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prior listings

 

• brainstorm 12/31/02 
  Description: a web virtual desktop (Flash)
  Comments: We'll take the year out with a site that's a bit of a novelty, but a good one.  He calls it the "bob.carter area" and it's a "virtual desktop."  This is "beta version 0.3" done in Flash with various content windows, which can be dragged and minimized.  Okay – so you can't resize the windows (I can be such a picky bastard, can't I?), but aside from that, it really has the look and feel of a desktop.  The "splash pad" graphics may seem a little risqué to some, but they're done tastefully.  Among the 7 windows, you'll also find a cool MP3 player, some of Bob's Flash animations, and, of course, "cool linkz."  One touch I really like is the transparency.  Hey Bob!  You rock!  And a Happy New Year to all... nemrod < offliner.net]
   
• RandomHead 12/30/02 
  Description: the ultimate fan page (Flash) (mature content)
  Comments: The game as interface concept really grabs me, but I must admit that the little "advance" cheat helped me get to the "prizes" a little faster, and, I guess, with a little less randomness.  If the game doesn't excite you quite as much as it did me, maybe the prizes will (you can access them from a list instead of via the game, if you must).  It's actually a portfolio of Nano12's fun stuff (some mature content), which includes both static visuals and motion graphics (Flash, Quicktime, Shockwave).  The content's inspiring (to me, anyway, and I need all the inspiration I can get, folks).  Nano12 keeps the commercial side private, requiring a password to view his commercial works (nice touch, keeping the game biz-free and fun).  Now that I've seen (and enjoyed) all of the displayed works, maybe I'll head back there just for the game and a second view of some prizes, but totally random this time.  Wish me luck... ;~))  [FIGOO]
   
• a photo a day 12/28/02 
  Description: an e-mail listserv. a website. a plethora of ideas.a supernova. a place to get constructive criticism. a home for work that you shot for you, not them. a constant source of inspiration. a photo community.
  Comments: It started with 2 friends emailing each other "a photo a day."  Now, there's over 120 people in the community from 24 states (plus a few "international" members). 3 photo "essays" are currently featured with 7 more in the archives.  The "galleries" include works from 47 different members.  Wow!  As if that's not enough, there's also a blog with plenty of interesting photography-related links and info and a little feature called "collective vision" with (you guessed it) even more great photos.  What a find!  [xpaider]
   
• off 'n' see 12/27/02 
  Description: pix-diary of a young photographer
  Comments: Designed by my friend Rocco at robocore. for a young photographer named Giak, today's pick is a "pix-diary" of both indoor and outdoor shots of people and things.  Nicely done, clean, minimal design with 3-to-a-page presentation and interesting visual content – nice!
   
• e-vent. fighting talk. 12/23/02 
  Description: South African house music scene – events and community
  Comments: If you're a DJ or house music enthusiast in Cape Town or Johannesburg, you're part of the real community that will find the site most useful.  If you're sitting here in Auburn Hills, or some other location that's far away from South Africa, you should, at least, find the site somewhat informative and entertaining.  Trance, dance, and raves are a part of the local culture and the site provides a good taste of what that scene is about.  On one side, you have "flyers.press releases.hype" and on the other, "rumours.discussions.noise."  There's several flyers done in Flash ("going down – return to the deep" is very cool) and press releases from a number of local clubs, which keep the community informed of upcoming events.  There's some interesting discussions (and spats) going down on the right side of the page – hopefully, an archive of previous "noise" is in the works.  Nice use of iframes to keep it all on one page – an excellent example of how an offline community can benefit from taking it online...
   
• foz4 12/22/02 
  Description: Funky Orange Zebra – a photographic journal
  Comments: Simon updated his photographic journal to version 9 at the beginning of November.  Besides the "Image Bank" with 5 sections ("Architecture, Visual Signs, Urban, Destinations, and Digital"), two "Issues" focusing on London were added this month.  There's some impressive JavaScript/DHTML at work in the presentation and Simon's photography is superb.  The "Links" and "Reviews" sections are smaller, but there's "more to come."  Great site design...   [DZeneXe < de.signed]
   
• focalizer 12/21/02 
  Description: future operating cutting and low innovation zapping of engine reconstruction
  Comments: 27-year-old Italian "DJ, Webmaster" Foca (is that really his first name?), born in Germany, is the personality behind the site. He's designed a lot of websites and I guess his portfolio is the primary content.  But the site has the appeal of being very personal.  It's free of sales hype and has no list of services, etc., thank you.  And I really like the choice of selectable background images for the interface.  It's Focalizer's DJ side that seems to really shine through the site most, though – at least, for me.  Check out the "Experimentz" and you'll see what I mean.  Mr. Lizer rocks...
   
