ounded in 1973 to continue the work of skeptic Charles Fort, Fortean Times magazine covers the world of strange phenomena, from Bigfoot to UFOs and everything in between. Debunking hoaxes and investigating paranormal occurrences, the magazine and its official web page present a thrilling mix of science and speculation.
The archive of past Fortean articles available on this site is a reader's buffet, with features on (to name just a few of the many intriguing subjects) sexuality in Victorian séances, the existence of alien cats in the United Kingdom, the life and work of Paracelsus and avoiding Mediterranean curses. Book reviews cover fiction—with a special "SF Roundup" section written by David V. Barrett—and loads of non-fiction, with books handily sorted by categories including "Conspiracy," "Cryptozoology," "Gaming" and "Paranormal."
Fortean Times runs a lively message board for interested visitors, covers strange news events all over the Web (African frogs threaten San Francisco!), and runs regular contests for prizes like video games, books and DVDs. For more visually minded novelty seekers, the site also has a gallery of supernatural images, such as Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot photos, complete with information on when the photos were unmasked as hoaxes, if they were.
Naturally, Fortean Times also provides subscription information on its print magazine, a valuable aid to any visitors who find they are finished with the site's extensive library of articles ... but still hunger for more.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—May 10, 2004
rude, silly and utterly devoted to the concept of tasteless fun, Pointless Waste of Time is a clearinghouse of scathing movie reviews and previews, as well as feature articles on SF films, video games, current events and even, occasionally, food. (Food, that is, if a reader needs a recipe for dubious concoctions like Butterscotch Explodecake or Snakes Alive Jello Strudel).
This site is aimed at mature readers, and most users will probably want to think twice before exploring its content from a computer at work. That said, there are lots of laughs to be had at PWOT, in articles like "Fifty Reasons Why The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Sucks," in a Matrix section with over a dozen articles on the trilogy, in "Life After the Video Game Crash," and dozens of irreverent movie reviews dating as far back as 1997's Titanic.
PWOT's discussion forums are always active, with topics set aside for gamers, film and TV fans and music aficionados, as well as more esoteric hobbyists such as those who write sports-themed poetry. Other pointless but enjoyable timewasters include caustic summer movie previews, a captioning—or "craptioning"—contest, an account of a Great Console Playoff (wherein the the Sony and Nintendo platforms are pitted against Microsoft), a FAQ that has questions but no answers and a Harry Potter spoof.
Any fan who enjoys seeing a favorite movie, book or game mercilessly lampooned should click their way immediately to Pointless Waste of Time. Those with a more delicate constitution where humor is concerned—anyone hoping for stringent adherence to the facts and a serious treatment of science-fictional media, for example—may prefer to waste their surfing time elsewhere.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—May 3, 2004
hough its life span was less than that of its insect namesake, Firefly has inspired intense loyalty among its viewers, as well as an expanding base of fans who only discovered the show after it was canceled. FireflyFans.net harnesses this enthusiasm to forge a rallying point for fans as they anticipate the resurrection of the series as a feature film.
The site provides a steady stream of news about the series, its creator Joss Whedon, and its cast and crew, keeping fans aware of progress with the upcoming movie as well as mentions of the series in various media. The site boasts a unique sort of episode guide, which consists of reader ratings for each of the series' 13 offerings, as well as reader comments, plot-point questions and storyline speculation. It makes for a disjointed, but interesting, dialogue as readers post back and forth in their attempts to better understand the series.
FireflyFans.net sports a "Blue Sun Room" for creations submitted by readers, including fan fiction, series trailers, banner ads and desktop images. The Online Store provides a table tracking the sales ranking of the Firefly DVD box set on Amazon.com, while the Personality Test poses 16 questions to participants, and then informs them which member of
the crew they most closely resemble. Rounding out the site are the Online Forums, which see a fair amount of traffic as fans debate the merits of the series, discuss the failings of nearly every other science-fiction show, and dream of the Serenity's triumphant return.
— Ken Newquist
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