A look inside the computer hacker culture. Features interviews with well-known hackers; Dan Farmer, author of a hacker program called "SATAN" and Aleph1, whose <underground.org> web site was hot linked in the recent break-in of the CIA homepage. Also features members of the Cult of the Dead Cow, an elite hacker organization, and a guide to hacker web sites. Shot on location at the Coffee.Net in San Francisco.
A look at various web sites that focus on aliens and unidentified flying objects. Guests include Dan Plonsie, webmaster for berkeley.edu, a site that has lots of information about UFOs and spacey topics; Jerry Bjornson, head of Abductees Anonymous, an organization for people claiming to have been abducted by aliens; and "Chris" (also known as Schwa Head) who reviews several flying saucer sites including MUFON and Schwa Corporation.
The early internet became an instant hit with political organizations and movements that had previously felt shut out of the mainstream press. This program looks at several examples of how the web was being used for political advocacy. Maureen Mason shows us the Institute for Global Communications web site which includes links to PeaceNet, EcoNet, ConflictNet, LaborNet, and WomensNet. Eric Hughes, the founder of Cypherpunks, a group working to preserve privacy on the net through encryption, explains the Cypherpunks Manifesto. Jory Bell demonstrates the Anarchists Press web site, akpress.org.
The early days of the web provided an outlet for people who wanted to explore ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and other scary things. This program looks at several such sites. Guests include Lady Caroline (Carrie Carolin) who runs cascade.net, a portal for Gothic sites and links to sites dealing with magic, haunted houses, Halloween, the paranormal and the occult. Vinnie Corella and Phil Simon show off their site, stepcross.com and the game Bad Mojo in which you go through life as a cockroach. Rowan Fairgrove is a witch and guides us through various witchcraft sites on the web including the Covenant of the Goddess.
The internet quickly became a home for special interest groups, among them, women. This program looks at several early web sites focused on women's issues. Sites covered include lesbian.org, fatgirl.com, fatso.com, WomensNet, diva.com, creative.net (a site for the Exotic Dancers Alliance), and bitchmag.com.
An episode of the Net Cafe series dealing with online games and sites about gaming. Includes Quake, Full Throttle, TEN (the Total Entertainment Network), Meridian 59, and MUD sources (Multi User Dimension). Includes a CyberBlast segment, an early experiment in downloading software through the television signal.
As web designers tried to make the internet look more like the "real" world, they experimented with three dimensional online environments. This program looks at several early examples. Mark Pesci explains VRML, the virtual reality modelling language. Chris Stuart demonstrates blacksun.com, a web site that uses VRML technology. Annette Louden demonstrates construct.net, an online environment for building VRML sites. Rick Denny and Skuli Mogensen of OZ, Inc. demonstrate their 3D web tools for building avatars.
Musicians were immediately hooked on the web, seeing its potential as a community builder and a creative outlet. This program looks at several early music sites including fogworld.com, the site for Fog City Records. Also turntable.com, a site that pioneered enhanced CDs and worked with such groups as the Beastie Boys. Michael Moroney, creator of virginrecords.com, guides us through his site and several music fan sites. Also featured is Severe Tire Damage, the first band ever to perform live on the internet. Josh Gabriel demonstrates Mix Man software, one of the first software programs that enabled music novices to create their own mixes.
Hollywood quickly discovered the web as a tool for promoting films. But filmmakers have also discovered the web as a new medium for sharing information and distributing their creative output. This program looks at several Hollywood oriented web sites including atasite.org, the site for the Artists Television Access organization; a site devoted to the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"; and lowres.com, a site that runs an online film festival. Ed Martinez, a Hollywood special effects expert, guides us through web sites focused on special movie effects. Also a demonstration of Stephen Spielberg's Directors Chair, software that lets you create your own movies and run a Hollywood production studio.
One of the early drivers in the growth of the internet was the topic of dating and romance. This episode of Net Cafe looks at some early examples of sites devoted to love, in various forms. Sites reviewed include globalmatch.com; divaweb.com and its famous advice columnist Midori; Bianca's smut shack at bianca.com; divanet.com, a site offering sexy online shopping and style advice from Nina Rage; the CyberFetish UberMall, and urge2merge.com. This show also includes a look at several safe kid sites to make sure your children don't accidentally wander into some of these sites. Included are cyberpatrol.com, netnanny.com, ratedpg.com, and sheperd.net.
