The Whale Hunt
Jonathan Harris, creator of such stylish charts of the Web's emotional and intellectual life as Lovelines, 10x10, and Phylotaxis (and—disclaimer—the Yahoo! Netrospective), now relates his own experience spearing two whales with Inupiat Eskimos in Barrow, Alaska.
The "experiment in human storytelling" unreels like a lush, cinematic sequence. Using a camera on "plodding sequence," Jonathan documents the trek through photographs taken every five minutes. The taxi drive to the airport and the long flight west set up the astonishing vistas of snow and sky; the appearance of the whales; the long haul of the beasts on to the ice; and the ruddy, warm faces of Jonathan's Inupiat hosts. Skip ahead or shift backwards using the bar graph or various modes at the bottom of the screen. (Need more evidence of Jonathan's design finesse? Check out the "pinwheel" option.) If you don't want to dive in to the photos immediately, explore the endeavor's highlights and interface. Jonathan's statement relates his intent to craft a modern chronicle of this ancient hunt. He succeeds, superbly.
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