Paper # 2

Final Draft

October 18, 1995

For the last millennium, adventurous souls have been accessing new and unfamiliar frontiers in search of adventure and a taste of the exotic. The last decade ushered in with it an appeal to the more intrepid members of this small group of people: The Internet. Access to this particular medium has hit an all-time high in the 1990's, and every tekkie has his own celebration of self occupying space on it. However, not all of the sites on the Internet are shameless celebrations of self. Some of these pages can be found to have their roots in the archaic designs of the past; some are the logical progression for a technological innovation such as the internet.

One of these progressions, cyberpunk, the 90's answer to the technological underdog, has made its presence known on the Internet; science fiction pages also abound. These sites have brought with them some of the most innovative and artistic features of hypertext mark-up language (HTML) ever conceived. <As a matter of clarification, HTML is the programming language of the World Wide Web> One site in particular, the Sci-Fi Channel homepage, Sci-Fi Channel: The Dominion <http://www.scifi.com/>, has properties unlike any other seen on the Internet. Sci-Fi Channel: The Dominion is the shining example of a good web site because it contains the characteristics of a flawless page: the information is concise and well-organized, the graphics displayed are both aesthetically pleasing and practical, it contains features that are not seen anywhere else, and it is easy to use and understand.

The creators of the Sci-Fi channel felt it their professional obligation to carve out their own section of cyberspace; hence the existence of the page at "http://www.scifi.com/" . The first sight that one sees when he stumbles onto Sci-Fi Channel: The Dominion is a map image, containing links to seven sites. This information, which could have been spread out and overburdened with text, is presented in a small 507x263 clickable map. This type of interface allows the user to find and access his desired topic with out having to search a lengthy page to find it. The reader need only click on one of the many images, and he will be transported to a different location. The only downside to this type of graphical platform is the amount of time that it takes to load the image. Skeptics will contend that loading text (without a graphic) will take less time; however, this detracts from the overall aesthetic quality of the site, and removes from consideration the whole notion of graphical versions and the importance that they play in a creative web page.

The pictures used by Sci-Fi Channel: The Dominion, while visually unappealing to some, will certainly enchant the more jaded members of society. The eerie, almost ethereal, graphic is genius when placed in context with the theme of science-fiction: that which is unworldly and alien. Besides being a tantalizing object of art, it serves as an impressive container for links on the page. There are two drawbacks, however: since this page is most impressive when viewed with Netscapereg., and some webcrawlers, such as those using the Internet Explorer or Mosaic, may not be able to load any kind of picture, ruining the practicality of such a method. Some others, such as a student of the University of Texas system running Mosaic from a telesys account, will not get this graphic, as in-line images may not be loaded automatically to a page. As a result, one of the improvements to be made on this particular site is the addition of supplementary text for the `in-line challenged'. The second problem is that because of the black background, it is difficult to see some of the words; adding some amount of text may resolve this problem. These shortcomings notwithstanding, it can be said that the graphic in this page, while very impressive artistically, contains in it some of the most impressive visual features of any on the Web.

Some of the most interesting attributes of this page are the unconventional features that it wields. For example, when downloading the index picture, two very interesting things occur: first, the links at the top, "What's New" and "ScheduleBot," intermittently flash on and off, resulting in something of a switch-off between the two. This header serves to attract the user to the link, and clicking on either one of the two images results in the user being transported to a listing of that day's programming. The second feature to catch the audience's attention is the scrolling bar at the bottom of the graphic. While this may not be the only place on the internet with this particular attribute, it adds an artistic flair to a subject that could have just as easily been a boring piece of text. It's almost as if you're reading a news flash across the screen, piquing your curiosity; by then, the designer has accomplished his goal: to attract attention to the text. These two features, while not complex or intrusive, give the page a certain ground breaking flavor.

Included in this non-intrusive site is the real advantage for the user. The graphics, as well as the banner and flashing marquee, allow for what could be one of the most accessible web pages on the internet. Both experienced web surfers and internet neophytes will find this page easy to use and understand. The first hurdle overcome by the designers (which is getting users to find and understand the site), the visitor can now concentrate on delving deeper into the site.

Sci-Fi Channel: The Dominion is one of the most innovative web sites on the Internet at this time. It's use of aesthetically pleasing and practical graphics, of HTML features not seen anywhere else, and of information which is concise and well-organized, as well as the fact that it is easy to use and understand make this the template from which all other homepages should be made. What's more, the fact that it is a commercial site makes it more credible than a one made by a fan of the channel. As a result, the Internet would be easier to utilize and more accessible, catapulting society into the 21st generation.

Works Cited



 Sci-Fi Channel: The Dominion The Sci-Fi Channel's homepage; contains daily programming on Sci-Fi Channel, as well as sound, MPEG clips, and picture stills.



Annotated Bibliography



Cyberpunk Home Page Very cool web site having nothing to do with the cyberpunk fiction genre.

Cyberpunk.live Home Page  Cyberpunk television show goes on-line to promote themselves.

The Unofficial Cyberpunk Homepage Warren Van Zoest's attempt at defining, as well as providing examples for, the notion of cyberpunk.

Redesigned Sci-Fi Homepage My redesign of the Sci-Fi Home page