Articles

By Stefan Sojka

Videoconferencing at Picturetel
www.picturetel.com
This slick, professional, but friendly site introduces you to the real world of commercial video conferencing. Stacked with info, links, products, services and systems, if your company wants to get with the future of communications, picturetel has done your homework for you.
Verdict: They been at it since 1984, they got it happpenin'
Funky Rating: ****

CuSeeMe - Links
www.tnl-online.com/infolink/cuseeme.html
Ignore the dull design, here is your doorway to excitement. A long list of reflectors to try will get you splashing yourself across the globe in no time. Check the reflector etiquette brief, after all, this is a mighty fine service and deserves respect, not that you'll respect yourself much once you get on line and start ripping your gear off and gyrating in front complete strangers.
Verdict: More reflectors than Quadrophenia's motorbikes.
Funky Rating: ***

The ICU
www.trey.com/cuseeme
What is a video-phone? What can it do? What can I do with it? Questions, questions, questions. The ICU is a connecting point to personal and professional CU-SeeMe sites that may give you all the answers. Both general and adult-oriented sites are listed as well as hints and tips on how to get up and viewing. Check out the 'Others' experiences' page to see what you could be in for.
Verdict: Worth a visit if only for the screen shots.
Funky Rating: ***

Four -11 Directory Services
www.four11.com
All the high-tech computer cameras in the world won't help you if all you do is end up looking at yourself. So, who can you call? Let the Four - 11 Directory come to your aid. As well as an extensive list of Cu-SeeMe , Connectix Videophone, Netscape CoolTalk, VDO Phone, NetSpeak WebPhone, Intel Internet Phone users, this slick site also covers Email and telephone directories. The good news is it covers most countries. The bad new is... there is no bad news. Just click on the name to hook up to the user. Haven't got the software? You can get it from here as well.
Verdict: Bookmark it but don't tell Telstra!
Funky Rating: *****

By Stefan Sojka

1. What is your take on how we arrive at being artists? Do you think it's natural, we are born with it, or do you think its a choice? (I am not talking about professional artists here).

There are many reasons to be sure, and I have observed many of these reasons in myself and others I have met. They range from a desire to express the creative muse that burns within, to a childish or narcissistic need to be liked. Because pop music appears to be an easy road to fame and fortune i.e. write a three chord song and become a mega star, many people I have known become caught up in that illusion, rather than actually perfecting the craft, and learning the professional skills to survive in the music business, because it is a business, and all the three chord mega stars are merely fodder for the manufacturers of their music.
For every rich and famous songwriter there are a lot of fairly well-off unknowns and probably 1,000 unknown amateurs, so anyone contemplating song writing should understand the odds, no matter what their motivation is. These days it seems everyone is having their creativity encouraged, and the tools are so accessible, so really being an artist is becoming a more and more common thing. Being a good artist that anyone gives a damn about experiencing your artistic output is another issue altogether.

I got into music to 1) express myself freely, 2) To make money doing that and 3) to get laid.
My grandfather was a very successful composer, writing music for Hollywood films, including a couple of Alfred Hitchcock movies. He was head of Warner Bros Music Dept and BBC Music Department in England for many years. My uncles also were talented musicians and writers. So I guess talent could be a slightly genetic thing. I started playing and writing at a very early age, and naturally fell into playing in bands in school and after school. After initial immediate success that I had in my local region as a performer of my own music, the band split up, and I found myself forced to continue performing to earn a living to get by financially, as it was 1) easy and 2) what I enjoyed doing 3) made it easier to pick up girls. Things have changed a little since then. My creative muse burns stronger than ever, but my need to earn a living out of music is dwindling.
Unfortunately, without the right vehicle for my own music, since chemistry is such an important aspect of the success of a combo, I had to play predominantly cover versions to make money. This did allow a great training ground to learn the styles and feels of a great variety of music, which I can now draw upon in my writing and performing. So I guess you could say I was born a gifted musician, but I fell into being a career performer, through lack of options at the time. There was no Internet, multimedia or JJJ Unearthed back then. I had no financial support from my family at the time and music is an expensive hobby, so I had to keep making the good money playing covers to buy all the professional equipment to make the sounds I wanted.

