Net Surf
Tune In, Turn On, and Rock Out I've visited my share of online rest stops and scenic overviews. But since the arrival of the colossal paradigm shift that is the Web, I've noticed that my favorite haunts and mom and pop stores are now overshadowed by looming skyscrapers and less elegant strip malls. Make no mistake, the Net is open for business.
The independent music industry has long been aware of the benefits that accompany being wired, having distributed catalogs and other pieces of propaganda via ftp, e-mail, and Usenet newsgroups for years now. With the advent of the Web, more powerful and less expensive hardware, and a growth in online subscribers, it's become cheaper and easier for musicians and labels to reach a broadening online audience.
One of the first Web sites to cater exclusively to independent music was the Internet Underground Music Archive (http://www .iuma.com). Since its inception, IUMA has evolved from a pet project of two independent-music aficionados to a full-fledged business. Visitors to IUMA will find one of the most colorful and superbly crafted Web sites around. IUMA features MPEG2 music samples, artist bios, and album artwork of more than 400 bands. These can be browsed via an alphabetical index or, in many cases, through links to the record label's home page. IUMA also features a periodicals section. Here, one can sift through information on hip new music rags or browse the virtual pages of Addicted to Noise, the Rolling Stone of the Internet. Version 2, IUMA's new-and-improved-coming-real-soon-now iteration, will add online ordering capabilities to the Net soup. Ah, consumer bliss!
Not surprisingly, IUMA's success has opened the online flood-gates. Sound Wire (http://soundwire.com), which started out as an online record store, has become another haven for music hounds. The graphics aren't as slick as IUMA's, but what Sound Wire lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in content.
Sound Wire is easily browsed alphabetically by artist. And, like IUMA, you can read about each band, listen to sample tracks, or check out album covers. "Joe's Picks" is another great feature: a special section in which Sound Wire chief Joe Maissel recommends his favorite new releases. Best of all, ordering via Sound Wire is simple: jump over to the online order form (you need a forms-capable Web browser like Netscape), fill in your name and address, enter the items you wish to order, and select a payment method. Sound Wire accepts VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Netcash (http://www .netbank.com/~netcash/), and First Virtual (http://www.fv.com). In addition, Sound Wire can handle PGP-encrypted transactions – a definite plus for anyone concerned about online security.
Finally, while both IUMA and Sound Wire offer a great deal to the independent music fan, CDConnection (telnet cdconnection.com, or check out the considerably weaker archive at http://ftp.cdconnection.com) and CDEurope (telnet cdeurope.com) are the premi�re online record stores, offering more than 100,000 different domestic and import releases. Their interfaces will remind many surfers of the pre-Mosaic "Industrial Age" of the Net, but their selection is nothing to scoff at. Fearless Internauts, the service age is upon us. The Net is no longer just about information wanting to be free. In fact, "free" has nothing to do with it. So, surf the Net, brace yourself for the crushing wave of consumerism, and keep your credit card handy.
Robert Wyatt (rob@bedazzled.com)
Tune In, Turn On, and Rock Out Buzzing with activity (and information), GEARS is a honeycomb dripping with bee lore. Find it at http://gears .tucson.ars .ag.gov/.
["nurse" id="nurse"><stronet, I Presume…</strong><br> Pushed to your limit? Those voices in your head gettin' you down? Having trouble distinguishing reality from loony-toon fantasy? Sounds like it's](undefined)
e://www.galcaltech.edu/~ta%20/cgi-bin/asylhome-ta">The Asylum</a> provides a comfy set of padded, virtual walls for Net brains that have been pushed too far. Amenities include a gonzo psychological questionnaire for prospective inmates and the world's first interactive Lite Brite� server, so you can make pretty pictures in your ce://www.galcit.caltech.edu/~ta%20/cgi-bin/asylhome-ta">://www.galcit.caltech.edu/~ta /cgi-bin/asylhome-ta</a>, but bring yk of Juicy Frrawk" id="rawk"> <p><strong>Rawk 'n' Roll</strong><br> Fans and aficionados seeking like musical minds and ears now have a place to rap. ROCKLIST, a mailing list dedicated to the academic examination of popular music in all its various forms, welcomes discussion from cultural, historical, sociological, political, feminist, philosophical, and theoretical perspectives, thoug
ssion is in no way limited to these categories.</p> <p>ROCKLIST is unmoderated, allowing for the free exchange of ideas in an open and diverse environment. However, respect for others and for differing opinions is expected. Anyone with an academic or scholarly interest in popular music that both transcends and embraces fandom is welcome to
