Boston Globe: February 16, 1998, page D3
There will always be enough material on the World Wide Web to prove at least one truth of human existence: People are strange. Of course, we knew this long before the Web emerged, that oddity is a natural byproduct of life, as fundamental as breathing, but far more interesting to watch. The Web gives all forms of strange behavior a playground, especially for the extreme brand of hyper-nerdity that used to manifest itself in spontaneous Monty Python recitations and weeklong Dungeons and Dragons sessions.
These are more than just soapboxes for the growing mob of global-village idiots who have wasted innumerable hours building shrines to dead iguanas and alphabetized lists of their record collections. It takes a peculiar brand of intelligence to be deliberately foolish, and, to paraphrase the eminent philosophers of Spinal Tap, cross ''the fine line between stupid and clever.''
In some cases, chemical intervention might be the cause of a site's variation from the norm. This is likely the most plausible explanation for the Prozac PEZ site, a semi-detailed analysis of surprising similarities between the oft-prescribed mood-elevator and the popped-from-a-clown's-head candy.
The homepage, www.sfo.com/ costanos/ProzacPez, extols the virtues of a PEZ-based society (or could that be Prozac-based?) with its motto: ''The world would be a happier place if antidepressants were distributed in Pez dispensers.'' There's a detailed comparison of nutrition and side effects of both types of tablets - lower cholesterol and higher spirits! - while a great Shockwave game invites players to shoot a happy pill into the frowning mouth of a stressed-out smiley face. It's definitely worth a bookmark.
Boredom, or perhaps not enough reading material, is probably at the root of the Great Toilet Paper Debate site, a spirited attempt to answer the unanswerable, namely, which way should toilet paper be dispensed, over the top of the roll, or under the bottom? The case for over is strong (rolls fluidly, visually appealing) but under (accurate detachment of squares, minimal over-dispensing) also has its champions. Weigh in at expert.cc.purdue.edu/ mineart/tpaper2.html.
If sliding rocks across ice is an Olympic sport, then why not hand gliding, the practice of manually manipulating the airflow outside the window of a moving car? Hand gliding can be considered more of an art form than a true athletic endeavor (sort of like rhythmic gymnastics) but its fundamentals can be learned at www.wallaby.com/mackey/hg/ hand-gliding.html. It could be the most egalitarian of all events, requiring only a reliable car, a working window, and a minivan full of judges in the next lane.
There's a special place on my bookmark list for those sites that endure despite the mercurial faddishness of many humorous Web sites. Everyone, it seems, has their own supposedly clever ''X-Files'' site, or a page slagging ''Party of Five,'' or Jenny McCarthy, or whoever is the pop icon of the moment. Longevity requires real, visceral emotion, and there are few feelings as powerful as the hatred inflamed by the sing-song gooeyness of Barney, the omni present purple dinosaur. One of the best oddball Web sites is run by the semi-secret group Jihad to Destroy Barney, operating an information recruitment center at www. jihad.com.
The dedication of these ''jihaddi'' is admirable, as is their versatility. Some have created fictional universes in which they concoct elaborate role-playing adventures that usually end up ridding the galaxy of the saurian scourge they have renamed ''B'harnii.'' This is an exponential expansion of the usual weirdness surrounding the anti-Barney forces, yet thecreativity and persistence is likely to amuse all but staunchest Barneyites (most of whom are too young to read anyway). Immediate gratification for Barney-phobes is available in downloadable games that enable players to use Barney as the enemy in Doom and other bloody high-gore romps.
Even with all its detractors, Barney is but one children's show character. Pop culture is saturated with dozens of bone-and-flesh irritations, overpaid and overexposed and definitely overdue for a. That's the appeal of Celebrity Slugfest at slugfest.kaizen. net, puts you and a hated celebrity face-to-face in a bare-knuckled street brawl.
How does it work? The site uses the Macromedia Shockwave plug-in, which creates a multimedia window within a small area your browser. Simple keyboard commands allow lateral movement and, with the damage inflicted displayed on the steadily battered of your famous opponent. There are three categories of villains: simple bullies (Dennis Rodman, David Letterman, Madonna), the mean-spirited powerful (Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh), and ineffectual ''wusses'' (Hanson, Barney, Tori Spelling).
Writes site producer Jane Buckwalter, ''Some of the stars are easier to beat than others, just like in real life. You might want to your skills on pacifists like Fabio and Tori before attempting Dave Letterman or Madonna. When you're done, please take the time to suggest additional celebrities. We aim to please.''
And then there's the granddaddy of them all, the Church of the Subgenius, the long-running pseudocult parody of blasphemers, contortionists, iconoclasts, nudists, and general cranks and malcontents forced to peddle their brand of religion on the Internet and in face-to-face at abandoned trailer parks. These are folks who know they're going to hell regardless of what they do, so they might as well have fun along the ride.
They can be found at www. subgenius.com, the official shrine to their chosen deity, Bob, the benevolent god who will eventually being appeased by brazen performance art rituals and cause an apocalypse likes of which will make Armageddon seem like a backrub.
Since the end is nigh, church members party hearty, a reflected on the site, which is definitely not stuff for children, teens, sensitive folks, moderately or slightly religious people, and is probably off-limits to all but the most hardened agnostics and atheists. Someday, will discover these accounts of bizarre squid-manipulation rites and wonder what sort of society could invent high-definition television yet retain ties to a pagan past.
Magic, the Gathering is a worldwide success as an elaborate combination of role-playing adventure and trading card game, but last year's PC version was slammed for its lack of a multi-player element. That interaction is one of the card game's best attributes and was sorely missed. Magic fans can rejoice: the latest Magic title provides 'Net connectivity - and several powerful new card packs that might give an edge over the competition.
Anyone with a repetitive stress injury check out a great FAQ site at www.tifaq.com and subscribe to the RSI Network newsletter, which will soon move from bimonthly to a monthly publication. Subscribe online by sending e-mail to rsinet-request@lists.best.com. The first line of the message's body must contain: subscribe. No list name, personal name, or e-mail address is needed. An authentication message will be returned to you that the word ''REJECT'' in the subject header be replaced with ''ACCEPT'' and returned to the listserv.
The Detroit Free Press launched a great site Motown's 40th anniversary, www. motown40.com. It includes a list ofMotown's 40 greatest songs, with audio clips and a photo gallery featuring some of the label's biggest names: the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and others. =A9 Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company.=20