Music is about the only career, besides maybe radio, film, TV or advertising, that you can take recreational drugs on the job and actually enhance your job skill set and get promoted and more popular just for being wasted. Jimi Hendrix, Oasis, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, the list is endless. Given this fact, I have been very conscious not to fall into this trap, and have only used drugs for creative purposes in extreme moderation.
I have seen many musicians get hooked on all kinds of drugs, because their heroes were doing it, but they forgot that their hereos actually practiced and perfected their craft long before embarking on a career of being shit-faced all the time. It is easy to become an artistic drug addict rather than a drug-taking artist. Certain drugs can enhance the perception of music, which is why so many of the greats have indulged, but the techniques of playing instruments and recording music become rather more difficult when intoxicated. The exception to this would be the "uppers", like speed, cocaine and ecstasy. It is common knowledge that many a studio musician has a line of something to give them the "edge" when they are laying down their tracks. Now with Techno and Rave music being so popular, both the creators of the music and the listeners are indulging, and in fact some of the musical styles of today have actually been designed to be experienced exclusively in enhanced states of consciousness. It is no different to the drinking songs of the past, ("Red Red Wine" or the jazz styles that were developed while everyone was into the whacky weed, but nowadays the choices are far more diverse, making it much harder to 1) know what is right for you and 2) not let the drugs take over. Of course you can still make music without drugs, and that is probably the best thing to do, and the highest standard to achieve, but it is almost a given that somewhere along the manufacturing chain in the recording business, there is a drug-user contributing to your career. I include alcohol in this, since alcohol is a strong drug. The legality or illegality of drugs is irrelavant, I think, in a discussion about art and life.

2. Do you think that there is a difference between art and craft? This might be good for the songwriters to write back - do you think that songwriting is an art or a craft which you apply skills you know to do the task? Is it a mix of both?

Yes. The art is the inspiration and the deep inner voice or urge to express something important to the world in a musical and/or lyrical form, and the craft is the ability to not make it sound like crap. Some songwriters have a high degree of art and a low degree of craft, and others vice versa, but with the appropriate combination, a successful mix can be achieved. Nick Cave, for example is highly regarded by many as an "artist" without playing more than a few chords and never training his voice, whilst Stock, Aitken and Waterman can have world-wide hits that everybody loves, simply by contriving the entire thing. I have no doubt that there is an ART to what they do as well, but it is the polish of their craft that makes their brand of music work. I like to think that I have a very even balance of art and craft. I have been playing and learning instruments all my life, trained my voice and learned how to perform through acting classes, but I have always believed in my inner heart-felt urge to create and express something meaningful to make me a complete performer. Even while playing covers, I like to think that I bring my own emotions and expression to all the songs I sing, whilst also doing very authentic technical "covers" of the musical elements of the songs. Now that I am more focussed on performing my own music, this is becoming more and more apparent. The technical side comes easy, and it is the artistic side that I am really trying to capture. It also requires a great degree of artistic empathy from the engineers and musicians I work with to make this happen. I have recorded songs with highly technically proficient musicians and audio engineers that sound rather flat, and others with less proficient people that sound great.

3. Why did you become a professional artist? What made you decide that you wanted to make a living out of your art? Do you see the word 'profession' as including more than just 'making money'?

See above. I was forced to make a living out of it. I think that had I made a living from something else, I may have been an amateur artist for just as long, as you don't make a good living out of art until you begin achieving some kind of popular success. Sure I could have done a few festivals and gigs here and there. Over the years, I have probably made more money out of music than most other performers and artists, including many big stars.
Of course profession means more than just making money. There are a lot of rich people who aren't necessarily that professional. It comes down to who you are. Being easy to get along with, not burning too many bridges, showing dedication and a belief in what you do, not giving up too easily, continuing even though things don't go exactly as you had envisaged, and being open to strategic alliances. A lot of artists are so self-absorbed they forget that it takes a huge network of people to create success. They think that they can just be extremely talented and money and fame will naturally flow from that.

I always look at the "thank you" notes on albums to see just how many people made it happen. It is usually quite a large number. Family, friends, fans, believers, empathisers and good business people. It is much easier to make it big if other people think they can make money out of you too, and I think it is the challenge of every artist in this capitalist society, if they want to succeed, to convince at least one other person, who is not an artist, that money can be made if they support your activities. The exception is, of course, if you can convince someone that by supporting you they might lose money, but it is a good tax write-off and they will get the satisfaction of being able to tell their friends they are your patron. I think this happens quite a bit, maybe in Europe more than in Australia, though I have seen examples of it here. Wealthy people who have paid large sums of money to help someone record a CD without really caring if it sold any copies - they can pull it out at diner parties and talk about how they made it happen, and that is enough for them, and a great learning experience for the artist.