m/wired/archive/3.05/mailistserv@kentvm.kent.edu">listserv@kentvm.kent.edu</a> with sub rocklist as the text of the md.com/wired/archive//mailto:rocklist@kentvm.kent">rocklist@kentvm.kent</a> .edu. Questions regarding ROCKLIST should be directed to jntvm.kent.edu. <a na="honey"> <p><strong>Honey of a Home Page</strong><br> As you drizzle some honey on that slice of toast, your eye catches a headline in the morning paper: "Killer Bees Coming Our Way: California, Arizona, Texas in Danger." Not sure what to make of it all? Get your hive mind in gear and see what's buzzing at the largest collection of bee- and pollination-related information on the Web. Some of the first bees in cyberspace just went online at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. This USD
Sserver:</p> <a href="http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/">The al Entomology Agricultural Research Server (GEARS)</a>. It's much friendlier than its name, and a way-cool site to boot. GEARS offers 12 browsable areas, including research, publications, beekeeping industry tips, an Internet classroom, downloadable software, insect movies, the sound room (Know what "queen piping" is? Find out here), an art gallery featuring insect photographs, plus hyperlinks to other entomology-related sites on the Web. GEARS is riddled with innovative graphics, and materials are updated weekl.com/wired/archive/3.ailto:candyman@ccit.arizona">/wired/archive/3.05/mailtchmann@ccit.arizona.edu">buchmor GEARS at <a href="http://geaucson.ars.ag.gov/">http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/</a honey of a tway" id="way"> <p><strong>Go Your Own Way</strong><br> My cat is dead and I'm not feeling so good myself. I lost my job, my wife, my house, my friends, my refrigerator/freezer with the crushed-ice maker in the door. But I'll tell you, even though I lost the remote and the TV's been stuck on C-SPAN 2 for a week now, I refuse to com-pletely r
qref="http://webcom.commicool%20/IDi/welcome.html">Interactive Death inc.</a> has my number – I visited its Web site and filled out a death request form. Providing they verify my payment, I'll be jetting off with Saint Peter to those pearly gates on high within the week. I had my pick of gruesome exits – beheading, lethal injection, poison gas�. I chose plastique. That's Cand it makes quite an impression on the neighbors. <p>If you've decided to pass on, but worry about leaving friends or family with a messy aftermath, don't miss the cleanup service special – only US$149.9
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cref="http://webcom.com/~semicool%20/IDi/welcotml">http://webcom.com/~semicool /IDi/weme.html</a>, and put that last nail in the coffin
mce the spirit of equality that Marley sang of.</p> <p>Appropriately, a celebration of the life and accomplishments of this jamming Rastaman now shines
="http://www.netaxs%20/~aaron/Marley/Marley.html">A Marley Storyboard</a> collects together the shared thoughts of many who have been touched by Marley and his musical love vibrations. Pictures, music, and links to other reggae Web sites round out the tribute. Make a pilgri="http://www.netaxs.com%20/~aaron/Marley/Marley.">http://www.netaxs.com /~aaron/Marley/ley.html</a>, and splash in the cyber-rasta waves. <p>Get a sneak peek at the digital artists of the 21st century. The work of y
,d at Plugged In:</p> <ef="http://www.plugged.org">httgged.org</a>.<a name="TVirt"> <p><strong>I Want My MTVirt Space</stron
ret their Web bers to</p> <a href="http://mtv.com">http://mtv.com</a> for the best of MTV's new animation online. The site contains more than 20 QuickTime movies of Liquid Television, the new Oddities series, The Head," "The Maxx," and more than 20 JPEG and GIF files scanned from the original cels. Also, don't skip the extensive sound library with more than 30 sound bites. You'll even find a 7-Mbyte QuickTime movie from Eric Fogel, the creator of "The Head." The Web site has a convenient high-speed or low-speed option for those of us who don't have the wondrous speed of a T1, and there is enough great stuff here to provide you with hours of fun-filading pleasure.<a name="ASCII <p><strong>Random ASCII
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darts of an �lite group of otherwise idle wits.</p> <p>Presently, the guide, edited by Steve Baker and Alex McLintock, contains more than 300 articles, some real, some unreal, and some semi-real (predominantly
tites,</p> <a href="http://www.wme <a href="http://web.cs.city.ac.uk/pgg/g%2ttp://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl%20/~vdmeulen/index.htmttef="http://aurora.etsiig%20.uniovi.es:3080/~~pn/">h>; or <a href="http://www%20.realtiet/~lthumper/">http://www .realtime.net/~lthumper/</a>, and you'llost agaipeout" id="wipeout"> <p><strong>Wipeout!</strong><br> We unfortunately neglected to credit a few digital artistes extraordinaires in our March issue (pages 156 and 157). From left to right, the first two images were created by Brett Wagner, the third image by Ranjit Bhatnager, and the fourth by Har
Wef="http://www%20.mcs.net/~wallach/paris/panicml">http://www .mcs./~wallach/paris/panic1.html</a>. Great work, guys! <p>Als
atp://gert.art.uiuc.edu%20/ludgtp://gertrude.art.uiuc.edu%20/ludgate/the/place.htmltp://gertrude.art.uiuc.edu /ludgatehtml</a>.<a name="surfteam" id="sustrong>Than
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l/wired/archive/3.05/mailtcnn@ccit
zd.com/wired/archive//lto:mischief@
tred/archive/3.05/mailto:marioa@public.
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u.com/wired/archive/3.ao:ssihc@cunyv
ny.edu">ssihc@cunyvm.cuny.edu</a> <p>Elliott Stone</p>
