6


You follow the left-hand tunnel, which slopes down for a while before widening out into a grotto. A narrow strip of rock and sand surrounds a large pool of black water. The surface of the pool is as still as a sheet of glass. As you crouch down beside it, images form in its unknown depths.

ANIME

Anime, also known as Japanese animation. ROBOTECH and Ben Dunn's NINJA HIGH SCHOOL is what first got me into this, but now I prefer Fred Perry's GOLD DIGGER.

  • The Anime Web Turnpike is the ultimate anime links site.

  • OtakuWorld is another great resource.

  • I'm proud to hang out with many of the members of Eyrie Productions, Unlimited, producers of fine fanfic since 1990 or so. If you like this sort of thing, check out Spoof Chase Productions too.

  • Nekobox is a fun anime-style webcomic by Young Wang. (Yes, that's really his name.) I'm waiting for him to put his art-site back up.

    • GRAPHICS and HTML

    I dabble in HTML and graphic design, mostly to create personal pages like this one. Perhaps someday I'll go pro (or semi-pro).

  • HTMLgoodies and Webmonkey taught me just about everything I know. (The rest I copied from web pages I liked.)

  • When Notepad doesn't cut it as an HTML editor, I fire up Web-O-Rama Standard (yeah, the name's a bit silly, but it's free and easy to use).

  • Paint Shop Pro by JASC, Inc. is the program I use for all my graphics needs. It's an excellent, low-cost alternative to programs like Adobe Photoshop and works with most Photoshop filters. For tutorials and links, try Paint Shop Pro Tips and Tricks.

  • My main source for application skins is the aptly-named deviantART.

  • Looking for the perfect font? Here are some of the archives I've found: Abstract Fonts and the Fontpool.

  • If you're looking for some free graphics to spice up your site, try the Cool Archive.

    MUSIC:

    While I'm not a serious audiophile, I do collect MP3s, MIDIs, MODs, and other sound files. My tastes are eclectic: video game music, 80s music, Enya, Phil Collins/Genesis, Robert Miles, Indigo Girls, Jean Michel Jarre, Weird Al Yankovic, Steve Winwood, anime (especially the work of Yoko Kanno), and movie composers like James Horner, Michael Kamen, and John Williams.

  • For game music, check out the Videogame Music Archive and SSTRAX, as well as streaming net "radio" at BIGMOG.COM.

  • If you're looking to actually buy game soundtracks, the aptly-named Game Music Online and AnimeNation should be able to help. (The latter also carries lots of anime material, as you might guess.)

  • For general MIDI music, try The MIDI Farm. If you find any other good MIDI archives, let me know.

  • Many of the old sites dedicated to the "MOD scene" are now closed. Check out MODplug Central for more information, music and links, and a free MOD player that can plug into your browser or run separately.

  • My media player of choice is WinAmp.

  • Finally, if you need a program to convert sound files and CD tracks to mp3s, I heartily recommend AudioGrabber.

    ONLINE COMICS

    My favorite Internet comic strips (updated anywhere from daily to when-they-feel-like-it) are, in alphabetical order:

  • 8-Bit Theater tells the truth about the Light Warriors of Final Fantasy.

  • Avalon - high school, Canadian style.

  • Diary of a Crazed Mimbanite holds that nothing about STAR WARS is sacred.

  • Dork Tower should need no introduction, if you're a gamer...

  • Freefall - the story of an alien, a robot, and an uplifted wolf.

  • Kevin and Kell can also be found at this alternate URL; it asks the question, can a mixed-marriage household (herbivore and carnivore) survive?

  • MacHall, like many webcomics out there, is a very strange version of college life.

  • MegaTokyo - fear the cute ones.

  • Ozy and Millie offers a look at the adult world through the eyes of a child. With a twist.

  • Penny Arcade is, dare I say it, gaming with an attitude.

  • PvP Online is mostly jokes about games I don't play, but laugh at anyway.

  • Real Life is usually anything but, but don't let that stop you.

  • Sinfest - just go look.

  • West Corner of the Park is the mostly official comic strip of FurryMUCK.

    You take a deep breath and dive into the pool. The water is freezing! But you struggle on and soon find an underwater passage. Could it lead out of the cave?

    After returning to the surface of the pool for another breath, you dive down again and swim through the tunnel. You see light ahead. In a moment you surface in a duck pond, gasping. You're glad to be out, but you know that you'll always remember your experience in the Waste of Time.


    The End