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Doug Stickney's Silver Screen Siren Website
http://users.deltanet.com/users/dstickne/index.html
This is the hard evidence of the spellbinding qualities of nearly 100
Hollywood sensations of yesteryear.
A wonderfully rich collection of high quality promotional photographs,
mostly B&W, along with a few biographies and classic movie posters,
presented simply and effectively.
Immortality is guaranteed via the magnificent lighting and makeup
of the day, capturing the timeless beauty and character of these highly
exalted individuals. Click
away through the extensive galleries and savour the beauty that lasts
well after the hormone replacement therapy began, beyond the third or
fourth hip operation, and even beyond the grave.
Verdict: Screen sirens are calling, and my cyber boat is crashing at their
feet. --SS
Net Worth: ****
Famous Birthdays
www.famousbirthdays.com
There's one thing better than dying, and that's being born. In celebration of the beginning of everyone's corporeal existence,
Famous Birthdays have conjured up a very comprehensive tribute to the
annual remembrance of the natal experience. Quite a grand effort, too. The old "celebrity-born on your day" caper is taken
a step further with a direct link to a Yahoo search for each one.
A cool area is the section dedicated to you, where all manner of
self-obsessed pursuits are there like name meanings, anagrams of your
name, a personality test and much more.
There are also message posting and greeting card facilities.
There's even a code to put "today's birthdays" on your
own web page.
Verdict: If only all special interest web sites were as thorough as this.
Try it and see! --SS
Net Worth: *****
Silent Ladies
http://www.uno.edu/~drcom/Silent/Ladies.html
The University Of New Orleans Drama and Communication Dept. graciously
dishes out this wonderful photo album of over 2,000 pics of hundreds of
silent movie actresses. Although
there isn't too much in the way of background information, there is the
odd link or two. It's a tad "studentish" in design, the pics
themselves however, do speak volumes, as the silent ladies pull you into
those heady early days of motion pictures.
Each one trying as best as she can in each photo to sell her vast
talents to the casting agents and producers.
One might laugh at some of them, but these babes had at least as
much sex-appeal as any Sharon Stone or Gwenyth Paltrow today.
Verdict: A jpeg paints a thousand silent words. --SS
Networth: ***
Timothy Leary's Home Page
http://www.leary.com/
From the initial animation of Tim smoking the eternal (herbal?) cigarette
in front of a spinning lightshow, one gets the impression that he is actually
right there at home in his virtual world.
Through simple but very clever use of graphics, a quasi-VRML space
is created, where you navigate his actual home, spinning around and moving
from the library to read his letters and works, to the lounge room for
a chat with other Leary-ites. This
posthumous creation is growing at a rapid pace, and shows how aligned
the web can be with the 60's revolution. Take the time to get comfortable
here, it's worth it.
Verdict: Putting the "home" in homepage.
Break on through from
the other side!! --SS
NetWorth: *****
Tribute to Timothy Leary
http://www.sirius.com/~jmelloy/tim.html
What this site lacks in content, it makes up for in vacuity.
However, beneath the seeming failure of this obvious techno head
to deliver what you might expect a fitting tribute to be, there lies the
spark of meaningful effort to reflect a legacy. Two
shockwave items and a link back to www.leary.com
are all there is. There is
a twisting vortex of Tim's head, which, if you watch it long enough, you'll
swear he's actually there, and a fast paced, heavily effected, trance-inducing
expression of the famous "think for yourself, question authority"
slogan. Mr Melloy is a believer, but he's too busy with his own stuff
to do any more than this.
Verdict: Tune out, turn off,
and drop in. --SS
Net Worth: ***
Tribute To Allen Ginsberg
http://www.naropa.edu/ginstributes8.html
Anne Waldman, 'spiritual wife', among other things, of the late Mr Ginsberg
delivers a very intimate tribute on this delicately simple page, which
is part of the Ginsberg Memorial.
The more you read Anne's writing, the more you are drawn into their
world of creative intellect and sensitive living.
It's no wonder his death was so newsworthy, even though he wasn't
a movie star, rock star or model. He was a writer, philosopher, teacher,
and iconoclast. It is through
this site, and the Naropa Institute that the work will live on - well
beyond the profound experience of death described here.
Verdict: A personal account of deeply moving times. --SS
NetWorth: *****
INXS - Elegantly Wasted
http://www.inxs.com/
This, besides being the official INXS web site is, of course, the official
Michael Hutchence memorial page.
After such a sudden and shocking end to our greatest rock celebrity's
life, one would expect nothing less than what you will find here.
