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Ghost Sites 06
----- GHOST SITES #6 [October 16, 1996]
----- by Steve Baldwin
(steve_baldwin@hotmail.com)
To celebrate Halloween, this week's Ghost Sites takes aim at dead and
dying entertainment sites. Sorry, celebrity necros, I'm not talking
about web shrines to dead stars like Bing, Elvis, Janis, Jim, Kurt,
Marilyn, or Veronica - our focus is on decaying entertainment sites
whose dysfunctional bit rot is making certain stars' careers look like
they've flat-lined.
*---- MADONNA ON IUMA ----*
----- http://www.iuma.com/Warner/html/Madonna.html
Madonna's always been aggressive in cyberspace, and recently released an
Evita track that's got the rubes waiting in line. But the M-Girl would
have a cow if she could see the sparse gray web page she's been stuck
with on IUMA. This crude page, dating from late 1994, lacks Real Audio,
E-mail links, and quotable quotes from the star. Apparently, Madonna's
record company forgot to turn off Madonna's old pages when the label
moved from IUMA to its own megasite sometime in 1995. Fans seeking
fresher Madonna info need go to http://www.wbr.com/madonna/, better yet,
slouch back to Madonn-a-Ween for true bedtime horror.
Related URLs: http://www.pathfinder.com/entertainment/doublefeature/
[3 GHOSTIES] Site is Dead, but Well-Preserved
*---- JUDGE DREDD ----*
----- http://www.music.sony.com/Music/ArtistInfo/JudgeDredd/index.html
Remember Judge Dredd? This 1995 Stallone action picture was a critical
and box-office snoozer, but Sony's promotional pages persist, and
they're a gloomy techno-wasteland, with broken links to something called
"Dreddspace" that was purged from Disney's servers a long time ago.
Someday I'm sure web users -- like Judge Dredd, will unilaterally blast
obsolete web sites like this out of existence -- until then, Hollywood
relics like Dredd are doomed to live on like so much futuristic space
junk.
[5 GHOSTIES] Site is Stuffed, Embalmed, and Ready for Internet Museum
*---- MEGADETH ARIZONA ----*
----- http://www.hollywoodandvine.com/Megadeth/Gifs/megadeth.html
Capitol Records runs a fairly up-to-date music site called "Hollywood
and Vine", but the portion of it devoted to Megadeth resembles a piece
of rotting roadkill, with every graphic on the page smashed and broken.
Recall that this very same content was one of the first really
stimulating band sites to hit the web when it launched in early 1995 to
promote the band's "Youthanasia" album. Leaving it to wither in the sun
may be a form of frontier justice, but it's still Mega-Depressing.
[4 GHOSTIES] Site is Dead, shows Advanced Decay
*---- JOHNNY MNEMONIC ----*
----- http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/SonyMovies/06jonmnu.html
If people wanted to see this tepid techo-thriller, wouldn't they have
seen it 15 months ago? Perhaps this ill-fated site -- which has clearly
outlived its usefulness -- represents a last-ditch effort by Sony to
drum up interest in Mnemonic. Or could the all-powerful William Gibson
be pulling strings to keep it alive? The more likely explanation is that
Sony's new media staff simply forgot about the aging Mnemonic site, just
as film audiences forgot the film when it was released last year.
[4 GHOSTIES] Site is Dead, shows Advanced Decay
*---- JERRY GARCIA IS DEAD ----*
----- http://www.pathfinder.com/people/jerry/index.html
As Chevy Chase might say, "Jerry Garcia is still dead", and so is this
special commerative site, put up by Pathfinder and People Magazine to
serve as a virtual wailing wall for grieving deadheads back in August
1995. If you enjoy the feeling of being frozen in time, bookmark this
page - not a byte has changed in 14 months.
In the site's defense, the Dead scene has been so quiet in recent months
that any updates would probably be gratuitous, but a year's worth of bit
rot produces some disturbingly undignified artifacts. Click on "Captain
Trip's Memorial Wall" and you'll be greeted by the bland message:
"Sorry, Captain Trip's Memorial Wall Is No Longer In Service". For God's
sake, it's a memorial wall to Jerry - not a subway car with brake
trouble.
Related URLs:
http://www.pathfinder.com/people/jerry/nomore.html
[5 GHOSTIES] Site is Stuffed, Embalmed and Ready for Internet Museum
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The website edition includes images, a nice design, and all the latest
news about Ghost Sites. Go there to read the latest:
http://www.disobey.com/ghostsites/
Copyright 1996-1999 Steve Baldwin Associates.
Webdesign, hosting and publication by Disobey.
http://www.disobey.com/
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