It is the first-ever retrospective international show of an artist whose household articles, publications, architecture, stagecraft and exhibition design won a great renown for the pre-war Czechoslovakia."  There's over 300 exhibits and I'd love to see the show.  Frankly, I think the website does an amazing job of not only presenting information on the exhibition itself, but also providing real education on this pioneer of creativity.  This has got to be the best implementation of a timeline I've seen (Flash).  And the content covers everything one could possibly want to know about Sutnar and his work.  Impressive!   [linkdup]
   
• 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...
   
• NEOZINE* 7/16/03 
  Description: because design is made of people - a monthly publication from Portugal to the world
  Comments: Finding sites like today's pick has been getting a lot harder lately.  Good alternative portals are closing down faster than I can keep up with -- in the last year, I've probably deleted 4 or 5 of them from the Explore the Web list.  So when I bumped into this tasty design portal this morning, I was tickled.  It's a gift from Nuno and Cristina "from Portugal to the world."  Whether you're part of the so-called design community or not, you're bound to find something of interest here.  Just dig in, explore, enjoy, and call me in the morning...;~)   [Newstoday®]
   
• webjones dot net 7/12/03 
  Description: personal site reflecting the interests of a technology manager
  Comments: Craig's been everything from landscaper to waiter to radio announcer to graphic designer.  He still uses a Mac "born in early 94" and built his own PC last year.  He's into astronomy, hiking, and art and is currently working towards his Master of Information Technology... online.  An interesting guy with a jones for the web.  All that's nice and certainly enough to wanna recognize his cool little personal space (not really little - it's actually got oodles of content).  But those Square Smileys I just downloaded - now yer talkin'...
   
• likeanorb 7/11/03 
  Description: powered by a cat chained to a hamster wheel, and the robot dog that chases him
  Comments: What if I was only allowed 3 words?  Minimal.  Elegant.  Intelligent.  They do sum up pretty well why I picked this one.  The most recent entry in the journal is about discovering things about a brother one never knew, or should I say, never understood.  Seeing the brother do what he does in realtime brought new clarity, shedding prejudices and stereotypes.  3 words.  A new appreciation.  The photos help make the point.  3 words.  A reader enriched.  Add 3 interesting photo-narrative series to the mix plus archives organized in a way that makes sense.  It's not a daily thing.  Nothing forced here.  It seems carefully crafted.  3 words.  Work of art!
   
• Stollo.com 7/10/03 
  Description: Currently featuring notes and photos from travels in Uraguay.
  Comments: Though Felix and friends are back from Uruguay, he promises to keep the photos from the trip online.  The site's design and content will probably be updated soon, but for now, its been dedicated to travel notes (in German) and hundreds of photos related to the trip.  There's also a section of what appears to be miscellaneous images submitted by the site's users.  The full album has oodles of interesting images.  Over 500 of 'em... 
   
• Nipplecat 7/8/03 
  Description: assortment of Flash and Shockwave games and diversions
  Comments: "I suppose this should be some kind of heartfelt mission statement..." says the opening page, but the site's name is a giveaway that you won't find anything that serious here.  Fun and games is more like it.  There's three "Training Apps" that are more challenging than they appear to be at first, at least for me.  Guess I'll have to back sometime and try to master them or it's no code for me.  And if you think it's easy for me to admit publicly that I enjoyed "Bag of Cats," you're right.  Two other things I found quite amusing are "Burger King" (it's not what you think) and "My First Robot."  But my faves definitely have to be a diversion called "Square" and the painfully easy-to-find secret called "drumdrum."  All-in-all, a fun site, except for havin' to click on that poor little kitty, of course... 8~)   [online intercourse < Lounge72]
   
