Articles & Stories

Secondhand Furniture
Most of my furniture is secondhand. It’s not because I’m poor or sloppy or have bad taste. I just like old stuff because it has history.

Missing Persons
Can the “power of the Internet” bring old friends back together? In a networked world, can anybody really disappear? Missing Persons is about reconnecting with long-lost friends.

Web Designers vs. Programmers
I wrote this rant to a colleague, who I felt made some unfair remarks about web design. At the time, I felt he was dismissing HTML/CSS design as child’s play. I sent him the following email, which inspired a fruitful discussion.

Perfect Albums
Here is a list of some perfect albums I have discovered. Perfect albums are those in which every track is great—and all the songs combine to form a coherent whole.

Thoughts on Jam Master Jay
I met Jam Master Jay a couple of years ago. We shared a flight from Denver to Chicago. At the baggage carousel in O’hare Airport, I was waiting for my suitcase. I glanced to my right…

In Search of the Underground Dairy Queen
Long have I heard the legend of the Dairy Queen. The elders say she was trapped underground by an evil sorceror…waiting for a valiant knight to come to her rescue.

Groove
Groove explores the culture of the underground rave scene. The next generation of young revelers will look back at this film as an inspiring nostalgic trip to a time they were too young to be a part of.

Mission to Mars
This is a movie for Dads to take their six year old sons to, not for anyone over sixteen. But hey—if you like to laugh at your movies rather than with them, then go for it.

Why I Hate Hip Hop
Hip hop is a cultural mystery. How did the most progressive art form of the century so quickly become a music that is derided for unoriginality, nihilism and social conservatism? Whether you're a fan or not, the truth is that most of us would change a few things about hip hop if we could.

Public Enemy - There’s a Poison Goin On
While many rap acts start to sound old-school after a few years, Public Enemy remains forever hardcore. Musically and lyrically, these guys stick to what they're best at, and also manage to accomplish the enormous challenge of being a true public enemy.

Puff Daddy - Forever
Puff Daddy’s inherent inconsistencies bring him down to earth—they shine through the bragging about Bentleys and Benjamins. Yes, we hate Puffy because he doesn’t keep it real. But we love Puffy because he is real.

Interesting Online Trends
The year 2000 is going to be an interesting year for the web. Content is king and portals will die.

Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Eminem can be wacky, gruesome, hilarious, angry, satiric and just plain stupid. And he just might have made the best rap album of the year.

Don’t Let the Web Suck
The future of the Internet is in your hands. Will the web become another tool to be used by giant corporations to spread their propaganda? Or will the web continue to innovate?

The Future of Online Content
Is content dead on the Internet? Whoever gave you that idea is full of it. Brian Bender looks at past, present and future trends for online content.

What Dreams May Come
Like the best pieces of art, What Dreams May Come holds that unidentifiable something which inspires continued thought and introspection for weeks after you’ve viewed it.

Nate Dogg - G-Funk Classics, Volumes 1&2
If you’ve always enjoyed the classic soul influences found in gangsta rap, but take moral issue with the street-centered themes, G-Funk Classics provides true emotion and irresistible groove with a PG-13 rating.

Everything - Super Natural
This summer, we’ve all got a new musical option to pop into the tape deck on those nights when we want to roll down the windows and cruise over to the ice cream shop. Everything’s Super Natural is summer music at its best.

Christmas on Death Row
If you can get past the title, and your impressions of what the Death Row record label stands for, you’ll find an album that preserves the spirit of love and joy that Christmas is all about.