This early episode of Net Cafe looks at art and artists on the Web including collaborative art sites. Web sites covered are sito.org, art.net, artnet.com, srl.org, metroactive.com, crashsite.com, and Fractal Painter. Guests include Lynne Hershman Leeson, Annette Louden, Lile Elam, Eric Paulos, and Jeremy Sutton.
It all started with "The Well" but now, from the regular chat rooms to "The Palace", web surfers are creating their own virtual communities independent of geography and held together by stong bonds of friendship and affinity.
The web became a home for unusual approaches to scientific research. This episode of Net Cafe looks at several examples including The Annals of Improbable Research, the IgNobel Awards, Telegarden, spiritofamerica.com, PigDog, The Twinkies Project, and the Mad Science Guy.
One of the first ecommerce successes on the internet was buying airline tickets and travel packages. This program looks at some of the first online travel booking sites. Demonstrations include earthwatch.org, a site for adventure travel. Also lonelyplanet.com, one of the earliest attempts to put travel guides on line. Another site, roadsideamerica.com, offered advice on "strange and wacky" vacations. Other travel sites shown are eathere.com, terraquest.com, magna.com, epicurious.com, thetrip.com, urbanaccess.com, greentortoise.com, infohub.com, and brainlink.com.
It is said that one of the most important social aspects of the internet is that it levels the playing field for people and provides new access for users with ideas. This program looks at several examples of sites that provide a platform for a variety of diverse interests. Guest DaMeila Drayton demonstrates Teenage Empowerment and introduces several teen chat sites that focus on topics of interest especially to teenagers. Muki Izora demonstrates oceanbank.com and the Plugged In program aimed at low-income families living in urban communities. Lisa Wahl shows us ataccess.org, el.net, and planemath.com, sites that offer accessibility for people with disabilities. Josue Guillen guides us through Labour Net, GreenNet, and PeaceNet, sites which help marginalized communities get their voices heard.
Sure, the web is full of information, but it also has lots of false information. How do you tell the difference? This program looks at the problem of disinformation on the internet. Robert Schafer shows us csicop.org, a site that features the Skeptical Inquirer, an online journal which debunks phoney online stories. John Whalen demonstrates conspire.com, a site that focuses on real and surreal conspiracy theories. David Mikkelson runs urbanlegends.com, another site devoted to debunking fake stories circulated on the web. Richard Metzger demonstrates disinfo.com.
We're now all familiar with mega health sites like webmd.com, but the idea of putting up health resources online started in the first days of the web. This program looks at early examples including thebody.com, a site focused on information for HIV and AIDS patients. Also, the Water Birthing Site; outbreak.org, a site about the spread of the ebola virus; several sites from Masschusetts General Hospital and the Harvard University Medical School; and a demonstration of i-phone
The web has become home to lots of strange claims and outlandish charges, all part of free speech. But some of the people affected by these cyber writings have tried to stifle this new form of expression on the internet. This program looks at several controversial stories which have led to censorship attempts. Topics covered include the Church of Scientology and its efforts to stop online stories critical of the church; the battle between McDonalds and mcspotlight.org, a site critical of McDonalds; and annoy.com, a site that tries to push the limits of online expression.
A review of several web sites about sports. Sites covered include a fan site for the San Francisco 49ers football team, sites for mountain bikers, golfers, and surfers. Also a review of major sports news sites such as cnnsi.com, espn.com, and cbssports.com.
There has always been a synergy between the web and sci-fi fans. This program looks at several science fiction web sites. Guests include Forest Ackerman, a sci-fi filmmaker who runs one of the world's largest real science fiction museums at his mansion in Southern California and who offers virtual visits to his museum online. Sci-fi writer Pam Dixon guides us through great science fiction literature online. Jeff Koga is the ultimate Trekkie and he reviews several Star Trek web sites. For Star Wars fans, Michael Kubeka is our guide to web sites covering everything from Storm Trooper outfits to lightsabers. We also look at hyperion.com, a site for fans of Babylon 5 and the Douglas Adams site on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Even if you don't have a zoo in your city, you can still find out about animals on the web. This program looks at several sites that bring the zoo to you. Topics covered include the new web site for the San Francisco Zoo, a zoology and animals portal run by Rachel Shaw focusing on animal pets, cyberark.com, petsinneed.org, primenet.com, apenet.com, and sites about bigfoot, cryptozoology, and weird virtual pets that only exist in people's imagination. Shot on location at the CyberSMith internet cafe in Palo Alto, California. Hosts are Jane Wither, Andrew deVries, and Stewart Cheifet.
