Jim Regan -- Site Reviews
EdgeReview and The Household Cyclopedia
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As you read this article, chances are very good that you're doing it on an "obsolete" piece of equipment – even if you bought it yesterday. With the pace of development in electronics and technology, one is torn between anticipation for the promises of the future and a nostalgia for "simpler" times. But fear not, the Web can cater to both desires by offering up such sites as EdgeReview and The Household Cyclopedia.
Launched in April, EdgeReview is an online magazine dedicated to following the latest developments in consumer technology – from robotic lawnmowers to glass stereo speakers to "intelligent" downhill skis. The coverage itself is reminiscent of Hollywood trailers – brief, and perhaps overly optimistic, (being largely derived from their creators' press releases) but sufficient to make fans impatient for the release of the real thing.
The design of the site is distinctive and easy to follow, with recent additions and "Short Takes" featured on the homepage, and archived pieces divided into Lifestyle, Electronics, Technology, and Gear categories – accessible through a menu bar near the top of every page. Categorizations are fairly nebulous when dealing with many of these items, though. One example is the "Ottoman" – a computer built into a footrest – which certainly uses both Electronics and Technology, while the unusual container for the technology presumably qualifies the package as a piece of Gear, and the decision to buy such an item would clearly reflect on one's Lifestyle. (The Ottoman could also serve as an argument for the addition of an Answers to the Questions that No One Asked category.) Such labelling challenges don't present much of a handicap, though – since visitors will almost certainly browse their way through every section, an individual item's placement is far from critical.
Each featured innovation is given its own page, generally with a few hundred words of description, photos, contact information for the manufacturer, and a purchase price. (All too often, the last statistic is, "$n/a" - doubtless because manufacturers are reluctant to commit to a price before a product actually hits the shelves.) Printer-friendly and "e-mailable" versions of the reviews are also provided, so you can more easily share your discovery of the SoloTrek Exo-Skeletor Flying Vehicle (strap-on helicopter), or the E-Holster ("Carry your PDA, cellphone and anything else you need like a spy").
Of course, innovation can get a bit out of hand, as in a proposal for "Internet access in your car" (as if cellphones aren't bad enough), and a large-wheeled "skateboard" designed for use on all the kinds of terrain preferred by people who want to get away from skateboards. (Irony, thy name is "Progress.") So, if the visit to EdgeReview has you wanting to turn back the clock, The Household Cyclopedia is standing by.
You'll immediately notice that the Cyclopedia site design is a good deal more basic than EdgeReview's – and with good reason. The Web site is a "porting" to HTML of a 19th century book – found in a weekend market – containing all the wisdom that might be required by those living in a time when people did things for themselves.
The topics – categorized, and accessible directly from the home page – are appropriately encyclopedic in their variety, and advise the reader on everything from crop rotation, bee keeping, and making "Sour Krout," to recipes for such non-edibles as ink, glass, matches, and even photographic plates and chemicals. Aspiring field surgeons can read helpful advice about amputation ("Any man of common dexterity and firmness can cut off a leg, but to decide upon the necessity of doing so, requires much judgment"), while the less ambitious may prefer lessons in the art of rowing, or how to prevent cold feet at night.
A large number of illustrations are also available from the bottom of the home page, but the words alone have been enough to attract not only the casual visitor, but also artists and crafts workers looking for information about past techniques in their fields. The server seemed temperamental during some of my visits, so you might have to make a few attempts to access the site – but while you're waiting, you can always go back to ER and check out the "Ergoseat .... The truly comfortable way to ride a bike."
The EdgeReview can be found at http://www.edgereview.com/. The Household Cyclopedia can be found at http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/mspong/contents.html.
Jim Regan provides 'Today's Links' to csmonitor.com. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.