The site is professional and discreet, with official press statements,
a warmly written biography, a poem headed by a great photo of the man
himself, and some links. It's
all done in the highest regard for the fans and duty to the media, as
well as the utmost respect for Michael and his family (band included). The links put you one click away from the official site
and into the world of Michael's fans.
Countless tribute sites, dedications, photo's, chat rooms and personal
accounts, interviews and news reports all add up to give you a fulfilling
sense of connection with the man and the legend that is Michael Hutchence.
Shove it, tabloids, just keep clicking!
Verdict: Elegantly Tasteful. This is what you need. --SS
NetWorth: *****
Who Will Speak For Me? - A Poem for John Denver
http://rhymester.simplenet.com/johndenver.htm
E. Fay Dyer-Austin is a poet who feels compelled to create a tribute page
to John Denver. It's hard
to tell where the tribute ends and the self promotion begins.well not
that hard. A couple of bad
photo's of Mr Denver followed by links to all of E. Fay's poetry and web
design pages kinda turn the tribute into more of an excuse to get more
hits to the page. There is
a poem that tries to pack in a few of Johnny's song titles, and the rest
of the site is nice enough, but somehow, I think Mr Denver is looking
down from the Rocky Mountain, wishing he'd flown Qantas.
Verdict: You're speakin',
so where's Johnny? --SS
NetWorth: **
The Official Website of Marylin Monroe
http://www.cmgww.com/marilyn/marilyn.html
CMG worldwide, in association with the estate of Marylin Monroe present
this arm of the global beast that is "dead celebrity" marketing.
It surely is a big earner, so CMG, who don't need to be so sensitive
and caring, since more time has passed, give us a brief overview of the
life of Hollywood's favourite female. The main objective is to convince
you to add to her estate, and please CMG's clients.
There is just enough info to keep you amused for a few moments,
but CMG would be much happier if you signed up to be a licensed Monroe
merchandiser.
Verdict: It's official. this
site sucks. Marylin deserves
better. --SS
Networth: ***
Americans for Cloning Elvis - ACE
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1673/
It's about time someone did something like this!
Forget about mourning the loss of our beloved celebrities, just
bring them back to life again! We
have the technology, and it will take the efforts of people like Bob Meyer
to get the laws passed. So
far, nearly 2,000 people have signed the petition, and this reviewer was
one of them, thank-you-very-much.
Verdict: Clone that toe-nail
clipping and refill those blue suede shoes! --SS
NetWorth: ****
Elvis Presley's Graceland
http://www.elvis-presley.com/
Elvis Presley Enterprises, have decided that although he's dead, we all
love him anyway, so what the hey, let's just go to town on the guy.
Elvis' already well established posthumous career has merely taken
the natural progression any living star might take, and added a web department
to the business. You do,
however, get the impression that E.P.E. actually love the guy.
Unlike Marylin's management company, who seem to see her as a "good
little earner", Elvis' site has more information, and is generally
better presented. I think
the King would be quite happy with the way things are going, even if he
has left the building.
Verdict: His truth is marching on.--SS
NetWorth: ****
Louise Brooks Society
http://www.pandorasbox.com/
You'd have to be about 80 years old to remember Louise Brooks in her hey
day (1925-38). The silent
film actress has somehow managed to capture the hearts of some very capable
web programmers, who, in their admiration have built a cyber-shrine that
any dead celebrity would be proud of.
From her biography to trivia questions, archives to interviews,
this pandoras box is well worth opening.
Verdict: Tribute sites take note, this is how it's done. --SS
Networth: *****
Napoleon
http://www.napoleon.org/home_us.html
It seems the more time passes since the moment of death, the more "OK"
we become about a person's passing.
Forget about touching poetry tributes, let's have jigsaw puzzles,
screen savers and Napoleonic re-enactments.
Napoleon is such a legendary figure, that all over the world people
get together to relive the great battles and pretend the 20th
century never happened. There are also some good links to museums and
historical collections for those who are interested in studying history,
rather than re-living it.
Verdict: Bring him back for
the browser wars. --SS
Networth: ****
The Doors
http://www.thedoors.com/
Being actually produced by the surviving members of The Doors, this site
is automatically elevated a few notches above the rest. Being alive allows you to continue being productive, to carry
on the vision that may have crystallised in four young mens' minds all
those years ago. Real Audio
samples of classic tunes, a neat photo gallery with blocks of thumbnails
to sort through, full lyrics for every album, individual bio's and various
other presentations combine to make this a satisfying visit.
