site reviews
10/07 : :
09/07 : :
08/07 : :
07/07 : :
06/07 : :
05/07 : :
04/07 : :
03/07 : :
02/07 : :
01/07 : :
12/06 : :
11/06 : :
10/06 : :
09/06 : :
08/06 : :
07/06 : :
06/06 : :
05/06 : :
04/06 : :
03/06 : :
02/06 : :
01/06 : :
12/05 : :
11/05 : :
10/05 : :
09/05 : :
08/05 : :
07/05 : :
06/05 : :
05/05 : :
04/05 : :
03/05 : :
02/05 : :
01/05 : :
12/04 : :
11/04 : :
10/04 : :
09/04 : :
08/04 : :
07/04 : :
06/04 : :
05/04 : :
04/04 : :
03/04 : :
02/04 : :
01/04 : :
12/03 : :
11/03 : :
10/03 : :
09/03 : :
08/03 : :
07/03 : :
06/03 : :
05/03 : :
04/03 : :
03/03 : :
02/03 : :
01/03 : :
12/02 : :
11/02 : :
10/02 : :
09/02 : :
08/02 : :
07/02 : :
06/02 : :
05/02 : :
04/02 : :
03/02 : :
02/02 : :
01/02 : :
12/01 : :
11/01 : :
10/01 : :
09/01 : :
08/01 : :
07/01 : :
06/01 : :
05/01 : :
04/01 : :
03/01 : :
02/01 : :
01/01 : :
12/00 : :
11/00 : :
10/00 : :
09/00 : :
08/00 : :
07/00 : :
06/00 : :
05/00 : :
04/00 : :
03/00 : :
02/00 : :
01/00 : :
12/99 : :
11/99 : :
10/99 : :
09/99
prior listings
prior listings
- Alter Ebro 10/31/03
Description: illustration from Spain (Flash)
Comments: Designer and illustrator Jorge Moreno from Zaragoza, Spain shows his age as "(17+x);x=7" – Interesting, since he lists "grow up" as a dislike. There's almost 30 works, all illustrations except for one odd animation that is pretty cool. I like the Flash interface and slow growing popups. I also like Nirvana and Red Bull, just like Jorge, and maybe that's because my age is similar – (17+x);x=you don't wanna know... ;~))
- spencer tunick 10/30/03
Description: the temporary site-related installations of spencer tunick, documenting the live nude figure in public
Comments: His latest photo shoot took place early in the morning this past Sunday at New York's Grand Central station (see BBC). The temporary site-related installation was part of Spencer Tunick's "Naked World" project. Other shoots were done in London and Barcelona earlier this year, the one in Spain being his largest yet with 7,000 volunteers participating. So, I just discovered this morning that Spencer has a website. There's photos of installations going back to 1994, information on the artist, plus if you're so inclined, you can sign up to pose in a future installation. Nice site design and the photos are rather amazing, thank you... [surfstation]
- eyeshot.net 10/29/03
Description: fresh litter for the ill and literate, prepared with zest, swerve, and pizzazz
Comments: "Who would mail a letter at 1AM?" It must have had something to do with that 12th inning homer that sent the Yankees to the series and David, the author, seemed obviously pleased. "And everything was right with the world." David's part of the "Escort Service" that finds writing sexy, the illiterati who write anything but worthless crap, though they're quite familiar with their own navel dust. Love those keywords! A great little literary mag that's been online over 4 years, today's pick is "now serving extract of shimmering go-between with a side of emboldened dog doing the long sigh." What that means is there's a wide assortment of content here, nicely categorized on several long-ass dropdown lists, which I'm not about to rattle off for ya... have fun! [Fishbucket]
- frequency 10/28/03
Description: exhibition of works of 3rd year graphic design students (Flash)
Comments: "Andrew is not limited. Andrew produces anything he wants. Andrew has skills." He's one of 4 dozen students at The Design Centre whose work will be exhibited offline at the "Graphic Design Graduate Exhibition" in November at TAFE NSW Sydney Institute. Today's pick is the online version of the exhibition, featuring a sample of each student's work (and a link to the student's portfolio if he/she has one). Here's to the inspiration that young creative talent brings... ;~))
- bluishorange 10/27/03
Description: personal site of a 25-year-old English major and waitress (in that order)
Comments: I noticed it immediately as I started reading Alison's piece about her aunt (which is as much about Alison as it is her aunt). Sentences are entities in themselves and putting 2 spaces between them is something I usually do when I write for the web. I don't see it as a grammatical rule – just something visual that makes a difference. Alison also puts that extra space between sentences and as a reader, I appreciate it. Of course, that's not why her site is today's pick – that piece about her aunt is great for starters. The soft site design, complimented by a wonderful line-art portrait with attitude is inviting. There's two logs, one in the sidebar that's more for linking, and the main column, her journal/personal story type of thing. There's also a big photo section (where I need to spend more time soon 'cause I really liked what I saw so far), plus other various thingies, including a concert list, a number of previous designs, a cam, and "the book of alison's garbage." . A "native Houstonian" who writes well and hopes one day to live in London, Alison says she always remembers her dreams. I'm not surprised...