• katika&polaroids.net 12/20/02 
  Description: photography projects
  Comments: Like photos taken with a Lomo, the results one gets with a Polaroid can be unpredictably artistic.  I know artistic is a subjective thing but I really enjoy viewing photos taken with a camera that takes some of the control away from photographer like that.  I'll guess that Katika, as a photographer, enjoys Polaroids for that reason (and other reasons as well).  There's other cameras she enjoys, too, and the Lomo is one of them (see "This is not a Polaroid").  One of the Polaroid projects ("Cadavres Exquis") serves up 4 different random photos in a row.  "Click on the items to compose a sentence" and keep clicking to change it.  The sequence of images represent "subject, verb, time, and place" and the resulting sentence is up to the viewer, I suppose – interesting.  There's 3 other projects that are fantastic studies of people.  When you add the artistic quality that the camera itself produces to the unique artistic viewpoint of the photographer (with a real knack for composition), the results are most enjoyable...  [stereot < infourm]
   
• Senses 12/19/02 
  Description: art and photography of Nagy Balázs
  Comments: I discovered today's pick on the list of sites hosted by pardey.org, which happens to host several other very cool daily picks [1] [2].  The site, from a designer/artist in Budapest named Nagy Balázs, is actually on its own domain now and a brand new version "is almost ready to launch."  For now, the old version is still in place and Nagy intends to archive it.  I'm glad, because the "old works" include some pieces I'll want to look at again, like "festmény4" or "studium II" to name just a few.  There's about 3 dozen more pieces plus a section of photos and I love it all.  The new version?  I can hardly wait... ;~))
   
• <no>circles</no> 12/18/02 
  Description: Within the confines of this virtual space, cyclicality is deemed a violation of basic human sensibilities. cylindrical = mundane.
  Comments: One of a kind.  Those obsessed with things like usability and/or "meaningful" content may not like this pick, but if you're game for a little challenge, you'll love it.  Did I say "game?"  You betcha!  I spent a long time playing with both versions and could only get so far in each.  The challenge is twofold.  First, you have to figure out what the object is for each stage and then, you have to go for it.  I like the fact that the newer version has kept track of how far I got so when I return, there's a "continue" link.  There's an underlying theme to the whole concept, too.  Feisty says that "spherical constructions" are "mundane and tedious" and apparently worships the "mathematical simplicity of the square."  Oddly enough, the place where I left off (i.e., where I got stuck) had some almost circular forms in it.  Just call me intrigued – as the now famous movie line says, "I'll be back."  Please note that the site works best in IE, but also works fine in Mozilla, but not Netscape (based on newest versions of each browser). 
   
• windscreen.tv 12/17/02 
  Description: home of the Windscreen Gallery - a gallery of pictures taken through car windows (by various people), plus other personal galleries and a blog
  Comments: Ahh - inspiration!  [I'm thankful that Denis contacted me recently.  He came across a site via the Mirror Project that he thought "would be probably a good pick."  There's several friends of coolstop that regularly suggest sites and I always appreciate it.  Anyway – though I took a pass on the site Denis told me about, his message prompted me to look at his site again – I knew I saw it before but I couldn't put my finger on it.  It came to me as soon as I hit the galleries page.  Yep!  Denis was one of the first people to participate in the Visitors' Gallery, submitting a photo called "shadows of us."  So, this time around, I spent more time exploring Denis' site and discovered something very cool called the Windscreen Gallery.  It inspired me because for a period last year, I spent a fair amount of time taking pictures while driving (don't try this at home, kiddies – pay attention to the road).  Denis' project is a gallery of photos taken through car windows (while traveling in a car, not while driving it like some dummy we know).  I started looking at some of my own stuff and ended up submitting a photo to Denis to consider for the Windscreen Gallery (have you taken any photos through car windows, wink, wink, nudge, nudge?).  Inspiration is a two-way street.  Denis obviously likes the Mirror Project and finds it inspiring – and look what I found.  [Heather, the unique spirit behind the Mirror Project, has several photos in Denis' Windscreen Gallery as well.  Don't you just love the web?
   
• the message project 12/15/02 
  Description: a treated photo essay of the author's journey into the Navotas and Payatas garbage dumpsites, near the metro area of Manila, Philippines (Flash)
  Comments: "Dedicated to the children living and making a living" in an area near Manila, today's pick is a stark look at the terrible conditions of poverty that still exist in our "new world."  They work as scavengers in garbage dumps.  "One in every six persons aged five to 17 years in the world, are engaged in labor.  Four million of these children are in the Philippines."  Though I find the photos a little disturbing, the images can't be hidden.  "In a time wherin humanity is at a loss, signs and hints of social action brings a sight of hope in all of us."  Okay – so the site is designed well and the photos and information provided with them represents what I think is extraordinary content, but who really cares?  It's the message that's important.  Afterall, "children have the right to play." 
   
• drop7 12/14/02 
  Description: photography and other visual works
  Comments: I think the main page is elegant.  A small area surrounded by oodles of white space includes a tasty Flash motion graphic, decorated by several static images, plus a simple listing of the site's inner sections.  Getting back to the main page isn't so simple from some of the sections, but the strength of the visual content rules in this case.  It's all good... enjoy!
   
