| Mexico: From Empire to Revolution The Getty Institute presents Part I (1857-1896) of a two-part bilingual photo journey through Mexican history. The exhibition uses sophisticated Flash animation to chronicle the tumultuous nineteenth century, focusing on the photographic work of Désiré Charnay, Lord Maudslay, and Augustus Le Plongeon, and other European archaeologists, adventurers, and photojournalists. Ruined ancient Mayan cities in the jungle, Beaux-Arts architecture in the capital, and portraits of generals and ruling families bear witness to a colonial culture in transition, while the interactive timeline supplies dates and context. |
| Tesla: Master of Lightning PBS explores the life and legacy of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) in this detailed web backgrounder for a television biography premiering on December 12, 2000. Born in Serbia, Tesla arrived in New York City in 1884 and was quickly hired by his idol, Thomas Edison. When conflicts developed, he sold his revolutionary patents to a Mr. Westinghouse and continued to experiment and innovate -- AC motors, Tesla coils, radio, remote control devices, high-frequency lighting all bear the signature of his genius. Master the fundamentals of alternating and direct current (AC/DC), power transmission, or magnetic fields -- it's positively electric. |
| Guinea Pig Zero (R.I.P.) Guided by Tennessee Williams' dictum that "we're all guinea pigs in the laboratory of God," Guinea Pig Zero is an "occupational jobzine for people who are used as medical or pharmaceutical research subjects." In other words, guinea pigs are people too. So sign your forms, take your number, swallow your pills, and dive in to a range of features covering "bioethics, historical facts, current news and research, evaluations of particular research facilities by volunteers, true stories of guinea pig adventure, reviews, poetry and fiction relating to the disposability of plebeian life." |
| Lileks.com Hats off to James Lileks, humorist, writer, and quintessential Midwesterner, an unsung hero of excellent web diversions since 1994. Take a trip around the Lileks.com empire, give a quick click on the Daily Bleat, "where nothing happens, and happens often," or have a laugh at the Institute of Official Cheer, where pop culture is "re-ironized." Other goodies include American Postcards, urban studies of Fargo, North Dakota (Lileks' hometown), Minneapolis, and Manhattan. Want to dig deeper? Try the Dorcus Collection or the perennially popular Gallery of Regrettable Food, soon to be a book. |
| Hayes vs. Tilden: The Electoral College Controversy of 1876-1877 As it turns out, we've been here before. The Hayes vs. Tilden case involved an electoral college dispute that wasn't covered by the Constitution. Florida played a key role in the controversy, and the electoral college and the popular vote were won by opposing candidates. The controversy sparked a flurry of legal machinations, which the press followed avidly. But here's the scary part: The issue was finally resolved by an ad hoc commission comprised of Supreme Court justices, senators, and house members, and wasn't settled until three days before the inauguration. This does not bode well. |
| Coca-Cola Television Advertisements Marking yet another triumph for those savvy team players capitalism and media, The Coca Cola Company has graciously donated its archive of television commercials to the Library of Congress. Nope, this isn't an Onion headline, but rather a "variety of television advertisements, never-broadcast outtakes, and experimental footage reflecting the historical development of television advertising for a major commercial product." All your favorites are here: the Hilltop, Mean Joe Greene, and the Polar Bears. |
| Darko Bandic The compelling portfolio of freelance photographer and photojournalist Darko Bandic consists of pop-up slideshows from Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Egypt. Tired, hungry refugees in traditional costumes, frightened families, uneasy soldiers in uniform, children proudly bearing arms, and millennial fireworks over the ancient pyramids of Giza -- here is visual storytelling that speaks louder than the clichés we invariably use to describe terrible and wondrous events in human lives. |
| media inspiration This site rocks, plain and simple. A group of like-minded designers have scoured the web to bring us lucky viewers over 600 examples of challenging, creative web design. From goofy font archives to modem-crushing Shockwave demos, stock photo exhibits to facegenerators (just look), this eclectic collection of online eye-candy features something for everyone. If you're not sure where to start, check out the top-rated sites. |
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