- fredshead.org 10/26/03
Description: to express myself freely through words and photography
Comments: On Friday night, a short virtual trip through the Bronx led me to the Van Cortlandt Park exit, where I hopped off and discovered Fred's site. Though it appears to have not been updated in over a year, it's a well-designed webspace with a number of interesting photoseries (plus an impressive design portfolio). I like the photos of his uncle Doc's "Guitar Party" ("Yes, that's George Benson") and those taken on a trip to Sanibel Island. The most recent feature from June, 2002 captures a family outing to the New York Botanical Gardens where Fred's daughter is clearly the star. More coming? Not sure, but what's there made my little jaunt on the subway well worth it...
- Bacon and Eh's (formerly The G Spot) 10/24/03
Description: estrogen with a side order of back bacon
Comments: "Has anyone figured out why hot dog buns come with 8 in a package and not 12? That means there are always four little wieners left with no bun to go with it." Kim's got a point there. Her husband started the blog early last year. Kim took over the reins this April, though Darin "still takes care of the layout and technical stuff." Its catchy name actually comes from the first letter of their last name and little did they know how much traffic just a name could bring to a site. But content is always what brings visitors back and my guess is that Kim's daily posts are doing the job. Proud to be Canadian (where the national animal is the beaver, thank you), Kim's post from this morning still has me giggling – the site's name certainly plays well. Each day's post is a blend of personal stuff (being a mother of three gives one plenty to think about), humorous factoids plus a daily question and a "find" of odd and amusing links. You can tell from the comments that Kim's visitors are enjoying a lot more than the site's name. Like maybe the fact that it's such a cheerful place! And now, though I tried to resist temptation, I'd like to quote a famous figure from long ago. "Could ya please pass me the bacon...thank ya very much."
- cyberheadz 10/21/03
Description: base illustrations and sculptures (Flash)
Comments: Today's pick features the works of Swiss illustrator/sculptor Maurice Xarramo. In addition to photosets of various finished casts, there's also a section with shots of a number of unfinished sculptures still in progress. Another section contains sketches plus photos of the artist at work in his studio. For Maurice, the art is all in the headz and his work is fascinating... [Newstoday®]
- p.geek.com 10/20/03
Description: digital travel films (Quicktime)
Comments: Did you ever notice how crabs crawl sideways on the sand? The ocean beats against the rocks in Mancora, Peru to a tasty music track by Kinobe as a gull is captured in flight. Paul "ended up staying for two extra days." That's one of his older films. Go back further to "Boys" or "Milwaukee 1984" (both done while Paul was in college) or come closer to the present with two excellent short films done in Japan. What talent! "Rehearsal Space" is superb. There's 14 different short films (Quicktime), ranging from 40 seconds to over 5 minutes, uniquely capturing Paul's world travels...
- Carl's Cars 11/19/03
Description: a magazine about people (Flash)
Comments: Claiming to be "the first magazine which blends car culture with music, fashion, film and design" with a main page you can literally take a spin on, today's pick seems more about people (and other creatures) than cars. Browse any of the 6 issues and you'll probably see what I mean. I'm not sure if there's actually a print magazine yet, but Carl (who is possibly Karl's alterego) certainly had some big visions when the site launched back in November, 2001, with "a garage party and not-quite-too-small international car show." If there is a print magazine, has anybody really forked up Euro 11,000 for that back page ad? And did it ever make it to TV? I may never know the answers, but I'm thinking the site is really just a clever vehicle (pun intended, yuckyuck) for promoting Karl and Stephanie's advertising business. And even though business sites are not typically listed here at coolstop, today's pick even has movies, yummy cookies, and cows that moo – just too amusing to pass up (but please don't submit your company site just because I made an exception today, thank you)... ;~]] [photo-inside]
- Toycamera.com 10/18/03
Description: all about Plastic Cameras
Comments: "Many people hate them, they think they're junk, worthless, a waste of time. But we love them." The site is a collaboration of a few dozen devotees of Plastic Camera photography, celebrating the magic of those $20 "plastic pieces of crap" that leak light, but produce fascinating results. Grab a "Holga" or "Snappy" and get creative, baby! They call it "a new way to capture your world." The current attraction is the "Egg Shoot" in which 8 contributors submitted their best shot of a "simple white egg." There's 16 galleries of contributors' works and several special series plus news, articles and a forum. I'd bet you didn't know that next Saturday is "World Toy Camera Day." Well, now you do... [Creativity Machine]