4. What is your take on this term 'work and play is one'. That is, by making your passion, your art, your business and life, how do you feel about saying that work and play is one thing for you?

There are aspects that may not be enjoyable, like bills, fixing gear, doing tax, but in the big picture, it is all worth it if my dreams are being fulfilled. I tend to enjoy what I do, and the things I don't enjoy are made less painful by knowing that they are all contributing to my success. Recently I stopped enjoying playing cover songs in pubs, so I have stopped doing that. I need to know that what I am doing for a living is an enjoyable experience.

5. If you were to send a message to people endeavouring to become a professional artist, what would be your message about turning your art into good business practice? i.e the notion of being a good business person as well as being an artist.

I would suggest that anyone who wants to succeed in any field should probably study business and marketing as well as their chosen field. I would also strongly suggest they consider taking courses in personal growth, as quite often the biggest restrictions to success are the ones we place on ourselves. The world is full of millions of opportunities, but often fear or other blocks to our true purpose prevent us from seeing the right path. In the mean time, I would suggest that they get as much experience as they can in a whole range of things, from working in groups or teams, to performing in various formats, to spending time with other more successful people. Look at those that you admire and ask yourself 1) Why do I admire that person and 2) What is it about me that recognises that in them. Sometimes we admire people for the wrong reasons and we really can never hope to be like them, so we might need to look for better heroes. We forget the fact that their life is unique and the circumstances that brought them their success are entirely different to our own. Maybe you like their style, and you like to do a similar style of expression, but how you succeed might be an entirely different path.

Another thing about learning about yourself is that you need to try to understand how the world sees you, because that often determines your success. If you dream of being a catwalk model but you are butt-ugly, chances are you may need to rethink. The same goes for Music. If your voice sounds like Barry White, but you dream of singing songs like Jon Anderson, from the band "Yes", think again. A tenor voice and a baritone voice and a bass voice have distinctive qualities and are perceived by audiences differently. Maybe you will never sing like you thought you could, but you might write great songs, or you might be a great organiser of people. You need to find out who you are and where you fit in, and you need to be happy with who you are. There is no point resenting the fact that you have a bass voice or freckles or lanky legs. You need to find your strengths and capitalise on them. I have seen people waste a lot of years under the illusion that they are going to become something that they never could become in the first place. It takes a long time sometimes to realise who you are and go with it! (Unless you are a twin.)

My other advice would be - listen to the "Sunscreen Song"!! Whatever you do.. listen to the Sunscreen Song…

6. What would be your other messages to send to those endeavouring in your chosen field of art? (tips, what to do, how to do it, which pitfalls to avoid)

Don't think that drugs or lifestyles alone will make you successful. They may inspire you, but they can hinder your professional path as much as they may be able to help it. I am sure that many stars of today are stars because they shared a line of something with a big-time producer, but for every one of those, there are ten thousand people in de-tox, AA, NA, or simply just not cutting the mustard. Be wary of the people you choose to work with. Do all you can to choose people that you can feel a real positive synergy with, rather than sharing the same desire to be rich and famous, the same bars, TV shows or strip clubs, or anything equally as shallow. If you feel like there is a lot of negativity in a working relationship - get out! There is no need for it, and it will hold you back. There is no excuse now as it is now possible to network around the world to find the right chemistry. Make the most of all your positive contacts. People who like what you do - you should keep them informed because one day they may be the one who introduces you to the person that gets you the break you need. It may not be tomorrow - it could be in 10 or 20 years from now.

Be patient. Be flexible enough to re-evaluate your objectives constantly. If your dream is to write a song - record it - become a superstar, maybe you need to be able to let other activities in, like learning your instrument, practicing your art, and discovering yourself. Life is full of miracles, but they don't always go at the pace you think you can dictate at a young age. You can certainly do all you can to make good things happen, but sometimes it is the combination of all your efforts combined with a chance meeting, or even a nasty accident that may help your dreams to begin truly unfolding. The entire universe is huge chance machine, with a nice bit of control somehow designed into everything - including us.

