You've probably already seen reports of this in your local paper, but just in case you missed it, you have to check out http://www.gwbush.com/ . This is the site that GW Bush, the Texas governor currently running for the republican presidential nomination, wanted shut down, saying, "there ought to be limits to freedom". This site spoofs Bush, especially his current trouble with past drug use and other policies. A funny and thoughtful site that is worthwhile.
Another anti-right wing site is the Anti Pat Robertson / Christian Coalition site. While it doesn't appear that this site has been updated very recently, there is still a lot of interesting reading here. Find out how crazy Pat really ease, what ruthless dictators he's been buddying up to, and how he got rich off of the sheeple who watched the 700 Club. Visit the site at http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/7027/patrobertson.html .
Once again, if you've been keeping up with the news, you've probably read about all the hacking that has happened to government (and other) web-sites recently. You read about them, but it is rare that you get a chance to see the hacked sites, as by the time you find out about them, they've been fixed. Fortunately, there is a website that keeps copies of the hacked sites for you to check out. Visit it at http://www.attrition.org/. Attrition actually has more than just hacked sites, including user pages, humor, music, and movie pages and more, but they also have over 2000 hacked sites available for view. Fun!
I found a somewhat interesting online entertainment site. Though not exactly punk rock, it is a collection of articles from several of the free "alternative" newspapers you'll find across the US. We aren't talking 'zines here, but rather the free weekly papers you'll find at your local coffee shop. Anyway, this site is called NewCity and has quite a few articles that you may find entertaining or enlightening. You'll find it at http://www.newcity.com/ .
Does anybody out there beside me remember the good old days before the internet, when computer BBSs were the norm. Back then, BBSs provided an excellent resource for discussing the latest news and gossip, meeting people "online", and networking. The only problem with them was that you had to dial into each one individually. The internet made the BBS more or less obsolete. However, there is a new movement to bring the BBS back, but this time to the World Wide Web. Message bases, real-time chat, and more from the good old days are available, and there are even elite boards out there.
One cool BBS-style web site that I recently came across is The Obloid Sphere. Set up with a layout very similar to an old BBS, this gives you everything you used to expect, with the exception of File areas. Check it out at http://www.obloidsphere.com/ . You'll need to sign up for an account in order to visit, and getting in is up to the discretion of the sysop.
In other geek sites, Proxys 4 All is a site that keeps a large list of proxies that are accessible to the public. Proxies are useful when you want to visit sites anonymously or when your provider is slow. If you're interested, the best thing to do is to visit the Proxys4All site at http://proxys4all.cgi.net/ and read all about what they are and how to use them.
A couple of more un-punk sites, and we'll move on to punk rock! Rock 'n Records bills itself as "the meeting point for Record Collectors". Not oriented specifically towards punk, but if you are looking for some rare punk rock, this may be just as good of a place to start as any. You'll find Rock 'n Records at http://www.rock.x.se/ .
Another record collector site is Conniption. Based in Australia, conniption has a big list of records, CDs, posters, and more available, as well as a list of stuff they are looking for. Conniption is at http://conniption.findhere.com/ .
A relatively new site that looks like they've got their shit together, and definitely has a cool idea, is Search and Destroy, a "search engine for punk-fuckin'-rock'n'roll related sites". Not a ton of items indexed yet, but if you have a web-site that deals with punk rock, you should visit http://www.trashsurfin.de/ and get your stuff indexed. Try it out.
Next up is Mad Butcher records. This German label has a site with info on all of their bands, as well as chat, a bunch of free MP3 files and anti-fascist flyers. Some of it is in German, but even if you don't know the language, it is worth a visit to http://www.pader-online.de/madbutcher/ .
For those of you with the equipment and net connection to listen to MP3 files, I found a pretty good eclectic / punk "radio" show called Atomjackers. In fact, I'm listening to it as I write this column. Featuring music from punk and indie acts, in the last half hour I've heard Locust, Deadbolt, The Misfits, Guitar Wolf, No Knife, Johnny Cash, and more. You'll need winamp (http://www.winamp.com) or macamp (http://www.macamp.org) to listen. Visit the web page at http://fuerza.tzo.com/atomjackers/ for more information.
Juvenile Delinquents Lifestyle Photographs is an Italian online photozine. The site features nothing but photos. Live band shots, skateboarding photographs, some artsy photos. Not a ton of stuff here, but there are some interesting images. Give it a visit at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Bistro/6079/ .
One other Italian site to finish off this month. The Turturos are an Italian band whose web page is well thought out and easy to navigate. There are two copies of the pages, one in Italian and the other in English. The pages include MP3 files, lyrics, photos of the band, and a link page, as well as a guestbook and "quiz of the month". Visit their site at http://listen.to/turturros .
Okay, so that's it for this time around. Visit the netpunk columns at http://www.diehippiedie.com/netpunk or send me e-mail with your comments and websites for review to netpunk@diehippiedie.com . And, of course, you can write me, or send me your CD-plus to check out at PO Box 8059; Santa Cruz CA 95061.