mad scientist's view on other mad scientists" is the bold claim of this site, which reviews cult SF movies at great and interesting length. Visitors should not view this claim too narrowly, though, because while there are over 200 film reviews on this Web page, the movies covered range widely across the spectrum of the fantastic, with plenty of coverage of horror films and Hong Kong supernatural adventures.
What does that mean? Merely that while the films chosen for review run the gamut from The Secret of Roan Inish to Robocop, leaving out more than a few mad-scientist classics—Frankenstein, for example—the site is not an exhaustive listing of mad-science movies. Instead, its reviews place an enjoyable emphasis on filmmakers' often paranoid treatment of the discipline of science.
And You Call Yourself a Scientist? reprints a number of real-world science articles and offers two collections of science-related dialogue snippets from movies and television programs. The page also lists potentially embarrassing horror films made by stars like John Travolta, Ray Liotta, Meg Ryan and Brad Pitt when they—and their careers—were young and fragile.
Getting to all this top-notch content is sometimes difficult, because the site is laid out in a chaotic fashion that makes it hard to navigate. Even so, its many joys—from a "Fish Without a Bicycle" section (covering movies about all-female societies and organizations) to the reviews themselves—make for intriguing reading and a lot of fun.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—February 3, 2003
ll the newest research and news on current scientific questions can be found at a savvy Web incarnation of a British print magazine called, naturally enough, New Scientist. Packed with short, well-written articles that deal with the very latest developments in the world of science, this site is a terrific place to put together an overview on almost any science-related topic that has made the news in recent months.
Whether a reader is just browsing or looking for specific information on anything—mine-clearing techniques, new developments in paleontology, medical discoveries, to name a few—newscientist.com has the fresh scoop. What's more, their web page has a beautifully clean design that ensures that the answers a visitor seeks will be provided fast. There are links to the site's newest articles at the top of the main page, of course, but a quick scroll down reveals a list of hot topics, items like genetically modified foods, disasters, cell phones and cloning. Each topic gathers together any recent
articles relevant to its subject, creating a miniature library of data.
Newscientist.com also offers readers a chance to get scientific explanations for the strange phenomena everyone encounters in daily life (a recent response deals with the sour taste of orange juice drunk shortly after tooth-brushing). There are also book reviews, interviews, links and a
vibrant letters section. The full New Scientist archive is open to subscribers only, but is available to newcomers and interested researchers on a seven-day trial basis. Even for those who balk at signing up for archive access, this site offers hours of intriguing reading.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—January 27, 2003
ites devoted to individual authors run the gamut from snazzy to dreary, from high-content to fluff. Sometimes, if you're unlucky, you get snazzy fluff, sometimes dreary high-content. Of course, the best combination is snazzy high-content, and that's pretty much what you'll find at the official William Gibson site.
Here, you'll have a chance to sample chapters from many (but not all) of Gibson's phenomenally popular books, including his fine new novel, Pattern Recognition, a first for the author, being set entirely in the present. You'll read an affecting biographical essay that details how Gibson's out-of-the-ordinary childhood shaped his mature consciousness and writings. Then there's a discussion board, where over 300 registered chatters congregate to trade quips and insights into Gibson's work—and just about any other related subject. Visiting the links page illustrates just how copious is the Web-based material on Gibson, including the complete text of his hard-to-find art-object-cum-story Agrippa.
But my favorite part of the site is Gibson's blog. Yes, Gibson has joined the ranks of bloggers, and he reveals an easygoing style and willingness to share some intimate thoughts and experiences. Learn how the novels of British experimental writer Iain Sinclair influenced a character in Pattern Recognition, or how the sight of the Golden Gate Bridge on a foggy morning inspired the squatter-inhabited bridge of Gibson's second trilogy. These behind-the-scenes revelations will have you appreciating Gibson's fiction in new and surprising ways. And you don't even have to jack in and penetrate any black ice to get there!
— Paul Di Filippo
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