7. What does the word 'success' mean to you in theory? And do you see yourself as a successful professional artist? why?

Success is a constantly evolving thing. It is not a day that you look forward to that you can say "oh now I'm successful" You have to be successful every day to reach the dizzy heights of success you might dream about. I was successful when I was 6 years old. I sang a song and the audience clapped. I was successful at 20 when I auditioned for a band and they chose me. Every event has a number of outcomes. Sometimes it takes huge failures to lead you to ultimate success. I think the world at large will tell you that you are a success by giving you awards and money and accolades, but as we all know, many people who achieve all these things are miserable failures at life. Once the awards ceremony is over, the next hopeful is coming from behind trying to win. Success is the ability to ride the waves of life through thick and thin and be able to say that you are remaining true to yourself as best you can, and creating opportunities for yourself to express that which you really believe you must express. That kind of success will be shared by your friends and family and will be felt as a deeper, more lasting success. You can sit at your breakfast table each day and smile and say to yourself - yep, I'm doing it!!

8. Do you see any specific problems in your chosen field? (the hurdles to pass, society's ignorant views, overcoming perceptions and judgements, any others?)

The fact that everything is market driven. The fact that what might be popular today might not be popular by the time I manage to do it. The fact that it relies heavily on the subjective perceptions of others (this is both good and bad, as all politicians know :-). The fact that it is so competitive. The fact that the glamour can attract a lot of the wrong kind of people into the business. The fact that the media play a large part in deciding someone's success. Now that the internet is here, the fact that everyone thinks they can find an audience, which creates an ocean of flotsam for web-surfers to generally avoid. It makes it harder now to rise to the surface. There are certainly more opportunities, but the emphasis is on "doing it" rather than "doing it well".... and even if you do it well, there are thousands of others who do it well as well! It is hard to see the big picture of art as an endless output of some particular humans for other particular humans to absorb, and surrounding the artists is a huge layer of other particular humans who need to make money from the art. Some of these humans are the same person, naturally! (like you, Gilli :-) These include music shop owners, teachers, record shops, radio stations, publishers, second hand dealers, recording studio owners.... It is hard to see your art as being part of a food chain, but that's what it is. It is up to you to work out how you are going to prosper given this situation, or maybe how you are going to reject it all and create your own machine. That is what I am trying to do, but I know I must operate within the parameters of the global economy, to some extent.

9. Do you see yourself as a student of life? Why? Can you offer any guidance about learning and study in your chosen field?

Yes. That is axiomatic. While you are alive, you are learning. I choose to heed my lessons as much as I can, while others may ignore them, but that is a lesson in itself. If you ignore your bronchitis from smoking for long enough it will turn into emphysema. You will be on your death bed saying "oh yeah, I just realised that smoking does kill". In the more day-to-day things, I learn with every encounter I have with other humans as well as encounters with books, music, internet, nature, inanimate objects, and even with myself, by looking inward and learning what makes me tick.

I suggest people attend personal growth courses - not with any committed belief in their effectiveness, but just with their ability to make you think about things a little differently. I encourage people to learn what things have affected them profoundly in their lives and ask if the effects have been positive or negative. If they have been negative, such as abusive childhoods, being a victim of a crime etc, you need to look at ways to fully come to terms with these things, use the emotional energy created by them in a positive way ie Write a song about it. It doesn't have to be a good song, but it is important that you get the feeling out, so these harmful experiences don't tarnish your life in other ways.

Read a lot. Read autobiographies. Read non-fiction books to help you understand humanity and society so you don't fall innocent prey to its ways, benign as they may be. E.g. if your teacher told you that you have to get a steady job, maybe you don't, but you won't know until you understand why he believed you did.

