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The Gang's All Here

Whatever your needs, local Web sites are rich with interesting information and varied perspectives By Mimi Hill IF YOU ARE LIVING IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, I hope that at some point you also have felt that you are living in a virtual paradise. From seascapes to cyberscapes, our global village outpost is terminally unique. Each week I'll be out there surfing the net in order to bring you links to the arts, local politics, nature, cuisine, public events, business and some "only in Santa Cruz" Web pages. Sites for consideration can be submitted at any time--just email me. The High Road Ever wondered if Highway 17 is backed up or what your transportation alternatives are? Point your browser here to get the scoop. This amazing site also has links to the California Department of Transportation Current Road Information, California Highway Reports for Northern California, real-time pictures of Highway 17 north of the Summit looking south, and for those of you who didn't slow down after seeing your face on the Highway 17 page of shame, there is a speed trap registry. Arts on the Hill Ever wondered how to find out what events are going on up at UCSC? The UCSC Campus Calendar allows you to search by sponsor, location, description, category and period, as well as daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or one month in advance. I typed "Theater" into the site's search engine and came up with 11 events happening between now and April 20. One of them, The Trojan Women, looked particularly interesting to me, so I clicked on "more" and got a very well-laid-out page with dates, description, price, location and estimated audience. The High and the Mighty Did you know Watsonville High School broadcasts a daily inter-campus television news program called Catz News? This Web page deserves a big round of applause. Good job, Wildcats and Fidel Mejia-Gutierrez. While passing through, I suggest checking out the descriptions for classes that are offered to Watsonville High students, course such as Advanced Placement Physics and Women's Issues in Literature. I was particularly impressed with the Computer Design for Multimedia Applications course. From this Web page, I found out that South County students get to learn the practical and commercial applications of design, particularly in terms of its use in desk-top publishing, art and illustration, photography and multimedia presentations. What a jump on the job market those skills will provide. Sounds Good How about some local metaphysical pop music? This site of Concrete Buddha also features the home pages of vocalist/guitarist Bolo Prather, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Richard Karst, vocalist/percussionist Lynn Burns, vocalist/bassist Victor Revere and vocalist/drummer Bruce Campbell. Karst's page is especially interesting, with all kinds of music and recording references. While you're there, make sure you check out the Center for Voice Disorders link. Mimi Hill is a systems and resource analyst for the UCSC Division of the Arts. Readers can reach her by email or by mail at 111 Union St. SC, 95060. Also, check out her Web page. [ Metro Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]