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prior listings

 

• xtra pop 3/27/01 
  Description: playing around and trying new things (some mature content)
  Comments: Just like yesterday's pick, today's is a brand new site, officially launched on 3/25.  But the guy behind this personal showcase is definitely not a newcomer to the web — his great site surfstation was a daily pick last July and his name is becoming rather well known.  When you first get to Thomas Brodahl's site, an oddly sized 900-wide window will open and you're bound to see a tasty graphic in the left half of it — but, be careful, 'cause some of the randomly generated graphics might seem slightly too tasty to some — so if mature (but tasteful) content bothers you, consider taking a pass.  It's only art and it won't bite you, though, so keep an open mind about it and take a peek.  Each time you click on that cover graphic, a new one will appear and if you're not careful, you just might forget to check out all of the other great content.  Yes, folks, it's a designer's personal webspace and it's got tons of content and it's just getting started.  So, you probably know how much I like photos and I've got to say that the people photos and train photos are absolutely wonderful.  Oh, and don't forget to check out Thomas' design portfolio.  It includes commercial work, though the site is definitely not a sales pitch kinda thing, plus personal work and "misplaced" work — it's all good and this site proves that you don't necessary need Flash to knock 'em dead.  Thomas Brodahl rocks!  But you probably already knew that...
   
• bitchin' 3/25/01 
  Description: experimental graphics + swf's + poems + more
  Comments: The similarity of the name of today's pick to that of yesterday's is a coincidence I discovered after choosing the site — for all I know, I may have been the victim of a spell by the evil brainchild, who also has a site with a similar name to today's [insert Twilight Zone theme here].  Anyway — there's a collection of cool grayscale computer art to be found at today's pick that I found quite pleasing — it's not all gray, though — a nice sepia tone is used for the header graphic.  There's a certain smoothness to Indrek's style and the shading and details of the art is very much like great black and white photography, though more abstract.  Just right for a lazy Sunday morning...
   
• alt.sense 3/23/01 
  Description: affiliated only to those involved in the networked culture and its interest only pertains to the aesthetics of communication
  Comments: You've probably noticed that I don't mention the names of the daily picks in my site reviews.  "Today's Pick" above is linked to the site and I guess I like the elements of surprise and curiousity that my choice of writing style allows.  As the saying goes, "there's a method to my madness" that makes sense to me — then I recall that now famous title from the Talking Heads — Stop Making Sense.  So, today I will deviate from my typical approach and allow the name of the site to appear in the following quote which clearly describes the philosophy of the forces behind the site (I think).  "May the struggle to write a definition for alt.sense be an everlasting and satisfying project. Hopefully, the diversity of content and contributions will forever be an irritation to portals, yet an inspiration to those who participate."  I visited this site a few months back when I heard about the "happy birthday" project.  If you'd like to adorn me with gifts the next time I turn the page, you can find my birthday listed there.  When I submitted my information back then, I was probably in a hurry and didn't realize that the project was just a small piece of what you'll find there.  It's collaboration at its best — a great section of submitted photos, plenty of tasty links, and some engaging written pieces, too.  And if you like discussion boards, they have an excellent one going — I've been talking a lot lately about how so many new sites are being done in Flash and how that gets to me sometimes as I try to find meaningful content to share here at coolstop.  Well — I found an interesting discussion about that very thing at today's pick, too.  This totally non-commercial site is just the type of thing that motivates me to do what I do — they're not "an irritation to portals" at all... they're an alternative — and a great one at that!
   
• lightningfield.com 3/21/01 
  Description: Please do not write on the walls or throw anything from the windows.
  Comments: On the sidebar of David Gallagher's site is the word "why" followed by the words "Because I still think self-publishing is the best thing about the Internet."  Bingo!  I couldn't agree more.  Though we all get little feedback on our efforts, putting it out there is what it's all about.  It's interesting that David makes his living as a freelance writer and he certainly doesn't need to self-publish — his articles about technology and the Internet have appeared in the New York Times, Interactive Week, and the Village Voice.  But self-publishing has it's own unique rewards.  David loves to take photographs and this weblog type of site is loaded with them.  Sure — there's some links and brief commentary, but the key content is the photographs.  A clean and simple design without bells and whistles, and especially without a business model, sure matches my mood this morning.  I've got design studio Flash sites coming out of my ears again and this personal, content-rich site is just what I'm looking for.  Hoping you'll appreciate it, too...
   