10. Where do you see the road in the future for the professional artist in your chosen field?

Many more opportunities and many more challenges. A wider playing field, but a far more level one, so the old idea of becoming a star may not be so realistic, but succeeding in life may be well within everybody's grasp. Musicians and artists have a new opportunity to do what the artists of the 60's did, which is change the consciousness of the world with their thoughts. The pen is mightier than the sword, and if you put it to a catchy tune, everyone can sing along. We can all see the planet now from a new perspective, with the information age, satellites and statistical analysis providing clear images and facts about what the hell is going on here. It is kind of scary and kind of awesome that we are all stuck on this planet together and ultimately no matter what God we believe in, if divine intervention doesn't take place, we are 100% responsible as a collective global society to manage the affairs of earth. The thoughts and feelings of the gifted people - the artists, the emotionally intelligent and empathic, expressive souls are hugely important at this time to help steer the human ethos as we evolve in harmony with technology and try to find harmony among ourselves. The artists must first understand themselves and how they fit into this global consciousness, and then they must try to find their own unique voice and create their own stage from which to resonate from. This may be a web site, it may be a newsgroup, it may be a lunch time concert or a march through the streets. It may be my forming alliances with non-musical people that are thinking and working along the same lines, such as social workers, activists, political lobby groups. All th while, though, there is still a need for those to sing and perform the more shallow pop music to keep the less enlightened souls happy, while the evolution takes shape and scoops them up somewhere down the track. If you are an artists and the best you can come up with is "I Love you baby, stay with me, lets go and sniff some flowers in the park, and drink some wine" go for it!! Your three minutes of frivolity will cheer someone up, I'm sure! Music is still about making people feel good after all, even though it is also a powerful force for making people think.

11. Any more info about you? What you are doing? What your goals are? What you've attained?

I am recording my own music. I am writing for a few magazines. I am performing - entertaining people at special events. I am developing new ideas and inventions. I run a Singles Site on the internet www.cyrius.com.au/singles/ I am training to be a radio and TV presenter.

I am net­working with a large number of people to attain my objectives. These are to establish a successful business which will fund my other ventures, to get my music played to a wider audience, to market my board game, to write books, to have films made from my ideas, to develop products that encourage a sustainable future for the planet. To work towards healing the wrongs and the pains of the past - war and child abuse in particular. At this point I have completed 20 years as a successful live performer. I am being published in three different national publications as a writer. My web site has thousands of members and is growing rapidly, my web design business is growing, and I am about to go and record some more songs with my band, Avatar Crash.

By Stefan Sojka

SpaceLand.Net
www.spaceland.net
When you first get into this site, it really feels like you are hovering over your prospective real estate like Tom Cruise in Far and Away, only this time, you're really far and away! This company claims to have official deeds to land on the Moon, Mars and Venus, and is selling it real cheap right now. Apparently some American (of course) company has claimed supreme ownership of all the planets and is subdividing. It's a great gift idea and this English company is very thorough in it's legal clarification, so the deeds will stand up in a court case. Get in now, buy up big. At $2.00 an acre, the price can only go up!
Verdict: It's real, it's cool, and it's a great gift idea - SS
NetWorth: ****

Celestial Registry - Name a Star Gift
www.star-gift-registry.com
What a lovely idea eh? You fall in love with someone to the point of being a stalker, without so much as a glance of acknowledgment. How to get their attention… buy them a goddamn star! In this rather ugly and annoyingly fast moving java banner site, you can get a lovely framed certificate with an official star chart circling one of the quintillion dots of light up there with the name of the stalkee attached. It all sounds perfect, until you read the fine print and see that the whole deal is completely non-official. When your beau finds out, they're gonna smash that stupid plastic fake wall plaque over your dumb-ass head.
Verdict: You may as well name a pebble after someone, and toss it, and your wallet, into the sea. - SS
Net Worth: ***

Lease a Piece of the Moon
www.atlantic.net/~pjs
Here we go, another fraudulent attempt to flog some piece of the universe. This time, it's only a lease! And it's still a fake! For God's sake, if I give my nephew a chunk of moon for Christmas, I want him to develop the land at a later date. Imagine the tears, the heartache, when his dream plot disappears in a puff of smoke as Judge Judy's daughter's gavel falls in favour of the lucky dude with the "official" papers. It's a real land grab up there, these novelty gifts just don't cut it. I'd rather buy a whoopie cushion.
Verdict: Lease a piece of my ass, you charlatans. - SS
NetWorth: *

Lunar Embassy - The Facts about Extraterrestrial Real Estate
www.lunarembassy.com
You have to plan ahead in this life if you want to do well. That's exactly what Mr Dennis M Hope did, and he now owns the entire solar system!! The Lunar Embassy is the only company that can officially grant ownership of extraterrestrial land, so any other company doing it needs their official documents to prove ownership has been passed on. The marketing machine is in full swing. Check out the price list on the UniverseShop. T-shirts $18.95, mugs $10.95, the planet Pluto $250,000!!
Verdict: Accept no substitutes, this is the real scheister. - SS
NetWorth: ****

