Phew! That title is a bit of a mouth full. However, it does describe well the 10 websiteS below. They are awesome, use flash for the animations and are interactive. So, this does what it says on the label – enjoy!
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Virtual Tour of New York
Screenshot by Author
Take a set of stunning panoramic views and from them create an awesome multi-resolution flash virtual tour. This seems to have been the brief in the development of this site and it pays off superbly. The first shot of Central Park and the ambient music set the tone for the whole experience. This is a bird’s eye view of the city which you have to see to believe. If Google Earth is Grandma Walton then this is Marilyn Monroe (if you see what I mean). You can control the direction of the panorama and zoom in and out. This really is New York as only few see it. Quite awesome, to use language in an oxymoronic way. One word of warning, if you are using dial up, then go make a coffee while you wait for the site to load – it will be worth it.
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Quake Quiz
Do you know what to do in the event of an earthquake? Me neither, but this site will inform you in an interactive way what you should do if you are suddenly caught up in The Big One. You get six urban environments to experiment and worth through. The animations are reminiscent of Disney features of the fifties and sixties and although this is directed at residents of the San Francisco area of California the advice you get can be followed anywhere in the world. So, whether you are at home, the beach, driving in your car, at work, commuting or dining out this entertaining site gives you the information that you need. This is quite a simple site and the answers are mostly common sense, but it is nevertheless good fun.
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Tomorrow
As you might expect from a company like Intel, this site is modern, spare and beautifully designed. The aim is for you to express you hopes for tomorrow – to say and share what you would like to happen with the world. Perhaps the best features though, are the games. With very realistic flash animation, first of all you can help a technician get dressed for work – in the laboratory that is. Fun enough, sure, but the best is yet to come. The wind tunnel allows you to place not only Formula One vehicles in there but also a variety of other objects such as a banana or a humming bird. This is a fairly low key site, in terms of design and feel but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
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The Morris Code
A cool animated website about money? Now, let’s just hold on a second! Well, that’s right, this is a pretty cool site that is aimed at High School students but is of general interest to all, especially those of us who are fairly clueless about money. Different subjects are handled her, such as how to budget and make sure that you are not the victim of identity theft. Other features are a credit quest game (good fun) and some simple but smart information about how to get yourself ready for College. The gimmick (and incidentally where the best animation takes place) is that it is all presented via a pop up book. Poptastic good fun, then.
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Mummies!
Quebec City in Canada hosts the Museum of Civilization and this site celebrates their attest exhibition about ancient Egypt. There is a deal of spooky music and three cool games to play where you get to learn all sorts of stuff about the process of mummification. The site is available both in French and English which reflects the bilingual nature of the country. If you complete the three games successfully then you get to enter the sarcophagi chamber. Spooky stuff!
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Draw a Song
This is such a simple idea but works so beautifully. It is an interactive music clip. As the song plays you can move the mouse and effectively ‘draw’ the song. The brush reacts to the lyrics and the music. That is basically all there is to it but it is hugely enjoyable, dare I say relaxing?
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Ecomagination
Although this is a hard sell ultimately for General Motors the flash navigation of this site is hard to fault. The aim is to take you through the new features of the national grid and to plug you in, effectively to ways of saving money on your electricity bill. There are graphic examples of how this can be good for the environment. A very crisp and clean site, this has interactive features that are fun and also will give you information about how you can personally make a difference at home.
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Rule The Stars
This sounds like it maybe one of those daft role playing games from the name but this site is all about drawing your own constellations. You are given the whole of the night sky to play with and you can join up the stars using your mouse. Once you have created your drawing you can render it in to a three dimensional model and send it off to your friends to show them how clever you are. Time consuming (and some would say a waste of time in to the bargain) but with the strangely hypnotic music accompanying you it is amazing how much time you might spend here. One for a wet afternoon at work, perhaps.
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NAWLZ
An interactive comic that needs your input. Already up to thirteen issues, the hero of this strip is Harley Chambers, an artist. You can help him through Nawlz city as he experiences all sorts of overlapping realities. This is a strange site and easy to become immersed in – or overtaken by – or swallowed up by. It does have drug references too, so really just for grown ups (sorry kids!).
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Cocaine Basement
This one is definitely meant for the kids, particularly teenagers who want to find out what really happens when you take cocaine. The site is not patronizing and a lot of it is actually pretty funny, such as the short lived adventures of Pablo the Drug Mule. If you want to warn your kids about the dangers of cocaine then this is a good site for them to take a look at. Plus it is beautifully made and the flash interface works a treat.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:14 am
very interesting and informative piece..a must read article..thanx for sharing this great work
May 28th, 2009 at 6:07 am
They all look cool especially the Virtual Tour of NY.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:15 am
I like the ecomagination image. Reminders me, -we’re all advised to switch to energy-saving lightbulbs that use up to 80% less energy, they last 5X longer, etc. etc.. -it was recently suggested that the amount of energy used to PRODUCE these new bulbs in the factory FAR EXCEEDS the amount of energy that will be saved by their miserly consumption of Watts! And, they contain toxic gases so disposing of them is a speciality too…
DAMN! We really WILL end up living like “The Waltons” …sitting in the dark praying for the end of the Great Depression! :-
May 28th, 2009 at 7:00 am
You have picked some very interesting sites here RJ I likes the Mummys as I love anything that has to do with Eygpt . Thanks for sharing this. Super article.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Of course I love the mummy site. Who wouldn’t want to watch this.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Yes, this is impressive. Great for teaching.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Very nicely and tightly written RJ. Loads of stuff to look at here so I won’t pretend that I have. “I will return…”
May 28th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Great fun x
May 28th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Great stuff,amusing sites here.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Beautiful presentation!
May 29th, 2009 at 12:12 am
informative article…
May 29th, 2009 at 2:06 am
looks like some cool websites.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:53 am
You missed my favorite! While Pablo The Drug Mule may educate teens about the downside of cocaine usage, Mouse Party explains how Coacaine, Marijauna, Methamphetamines, Extasy, LSD, and Hero1n affect the brain.
It’s also kinda funny. The tripping mouse waving it’s l’il hand in front of it’s face, the Raver mouse bobbing back and forth. And, hey…is that Keith Richards “on the nod” over there on the couch?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html
May 29th, 2009 at 10:23 am
The New york virtual tour is actually at:
http://pixelcase.com.au//vr/2009/newyork/
May 29th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
This is precisely what AXJ is looking for. Who do we contact? http://www.axjus.com
May 30th, 2009 at 3:16 am
Fascinating. Thanks. Off to New York soon again and must find out more about these.
May 30th, 2009 at 5:19 am
what else can i say from an RJ Evans post….
Very well written
May 30th, 2009 at 10:34 am
i love this post:) really enjoyed being informed by these things. i tried to click the one hmm. ecomagination ? but i can’t understand the language. anyway, wonderful! God bless.:)
May 30th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Awesome post.
May 31st, 2009 at 10:15 am
Great content! You did a good job.
May 31st, 2009 at 12:32 pm
xx
June 1st, 2009 at 3:34 am
Nice article, I haven’t heard of any of these and I might have to give them a look now!
Jamie
June 1st, 2009 at 7:24 am
Draw a song is by far the coolest of the bunch, weird, cool , but informative
April 7th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
I really love the Draw a Song and Rule the Stars. I love a website that sparks your interest with an something so interactive and lets you create. I’m very impressed.