• David Monrós 3/20/01 
  Description: artista mediterrani (Flash navigation)
  Comments: This is refreshing.  In fact, this could be what the makers of Flash had in mind when they first introduced the product.  Instead of being all Flash vs. all HTML, today's pick uses a mix — the navigation is done in Flash while the content is not.  There's no long wait for page loading and the user ends up focusing on the content instead of the medium — I like that.  Did I say content?  David Monrós is a wonderful painter and if he designed the site as well, he's earned my respect twice.  Available in three languages, the site showcases his works, plus he devotes a section to showing you his environment, which I thought was an interesting look at the artist.  The three sections of the showcase are "current work", "early work" and "process."  I can't say which one I like the best because they are all equally engaging.  Marvelous... simply marvelous!
   
• Rakugaki 3/19/01 
  Description: publishing works and web works plus the mind of Nishida Koji
  Comments: At first, the yellow splash page wasn't all that inviting to me but the simple row of little 15x15 icons did grab my attention enough to make me want to check it out.  So, I moused over the second one and the word "mind" appeared — a click carried me through the perfect entrance to today's pick.  The small graphics and ample white space on the page I ended up on told me an artist must live there and the tiny red points were the way to the creator's mind.  The emotions on display include "destroy" and "pleasure" and "happy new century" and the motion graphics are superb.  I'll say nothing more about them as they are meant to be experienced, not described.  Then I moved on to the "works" section which showcases print and web samples.  This is good stuff and the attention to detail in the elegantly framed pieces is quite impressive.  Yep - there's an artist at work here.  Though I can't read Japanese, I came away with a sense of clarity.  Go see Nishida's world... >>>
   
• Paul Fleming 3/18/01 
  Description: graphic artist's portfolio site filled with current work and some neat navigation (Flash)
  Comments: Today's pick is an outstanding Flash site.  Born in Scotland in 1968, Paul, the graphic artist behind today's pick, moved to Toronto in 1986 — "Design was starting to play a large part in my life, and Toronto was going to be ground zero."  I found these facts in the timeline Paul calls "a day in the life" along with some other interesting statements about his life as a designer.  Like in 1999, Paul marks the birth of Flash, calling it "saviour of the universe."  That was a bit much for me but I continued along the timeline to 2001 where Paul says "What's next?  Who knows.  More fun...more projects...more awards...but above all, more design."  From the point in 1968 where Paul says "a designer is born" to the "what's next" statement in 2001, it seemed obvious to me that this is a well thought out marketing vehicle intended to promote himself as a commercial designer.  He certainly has that right and when you see all the extraordinary navigation devices he uses and the overall quality of the site, you'll probably agree that that there's absolutely no issue with his credibility as a designer.  But he claims the purpose of the site is that he "wanted to experiment" and that he's "a born show-off, and in design, vanity is the name of the game."  Q:  "What excites you most about the Internet right now?"  A:  "It's a very exciting time to be part of this business."  In the same "FAQ" section based on "a recent interview with [himself]", two of the questions are answered by solicitations for freelance design work.  Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but the site's being an experimental playground, or something like that, is besides the point.  Anyway — I decided to go with it as today's best of the cool because it's one of the best Flash presentations I've come across, particulary in navigation, and also because of the great little photo exhibit ("Hong Kong") that met me on the opening page.  Excellence in web design?  You betcha...
   
• contrasts.net 3/17/01 
  Description: waste of bandwidth for my crappy photography, movie/television reviews, midgets, desert recipes, naked jello wrestling
  Comments: A unique assortment of personal stuff in the form of words and photos is waiting for your discovery at today's pick.  "The daily crap is simply a way to get my gripes and otherwise tasteless writings into the public cesspool of digital s**t" tells you a little about Jessie's motivation in the weblog portion of his creative space, but the stuff he writes is better than that — definitely NOT crap.  It's honest and interesting writing and, if anything, it helps neutralize the "cesspool."  "The photography stuff is purely for fun and simply a hobby" says Jessie.  I started at the "now showing" section and was pleasantly engaged with 5 "rolls" of great photos.  There's more photos in several other projects, and I even found a series of comics in my travels through the site.  Not bad, Jessie — not bad at all!  I've mentioned a few times recently that I'm growing tired of all the bells and whistles and am hungry for content — real content.  That's exactly what I was thinkin' this morning at 2:00 a.m. as I set out to find it.  I finished reviewing all those Flash sites in the queue around 2:30 a.m. and hopped on my horse in search of an alternative.  At 2:45 a.m., this is what I found.  I'm simply tickled — thanks, Jessie...
   