Lunar Property
texusa.com/Moon
Now here's a twist. Why not flog a piece of the moon off, and bundle it in with a web site? Yeah! It's actually not a bad gift idea. You can get your phony certificate and send it to someone you love to hate, and do them a little web page saying something really witty like, "happy birthday from Uranus!" ha ha ha. That'll be $29.95US thanks! ker-ching!!
Verdict: Now where do you think your friend will want to stick that title deed? - SS
NetWorth: ***

Name a Star - International Star Registry, London
www.starregistry.co.uk
Back in 1979, a very nice Canadian farmer looked up in the sky and wished he could name a star after his daughter. He made a few inquiries and found that he couldn't, so he made a few more inquiries and arranged it so that he could. Word spread of this wonderful gesture, to the point that there are now 750,000 stars officially named after people, organisations and corporations. This is the real thing, and a pretty big venture it is too. There are about 99,999.25 million known stars to go, so start registering!
Verdict: When you wish upon a star, your ego may inflate by far. - SS
NetWorth: ****

CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales)
www.cnes.fr
Luckily this French site has an English version (well, partially, anyway). Au contraire to what you might think after watching a few too many Hollywood movies and CNN news reports, Europe has a pretty extensive space program. X-ray telescopes, space stations, Mars science stations and countless satellite launches put to rest any ideas that NASA is the beginning and the end of space programs. It's all detailed here, but unfortunately the cool educational stuff and meaty bits are all frogs legs and snails.
Verdict: They are so arrogant, aren't they? - SS
NetWorth: ***

JPL Software Archive
www.jpl.nasa.gov/archive/software.html
Here is a nice little array of cool downloadable files for space nuts. Planetariums, Motion Simulators, Shuttle and Satellite Trackers all allow you to be one step closer to feeling more in touch with the heavens above. Not quite as good as being there, but they're working on it for you. After you're done downloading, follow the link back to the jpl.nasa home page for some fascinating detailed info of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Solar System piccies.
Verdict: Not bad, but how many cool little app's can a person's hard drive take? - SS
NetWorth: ***

Space Telescope Science Institute Home Page
www.stsci.edu
You've heard about the Hubble Telescope a thousand times on TV, mainly because it's got a cute sounding name that news readers can pronounce, but really this baby is a beauty. The site is a full run down of the specs, the missions, the mission statement, and of course the awesome pictures from this and a few other giant lenses. It's really quite mind-blowing what's out there, and almost as incredible that we mere specs of universal dust have managed to get such good photos of it all. Still no aliens though.
Verdict: Hubba Bubba! - SS
NetWorth: *****

NASA Human Space Flight
shuttle.nasa.gov
What started off as a cool concept of sending the same vehicle in and out of the atmosphere has grown into a global effort of cosmic proportions. This site is the home base for the entire international space station program, and is constantly updated as the world builds a very large floating research centre. The resources available here are extensive, with history, media releases, fact sheets, real time reports and cameras, and a whole lot more in a compact design with lots of nice mouse-over menu action. You will feel like one of those NASA staff members watching a monitor in the big control room, which, in a way, you now are.
Verdict: Hail NASA, hail space station, hail the human race! - SS
NetWorth: *****

Shuttle Countdown Online
www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/countdown.html
Separate, but not completely unrelated to the previous site, here is a dedicated countdown arena, where everything relating to Space Shuttle flights is detailed and updated. Cargo, weather, technical info, past shuttle missions, along with video feeds, photo library and heaps of reference material make this a well spring for students, teachers or anyone interested in space flight. One day you could be on this mission, so it might pay to get a good understanding of what is involved as the launch time approaches.
Verdict: 5...4...3...2...1... Bookmark!! - SS
NetWorth: *****

NASA Spacelink - An Aeronautics & Space Resource for Educators
spacelink.nasa.gov/.index.html
More NASA, this time dedicated to those in charge of rounding up unruly youngsters and trying to fill their minds with something more useful than MTV and grunge music. There is, naturally, a huge stockpile of stuff here to access. Without this site, the space program's budget would be just that little harder to justify to congress. Material to fill a couple of good years of your students' school life is contained within these invisible walls. If you think you might stay in the teaching game past your second nervous breakdown, you can subscribe to a mailing list to receive regular updates.
Verdict: You've just hit lesson plan pay dirt! - SS
NetWorth: *****