Verdict: This is not the
end, beautiful friend. --SS
NetWorth: *****
Jerry Garcia 1942-1995
http://www.sfgate.com/garcia/
Rather than go for a page that a funeral director might put together as
part of an overall death package, this site is a collection of articles
drawn from the San Francisco Chronicle and SF Examiner.
It manages, by the diversity of writing, to really pay tribute
to the man. It's part news,
part obituary, part historical account, part editorial, and it farewells
an era as much as it farewells the departed Jerry Garcia.
Verdict: If the dead could
be grateful, he would. --SS
Networth: ****
Richard's Princess Diana Tribute
http://yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au/~reptile/diana.html
Richard makes a personal effort to express his love and grief for Lady
Di. Not much here that I
could see, except one nice pic and some now very worn sentiments. Really,
unless you are going to reveal another conspiracy theory, or take a real
stand about something, pages like this are purely for the creator to look
at. I would rather see a page in memory of children killed by landmines,
and so would Diana, probably. This
is under construction, so maybe there are plans..
Verdict: Not much to see, yet. --SS
NetWorth: **
Goodbye! -The Journal Of Contemporary Obituaries
http://www.panix.com/~scmiller/goodbye/
Comedy is usually about pain and suffering, and it helps us come to terms
with our own shortcomings if we can laugh at others.
This site cuts it pretty close to the quick by delivering highly
irreverent obituaries for famous people well before the grieving process
is complete. In a way it
is liberating, since we do seem to assume somehow that dead people care
about what we say, when perhaps they don't.
This is very funny stuff, regardless of how sacred you feel humans
are. The price of fame is
high, but the reward is immortality. Surely they are all laughing now
anyway - at us!
Verdict: Die laughing --SS
NetWorth: *****
The Death Clock
http://www.deathclock.com/main.cfm
A simple little concept, but quite funny and scary at the same time.
Enter in your date of birth, and the Death Clock will calculate
the date of your death how many seconds you have to live, and counting.
You can set it to be normal, pessimistic, or downright sadistic.
The creators claim that the site is getting major numbers of hits,
and is asking for advertisers. Tobacco
companies? Alcohol companies?
Funeral directors? For some strange reason, they haven't had a single bite, yet.
Verdict: I'm dying, very
slowly, and so are you. --SS
Networth: ***
Dogheaven
http://www.dogheaven.com/
Cleveland Wheeler hosts this cute site dedicated to your dead dog.
Many warm and fuzzy sentiments about dogs, coupled with cute photos
of dogs with wings on clouds, entice you to pay the $12.95 to get your
ex-pooch on the site. The
site is very well put together with honesty and thoughtfulness, and bridges
the gap between what is free and what's not on the web.
I don't know how many people are actually using the site, though.
I typed in "Fido", "Rover" and "Spot"
and didn't get any responses. Maybe
all dogs in heaven should be listed rather than searched for.
This site has won a truck-load of awards.
Verdict: What next? Gerbil
heaven? Tadpole heaven? --SS
NetWorth: ****
A Question Of Life And Death
http://www.death.co.za/frame1.html
This is an on-line referendum on the death penalty in South Africa.
Through your input direct to the site, opinions and ideas about
whether or not to kill someone for not obeying the law can be uncovered.
Periodically, the net result of everyone's input, collated and
analysed are sent to the government for consideration.
I'd imagine that they wouldn't be considered that deeply, but this
kind of site is pointing to the future of politics.
Verdict: All those who want
blood, say "aye" --SS
Networth: ***
Deliverance -Voluntary Euthanasia in the Northern
Territory
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dcar1946/deliverance/
We have all seen and heard the euthanasia debate on the TV and in print,
but those old fashioned media rarely give anyone a chance to actually
delve much further than the sound bytes or column spaces allow.
Here is the whole thing laid out in glowing pixels, albeit unstylish
in design, but the issues and arguments are all there. A researcher or student will find all the information they
need to inject into a project and get the job done. You can also become
involved by either giving them some feedback, or joining the mailing list.
It would be nice to see a voting page.
Verdict: People are dying
to check out this web site, you should too. --SS
NetWorth: ****
Deathnet
http://www.deathnet.com/
Be warned right up front. This
is gruesome! The wonderful
people at Deathnet strive to desensitise the world through portraits of
corpses in various states of mutilation and lifelessness, along with a
selection of "ugly" shots of various diseases and human suffering.
There is a preview area, and a member's area, where you can see
everything they've got on file.
After seeing what's in the preview area, it is very hard to imagine
why anyone would want to become a member!
Let's just hope this site is being run by a team of psychologists,
so they can track the activities of the sick and twisted among us.
Sadly, I think the real sicko's are Deathnet themselves.
