Site of the Week -- July 10, 2000
hen you think of the Market List, think content
galore! Despite its narrow-focus name, this site is more than
simply a list of writing markets; it is an absolute clearinghouse
of resources for writers of fantasy, science fiction and horror.
The site offers articles for beginning writers, for example, on
topics from the quality of various writing workshops to the
benefits of writing while listening to music. It also has
magazine reviews, including a featured link to a Magazine of the
Month. There are FAQ-style interviews with editors and writers
and book recommendations for those looking for even more tips on
craft and marketing.
As for the actual market listings, these are extensive and
relatively up to date. Users can browse professional, semi-pro
and small-press markets, among others, or use the search engine
to home in on a specific target. They can set filters and
generate short lists of magazines most suited to a particular
story. The list can also be downloaded in HTML format for later
use. This flexibility makes the database a very useful tool.
On the downside, there are some dead links and a couple of
operating hairballs. The interface itself is a teensy bit clunky,
too. But writers looking to get the in-depth scoop on a market or an
editor will definitely want to visit The Market List on a
regular basis.
-- A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week -- July 3, 2000
ormerly the Captain James T. Kirk Singalong Site, ShatnerRocks.com is a great resource for anyone dying to know about the recording careers of various Star Trek actors, as well as about the numerous Star Trek television and movie soundtracks that have come into existence over the years.
The minimalistically but attractively designed site covers the individual works of such Trek majors as William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tim Russ and Jeri Ryan. Visitors can listen (via RealPlayer) to clips and sometimes entire tracks from the series' soundtracks, as well as other music, poetry and prose readings that the Trek actors have wrought. There are also galleries of the performers, polls, and links, and users can tune in to a broadcast of the site's music that streams 24 hours a day.
The site's commentary on the recordings is both informative (including availability of the different albums) and tongue-in-cheek. How could it really be any other way when talking about William Shatner's version of "How Insensitive" or Leonard Nimoy's "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"? Fortunately, not all the recordings are as guffaw-worthy.
-- Matthew McGowan
Site of the Week -- June 26, 2000
The idea of mystery animals lurking in the world's dark corners tweaks the nose of scientific infallibility. After all, if there were yetis and giant anacondas, it should be a simple matter for scientists to prove them fraud or fact. Nonetheless, any number of creatures--from Nessie on down--have lived in the human imagination for centuries, even while their actual existence seems permanently lodged just beyond proof.
Cryptozoology.com is a menagerie stocked with "strange, out of place, or unknown animals." The online zoo accepts a broad swath of curiosities, from the "proven" (the coelacanth and the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct species even now being brought back to life) to the arguable and the dubious (like the sketchily supported Jersey devil). Generally its various authors are more Mulder than Scully, as it were: Certain Loch Ness monster films are called "indisputable," for example, while other images are labeled certain hoaxes.
The site also features general essays, books and films about crypto animals and links to organizational and amateur Web sites. It has a bulletin board forum, a gallery in which users can post their own images and a chat room to discuss the truth behind Champ or whether the New Zealand waitoreke is really just an otter. Cryptozoology.com is a virtual foothold for beings whose very existence may be virtual.
-- Mark Wilson