• Robyn's Secret Passage 7/6/03 
  Description: It's a collection of vowels and consonants put into place with little letters in angle brackets.
  Comments: Robyn loves to write and her "secret passage" is a long list of pieces going back to 1996.  She warns the ”the older it is, the less likely I am to like it, or still feel that way."  I found "My First Rant" and "Spamorama" quite amusing and really enjoyed some of her writing about music and concerts, including her most recent post about Ja Rule.  She's not wild about his music, pointing out some of the graphic language and a certain attitude he has.  This was a direct hit for me because last time I met my buddy Dave* for a few brews, I mentioned to him how ridiculous some of Ja Rule's lyrics were.  Okay, I admit here right now that I do own a Ja Rule CD, thank you.  Anyway, despite Robyn's dislike of the singer, she found herself wrapped up in "doing some Ja Rule spotting" and trying to get her CD autographed when he was in town.  Yep, she ended up "clutching" her very own copy at the "Sounds" store where he was to be "making an appearance.  Though she failed to get it autographed, you can tell she enjoyed every minute of it.  I did too!  There's more to the site than the secret passage.  A lot more writing plus some odd fun like "Cocktails and Entertaining with Bob and Karen" and the "Bad Wicked Evil Web Page."  Not to worry, Robyn. I got it and have no dumb questions for ya... ;~))  [OriginArt < James Burgess < For The Masses]
   
• Gridface 7/5/03 
  Description: electronic music & digital art since 1996
  Comments: The most recent music review covers "Wackies: African Roots Act 1" for "connoisseurs of otherworldly dub."  In the Gallery, you'll find videography by a guest artist.  Both of those sections have big archives, but leaving the best for last, don't miss the 8 series of tasty desktops.  Cityscape, railyard, and rock.  Electronic music + digital art.  Nice work Jacob!  [Shaking Through.net]
   
• Dime Novels at Stanford 7/4/03 
  Description: Digital representation of Stanford's Dime Novel and Story Paper Collection.
  Comments: Something a little different today.  Dime novels.  Story papers.  "Both genres flourished from the middle to the close of the 19th century in America and England (where the novels were known as 'penny dreadfuls'), and benefited from three mutually reinforcing trends: the vastly increased mechanization of printing, the growth of efficient rail and canal shipping, and ever-growing rates of literacy."  There's guided tours, a timeline, and information about the large collection.  Great covers plus selected online texts.  Fascinating!  [Retrolounge]
   
• nobodypanic 7/3/03 
  Description: a small showcase of photography and personal digital works
  Comments: Though it looks like it hasn't been updated for a year, I'm kinda glad to see today's pick remains online.  The small collection of amatuer photography and digital images is quite good and, frankly, I like the design.  A funny thing about the web is that inactive sites can, out of nowhere and when you least expect it, become active again.  Maybe a longshot, but worth watching anyway... 
   
• Karin Hanssen 7/2/03 
  Description: paintings and drawings
  Comments: Yesterday's stop at Bergen St. in Brooklyn set me thinking.  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!
   
• absolutely-vile 7/1/03 
  Description: just another graphic designer with nothing better to do than design self-indulgent stuff with no purpose or function than to make myself (and hopefully a couple of other people) happy
  Comments: There's 29 bloggers living off the Bergen St. station in Brooklyn, and one of sites that got my attention was described as "an adventure of indulgence in low culture."  Needless to say (unless you don't know me, of course), I was intrigued.  What I found is the interesting "world of Anna" and there seems to be a whole lotta things happening.  She'll be moving soon.  I guess Bergen St. will have one less blogger.  The "stoop sale" went well with some free shoes to boot (I know, I couldn't help the pun) and Anna's got a new niece.  A concert at Roseland.  Working out.  It's an energetically written weblog/journal kind of thing, full of the author's personality and fun to read.  Anna's "a book cover designer in Manhattan by day" and her site shows a good amount of graphic savvy.  Nice color and layout and those circular pet pics are cool.  Some neat personal pictures, too.  Next stop, hopefully another coolstop (like today's pick).  Bergen St. was fun....