Call it a sophomore slump. The excitement that was
prevalent during the first WEASL Awards ... has waned considerably this
year. Perhaps it was the overexuberance of youth.
Web Excellence in Fishiness
The Fishmaster (www.etropolis.com/fishmasters)
The Fishmasters continue to defy the odds. Despite never once having caught a fish, they have a fishing show following Saturday Night Live on KSBY-TV. And despite their apparent lack of intelligence they've managed to faithfully translate the look and feel of that show to the World Wide Web. Now they've won a WEASL.
Is a Fishmaster presence on the Internet a good thing? Well, we're not sure. It's probably a greater threat to children than pornography. But we figure their accomplishment should be marked in some way. Everyone else is trying to produce genius on the Web but only coming up with drivel. These guys don't aim quite so high, and they hit their mark.
It's all here: the two dopes, the inane conversation, the Fishmaster Brew, the famous New Times interview, the booty shots of Fishmaster groupies. There's even a new feature not available on television, the Fishmaster version of the Psychic Friend's Networks. All you have to do is think your question when you click on the link for 'That Guy's Psychic Network." Your question will be answered in Fishmaster style.
Now if they could only catch a fish!
Web Excellence in Commerce
SLO Assn. of REALTORS(r) (www.slorealtors.org/)
The Internet is an excellent place to market real estate. Someone far away who dreams of buying a home or a piece of land in a paradise like SLO Town can connect to our village with a few clicks of the mouse. Next thing you know, they're taking out a loan.
The SLO Association of Realtors has done its membership a good turn by assembling a site that has all the essential information you need to explore the real estate market in SLO County. It's easy to navigate and easy to use. It has an extensive list of local links that allow cyber-tourists to explore cyber-SLO.
The site's best feature, however, is a real estate search engine the local Realtor snagged from the California Association of Realtors. It allows prospective buyers to search for a property and narrow the search according to their price range and the features they want. For example, you can search for three bedroom, two bath homes that cost between $200,00 to $250,000 in Shandon and Cayucos, if that's what you're looking for. You can also search for income property, ranches, commercial property, leases or condominiums.
The site also contains a home buyer's guide, a primer on real estate transactions, and information on getting a loan. The site is a simple and friendly introduction to SLO Town real estate.
Web Excellence in Hot Business
Mo Hotta-Mo Betta (www.mohotta.com)
This site is a great cyberaltar for the cult of spicy food lovers. It is the website of "the original hot & spicy food company," located in downtown San Luis Obispo. The site has nice graphics and simple animation, but its strength is in providing all the information you could ever want about spicy foods.
For example, its Pepper Profiles section offers details on just about every kind of name to common uses to where it's grown to where it registers on the Scoville Heat Units index.
New Times staffers Richard Jackoway, Stephen Jones, and Jeff McMahon contributed to this report.
