Site of the Week -- June 12, 2000
lthough the British have many SF shows of which to be proud, from Doctor Who to Blake's 7 and Star Cops, some British fans profess an undying love for those wholly American offerings The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. So they've created The Six Million Dollar Site, home of all things bionic.
Seekers of bionic info should begin in the "Series Premise" section, which traces the history of both shows, from their origin in Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg to the reunion TV movies. There's a thorough guide that outlines every episode, with pictures. The links page is well annotated, and it rates other sites on a scale of one to ten. There's also a news section of current bionic happenings (yes, there are current bionic happenings), biographies of the main characters and an international schedule of air times. The multimedia section includes dozens of audio and video downloads and a special gem--a Six Million Dollar Man comic strip from 1977. Trippy!
A few special features raise this site to a level well above the average fan shrine. First, there's the "Episode of the Month," a series of nicely written and sometimes funny essays that examine key events of the saga. Then there are the "Who Was That Face?" pages, which profile famous and not-so-famous guest stars on the show, such as John Houseman and Pamela Hensley (Princess Ardala of Buck Rogers).
This site is so well organized and informative, it's worth at least $60 million.
-- Blaise Selby
Site of the Week -- June 5, 2000
Every week, veteran National Public Radio science correspondent Ira Flatow hosts "Science Friday," a two-hour radio show that covers everything from the topical (controlled fires, environmental politics) to the practical (memory and sleep) to the theoretical (why does antimatter matter?). Flatow introduces the attention-getting topics and then shepherds them through a lively panel discussion with top authorities.
For those of us who can't get "Science Friday," or who listen to NPR less than we should, there's the Science Friday site. This official Web site features information on upcoming programs plus searchable archives detailing topics, guests and related books and links for every show since 1994. Best of all, most programs are available in RealAudio, so that hearing about a favorite topic, whether it be dinosaurs or DNA, is a click away.
The site includes a bookshelf, where listeners can find books discussed on the program (and purchase them through the inevitable link to Amazon.com). These are not hardcore science texts, but rather selections--fiction and nonfiction--as vibrant and offbeat as the show itself. Science Friday also features a long page of links to science-related sites, as well as an extensive feedback area, where listeners sound off on things like SETI and solid waste.
Looks like science isn't just for Fridays anymore.
-- Mark Wilson
Site of the Week -- May 29, 2000
ead Cthulhu still lies dreaming ... but if he ever wakes up he'll probably want to surf over to Weirdass.net.
The site is built around a daily comic that puts a science fiction spin on H.P. Lovecraft's tales of cyclopean madness. The comic features beautifully drawn artwork coupled with computer-generated effects, and is filled with references to Old Ones, sunken cities, and other staples of the Cthulhu mythos. But instead of fixating on crumbling New England mansions, Weirdass.net spices up its Lovecraftian lore with healthy doses of late 20th-century mythology. The "Starry Ones" storyline is an excellent example--it combines the infamous "gray" aliens, alien abduction and a variety of ancient and sometimes horrifying races.
Weirdass.net maintains an extensive archive of stories, all of which are told in the classic one-to-four-cell comic format. This means that, although the site is updated regularly, the story advances at a crawl. A multi-panel "Sunday" comic each week would be a welcome addition to an otherwise excellent strip.
-- Kenneth Newquist