The internet forever changed the relationship between patient and doctor, allowing patients to research their medical conditions online before seeing a doctor. This program looks at several web sites that provide healthcare information. Sites covered include storksite.com, womenshealth.org, healthy.net, med.stanford.edu, gennexhealth.com, quackwatch.com, and sexclinic.com. Guests include Dr. Patti Britton and Dr. Karen Sarpolis.
Coverage of the first annual Webby Awards, recognizing the best sites on the internet. Awards were given in fifteen different categories. San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown presides. Shot on location at Bimbo's night club in San Francisco.
This early Net Cafe program looks at comic book web sites. Included are Jonah Weiland's Comic Book Links, Hellblazer, Sandman, DC Universe, Spawn, The Preacher, Swampthng, Hitman, The Tick, Loving Henry, and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Guests include Alex Curyea, Kristen Brennan, Jhonen Vasquez and Shawn Sanders. Hosts are Jane Wither, Andrew deVries, and Stewart Cheifet. Includes CyberBlast segment, early experiment in downloading software through the television signal.
The internet was heaven for sports fans, providing access to stats and information about any sport from anywhere. Featured sites on this program include sjmercury.com/sports, sportsline.com, cnnsi.com, sportszone.com, instantsports.com, efaxinc.com, wco.com/~ewbrian/49ers.html, surfline.com, and easports.com. Hosts are Jane Wither, Andrew deVries, and Stewart Cheifet. Guest analyst is Larry Magid.
In the nineties, it was hard to imagine that the Internet would become a place where people listened to information and entertainment. This program looks at the early stages of Internet radio including audionet.com, the precursor to Marc Cuban's broadcast.com. Other sites featured include imusic.com, radionet.com, emblaze.com, and nineup.com.
Peek-a-boo! The Net has become much more than a text-based exchange medium. People are now putting their personal lives online, with video. Featured sites include homecams.com, braindump.com, anacam.com, crl.com, simplenet.com, concentric.net/~ballhigh/colorcam.html, chatv.com, and vip.stanford.edu.
War is hell; virtually. This week's Internet Cafe examines what the Web has to offer for those interested in the military. From journals and war games, to activists and veterans, the Net is a veritable foxhole for virtual soldiers around the world.
One of the most popular activities is chatting. Of course, some chat rooms are better than others. A look at the different online options for chat, the psychology of online chat, chat safety rules, and chat netiquette.
One of the early uses of the Internet was to form virtual communities of people with common interests. This program looks at several early communities including The Mining Company (now about.com), HipBONE, PlanetOut, Yahoo Clubs, and GeoCities. Guests include Scott Kurnit, founder of The Mining Company, David Bohnett, founder of GeoCities, and Megan Smith, President & CEO of PlanetOut.
There is no doubt the Internet has changed the way people get their news. While the Net is offering new ways to get local news, it is also providing important world news for those who have moved away from their home community and culture. Features Salon, Knight Ridder Online, Digital High, and IndoLink. Guests include Gary Kamiya, Executive Editor of Salon, Bob Ingle, President of Knight Ridder New Media, and Rebecca Eisenberg of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The major sports news and information sites are still very popular, with up to 5,000 sites devoted to the most popular sports. But now even obscure sports like Gaelic Football, HackySack, and Paddleball have multiple sites.
The web quickly became a popular platform for game playing and gambling. This show looks at several approaches to using the internet as gaming platform. Sites covered include gamespot.com, acrophobia, NetStorm, Activision, bezerk.com, gamers.com, pgl.net, virtualvegas.com, starluck.com, and intercasino.com. Guests include Dennis Fong (Thresh), the world's most successful computer gamer, Rebecca Anderson, Anthony Schubert, Jonathan Knight, and Jon Swartz. Guest analyst is Larry Magid.
A survey of web sites that provide useful information for home improvement projects. Sites reviewed include improvenet.com, netguide.com, homecentral.com, gardening.com, and planetproperties.com. Also features Candi Strecker, known as the HandyGirl. Guest analyst is writer Larry Magid.
One thing the web did was level the playing field for investors. This show looked at several online tools to help small investors. Featured sites include thestreet.com, siliconinvestor.com, justquotes.com, msmoney99.com, and etrade.com. Special guest is Larry Magid, syndicated columnist of the L.A. Times.
The internet changed political activism by providing a new and powerful communications and organization tool. This program reviews several web sites that serve the needs of activist groups. Among those covered are the Barron Park Neighborhood Association (BPA) web site and the Palo Alto College Terrace Residents Association (CTRA) web site. Also reviewed are smartvoter.org, lwv.org, mpac.org (a site for AMILA, American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism), igc.org, the site for the Institute for Global Communications, and sierraclub.org.
