Freedom of absurdity

This column is responsible for considering absurd and/or cool consumer-related information. And after enjoying one young man’s artistic Web site, www.explodingdog.com, it may be hard to discern what price you’ll have to pay for this free visual amusement. On the site, Sam Brown, of Connecticut, showcases a comic strip of word-picture associations. He features stick-figure cartoon drawings, which create individual page narratives inspired by titles e-mailed to Sam from anyone. And here’s a great example of what consumes the minds of the masses: one e-mailer proposed the title "Why is my Water Bill $48?" Another entry, "Love is Like … a Crossword Puzzle," shows that Brown’s figures are shaped as sweetly as Dum Dum suckers: while one character wipes away tears, a romantic partner reaches out and pleads "…Mississippi." Brown sure can make a simple line look as sad as can be. But you know what’s really sad? He has to pay the price. DBWired hosts Brown’s Web site, charging him $5.95 a month. Check out Brown’s site for this inspired eye candy, and don’t miss the great links to likeminded art-story pages. Check out www.DBWired.com to start your own site. What grabs your attention? E-mail [email protected]