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ashpro@hotmail.com
By Ash Pro
This is Flash animation put to expert use. Bearing no small resemblance to the first Mickey Mouse cartoons, Bulbo is a strange little guy with a big head which pops when the going gets tough. A ludicrous sub-dixie soundtrack accompanies the various short films starring the tiny-but-mighty hero, whose propensity for time-travel takes him on a whistlestop tour of the 20th century. Innovative, flash and good, crazy fun.
At first glance, the instructions "throw me", "bounce me", "force me" might mislead the visitor into thinking that the content of this website is of a somewhat dubious nature. However, the "me" in question at ModifyMe.com is an intriguing, sound-triggering graphical interface that can be probed and prodded to produce loops and rhythms to satisfy those beat urges in a safe and clean environment. It's groovily poptastic, man.
An unusual interface and game site for two standout electronica acts from the Warp Records stable, namely Boards of Canada and Plaid. After working out how to access the Space Invaders screen (you have to let the cubes settle in the right way), there's plenty of old-school fun to be had as you negotiate a path through the aliens, wafted along by a typically spaced-out, groovy soundtrack. Weird and yet strangely addictive.
These colourfully rendered, absurd animations catalogue the perils lurking around every corner, as these robots blithely go about their everyday business. Whether having a rusting body stolen by a gang of surreal "eyes" while taking a dip in the sea, or coming over all starstruck on a trip to the moon, these charming automatons, resplendent in garishly patterned, Hawaiian- like garb, will both amuse and entertain the nonplussed visitor.
"Electronic Civil Disobedience is a legitimate form of non-violent, direct action utilised in order to bring pressure on institutions engaged in unethical or criminal actions," says the disclaimer at the Hacktivist. This emerging form of virtual politics is certainly a new flank for the beleaguered corporations to defend, and there's plenty of news, features and tactical manoeuvring advice here for willing cyber-insurgents intent on bringing big corporations down a peg or two.
Subtitled "adventures in archaeoastrology", siloam.net presents a spectacular hoard of vital information for those seeking end-time hints in the patterns of the stars. Linking ancient myths and historical events with celestial alignment, it plots a fascinating timeline of the birth, growth and death of civilisations past, together with the inevitable, extrapolated speculation about when we can expect the end of the world.
It's easy to imagine that when you've seen one end-of-the-world site, you've seen them all, but if the apocalypse ever does arrive, it would be impossible to underprepare. This excellent site covers the ground with a good deal of sober thoroughness, letting you make up your own mind about the likelihood of the old balloon going up in 2012.
"An abstract a day keeps the eye doctor away" would be an appropriate motto for this site, which is closing in on some 200 inspiring images, all neatly housed without fuss or pretence in this cosy corner of cyberspace. From bold stripes to more figurated meanderings, the eye-candy bites of this and that make for a pleasing and oddly soothing pocket of pictorial pleasure.
Intelligibility is another country – they do things differently there. Like the imaginings of a lunatic's opium dream, cut-up images are strung wildly across an imaginative subconscious, only just held in check by a free-form, logic-defying navgiation system. As such, it offers the visitor one of those rare net experiences – an aimless wander through space and image, delivering uplifting vistas of vacuumed vitality.
In their spare time, top design company Hyro unleash their creative talents to satisfy their ludic impulses and build award-winning games. These include a potentially infuriating pair-matching sound-memory game; "Parachute Panic", whose format is reminsicent of the old handheld Donkey Kong-style games; and "Hover Havoc", a battle of bashing boats that recreates the coin-op boat pools so prevalent in seaside arcades.
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