• typographer.com 12/13/02 
  Description: a weekly digest and commentary on the typography and design industry
  Comments: Today's pick has actually been around since 1998, but its current incarnation is just a few months old... and I like it!  The original site changed direction once before it eventually "closed its doors, but didn't lock them."  It's currently an "almost-weekly digest" of typography and design "written by the little-known designer and writer David Earls."  Little-known?  Maybe so, but this is one sweet minimal design and, if I may borrow a cliché, it's "clean as a whistle."  More important than that, though, is the content – real information for those interested in type, written well, mixed in with a little "freeform nonsense" like this amusing thingie.  Several other good typography-related sites have recently shut down and I have to agree with mschmidt on this one (here's my recent review of that other great typesite...  [k10k]
   
• NINEAEM 12/11/02 
  Description: where logic seems transcendent (Flash)
  Comments: I'd seen one of the previous issues before and I'm not sure why I didn't bookmark the site, but thanks to the news at Experimental Magazine, which announced the new issue, 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... ;~))
   
• LUiX 12/10/02 
  Description: thinking a little... a new homepage would be cool to introduce my activities (Flash)
  Comments: According to the Estonian Tourist Board, "Even in the depths of the countryside, you're almost as likely to see a villager surfing the Internet as milking a cow."  You may also see a web designer by day moonlighting as a tattoo artist and pencil illustrator.  Sporting one of the most interesting "About Me" pages I've seen lately and focusing on personal hobbies a little more than on work, today's pick is full of personality.  Though it's really a portfolio site, it doesn't follow the tired format of "here's my resume, here's my work, so hire me."  It seems much more like a personal website than the majority of personal portfolios out there, and it's done with a sense of humor.  "Actually there have been many more positions I've worked at, but they didn't like my laziness.  For example I was working in a sawmill once, but it was so tiring and I don't want to work there again."  The "hobbies" section, which has some work samples as well, is broken into 4 categories.  "Computer" contains examples of Photoshop work plus some personal web projects.  "Tattoo" has some very cool pieces in it.  Though presented as a hobby to us in the English-speaking part of the world, Kristjan apparently has a local tattoo business (offline, of course).  There's also some excellent "Music" links plus a wonderful showcase of "Pencil" illustrations to round out the section, though Kristjan also has a whole bunch of other hobbies, including "paying rent, drinking beer, and sleeping."  Oh, yeah – I don't want to forget to mention that I just love the picture in the guestbook section and tell Kristjan that "work kills me" too...  [linkdup (unfiltered)]
   
• deep™ 12/6/02 
  Description: a photo journal of the deep river area (Flash)
  Comments: Today we'll be exploring a little piece of Canada, a "brief look at Ottawa Valley culture."  The destination is Deep River and the tour is in the form of two series of photos – signage, architecture, landscapes – some pretty cool shots.  I really like the unique slide control on the Flash interface, though it took a few moments to get used to it.  If you want to learn more about Deep River area, there's also a link to its official website.  I got a kick out of the message on the "loading" page of today's pick:

  500k for all you nice folk.
  grab some bacon and sit back.
  paint "beer river" on something.
  steal a garbage truck.
  drink your weight in beer.
  get your cross-country skis waxed.
  perhaps the town should get broadband.
  this will take a minute to load.

  Hehe.  Enjoy your visit to Deep River and have a great weekend...
   
• Dario - Young Artist 12/4/02 
  Description: the artwork of 5-year-old Dario Heinisch
  Comments: The site features 20 pieces of original art.  Dario, the artist, says "I would be happy if you would write me an email."  That's not surprising because every artist wants a little feedback, don't they?  Hopefully, Dario will enjoy the email he gets today from coolstop.  I doubt that he designed the website himself, but the art is unique and I just have to thank the person, whoever they are, who decided to publish Dario's work.  The web could definitely use more sites like this one.  Besides being colorful and inspiring, the works on display have a wonderful childlike quality.  That's not surprising, either.  Dario is 5-years-old... ;~))   [stereot < deformat]
   
• r-a-n-d-o-m 12/3/02 
  Description: gallery of Flash animation/art (mature content)
  Comments: "What I wanted to do with this site is to create some kind of world that is not real but [where] you can relate to (there are too many abstract [art] sites on the web that are beautiful but do not touch me).  I wanted this place to be scary.  Why?  Don't know, it seems like fun to make (and still is).  So I started brainstorming about rooms in this place, things that could happen."  From the very start, "the dark version" is engaging and yes, it is a little scary.  There's a total of 9 works, all of which I really liked, though I have to admit I was baffled by the last one trying to figure out what to do with my mouse.  Is it art with a little genius mixed in?  I think so...  [FIGOO]
   
• shutterbabe.org 12/1/02 
  Description: photography by emily smith
  Comments: Found at Photoblogs.org, today's pick features the photography of Emily Smith.  "I am a big fan of street photography (or in my case, living where I do, it ends up being coffeeshop photography). Either way, people I don't know, living their lives."  Check out the "Detroit" series and you'll get some real street photography.  I don't think she was looking for a coffeeshop, but what she found and captured is extraordinary.  There's a humongous collection of "mirror pics" I really liked, too.  Add another 18 different series (or browse chronologically) and you could spend some time here if good photography is your thing.  The site's designed well and easy to navigate.  Nice work!