Go Ariane
www.go-ariane.com
Just like celebrities have fans who construct web shrines in their honour, so space programs attract similar flattery, inspiring this particular fan's imagination to create quite a worthy tribute to the galactic action east of NASA. The design of the site is a little clunky, but the content is quite impressive. It is updated regularly and has a large collection of archives and other material like technical data, history, contracts and news. With no affiliations here, there is no bias or propaganda, just a great place to find out about past present and future space projects.
Verdict: One small web for mankind, one giant undertaking for this man - SS
NetWorth: ****

Norsk Romsenter
www.spacecentre.no
It seems every country in the world has got some kind of space thing happening these days. Norway has a particular need with its close proximity to the polar ice cap. They really need to get up high and check out the rugged terrain below, as well as improve communication through the use of satellites. An extensive push by the government to improve business opportunities has led to a broad program that puts Norway up with the best of them (nearly) in the space race. Read all about it here in this straight forward and easy to read site.
Verdict: Oslo, we have no problem. - SS
NetWorth: ****

SatelLife
www.healthnet.org
Here is a very valuable grass roots result of the existence of a space program. SatelLife is a non-profit organisation dedicated to using satellite technology to improve communication and health care in third world countries or disaster-struck areas. The potential for a well-managed system of information exchange to improve quality of life around the world is tremendous. Doctors and nurses in remote areas can access new info, talk to other professionals across the globe, on-line conferences can be held, news of worsening situations can travel fast and far to get faster response. It makes the whole space thing seem that little bit more worthwhile.
Verdict: At last, a tangible benefit to the non-rich of this world. - SS
NetWorth ****

'Stroids
www.mindspring.com/~tluthman/stroids.htm
Just a little bit of fun, this guy has dedicated a small page to those chunks of rock floating around out there. Taking the same angle as those space estate agents, but not really offering anything, you just get to read about a couple of prime lumps of charcoal and surf on to the next site you might have been heading to. Maybe you can do a better job. Have a go.
Verdict: About as valuable as a lump of rock. - SS
NetWorth: **

The Martian Consulate, L.L.C. -- Earth's Exclusive Claim Registry For Martian Real Estate
www.martianconsulate.com/home.html
I don't know how this works, because the Lunar Embassy has claimed exclusive rights to the entire universe, but here is an "official" legal place to buy land on Mars. You'll get your 1 square mile of land, certificate and a plat of survey for $29.95, or 3 for $59.95. To feel that little bit more in touch with your investment, why not throw in a coffee mug and t-shirt?
Verdict: I'd suggest you contact a solicitor first. - SS
NetWorth: ***

Views of the Solar System
bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/eng/homepage.htm
Thanks to the Hawaiian Astronomical Society, this vivid display of every thing within our little speck in the universe is quite a delight to peruse. One by one, you can look at each planet, the sun, asteroids, meteorites and comets. Different views are offered ranging from filtered stills highlighting different aspects, to movies showing planetary activity, and more detailed studies of each body. There are heaps of specs, historical info, and astronomer biographies. It's like each element of our complex solar system has been singled out and honoured just for being there. Fair enough, too. It's all quite awe-inspiring.
Verdict: The ultimate neighbourhood watch scheme. - SS
NetWorth: *****

Sky And Telescope Magazine
www.skypub.com
This is the Internet representation of a publication, which, like the one you are reading, is printed on processed wood pulp. It would be an astronomer's dream to get this baby in the mail box regularly, but until you do, there is quite a lot to do and see here. This week's sky at a glance tells you what to look out for up there, while tips, news, imaging and resources will have you salivating for the hard copy. Once you read the overview of the contents of the latest issue, it will be almost impossible not to subscribe. Stay up to date, and informed of the very latest developments in the space station project, Hubble and some spectacular images.
Verdict: The title sounds very Poindexter, but the content is out of this world. - SS
NetWorth: ****