• circle collective 3/15/01 
  Description: group of emerging artists
  Comments: Today's pick is a welcome break from all those bells and whistles — okay — so I like Flash sites and they represent a significant portion of new sites on the web, but sometimes, as I've said before, I get tired of those long, drawn-out intros and "loading, please wait" screens 'cause I've come for the content, baby, and time is money, so bring it on.  No, it's not Jacob talkin' to you here, but I do think many users may feel the same way and want a mix of styles and media, not the same thing over and over.  A "collective" of emerging artists, all fine art students in their final year, provides the content at today's best of the cool and the site's mission is clearly expressed on the "about us" page.  They want to "engage and enrich a wide audience" and create opportunity for these "emerging professional artists."  The presentation is simple and easy to navigate.  Eleven different artists are currently featured and the inclusion of each artist's statements about their work is a nice touch.  Great content and a simple interface are a winning combination here...
   
• Vectorama 3/14/01 
  Description: a 'multiuser playground' on which a maximum of ten users at the same time can design a picture together (Shockwave/Flash)
  Comments: Special thanks go out to perfect.co.uk for providing exposure to today's pick — if perfect wasn't out there doing its thing, I would not have known about this great website.  Combining a Java backend with a unique Shockwave interface and Flash interface elements, today's pick provides a different kind of interactive community.  Up to ten users can simultaneously create and edit vector-based graphics on the fly.  The team of 2 designers and 1 programmer who built this site are on to something here that users of so-called virtual communities and various chat sites are sure to enjoy.  After playing with the interface a little and viewing the history of previously created graphics, I've got to say this one is really cool...
   
• Leila Méndez 3/13/01 
  Description: photography gallery (Flash)
  Comments: Today's pick impressed me on very much the same level as another recent pick, which simply presents its real content without embellishment.  When it comes to great visuals, few words are needed, and this superb collection of photographs from (obviously professional) photographer Leila Méndez speaks clearly for itself.  You'll need the full height of your screen if viewing at 800x600.  I love the minimal use of Flash for the small navigator at the bottom of the neat popup — just scroll through the mini-thumbs in the tiny window to make a choice — the clarity of the tiny samples is amazing.  I particularly like the piece called "Las Vegas" and the attitude of the subject in "Lucky Strike" is oddly familar to me (though I can't say exactly why).  "Disop" is another one I found interesting.  There's nothing but photos here and the simple presentation and tasty design are just perfect...
   
• Galerie Piro 3/11/01 
  Description: collage and photo works of artist Pierre Robin
  Comments: Today's pick is yet another reminder to myself that maybe I should stop using a standard e-mail notification to let people know when their site is chosen as a daily pick.  Or maybe I should add "and/or" between certain phrases so the recipient doesn't get the wrong idea about why their site was picked.  Though the notification message is accurate for the majority of picks, sometimes I choose to overlook certain factors and the recipient ends up getting a message that doesn't exactly apply to them.  Oh well — so it goes in the world of convenient script generated e-mails that help save time — I know — it's a little impersonal.  Consider it added to my ever-growing todo list.  With that said, I'll simply say that today's pick was made based on one factor — it's the content, baby!  Pierre Robin is an extraordinary mixed media artist and the collages and photos you'll find on his site are superb...
   
• delarge 3/10/01 
  Description: works as part of a pixel controlled diet : always expanding : 4 photo galleries : beats : scratching fun : wallpapers : links : new sub site : on and on
  Comments: So, I'm wondering — did Paul read yesterday's review and cleverly add "works as part of a pixel controlled diet" to his site's name so his site would show up in searches for "pixel" in the portal cool zone?  Hmmmmm?  Okay, so I got this thing for sites with "pixel" in their name, but that's pushing it a bit, dontcha think?  So, I moved the embellishment into the site's description and said to myself, "self — this one will have to be considered on it's own merits — there's no friggin' pixel in the name."  But, not to worry, Paul, 'cause it'll still show up in the search results :)   Paul and Daniel are the two "agents" on the crew behind today's pick, but there's a list of other talented people who have also contributed content.  The "gallery" includes 4 different grouping of photos — urban, beach, graf (graffiti), and board (snowboarding) — I love this stuff.  Then, there's the "wallpaper" and "beats" sections to round out the content.  I've got to admit I played with "the scratch nest" for a long time — look ma, I'm a DJ.  Great fun!  I like the smooth design and cool blue background color — nice graphics, too.  Kudos, guys...
   
