Fucked Company
www.fuckedcompany.com
Now there is a place where disgruntled employees, failed
start-up CEOs and former Internet moguls alike can go to see just
how miserably Internet companies are faring these days. This place
is an unforgiving and very funny Web site, appropriately called
www.fuckedcompany.com.
At fuckedcompany.com, one can witness the demise of numerous
failing Internet companies, and log on to bet on which ones are
going to be next to die. Feeding off rumors and speculations,
fuckedcompany.com updates its users daily on which online companies
are about to go toe up, as well as those that have totally bitten
the dust. Currently, the number of failed companies is listed as
1,238 and counting. If it weren’t for the knee-slappingly
funny way in which this site presents the dot-com carnage, it might
make a computer science student weep. The irony here is that this
Web site, also known as “The Dot Com Dead Pool,” is
flourishing. It is taking the tattered remains of fly-by-night
Internet companies and making obscene fun of their loss. This
site is out for laughs, however, not money, as it clearly says in
the statement of purpose. But hey, who are they kidding?
Containing a “T-Shirts and Crap” section where the
fuckedcompany.com logo abounds to ostensibly clothe any and all
dot-comers, this site is rollin’ in the dough as well as the
laughs. On a lighter note, the site also offers a job posting board
one can peruse in hopes of finding greener pastures in cyberspace.
But, with only five positions posted, no one should hold their
breath when trying to find work from this site. The name may be a
little brash and blatantly betting on which dot-coms are going to
die next is a little sadistic, but www.fuckedcompany.com is doing
one thing right: not living up up to its namesake ““ yet.
Sarah Monson Rating: 8
HomeBoy Crew
www.homeboycrew.com
Everybody needs a friend, and according to homeboycrew.com,
everybody also needs a homeboy. Hoping to be that
“homeboy,” this interactive Web site features content
aimed at an urban American demographic. Contained on the site are
four ethnically diverse potential friends that site-goers can make.
The four teenage caricatures not only represent different
ethnicities, but also a wide variety of personalities. Slim, for
instance, is an African American basketball player who loves to
volunteer, but wishes people would take him more seriously. Diva,
on the other hand, is a Latina who loves politics and sometimes,
against her better judgement, uses her appearance to get ahead in
life. The other two characters, Downtown, a white who talks only in
slang, and Homeboy, an African American who is everybody’s
friend, provide even more variety to the site’s content.
Homeboycrew.com’s content, however, doesn’t just focus
on the lives of these various characters. The site has dedicated a
few special sections to the celebration of Black History Month, for
instance. One such special addition is a “Hip Hop Quiz”
page which features five questions on various aspects of African
American history. With questions such as “Who launched
“˜Negro History Week,’ the precursor to Black History
Month, in February 1926?,” this portion of the site has the
potential to be educational. In contrast to this seriousness,
however, is a humorous comic strip that features the aforementioned
characters. Though the comedy may be a little stretched, if
effort’s what counts then the strips can be somewhat amusing.
Homeboycrew.com really tries to be that friend that some people may
not have. Featuring fashion tips from Diva, a list of music
favorites from Downtown, as well as a forum for site-goers to voice
their opinions on various questions, this site may just succeed in
providing some companionship.
Barbara McGuire Rating: 7
The Spark
www.thespark.com
Something that will definitely ignite some fun on a boring day
is www.thespark.com, a site
designed to entertain people when they want to just pass their
time. People can log on to take one of the sites 15 personality
tests which include “The Bitch Test,” “The Ass
Quiz,” and “The Purity Test.” Just for kicks,
thespark.com also has “Spark-match,” a matchmaking
service where people fill out surveys and are matched with another
quiz-taker who is their ideal mate. If Web surfers want live
interaction, they can just click into one of its 20-plus chatrooms
and make new cyberfriends. Desperately bored people can even go to
the “Sparkcam” feature, where they have the option to
choose a person to spy on through various Web cams. Thespark.com is
also home to “Sparknotes,” which can come in very handy
for students. Sparknotes are equivalent to Cliffnotes, but online,
so students who don’t feel like reading can just look up
notes on their novel. The site also offers “Sparkcards”
and a secret admirer service. Included in this comprehensive site
is anything and everything anybody could want. It is a gift to the
Internet and everyone should have the privilege of visiting this
site at least once in their lifetime. An ideal place to pass time
where not a moment is not worthwhile, thespark.com is definitely
hotter than fire.
Kathleen Khong Rating: 10