Nebula: UFOs, Aliens, Flying Saucers, Roswell, Area 51, Extraterrestrials, Sightings and More
www.parascope.com/nebula.htm
Parascope is like an ongoing web version of that TV show, "The Extraordinary". Mysteries and inexplicable occurrences are delved into with relish. In nebula, the subject is Aliens and UFO's. It's amazing how there can be so much to write about without one single alien or UFO actually being proven to exist. This site really digs deep, though, since the UFO "community" is a big thirsty beast, looking for anything remotely interesting to speculate about. There are heaps of funny pictures of big-eyed, slit-mouthed people with rumours and gossip aplenty. Hardly scientific, though, but then without a shred of real data or evidence, how could they be?
Verdict: I think I'll wait until I have an actual close encounter. - SS
NetWorth: ****

Reptilian Aliens
www.reptoids.com
Hailing itself as "the worlds first site studying the reptilian image within the UFO phenomena", Reptoids takes the whole thing very seriously. The basic premise is that all our abduction and close encounter stories can be explained thus: Dinosuars weren't completely wiped out. They continued to evolve to humanoid forms underground, and only come out occasionally to either meet and greet, or eat the meat of humans. It is argued that we must learn to understand rather than fear these creatures. In ancient times, these lizard people were looked on as Gods, with their superior intelligence and strength. We need to prepare for their "coming out" so to speak, and together we can make this world a truly wonderful place.
Verdict: Which chapter is this? Space or Loonies?. - SS
NetWorth: ****

Aliens - The Anchorpoint Essays
www.geocities.com/~thedus
At least this site admits to being a work of pure fiction. Based on the Aliens movie series, we are taken through a complete scientific study of the creatures, in quite impressive detail. It's easy to see how with such good imagination, others could fabricate equally convincing evidence about alleged extra-terrestrials. The life cycle from egg to queen is explained along with detailed journeys through all the different facets of the creature as explained in the movies. If this were a site about an actual creature, it would win Nobel prizes. As it is, it may only win your approval as you marvel at the effort involved in creating all the graphics, pages, text and data to build this amazing work.
Verdict: If only it was true. - SS
NetWorth: *****

Aliens and Soul Abduction
www.cia.com.au/brough
Sydney based Andrew gives us this dire warning and advice about Alien abduction. It seems poor Andrew has had a few nasty things happen to him on a regular basis. He can't explain exactly who or what is conducting these intrusions into his otherwise completely normal life, but he has been forced to learn a few tactics of defence that he is willing to impart to you, for your own good. The "Grey's" as he calls them seem to enjoy harassing him at every available opportunity, but somehow, I think the only thing bothering our Andrew is an over-sensitivity to the effects of a certain herbal weed.
Verdict: Another case of wrong chapter, I think! - SS
NetWorth: ***

The First Millenial Foundation
www.millennial.org
Science meets fiction in this extraordinary project to colonise the entire universe with trillions of humans. With an astounding vision for technology to achieve all kinds of things like creating new continents, the FMF proposes some pretty huge developments on earth in preparation for applying the technology elsewhere. Personally, I think we should just wait for the aliens to come and show us what they've got, but the premise here is that there are no aliens, we are alone in the universe, therefore it is our duty to spread our seed as far as we can. I think we've probably gone far enough already, it would be nice to fix up our own backyard before destroying other planets. Plenty of food for thought here, and some amazing technological concepts.
Verdict: Just what the universe needs, a plague of humans. - SS
NetWorth: ****

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)
seds.lpl.arizona.edu
Founded in 1980 by students at MIT and Princeton, SEDS is dedicated to nurturing an enthusiasm and enlightenment in young people about the benefits of leaving the atmosphere. By being organised and having a strong educational element in their activities (and this web site) SEDS has the ability to influence space programs by offering suggestions and supporting the carrying out of experiments and activities by others. Abounding in links, data, graphics and ideas, the youthful exuberance here is a delight to browse, and is enough to convince anyone that humanity is heading in some kind of right direction.
Verdict: Space, the final frontier. - SS
NetWorth: *****

National Space Society of Australia
www.nssa.com.au
Formed in association with, and in allegiance to the American societies, the NSSA is our local chapter for supporting, promoting and believing in the future of the space race. The site itself is a little under construction and not up there in the eye-candy department, but there is plenty to see and do. Membership gives you access to conferences, a regular magazine, and the opportunity to be involved in plenty of activity aimed at lobbying government and schools to get behind space research, building an appropriately educated and funded talent pool for the needs of the future.
Verdict: Lost in space Oz syle. - SS
NetWorth: ***