- This is not a portfolio 10/17/03
Description: The other work - No professional work of Daniel Caballero
Comments: The site is Daniel's "other work" and he makes it clear that it's no portfolio. It's all personal work and I, for one, appreciate where he's coming from. A Quicktime video called "while" takes you on the road and the soundtrack "handed over" by Takagi Masakatsu is clearly half the beauty of it. Daniel's visuals, of course, are the other half and I'm sure Teresa's driving helped him pull it off. I also like the "triphotos" and Daniel's illustrations and covers. Today's pick is cool, right down to the randomized pics and Flash thingies on the main page... ;~)) [Design-Index]
- fatal.no/start 10/15/03
Description: linkportal to design, art, and resources
Comments: When you want to find new creative sites on the web, where do you start? Typical portals just don't cut it and though I've been trying to maintain a decent list of alternative portals, it's suffered lately from sites closing or changing so drastically that they no longer belong on the list. So, my attention is turning to building up that list again. I've just added two recent picks which are extraordinairy starting points – Fishbucket (review) and thingsmagazine.net (review) – two of my favorite recent finds particularly because of the wealth of quality links they provide on their frequently updated sites. Today's pick is the third site added to the explore list this morning. Though I'm not sure how frequently it's updated, I can say it's gots tons of excellent links related to design, art, music, photography, and get this, love. Nice, clean minimal design – another great place to start... [crossmind.net]
- culturefocus.com 10/14/03
Description: pictures, culture and history from around the world
Comments: Like yesterday's pick (where I found the site), today's is also a travel photography site. It's a collection of photos from "Egypt, Jordan, Syria, India, Nepal, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia," taken between 1994 and 2002, along with in-depth information about each area and links to related resources. As Steve says, "Happy traveling..."
- The Visual Record 10/13/03
Description: a space online where I could share the story of my adventures
Comments: When Shawna launched the site in May, 2002, she already had photos from her travels to Greece and Japan to build the galleries. A few months later, pics from Portugal and Ireland were added from a trip taken to Europe. In February of this year, a gallery of photos from America's beautiful Southwest was added, and an "amazing trip" to China came in March. Then came the Slot Canyons in Arizona in May, a trip to Scotland in September, and the "Autumn colors" of Yellowstone this month. Shawna travels a lot, to say the least, and though she thought all her life (until last year) that she didn't have "a single artistic bone" in her body, the photos and the narrative they create say something else, indeed...
- Blake Haygood Works 10/12/03
Description: paper, panel, and other mixed media art
Comments: One reviewer calls Blake Haywood's art "Dada in reverse." To me, the envisioned objects in Blake's mind, realized in his art, seem to be fictional, though realistic mechanical things oddly suspended in space, which stimulate imagination in a special way. "Instead of elevating common objects into art, he makes imagined objects common, and then reveals their art. His work might well be read as a critique of the Industrial Age, or perhaps as a critique in advance of how things did not work, or, to be precise, will not have worked." That's all a bit heady for me, so the only thing I could possibly accomplish with my own review is to say "check it out" – works on paper, panels, and various other media, done from 1998 through this year – if I ever get to Seattle, I'd love to see real things... [surfstation]
- London Photos 10/11/03
Description: a photo gallery of London Life and other attractions
Comments: I discovered today's pick via 3 different sources (blogdex. Popdex, and newthings) at the same time yesterday in my aggregator, which is one of those sure signs that something of interest is waiting for me to explore. As soon as I get there, I notice there's a connection to a prior coolstop daily pick (3/24/02) and the amazing pictures tell me why everyone's linking to the site. Kim and Rob are manipulating Polaroid shots, but there's no Photoshop, or any other application for that matter, being used. "The emulsion stays soft for hours after taking a photo," explains Kim, "and can be manipulated using sticks..." The results are "Van Gogh-like" for sure. There's more than those shots – many other interesting photos taken in the UK capital. The site is just a few months old, a gallery with a photoblog format. I'm thinking these unique experiments with the Polaroids are just the beginning...