Verdict: See it once out
of curiosity. See it twice,
and you need help. --SS
Networth: *****
Ghostsites
http://www.disobey.com/ghostsites/
In cyberspace, as in real life, death can strike. Web sites are being afflicted with such ailments as disinterest,
404 fever, severe authoritis, venture capital decay, search engine alzheimers
and plain old obsolescence. In
an attempt to artificially sustain the life of some of these patients,
Ghostsites reminds us of such continuing sites as the Atlanta Games camera,
Club NYC's guide to new years Eve 1997 and the Russian CrazyWEB from 1995.
We
need a real museum for this stuff, but this is pretty cool.
Verdict: Call in the exorcist,
these sites are ready to move on. --SS
NetWorth: ***
Ghost Web - International Ghost Hunters Society
- Ghost Hunters Gallery
http://www.ghostweb.com/
It's hard to believe there could be so much "information" about
something that not one person has been able to prove conclusively, but
here it is. Thousands of
photographs, stories, investigation reports and local "ghost club"
news pad out this site by serious believers.
They even have weekend retreats in haunted houses, and besides
purchasing books, CD's and t-shirts, you can also order ghost-detecting
equipment. If you have no
life, like the ghosts, this could be for you.
Verdict: Half a million suckers
can't be wrong (?) --SS
NetWorth: ****
Top 10 Causes of Death
http://www.youfirst.com/topten.htm
This simple but thought provoking site is worth looking at if nothing
else than to understand just how stupid human beings are.
Based on American statistics, you can see just how many poor souls
are shaking off their mortal coil in totally preventable ways.
This is the top 10, remember, and by the evidence, millions of
people are smoking, drinking, eating and couch-potato-ing their way to
an early demise. It's almost
laughable, but the ones laughing loudest would have to be the pharmaceutical
companies and the medical professionals.
Follow the links to some good healthy advice.
Verdict: Can the miracle
of life be that miserable? Maybe
religion's marketing of the afterlife is just too successful. --SS
NetWorth: ****
The Natural Death Handbook - on the 'Net
http://newciv.org/GIB/natdeath/ndhbook.html
In line with the natural birth movement, the natural death movement has
a firm belief in the organic process of life, and the desire to minimise
intrusion into very private and sacred moments by governments and institutions.
This stirring web site draws on historical accounts of the deaths
of famous people and descriptions of other cultures death rituals to elucidate
their attitude towards death.
All in all a fascinating read, and one that will surely leave you
pondering your own choices when the unrepeatable moment of dying arrives.
Some good links, too.
Verdict: Pass me my crystals
and herbal tea, the not-so-grim reaper is here. --SS
NetWorth: *****
The Tibetan Book Of The Dead
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/dead/
The University Of Virginia Library is lucky enough to be the curators
of a large amount of Tibetan literature.
We are all very lucky, too, since it is their aim to understand
the Tibetan Buddhist ethos and help disseminate the concepts to the world,
in the belief that within the philosophies lie some keys to Western society's
spiritual progression. The
biggest aspect here is the coming to grips with death and our exaggerated
fear of it. There is a lot of information, and it is well worth the read.
Verdict: Better than the
American book of the top 10 causes of death! --SS
NetWorth: *****
Growth House: Guide To Death, Dying, Grief,
Bereavement, and End Of Life Resources
http://www.growthhouse.org/
Proclaimed as the "Yahoo of Death and Dying", Growth House lives
up to the claim well. You name it, it's here.
If you are facing the death of a loved one, dealing with the spectre
of death yourself, or even realising that you have unresolved issues about
death from some time in your past, this is the place to come. Every possible area is covered - grief, hospice care, AIDS,
estate planning - the list goes on.
There is even a chat room with casual and scheduled chats.
You can even get their "Web Angels Brigade" to help put
your own non-profit site together.
Verdict: Bookmark this! It's a matter of Life and Death! --SS
NetWorth: *****
Dying With Dignity
http://www.web.net/dwd/
A Canadian society dedicated to helping mature human beings gain control
of their death. It seems
absurd that such a society should even need to exist, but some people
do like to play God when it comes to "moral" issues.
Providing a selected reading list, quality links, and an overview
of the law in Canada relating to dying (which is pretty lame) it's a site
worth visiting, if only to get an idea of how many others are thinking
about this stuff.
Verdict: What do we want?
Dignity! When do we want
it? When we die! --SS
NetWorth: ***
Life After Death - Religious Perspectives
http://www.miracles.win-uk.net/LifeAfterDeath/
This is a nice little excursion into the various notions of the afterlife
of a few major religions. The
creators are of the Bahá'í faith, but seem quite non-judgemental of other
faiths, and rather convergent with many of the basic premises.
