(Tuesday at 3:12 pm, in the Picks of the Week "War Room")
Fred: So, what's up for this week's Picks? We got anything good?
Janine: I'm thinking we should expose the Keith Haring conspiracy.
Fred: And that would be?
Janine: San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art is running an exhibition titled Keith Haring: the Public Artist. The site offers images of Haring's famous subway drawings and public murals, as well as a chronology of his career. What they blatantly omit is any reference to Haring's deep involvement with the UFO community. Everyone knows his later work was entirely based on crop circles...
Fred: Oooooookay. [turns away slowly]
Hank: [slamming hand on table] I've got it. Two words: Oh the Humanity! A site entirely dedicated to the worst movies on Earth. Whaddya think? I love the concept. Just love it. Everyone knows where to find the good movies. But what about the bad movies? I think we could even extend the idea to web sites! What about all the bad web sites? That's a vertical market that hasn't been tapped. It's 100% growth. Whaddya think? I see a new format: "All Bad Sites, All The Time!"
Fred: Let's put that one on the back burner.
Ricky: I was going to suggest that we point everyone to the New York Public Library's Digital Library Collections. It's a nice resource. A comprehensive collection of images available online for everyone to enjoy. I think it's a good example of libraries offering their material on the Web. You've got everything from images of African American Women Writers of the 19th Century to video clips from the Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project. Even the archival finding aids are interesting.
Hank: That doesn't exactly fit the new "bad" paradigm.
Janine: It is a very in-teresting site, though. I like it. Of course, it's not as interesting as something hard-hitting like Half a Cow. Exposing the recent global rash of bovine sightings. Or more specifically, partial bovine sightings. Now that's crucial information for the Web community.
Ricky: Um, how about a feature from the Utne Reader called The Loose Canon. It's a collection of great films, books, and recordings that aims to broaden the reader's intellectual horizon. There are annotated blurbs on everyone from Akira Kurosawa to Rainer Maria Rilke, Duke Ellington to Pablo Neruda. The editor makes some very shrewd aesthetic connections.
Hank: Chutney Reader? Never heard of it.
Ricky: Utne. Utne Reader.
Fred: Could work, could work. Sounds a little dry, though. Does it have any of that Shockwave business?
Ricky: I didn't noti--
Hank: SHOCKWAVE? Did someone say SHOCKWAVE? Have I got a hum-diddly-dinger for you, chief! Feast your eyes on Futile.Com. This splashy animation showcase has it all: balloon-headed mutants, satanic fish, neon babies, geriatric pirates. It's the bizarre brainchild of Mr. Nathan, an overworked web site designer. You can watch cartoons, play games, read comic strips. The kids will love it. File under "Wowza!"
[awkward silence]
Ricky: All right, my final suggestion is The Graphic Home, a well-designed demonstration of basic graphics techniques. There are Photoshop tips, software links, and some lushly rendered 3D environments, all wrapped in a cool Shockwave Flash interface. Yes, it's got Shockwave. Any chance it'll make the cut?
Fred: Possible. Not sure "useful" is in vogue right now. Does anyone have anything else?
Janine: The Florida Department of Corrections maintains a comprehensive introduction to the incarceration industry that features a searchable inmate database, the monthly newsletter "Correctional Compass," and several employment opportunities. There's also a VR exhibit of the Prison Cell of the Future. Best to formulate your escape route now, before the Atlantans turn the tables on us...
Ricky: I'm not feeling well. Can I take a sick day?
Fred: Sorry, no. The new health plan disallows unscheduled illness. But on the upside, you are more than welcome to take your pick(s).