The title says it all: stop by for a survey of the current state of press freedom around the world. Central to this important site is an A to Z of country reports, a sometimes frightening testimony to the lack of independent media around the globe. (Especially poignant is the top-page world map that delineates between free and restricted press.) You'll also find charts and statistics, the complete report in PDF format, and an explanation of the survey's methodology. Be sure to read the essay titled "The Internet and Press Freedom," which ends: "The independence of the Internet becomes the newest test of a government’s will to encourage and sustain a free press." So there.
Word Perhect takes an irreverent look at word-processing software and how it has altered our experience of writing down things. Try it now at ch2, an online exhibit space curated jointly by Chisenhale Gallery and e-2. You'll need the Flash 4 browser plugin. Simulate the bygone days of writing on paper -- create hastily scrawled reminders, phone numbers, and maps drawn on cocktail napkins, or crumpled notes stuffed into pockets and run through the laundry. Created by artist Tomoko Takahashi and programmer Jon Pollard, the software offers an "idiosyncratic hand drawn interface leading to a set of functioning but strangely altered tools." Now, if only we could figure out how to synch it with our PDA...
Internet Fraud Complaint Center
This site is brought to you by the FBI, principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National White Collar Crime Center. The Complaint Center's mission is to serve as government headquarters for combatting and reporting all types of Internet fraud. Consumers can easily and securely submit complaints. It works like tech support -- you get a ticket number, and then your complaint is referred to the appropriate regulatory, investigative, or enforcement agency. The IFCC and associated agencies will collect, manage, analyze, and disseminate data, warnings, news, and statistics in order to educate the public and catch the perpetrators.
Created at Ericsson Medialab, a research unit of the Swedish telecommunications giant, Warriors of the Net is a short movie that uses exquisite computer animation, a rousing electronic soundtrack, and sophisticated streaming video to demonstrate and explain how the Internet works. In the whimsical tradition of the Brave Little Toaster, with the righteous enthusiasm of a propaganda film, and the attention to accuracy of an industrial training video, Warriors is an entertaining account of the trans-network journey of a perky data packet -- over the LAN, across the firewall, and out to the Net. "He came with a message, with a protocol all his own...he's fast he's strong, he's TCP/IP and he's got your address." Just one word of caution -- this charming cartoon is a real bandwidth hog -- if you don't have a high-speed connection you may want to wait for a CD-ROM or kiosk version. Or tune in to the 55 second trailer. It's only 5 MB.
"When I went to Venice my dream became my address," Marcel Proust wrote of his visit in 1900. As you amble along 100 years later, you'll see what he meant. Here's a dreamy photographic walking tour of canals, bridges, glittering palaces, dramatic piazzas, and out-of-the-way art treasures. Three charming, multi-lingual guides take you on their favorite scenic strolls through this pedestrian-friendly jewel of a city. Explore the works of master Renaissance colorists like Titian and Tintoretto, view Palladio in a new perspective, and float past islands of the golden Venice lagoon.
Don't call them varmints, please. They're prairies dogs, thank you, and they're in trouble. According to the site, which is, sadly, one of an increasing number devoted to averting animal extinctions, black-tailed prairie dogs are a "keystone species," important to the survival of nearly 170 other types of animals. Along with providing a healthy dose of original content, the site also offers a round-up of prairie dog preservation news from other sources, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to help -- from signing the organization's online petition to joining the WatchDog program and keeping tabs on the prairie dogs in your own backyard.
Derek's Big Website of Wal-Mart Purchase Receipts
Some web sites emerge as overnight sensations (I Kiss You, anyone?), but perhaps more satisfying are the pages that go about their business, day in and day out, slowly building a devoted following. Such is the case with Derek and his trusty collection of Wal-Mart receipts. Not only has he crafted a smartly designed archive of mind-numbingly useless minutiae, he's also created a home for the spirited repartee of his readers. Need a place to discuss the finer points of every conceivable discount-store item, from potting soil to Pokemon? Don't answer. Yes. Trust us, you do...