- randomWalks 10/10/03
Description: a group weblog
Comments: Though "a group weblog" is a simple, accurate description, I like Adam's more creative way of describing the site. "A creature with a thousand arms and eyes, making love with itself and reaching back as far as creation and forward to the very end of time." He launched the site back in late 1999, not only "to become famous" (don't we all?), but also to "rope his friends into finding new things for him to look at every day." There's 12 other "editors" besides Adam, providing content in literally dozens of different categories.So far this month, there's been posts to love, living, politics, kerouac, media, poetry, music, books, apple, macfilter, war, drugs, (anti)capitalism, cartoons, cinema, fluffy, l.a., porn, public space, punk, quotes, sex, the arts, wisdom, words. and race, to give you an idea as to the variety. "We dislike war, racism, prisons, privilege and ignorance," says Adam, speaking for the group. I wouldn't like the blog nearly as much if it was too heavy in a single category, like politics or technology. I like the variety and the group pulls it off well – a nice mix. There's also assorted quick links ("Flux") and "Headlines" on the sidebar.As far as the site's design goes, I like the random images above each day's posts. A subtle, tiled background pattern and the randomized graphics add flavor to the page and the color scheme and layout are also visually appealing. The site renders slightly better in Mozilla than in IE6 (which has known bugs in handling background colors, thank you) but looks nice in both browsers. Browse by date, category, or title and enjoy... [discovered while playing BlogShares]
- Calder Foundation 10/9/03
Description: the life and works of sculptor Alexander Calder (site spawns new window)
Comments: I remember his famous Flamingo in front of the Federal Center in Chicago – I need to visit Chitown again soon. Sculptor Alexander Calder, whose life spanned 3/4 of the 20th century, created some 17,000 works in his lifetime, including "monumental sculptures, mobiles, and stabiles to paintings, drawings, and lesser known work, such as jewelry and household objects." Today's pick houses photographs of hundreds of those works, along with comprehensive information on Calder's life. It's actually the online home of the Calder Foundation, charged with collection and documentation of the artist's massive body of work, and also provides up-to-date information on current, upcoming, and permanent exhibitions plus long-term installations. Well done... [Pictoblog]
- ultramicroscopic 10/7/03
Description: a diversion
Comments: "I have been beaten down working for the man and clients that don't realize my genius," says Griff, whose image at Twofifty led me to discovering his site. Though it looks like a blog, its unique style and the navigation device in the top left corner are a clue there's more here than meets the eye at first. His "diversion" also includes some great Quicktime VR pieces, a colorful sketchbook, a bit of typography, some cool desktops, and "doodles" throughout. He's currently stuck with commuting from Dallas to Atlanta weekly, finding some extra time for doodling while waiting for all those planes. It's hardly surprising that the blog includes "tales from the office" and "tales from the road" but that's balanced out by "ultrahumor" and "design" categories, among others. Though Griff thinks he's "old for a web designer," I've got 16 years on him, putting me in a perfect position to answer his question from yesterday – never!
- Audikt™ 10/5/03
Description: a collaborative, issue based project between designers, artists and musicians, showcasing creative and musical talent beyond the mainstream
Comments: Issue 1. 27 musicians. 27 designers. Downoad the tracks (.mp3) and enjoy the covers, and might I suggest that you don't miss the special Infected music video (Quicktime). There's some great independent music and information on each musician and designer with related links. Perfect!
- twelvestone 10/4/03
Description: designer's and developer's resource
Comments: I forgot to mention something about Mark's site in yesterday's review, probably because I was so distracted by those cute kitties – that would be his nice little links section, where I just happened to find today's pick. It's an excellent resource and forum site for designers and developers, offering tutorials and articles about (but not limited to) design, Photoshop, and Flash. The busy forums' topics include Theory, Front End, and Back End. Articles and tutorials are conveniently linked to threads in the forums for discussion and commenting. Tons of useful information – I've found at least two topics I'll be reading up on soon...
- digitalpagan 10/3/03
Description: experiments, photos, and portfolio (Flash)
Comments: Here's a site Mark recently put together for his good friend Chad, which has some excellent photography. It's not today's pick, just a bonus link for you, but like Mark's own site which is today's pick, the site's Flash interface is clean and fast. I like that. Mark offers up some experiments along with downloadable source files and the portfolio section includes several games you might enjoy. And I've gotta be the world's biggest sucker for good kitty photos... ;~))
- daily dose of imagery 10/2/03
Description: a simple view of my day to day visual experience
Comments: On the evening of the 29th, "2048 photos taken in 14 hours with 20 secs interval time" led to the creation of a montage of just a few of those photos that magnificent. If that doesn't thrill you, check out the Quicktime "video sequence" of all the photos. Kudos to Sam for putting so much into that single picture of Toronto on, posted on the 30th. On the 1st, another great shot. This time, it's a highway scene in Tehran captured last year. Sam's photoblog serves a daily dose, with archives going back to early July. Browse by date or category and enjoy... [thingsmagazine.net: newthings]
- thingsmagazine.net 10/1/03
Description: daily links, photos and new writing about objects
Comments: When it comes to offline magazines with a web presence, the typical model seems to be publishing a printed magazine and using excerpts or abstracts from it on its website to promote sales of the printed magazine. Today's pick turns that model around. New content appears on the website first, and the print magazine, published twice-yearly, derives its content from the website. "Essays, reviews, short stories and poems – about objects and their meanings" is its fare, presented in weblog format with tons of links plus a photo gallery you won't want to miss. The web changes everything... [Idle Type]
Copyright 1997-2008 © jenett webthings. Some rights reserved. For mature audiences.