ame reviews, author links and a focused look at genre categories are just a few of the perks on offer at The Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide, a page that labors mightily to provide information on all things science-fictional, whether they originated in print or onscreen.
In addition to sections on books, authors and films, the Guide has a timeline of SF history—one which comes complete with a bibliography of 51 references—which goes back to a 3,000-year-old version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The most intriguing feature of this encyclopedic site, though, is its mammoth "If You Like This" section, an exhaustive compilation of types of science fiction and fantasy. Categories range from the prosaic (clones, alternate worlds and space opera come to mind) to the fanciful (Bambi's children, unicorns in the garden, "beam me up"). In each case, the Guide provides a definition of the subgenre and a list of important works that qualify as examples. Each listing is extensively cross-indexed, allowing for easy and interesting surfing. The icing on the cake is a list of genre definitions by David Hartwell which guides inexperienced SF readers to a chosen category by describing the book cover art favored by various schools of SF.
Like many sites that try to cover it all, this one has sections that are out of date, some by as much as three years. (The television section has the most recent entries, covering series like Dark Angel and Smallville.) However, this is a small complaint when stacked against the wealth of information available on this page. For anyone looking for book recommendations or researching a particular aspect of the genre, Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide is a highly recommended first stop.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—March 4, 2002
SadGeezer, according to this page, is anyone "who is mildly fanatical" about any subject whatever. This page narrows its focus somewhat, though, to Geezers of the cult SF television variety, and brings
together communities of people obsessed with programs ranging from Farscape to Aeon Flux. With episode guides that include reviews, screen caps and notes on moments of interest, this page concentrates a lot of TV news and opinion into one fun-filled place.
The absolute highlight of the page is the Purity Tests (in the case of Red Dwarf, Smegtest). These 15-item questionnaires rate your knowledge of a series and pop out an instant grade. The multiple-choice questions include queries based on photographs, and at least a few in each Purity Test are relatively obscure. Unlike many such applets, the tests are glitch-free and fast, and once in possession of a guest's responses about the show in question they generate a handy—if mildly
insulting—personality profile for the test-taker's reference. (The personality profile for anyone scoring extremely high is available to all as a sort of light reading.)
SadGeezer also follows current news in SF TV, runs fannish opinion polls and maintains discussion groups on its chosen shows for its members' enjoyment. It includes some adult content, both in its forums and in its general TV coverage, and thus might be unsuitable for younger fans. It also
has a distinctively United Kingdom bent, both in tone and in membership. With lots of photos, episode discussion and fan commentary, it is a lively place, one well worth a visit.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—February 25, 2002
hysicsWeb is an on-line magazine for the hardest of hard sciences, a source of news on the latest research and controversies in the field. With recent articles on everything from a simulator for bobsled athletes to recent improvements in laser technology, this site is an obvious first stop for anyone interested in the workings of the universe.
A Web tie-in to PhysicsWorld magazine, PhysicsWeb serves as an archive of articles and diagrams. It also lists items of interest to career scientists, including jobs and conferences. It has an outstanding links page which connects to physics organizations, university departments and other related resources, from student clubs to museums and exhibitions. It also maintains a "Best Of" section which gathers articles by topic. Specifically looking to research condensed matter? Instead of having to pore through the site index or even mess with a text-based search, surfers are one click away from all the data they require.
There is a definite genre twist in PhysicsWeb's newest article, an analysis of the character relationships of the Marvel Comics universe and their similarity to human social networks. As a result, visitors who think this page sounds dry can take heart in knowing that—at least for the moment—this page has something to offer even those who are uninterested in the movement of quarks or potential jobs in computational engineering.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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