Five weeks later and the end of the road is in sight. The Webby Awards are the Web equivalent of the Oscars, and are presented to the best of the best in 27 different categories. I'm picking my favourite and the runner-up in each category. Last week I got to Politics.
Just nine categories left.
Print & Zines
Every Web 'zine in this category deserves a Webby for attempting, Utne Reader style, to promote literate, alternative news coverage and analysis that goes deeper than conventional news. This is free speech at its best.
Two of the Zines dealt primarily with sex, art and politics, and the other three were a mix of politics, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
After careful consideration, I chose Feed at www.feedmag.com as my pick for the Webby, and Plastic at www.plastic.com as the top runner up.
Feed collects news and views from around the world and around the Web on a daily basis so the content is always fresh and generally controversial. Every story or column invites public input, and you can read these different opinions and reactions - most readers are generally quite literate and insightful. They also often represent various fringe groups, so you can always see a side to the story that you would never have seen in a million years.
Plastic is similar to Feed in that it is a recycler of news from around the Web. On the front page alone, you can find headlines from over 15 different alternative sources. You can also make and read comments on every story. If it has a flaw compared to Feed, it's that there are almost too many titles to read - how much free time does anyone have to read them all - and it isn't updated as frequently.
Radio
Personally, I would like to see this category go to the BBC World Service at www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice . CBC used to carry BBC World new feeds at around two in the morning and I would tune in whenever I was pulling an all-nighter. They had correspondents in countries I never heard of, and in the middle of wars that the mainstream media forgot to mention. Nothing is missed. The BBC truly sets the standard for news radio on a scale I can't even begin to comprehend.
For runner-up, I'd choose COMFM at www.comfm.com . They can direct you to almost 4,300 online radio feeds around the world, hundreds of Web cams, and special features such as live concerts.
Science
Chances are you had a science or math teacher at your school who used to bend over backwards to make their subject 'cool'. I had a science teacher who used to blow things up at the beginning of every class, and a math teacher who took us on a field trip to Laser Dark Side of the Moon at the Planetarium to drive home the importance of physics and geometry. Science on the Web is a lot like this.
My favourite site in this category would have to be Dive and Discover at www.divediscover.whoi.edu . This oceanography site takes you aboard a submarine on five different expeditions to the ocean floor, exploring geothermal vents and volcanoes, and studying the extreme bacteria that survive in these conditions. The study could contribute to a better understanding of our origins, and the possibility of life on other planets. The pictures are cool, the graphics are first rate, and if I didn't have a persistent sinus infection all through high school, it might have inspired me to take up marine biology.
Number two would have to be Molecular Expression at www.micro.magnet.fsu.edu/index.html . This site includes everything to do with optics, whether it's the world through a microscope or the universe through a telescope. One of the most amazing features on the site is called "The Silicon Zoo", and features microscopic pictures of the various cartoons and symbols that engineers - demonstrating a sense of humour I never knew existed - embedded onto the their microchips. You will be blown away.
Services
On the utilitarian side of the Internet, I chose Volunteer Match at www.volunteermatch.org . There are thousands of charities out there to choose from, many of which appear to represent similar causes from slightly different perspectives, or with a slightly different focus. There is also a lot of overlap. At Volunteer Match, you answer questions about where you live, what times you have available, and what kinds of charities you would like to support. The computer will then provide you with contact information for a list of possible matches in your area.
For the runner-up, I chose www.planetfeedback.com , a consumer site that allows you to register a complaint, compliment or a question that will be forwarded to the proper agency. All this feedback is collected, everything from "the transmission fell out of my new car" to "the waiter looked down my date's shirt", and businesses are rated. You can read these comments before you buy that brand of car or take a date to that restaurant.
