Radar, a drop of golden sun
Radar returns to the Internets today, without my participation this time, but definitely with my full endorsement, especially after seeing this impressive relaunch.
The Hollywood Poll is the kind of zeit-bite list everyone knows they should be doing but no one else will, but my favorite item today is the second feature, Dale Hrabi's hilarious Q&A with chatbots from the US Army and Ikea. From gay sex to why the caged bird sings, there's nothing these two won't talk about. Anna from Ikea even quotes Edwin Starr.
There's a lot more too. Maybe even too much, though I suppose everyone will be drawn to something different. For fun -- and, no doubt, to piss off Kurt Andersen -- there's a look back at 50 years of Radar covers. And for people who like dull but probably important investigations, there's an analysis of Pat Robertson's finances.
There's also reviews, and not one but two blogs: The Fresh Intelligence exclusive gossip blog on the main page (nothing earth-shattering today unless you're a serious media junky), and, under the yellow tab, a news and gossip filter called The Sift helmed by the estimable Tyler Gray and Matt Haber.
As a bonus, the site is a lot cleaner than the whistles-and-bells crazy version last time around (anyway, Huffington post has stolen Radar's best whistle, The People Ranker. Karma, Kurt might say). [Update: The Radar Fame-O-Meter is back, just not cluttering up the front page]. Sustainability will be an issue, of course, but I'd call this a promising start. Your thoughts?
For various reasons I can't give them the time I once did, but look for my byline over there one of these days.
Comments
I like the content, but when I first went there I was overwhelmed by its busyness. My first instinct was "oh, fuck it, who has the time?". But I've been suffering from information overload lately, maybe it's just me.
Posted by: lindsay | September 5, 2006 3:35 PM
Ehhhh.
Posted by: Jim Treacher | September 6, 2006 3:49 AM