• pixelclique 3/9/01 
  Description: use words to try to complete sayings that make sense in my head.
  Comments: Great news! — we have yet another site in the database with "pixel" in its site name.  I guess I've been a little slanted in that direction, huh? — find me a candidate called something-pixel or pixel-something and if it's halfway decent, it's got a good chance of making it as a daily pick.  That's not to say that today's pick is only halfway decent, though, 'cause it's actually a pretty cool site.  Zac's got a scattered creativity (which is not a negative thing) and he doesn't mince words about what's on his mind (he doesn't spell-check 'em, either).  His most recent entries have a certain crankiness to them which you'll have to forgive — doing the patch and swearing off the smokes isn't easy and if one has an outlet for one's thoughts, I say use it.  He's breathing easier in the morning and you've got to give him credit for his honesty about it, let alone his determination to quit smoking — on the web, you can use your creative space as you see fit and having an outlet like that can be most helpful at times.  What makes a great personal site is the personality behind it who's willing to be honest and that's what turns me on the most about today's pick.  I also like Zac's photography.  I take a lot of digital photos in my travels and his "traffic" series contains some shots similar in flavor to some I have on display at my little personal space.  Besides the photos, he's got some illustrations and other visuals to share, including a few desktops.  There's also a splash collection and he's seeking submissions to add to it.  I like this site — it's got spirit and his motivation's in the right place — "web design is just a hobby to me because i am not in the biz, and it's something i enjoy."  Yeah, baby!
   
• preshaa 3/8/01 
  Description: personal design space plus inspirational portal
  Comments: I found out from px that he pointed out coolstop in his news feature yesterday and he asked me to look around and let him know what I think.  I thanked him for the link — I always appreciate when someone out there points their visitors in my direction and do my best to make sure they find something they'll like here.  It's funny how timing works.  I had seen today's pick for the first time earlier this week, following a link from another design site, but only briefly, and had it in the back of my mind to check it out more thoroughly soon.  It's good that px contacted me, 'cause those reminders sure help when I've got a million things in the back of my mind.  So — I visited the site last night and it had my full attention this time.  As a portal to cool, that little news window is chock full of "tasty links" — that's what px calls 'em and I've got to agree.  He's doing that daily and there's enough inspiration in that little window (and the archives) to make it a no-brainer to add his site to the Explore the Web! sidebar.  Then I started checking out the content and was I pleasantly surprised or what!  A thing called "jake" is one of the coolest interactive Flash pieces I've seen — I love the soundtrack, which is almost hypnotic.  And "boo" is pretty darn cool, too.  I moved on to the static pieces and I loved the black and white line drawings.  Though I spent a lot more time there last night than on my first visit, I'm afraid I still had to leave before seeing all of the great visuals — but that's not really a problem.  I'll probably be checking this one out daily on my inspiration run, anyway, so those visuals I haven't seen yet are just more to look forward to!  Thanks, px...
   
• davezilla 3/4/01 
  Description: anagrams, interviews, original cartoons, aliens, illustrations and more fun than your parents will allow you to have
  Comments: I've got to admit that I haven't visited Dave Linabury's site in quite a while.  It was a featured cool site last May and I really liked it, though, for whatever the reason, it wasn't chosen as a daily pick back then.  I hear about Dave now and then at other sites — he's a great illustrator and people love his anagrams of celebrities' names and the great caricatures that accompany them.  His cartoons and alien signs are cool stuff, too, and he also writes some interesting essays and blog entries.  I think it's the new design that grabbed me, looking at Dave's site again recently.  Funny how that all works — I explored Dave's site much more thoroughly this time and I think it's the new look and feel that made me wanna hang around longer.  That's not to say that his old look and feel was chopped liver, either.  It's just to say that for me, as one individual user with their own preferences and prejudices, the change in Dave's design had a definite impact on my motivation to explore his world.  The good news is that Dave's site is great, whether you want to look at it as a personal homepage, an artist's portfolio, or an important spoke in the wheel we call the web — great content and spirit!  There is no bad news...