The Christianity link was dead at the time of review, but no doubt
most of us have a fair idea about that one.
Verdict: Interesting reading, as we ponder the unponderable.
--SS
NetWorth: ***
Religious Traditions Of The Afterlife - Near
Death Experiences
http://members.aol.com/YouRgods/index.html
Before you go too much into this site, perhaps you should read about the
author. It will help you
understand the motivation for creating it, before you make up your mind.
Kevin Williams is a born again Christian, but is trying to transcend
the religious boundaries and spread a message of "God" to the
world regardless of your faith.
Near Death Experiences, Williams ascertains, are the evidence with
which we can verify all the religions of the world.
Perhaps that's how they all came about, all these wise men flat-lining
through history. read on and find out the "truth"
Verdict: I had a Near Disbelief
Experience --SS
NetWorth: ****
Afterlife Secrets Revealed - Near Death Experiences,
Death, Near-Death, NDES, Suicide
http://near-death.com/
Here is the companion site to the "Religious Traditions of the Afterlife"
site. It is solely concerned
with N.D.E.'s and discusses many facets of the subject, including hidden
secrets, what to expect when you die, and the difference between a heavenly
and a hellish N.D.E.. Angie
Fenimore's description of her suicide attempt is certainly worth reading,
as are the excerpts from the book "Embraced by The Light".
Verdict: You'll be riveted
to your deathbed. --SS
NetWorth: ****
International Association for Near-Death Studies
http://www.iands.org/
Designed as a resource for all things "near death", this site
delivers nicely. If you want
colour and movement, you'd better try flat-lining.
Text is all you get here, however there is one link to someone's
site that has a whole bunch of cool N.D.E. sites.
Enough material here to get an essay in for school by the deadline.
Verdict: Near death is the
kind of experience one has, rather than reads about, but this is much
safer. --SS
NetWorth: ****
Last Acts
http://lastacts.rwjf.org/
If you have ever been close to someone at the end stages of their life,
or you think you will at some point (that's just about everyone on the
planet), this site will be of interest to you.
It is a call-to-action, to ask people to work towards making the
dying process as dignified and loving as possible.
There are many who work with the dying who become thick-skinned
over time. Last Acts is working
to raise understanding of palliative care in the dying process.
Verdict: You wouldn't ask for anything less. --SS
NetWorth: ****
Urban Legends - Death
http://www.urbanlegends.com/select.cgi?target=death%2Findex.html
Drawn from a newsgroup, this amazing collection of stories will shock
and astound you. It's up
to you whether to believe any of them.
That is why they are legends.
Tales of the macabre and morbid are delivered by the truckload,
and can only help to fuel the speculation of their authenticity.
Death by vending machine, asteroid strike and Disneyland ride are
just some of the legends depicted.
Verdict: Believe it or not...
--SS
NetWorth: ****
Monkeyburgers
http://home.pi.net/~patarink/
A "Monkeyburger" is the Dutch equivalent of an Urban Legend.
Here you will find more tall tales and true, as you delve in searching
for bizarre stories to blurt out at cocktail parties and corporate luncheons.
Besides the tragic death stories, there are quite a few non-violent
tales and anecdotes, so your repertoire will be slightly broader.
Verdict: True or False? You decide.
It could reveal more about you than you'd like.
Networth: ****
Infidels - Life After Death
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/lifeafterdeath/
The big questions everyone asks, and seeks answers for, are dealt with
here. In a totally unbiased
fashion, with no particular affiliation, the infidels work at digging
up the notions and philosophies that abound throughout the world, and
seek to come closer to some real understanding of what this "existence"
thing is all about. Literally
thousands of documents and texts sit here in the library, and you are
welcome to add to the pile. It's
all nicely sorted though, so some sense can be made of the big mysteries.
Verdict: You could spend
the rest of your life here. At
least you'll die intelligently confused. --SS
NetWorth: ****
Kearl's Guide to Sociological Thanatology
http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/death.html
Professor Kearl has been working himself into the ground here to produce
an amazingly comprehensive site about death.
It is virtually an entire degree course on the subject, and you
can write your own thesis and send it to the good professor, for inclusion
on the site. Sociological,
philosophical, statistical and medical angles are all covered.
This is a thorough job, and the research is detailed.
Links abound. It is
even part of the web ring of death, so you can go round and round the
internet chasing your fears away.
Verdict: Killing me
softly with information overload. --SS
NetWorth: *****
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