How much should we monitor and control children's access to the web? Indeed, whether we should do it at all is one of the big questions that faces the Internet community. This week's show features guests and sites devoted to and about children and how to keep the net safe for them. Guests include Larry Magid, creator of safekids.com and Rob McHugh, producer for Yahooligans.
The web has become a major research source for space science and astronomy. This program looks at the SETI project, solar eclipses, space science education, the controversy over the Martian "face", and the lunar prospector mission.
In the late nineties, the world began catching up with the U.S. in internet access and involvement in the web. This show looked at the international aspects of the net. Featured sites include irishabroad.com, tonic.to, globetv.com, babelfish.altavista.com, and apc.org.
Before Google, you had to be a bit more creative to find information on online. This program looked at several strategies. Featured sites include mapblast.com, infopeople.berkeley.edu, planetall.com, imdb.com, and wwwomen.com.
A look at how web sites deal with the subject of death. Sites featured include an information site on cemeteries, a tribute to the passing of Jerry Garcia, a virtual 3D graveyard, the pop culture death pool, and a virtual pet cemetery.
The internet quickly became a platform for spreading jokes and humorous content of all sorts. This program from 1998 looks at some of the early humor sites on the web. Among them, suck.com, aprilfools.com, rubberchicken.com, jigsoftware.com, 40kmiracle.com, thecorporation.com, and zenda.com.
Getting therapy online may not be the best way to deal with personal issues, but the internet is providing new tools for self-fulfilment. Featured sites on this program include wespsych.com, sonoma-aids.org, thetherapist.com, processes.org, and support-group.com. Also a look at Internet addiction. Featured guests are psychologist Dr. Nancy Wesson and Larry Magid of the L.A. Times.
One of the fast growing applications on the early internet was chat. This program looks at several approaches to online chatting. Featured sites include activeworlds.com, concretecam.simplenet.com, CU-SeeMe, talkcity.com, daveyd.com, and talk.excite.com. Featured guests include Larry Magid of the L.A. Times and Jo Kraus, cofounder of Excite, Inc.
The web has become a great place to find jobs. This show looked at several employment sites including monsterboard.com, individualsoftware.com, hotwired.com/dreamjobs, bridgesonline.com, and listfoundation.org (a spinoff of craigslist.org). Guests include Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.
As the web grew, virtually every movie put up a web site. This show looks at several early uses of the internet by Hollywood. Featured sites include moviecritic.com, film.com, hsx.com, and skinema.com.
Like most new communications technologies, sex drove the early days of the Internet. This program looks at the explosion of online sex sites. Featured guests include Danni Ashe, the cover girl for the online sex industry. Sites covered include nervelink.com, danni.com, one-and-only.com, salon.com, and askisadora.com.
As the web grew in popularity, individuals started creating their own personal web sites. This program looked at several examples. Featured sites include homestead.com, shadowsong.com, aimnet.com, gamefun.com, and webpagesthatsuck.com. Guests include Larry Magid of the L.A. Times.
The internet provided new ways to manage money, invest money, and lose money. This program looked at several online financial services. Featured sites include quicken.com, digicash.com, financialengines.com, wellsfargo.com, and gomez.com. Guests include Stanford Professor and Nobel Prize winner in economics, William Sharpe and L.A. Times technology writer Larry Magid.
The big buzzword in the late nineties was "portal". Every web site wanted to become the place people went to first so that they could monetize the traffic. This program looked at several would-be portal sites including excite.com, citysearch.com, hotbot.com, bud.com, links.net, and netscape.com.
The web has become a major research source for space science and astronomy. This program looks at the SETI project, solar eclipses, space science education, the controversy over the Martian "face", and the lunar prospector mission. Hosts are Andrew deVries and Stewart Cheifet. Special guests include Ken Bollinger of NASA and Larry Magid of the L.A. Times.
As the Internet gets to be a bigger part of our lives, it's perhaps inevitable that it has gained some of the vices of life, too. Having been a relatively benign place to meet people and hang out, the Web is now somewhere that sees its fair share of criminal behaviour, and an often helpful medium for gaining knowledge on the topic.
Thousands of home pages celebrate people's pets and just about every animal under the sun has at least a few Websites devoted to it. And of course, a huge number of e-commerce sites now offer everything from exotic animals themselves to everything you need to keep a pet. We take a look at animals online.
