hy not admit the truth? You don't walk around whistling classical music all day, snatches of operas or symphonies. Chances are, you're more likely to be caught recreating the catchy, hypnotic themes to many a television show of your nostalgic youth: Batman, perhaps, or Bewitched. After all, these programs represent our shared heritage of good times spent at the mass-culture fount, just as the works of Wagner or Strauss once did. One record label, TVT, made its fortune catering to the appetite for old theme songs. Now, however, if you wish to hear these pop soundbites you need not even queue up one of TVT's CDs, for digital files of many famous or forgotten television musical scores are available on the web at Themesonline.
Here you can zero in through a handy alphabetical index on such dear-to-your-heart shows as I Dream of Jeannie and The Invaders, The Powers of Matthew Star and The Prisoner, just to canvass two letters of the alphabet. And although I was disappointed not to see The Man from U.N.C.L.E. available, you can use the "suggest a theme" link to make your desires known.
But even better, you can hear material more ephemeral, such as the 1975 promotional spot for David McCallum's show, The Invisible Man: "Invisibility: it can be fun, and it can be frightening!" Or Max Headroom's 1987 "New Coke" commercial: "If you're drinking Coke, who's drinking Pepsi?" inquires the schizy A.I.
The RealAudio files load swiftly and offer good quality sound. Better quality, in fact, than might have issued from your old cloth-covered Magnavox speakers!
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—November 19, 2001
efore Enterprise and his tenure as Capt. Jonathan Archer, Scott Bakula had another mission: to put right what once went wrong. For four seasons of Quantum Leap he did just that, time-travelling through the lifetime of Sam Beckett and helping ordinary people put their ruined lives back on track.
Quantum Leap—The Accelerator Chamber is a well-organized fan site for the 1989 series which offers all the information a dedicated Leaper—or someone newly interested in the oft-syndicated show—could wish. An episode guide and two FAQ lists (one with spoilers, one without) are only the beginning. There are photographs, actor biographies, information about the Quantum Leap comic book, sound clips and the inevitable drinking game. There are also links to fanzines and fan fiction sources dedicated to the show.
With the program's cancellation now about a decade in the past, it should come as no surprise that The Accelerator Chamber is updated fairly infrequently. Its links page is a particular disappointment in this regard, pointing fans to a handful of tempting pages that no longer exist. Even
so, this site provides an exhaustive list of ways to get in touch with other Leapers, and most of those resources are still extant. As such, The Accelerator Chamber is an excellent gateway into the Quantum Leap universe, a definite first stop for those interested in Bakula's career and earlier series.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 12, 2001
t's very rare for an author with only two books published (and a third in the queue) to inspire so much fervor among his readers that unofficial Web pages devoted to his work spring up. Yet such is the case with the young U.K. writer China Miéville, whose second book, Perdido Street Station, recently won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award.
Miéville's blend of gothic fantasy and science fiction has captivated readers waiting desperately for new hybrid forms to emerge from the sometimes stultifying genre landscape, and one such fan named G. Black now seeks to share his enthusiasm via Runagate Rampant. This page takes its name from a broadsheet of political agitation described in Perdido, and while its contents do not foment rebellion as did its namesake, they still offer plenty of solid information on Miéville and his writings.
Here the interested reader can learn about Miéville's upcoming novel, The Scar, while also reading a biography of the author, interviews with him and reviews of his earlier works. Tidbits of news relating to Miéville's career, such as his contribution of a foreword to the collected stories of M. John Harrison, are also proferred. While the graphics are minimal and persistent popup ads a bit of an annoyance, this site is essential for tracking one of the brightest luminaries in the field. While not quite as rich or dense as the Official Jonathan Carroll Homepage, G. Black's helpful tribute is much appreciated.
— Paul Di Filippo
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