CrazyWEB

Column for August 12-18 by Dreamwalker

OK, folks, welcome to the "final version" of the new CrazyWEB - this time we rock the Russian web with a new magazine style - we are shifting attitudes. And we REALLY CRAZY this time. Plus get ready for a surprise - we are adding English-language content for the rest of you, who are not literate enough to read us in Russian...

Why bother telling you all this? Er, well... We were trying to be a commercial Russian-language source of hot hi-tech info, movie news, etc. We admit that all this requires money to keep the project running, and (as usual on the web, esp. In Russia) we got none of those green bills.

But who cares anyway - general news, politically correct reviews, and things like that belong to the field of commercial projects, of which we can now name at least Russian-language RITM-Press server and some more, plus you all know where to find this stuff in English.

We went on-line in October 1995 as the first Russian web-media project. During late 1995 and first half of 1996 CrazyWEB brought latest news, trends, events and nethappenings to all Russian-language readers. The magazine presented Russian-language net, media, entertainment, and computer industry news, as well as movie previews, music, and information on hot new computer games.

Boring, isn't it? Well - quite. Just like all this on the web. Anyway, we'll get back to this later - all the web hype, and more.

Today, CrazyWEB becomes what we would call a Russian-style e-zine in some way maybe close (and maybe not...) to HotWired and Suck. Everything published here reflects our own views and is not endorsed by any company, or affiliated with anyone. Just a power drive. News and stuff and satire. Totally free and uncensored. And do not take anything too serious. Of course, we disclaim all responsibility for everything published here - why are we called CrazyWEB, for God's sake? Those with no sense of humor are strongly advised to get a life...

We drop all previous areas and start with a weekly block of rants. Yep! That's guaranteed - no delays - CrazyWEB now changes every week. And maybe even more frequently - but that's a random thing. So what's inside? Some traces of our old content will remain - we will keep an eye on movies, techno- junkies' playgrounds, little things that change the world. But mainly - random ramblings on life, Internet and web around the globe and in Russia, politics and world events - whatever comes in sight.

Sounds too dull - ok, ok, then it's up to you. Just peek inside (it's free!) and nobody is going to make you read this e-zine if you don't like it.

Now a bit about general rules: no responsibility; no teen idols; no pets; no CDA; no restrictions on smoking in unspecified areas; sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll; no special preferences for anyone or any company; and no complaints accepted. Just take it as it comes. And, in case you want to know - all this is initially written in English, and Russian version is not just a translation: we have the same content, but it slightly differs - mainly to keep up the same unrestrained spirit of the magazine.

And, by the way, we do not accept advertising here. Instead, we can sponsor you and send you US$1.00 in 1 cent coins.

OK, enough for the introductory part. Now for this week's column...

Column for August 12-18 by Dreamwalker

Duke Nukem,
Web Spiders
and
Pipe Bombs

This week we'll start in Atlanta - just a week after the "troubled games." No. No - no sports coverage! This will be about the Internet life of pipe bombs. So here we go.

After the explosion in the Centennial Park (which is, of course, a very tragic event) there was a lot of talk about availability of information on pipe bombs on the Internet, and that the Internet is a safe haven for terrorists of all kinds and colors. Journalists rushed to their PCs, typed URLs for various Lycos species, cautiously looked around to ensure that nobody was watching and fed something like "making a pipe bomb" to search engines. No wonder that huge spiderlike junk collectors came up with thousands of pages, thus allowing quick reports that there are dozens of thousands of pages about pipe bombs.

This plague was spotted in even Russia - an extremely popular Moscow daily Moskovsky Komsomolets came up with a front page story on August 1. The story was called "A Dead Raccoon Bomb" - all about the Internet search. They found a rather small number of 15817 pages on bombs (what engine did they use?) and were quite happy with it. The main part of the story was not on a pipe bomb though, but rather on making a natural pyrodevice using a dead animal, and they surely translated and published detailed instructions found in the Crank magazine.

So that's the common thing about the Internet.

However, a BBC journalist called some mail-order book company and was able to order a published book on making bombs. So what's the buzz about the 'Net then?! Well, the Internet has it all too - Alta Vista search gives a file with detailed instructions - and the site is 404 already - but what are these instructions anyway? Pipe and caps and powder and a fuse? And you seriously call that stuff 'detailed instructions'?

The media also said that there are even detailed charts of the bomb on the Web. Oops, guys. That's an old FBI drawing of a device used by Unabomber almost 10 years ago.

And many magazines and newspapers just published a much better chart (a neat example can be found in Newsweek, August 5, 1996, p. 15), carefully drawn obviously for terrorists convenience. So, we're going to censor the Internet again? Start with Newsweek and other paper media then... And sue 3D Realms for making pipe bombs widely available in Duke Nukem 3D. And for carefully drawing the item in the game.

We'll be back with more in a week.

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