One thing the web did was level the playing field for investors. This show looked at several online tools to help small investors. Featured sites include thestreet.com, siliconinvestor.com, justquotes.com, msmoney99.com, and etrade.com. Hosts are Jane Wither, Andrew deVries, and Stewart Cheifet. Special guest is Larry Magid, syndicated columnist of the L.A. Times.
There are Web sites for children, students, adults, and seniors to learn more about the world. We'll give you an overview of the sites available including homework helpers, online college courses, and sites specifically geared to seniors.
Ever tried to make up a mnemonic to remember a phone number? Or want to know how to say "I love you" in Finnish? There are many web sites that may not be cutting edge, but are fun to visit. We'll take you on a tour of the lighter side of the Internet.
Skip the mall, shop online. Whether you're looking for a best seller or a first edition, there are plenty of web sites where you can find books and more. We'll check out some great stores, auctions, and find out how safe it is to use your credit card online.
Did aliens land in Roswell? Were there others involved in JFK's assassination? Are organs being taken from prisoners in China and sold to rich patients needing transplants? We'll explore the World Wide Web to find out who thinks there are conspiracies taking place.
Today there is so much great stuff online for kids! Now, more than ever, there is enough to engage them online without them having to explore the wider and less regulated world of sites designed for adults. Net Cafe takes a look at sites directed at the younger generation of Web surfers.
From super-fast connections, sites that get their input from super-remote places, the wearable Web, to a site that offers tons of interactive data about natural disasters, we take a look at sites and services that take the Web to a new extreme.
From the joke of the day to email traffic in bawdy stories, the web has become a major platform for humor. This program looks at several early humor web sites including useless-facts.com, netfunny.com, mockingbirdmedia.com, simpleton.com, and the Berkeley Systems online game "Get The Picture".
The internet has become home to many new age organizations and movements. This program looks at several examples including astrology.net, itsyoga.com, the Berkeley Psychic Institute, the Covenant of the Goddess, reclaiming.org, and SETI@home.
People are turning to the Net to manage there money. Is it safe and reliable? We take a look at managing your investments online.
As online buying grew, so did concern for consumer fraud on the web. This program looked at various ways to protect online consumers. Featured sites include bloomberg.com, privaseek.com, iescrow.com, consumernet.org, and consumer-action.org.
People collect all kinds of strange things and many of them now use the web to extend their hobby. This show looks at several web sites dealing with hobby collections. Topics covered include the online auction of Butterfield and Butterfield, online book collectors, auctionwatch.com, the Vintage Computer Festival, and the art web site of SF MOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
At the height of the dot com boom, web creators were recognized at an annual gala event called the Webby Awards. This year's awards ceremony was held at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Awards were given for best web site in twenty-two different categories. Emcees at the event were Marina Berlin and comedian Mark Marin. This program shows highlights from the first half of the awards ceremony.
At the height of the dot com boom, web creators were recognized at an annual gala event called the Webby Awards. This year's awards ceremony was held at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Awards were given for best web site in twenty-two different categories. Emcees at the event were Marina Berlin and comedian Mark Marin. This program shows highlights from the second half of the awards ceremony.
Job hunting resources on the Internet are abundant. We'll take you to one with an electronic water cooler so you can see what people inside think about the company you're applying to as well as get tips from CareerBabe.com.
Up until now, the Web has been mostly used for finding information, doing research, chatting, and exchanging email. But now the Web is challenging television as a primary entertainment medium. A look at new Web sites that offer movies, videos, music, and cartoons.
Whether you wish to track your ancestors or attempt to locate your birth parents, there are hundreds of free resources online to help.
A program in the special series on new internet startups. Sites covered include knightridderdigital.com, nielsennetratings.com, fancast.com, and sidestep.com.
Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle is featured in this program on new internet startups. Sites covered include fabric8.com, teoma.com (now AskJeeves), ehobbies.com, and archive.org.
In this 'Classic Café' episode, we go back in time to take a look at various websites that were just beginning to be valuable resources for people doing home improvement work.
This is part one of a special two-part series on Net Cafe featuring an in-depth interview with Nicholas Negroponte, Director of the MIT Media Lab, author of Being Digital, and columnist for Wired magazine.
This is part two of a special two-part series on Net Cafe featuring an in-depth interview with Nicholas Negroponte, Director of the MIT Media Lab, author of Being Digital, and columnist for Wired magazine.
A program in the special series on new internet startups. New sites covered include novica.com, joesparks.com, aorafting.com, and morpheus.com. The online animation series Radiskull and Devildoll is featured.
A program in the special series on new internet startups. Sites featured include indymedia.org, babycenter.com, listen.com, and saddletech.com.