| BitStreams Though bandwidth-intensive, this jaw-dropping exhibit of digital art from the Whitney is guaranteed to amaze and delight. Listen to the eerie strains of David Gamper's digitally processed conch-shell compositions, explore Sally Elesby's deceptively childlike "Hand to Mouse" line drawings, or gaze at Jeremy Blake's hypnotically languid animations. Today's digital artists are only as limited as their imaginations. Curator Lawrence Rinder observes, "Twenty years ago, computers offered a palette of 64 colors; ten years ago, the number had risen to 256. Today, a computer can produce a hyperrealistic 16 million colors, while screen resolution, measured in the count of pixels, has more than doubled." |
| Hungover.net If you roll out of bed with a pounding headache, somersaulting stomach, and a sandpaper mouth, Hungover.net can offer assistance. To help get you back on your feet (or at least to the couch), check out the Top 10 Cures. Our favorite? The Middle Ages remedy of bitter almonds and dried eel. Read up on vitamins such as B1, a savior the site's authors call "God's gift to hangovers." Before your next night of imbibing, peruse the Painometer to learn which alcoholic beverage is least likely to have you sticking your head in the toilet. |
| New Jersey Churchscape This beautifully wrought look at 18th- and 19th-century religious architecture features trenchant commentary, plenty of great historical anecdotes, and dozens of haunting black-and-white photographs. This month's feature article examines the mid-19th-century Gothic revival. Appreciate the puritan simplicity of Saint Peter's in Greensboro: rectangular wood-frame structure, modest steeple, unassuming belfry. Now tremble in fear before the towering Chapel of the Holy Innocents in Burlington: massive stone foundation, imposing stained glass windows, steeply pitched roof... everything but the gargoyles. And here's the kicker -- both churches were built in 1845. |
| Search for Scotland Scotland's complicated history and complex character provide fodder for this web site, an engaging companion piece to the BBC's 10-part series of the same name. The question of Scotland's national identity is pervasive, as the site explores the Impact of the Monk, the Wars of Independence, and the Making of a Union. The Historical Oddities section provides some of the most interesting reading, none stranger than the story of the 200-foot woman who washed up on the shores of Scotland. |
| Survivor: Monster Island (R.I.P.) Destroy All Monsters, a hip web zine dedicated to Asian-American pop culture, pits all the classic Japanese movie monsters against each other in an effort to outwit, outplay, outlast, and generally out-destroy. Godzilla, Mechagodzilla (a metallic Godzilla), King Kong, Mothra (giant fly monster that spits poison), Gamera (shoots plasma beams out of eyes), and others compete to win the Chevy Outback SUV. Well, not really. But every Thursday, the DAM editors post very funny updates with titles like "GIGAN BOOTED OUT, TENSIONS RISE" and "MECHAGODZILLA FALLS, MOTHRA PLOTS DISSENT." Make sure to check out the rest of the site -- it's tops. |
| AmeriStat This "just the facts, ma'am" demographic analysis offers illuminating statistics about our increasingly diverse population -- and we're not just talking about California. For example, in 1999, over 25 percent of women in dual-earner households earned more money than their husbands did during the previous year. Over half of the foreign-born population in the United States was concentrated in three states: California, New York, and Florida. And almost one-fifth of U.S. children were living below the poverty threshold in 1998, compared to only one-tenth of people 18 and over. |
| Pet Shop Boys Song-by-Song Commentary Although they peaked on American pop charts in the late '80s, the Pet Shop Boys continue to churn out their distinctive brand of detached disco. The songs may seem little more than feel-good dance anthems, but super-fan Wayne Studer, Ph.D., digs deeper to interpret what the Pet Shop Boys say about modern life. His in-depth analysis of every PSB track ever recorded proves illuminating. Who knew that "Opportunities" is about tearing down the myths of rock-star life? Or that "West End Girls" is full of obscure Russian references? We just thought they had a good beat that you could dance to. |
| Museum of Depressionist Art Some say genius borders insanity. This tongue-and-cheek collection plumbs the alter egos of the world's great "artists," exploring the motivation and circumstances behind their masterpieces. Who knew that Claude Moanet's famed "Under the Waterlilies" was a result of an argument over American Jazz? We were equally shocked to find that the stark simplicity of Mark Rotko's "The Big Bruise" was inspired by a simple household accident. Of course, paintings such as "Whistler's Overbearing Mother" and "Genetically Engineered Pear" will be recognizable, but we don't recommend looking for these pieces in any museums. |
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