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Monday, January 26, 2004
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www.malevole.com
Lately there seems to be a new trend on the World
Wide Web with ordinary Joes posting their lives for
le entire world to see. From live journals to AOL
luddy profiles, it seems that people who need a little
go boost have found a feeling of self-importance in
he fact that their day-to-day routines are readily
vailable to everyone. Most of the time, this state of
^are-all existence can lead to a pretty pathetic read.
"Ws itereotypically filled with either bitter snipes at
ft riends or d try attempts at constructing an adven-
rre out of their day at work, most Web logs fail to
(lease any readers besides those who know (or think
hey know) the writer.
Matt Round has posted such a Web log that fea-
ures an eclectic collection of bizarre happenings,
(ound is a Web designer who is clearly gtxxl at his
ob. His Web site, malevole.com, is really pleasing
olook at with its exceptional backgrounds and cre-
itive presentation. It’s a shame the site isn’t as fun to
•lahujeadas it is to view.
Round began his peculiar voyage through cyber-
;pace in the spring of 2(X)2, promising a mixture of
itrange links, creative projects and some rambling. In
im, t’s first year online, it has delivered in spades. With
relatively constant barrage of postings. Round
iffers his sometimes witty observations on life in
I\merica. More often then not, these bizarre postings
lire short and cryptic. He occasionally otters a link
hr two to Web sites that aa* often funnier than his.
The main problem with Round’s postings is the
ormat in which they aa* posted. Each entry into his
fcnline diary appears on a small Post-It note-like pop-
Chinese food; it tastes good going down, but two
hours later, visitors are hungry again. With a lot of
aesthetical value, but a limited amount of standout
content, it’s a shame that the site simply can’t deliv
er enough to satisfy.
- Robert Sauced
www.uncleba.com
ty?
Hat
ip that appears on the homepage. It one docs not
lelete each pop-up, the screen wall quickly become
pverly cluttered and distracting. The set-up is beauti
ful w ith an innovative design that works well in small
| loses. The pop-up format conveys the effect that it
ieems Round was shooting for by resembling a elut-
jered desk full of scraps of papers. Hie problem is
at the novelty is lost after the first few posts aa*
ad.
The site is a hub for links. Round offers links to
iVeb sites that cover every aspect of his life. From his
b to his favorite animals. Round seems highly con-
temed that readers log off w ith a complete under
standing of his psyche. Some of the links to other
ites are highly entertaining.
The real stand-outs on the Web site are the ani
mations available in the archive section. The fun
quizzes and cartoons are always hilarious. These
irofessional-quality animations include a fun quiz
hat tests the user’s ability to distinguish from serial
alters and computer programmers, a tribute to Ray
Jarryhausen (stop-motion animator), instructions
or making a cheap Easter present for children and a
ext generator to help pad your English essays.
These animations are clearly the highlight in this
gorgeously designed Web site. 'Though brilliantly
instructed, the site is unfortunately like eating
While many consider The Onion to be the prime
source for absurd stories on the Internet, a new con
tender has entered the field and his name is
UncleBa. On his site of short stories, UncleBa.com
presents the online community with tales that prom
ise to entertain and annoy.
In one of his biographies included on the Web
site, UncleBa claims to be an escaped mental patient
and readers of his site will not be in any position to
disagree. His stories range from the insanely incon
gruous to hilariously ridiculous rants on the state of
modem life. In one short story entitled “Moby’s
What!!!” readers are treated to an off-color rendition
of the great American adventure, “Moby Dick.” In
“Movies that Kill” UncleBa partakes in a rip-roaring
rant on two pop-princess’ cinematic ego trips:
Mariah Carey’s “Glitter” and Britney Spears’
“Crossroads.”
“Both movies have a similar theme: Have the
audience projectile vomiting within 10 minutes of
the opening,” UncleBa writes in his hilarious dou
ble review.
The site itself offers a minimalist design layout,
milking for the relatively simple task of navigating
through the stories. The color and font used in the
stories offers a refreshing alternative to most mono
tone blogs on the Web.
Although presented as weekly stories, the articles
do not appear to contain the promised publishing
schedule. Fortunately, new readers will have plenty
of material to peruse in the meantime. 'Hie site has
enough articles present to offer a casual reader the
chance to take a short study break into the surreal.
UncleBa’s, full of a sense of humor that can only be
called bizarre*, is definitely worth a visit. The‘Web
site also has an interesting feature where any future
stories w ill be e-mailed to you upon their release.
I —-
.. .
— Robert Saucedo
A blast* of Cybarspac*
Keep on Surfing
Uleb-Uorthy
Plan to Stay Logged On
Check It out-, bookmark it-
in everyone on your
Buddy List
_
roe fob ra>B ro>B r<t>B fob fob fob f«i>b fob
I E\A 3 SAW l V I V I K * I I l
LAUMA Mil Et rA SOEOtm
m. T-wvfcft**
Experience the opportunity of a lifetime!!
Become a member of the newest chapter of
jm
Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
Texas A&M University
Informational Meeting
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Association of Former Students
8:00pm
One-On-One Meetings
Wednesday January 28, 2004
10:00am-8:00pm
Thursday, January 29, 2004
10:00am-4:00pm
MSC 139-140
Philanthropy Night Preference Night (By Invitation)
Thursday, January 29, 2004 Friday, January 30, 2004
8:00pm
College Station Conference Center
Questions?
Please call Gamma Phi Beta at 979.680.5740 or
email at tamugammaphi@aol.com.
Cinderella
(fall in love with your favorite
fairy tale all over again)
Those step-sisters
are so wicked!
The step-sisters
have their go at
the prince first.
Cinderella meets
the handsome
prince next.
Cl
They look pretty
good together,
don’t they?
'Gi
â– 
V
IK
laDpilu
!
^tappilu ever OLl'tev’. What is it about this story
that inspires so many? Perhaps it’s the sympathy for the
title character, the fantasia of the pumpkin carriage, the
optimism of the Fairy Godmother, or, in this case, the
breathtaking dance by the Moscow Festival Ballet. You’ve
read it many times. Now, witness CINDERELLA in its
most magical and enchanting form, ballet.
CINDERELLA
Moscow Festival Ballet | Company of 50
Saturday, February 7 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 8 at 2:00 PM
ecrW , s
TICKETS
845-1 234
wwWeMSCOPAS.org
PATRICIA S. PETERS LAGNIAPPE LECTURE SERIES:
How does a ballet become a fairy tale? Join us for an informal discussion
about CINDRELLA with a representative from the Moscow Festival Ballet.
Presented by The OPAS Guild, the discussion will be held one hour prior to
the performances in the Forsyth Center Galleries of the MSC.
buy tickets,
be inspired
MSC
OPAS
Three Decades of Performing Arts
eni
entertain
imp
tre