For such a short month, February sure is heterogeneous. First we have the wiliness of Leap Year. What other month requires you to do math to figure how long it is? Then, on the one hand it is a month of emotions, a wistful teenaged girly collection of days with one singled out and dedicated to the pageantry and mystique of fairy tale true love, called Valentine’s Day. Presents NOT optional guys. Preferably chocolate AND a present. On the other hand it is a rather somber and serious scholarly quad of weeks dedicated to our edification on the subject of Black History. With no presents. Or even cards. (Hallmark somehow draws a blank here? Seriously? They got nothing?) How to marry the two main, and so seemingly disparate facets of the same 28, but sometimes 29, day period in order to come up with a unifying theme for a sampling of websites? Well, that’s why I get paid the big bucks folks. (If this wasn’t a family ‘zine, it would have been a lot easier.) Witness a prime example of why I madly LOVE the infranet. Dig the unmedicated schizop hrenic goodness that turned up when I simply Googled the word “BLACK”. See how love + black= good, (mostly) clean, entertainment goodness? 

 

http://bsa.od.nih.gov

In a perfect world this website would not have to exist. Every scientist would be afforded the same level of respect regardless of race, gender, or yes, even level of sanity. But this is the real, decidedly imperfect world and thus we have the National Health Institute’s Black Scientist’s Association website; a nifty resource for black scientists who want to thrive in research and advance professionally. It contains tons of info about training programs, grants, contracts, job opportunities, and minority health issues in general. 

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www.blackmetal.com

Your black metal headquarters! And, interestingly, perhaps even intriguingly, this one has nothing to do with race. Think soul-crushing iconoclastic aural nightmares delivered at ridiculous volumes by dudes that look like ladies in make-up and tight pants. This e-store has a huge selection of this sometimes difficult to find genre of “music,” and even boasts its own record label. Sign up for the newsletter, peruse their picks of the week, and shop ‘til you drop!
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www.blackbearjamboree.com

Still digesting this one. Burp! A little came back up. Okay, we have a concept restaurant in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (Of Dollywood fame!) wherein a SUPER cheesy Broadway-esque show is put on while you dine, in order to “tempt the bears,” which in this case are furry animatronic critters who are also part of the act. Tempt them to what, I can’t say. Go beserk with rage and savagely maul everyone in the house maybe? View clips of the extravaganza that features among so many other things, “…250 mind blowing costumes and special effects...” here, or check the menu, make reservations, or even apply for a job theater geeks. This is the type of quality entertainment previously only available in Branson folks.

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www.blackhat.com

A site chronicling the vendor neutral Black Hat Briefings, which,  “…are a series of highly technical information security conferences that bring together leaders…from the corporate and government sectors to the academic and even underground researchers (read: hackers).” In this day and age, the importance of savvy digital self defense and reliable information security can hardly be overstated. Learn more than you ever thought you wanted to know in their extensive and free multimedia archives or hook-up with their RSS to keep up with all the latest news in the battle to keep the really smart bad guys from screwing everything up for the rest of us.

 


www.blacksbeach.org

What happens when a man with crippling OCD and an aversion to wearing pants in public learns to build a website? This. Lloyd loves Black’s Beach in San Diego California and apparently spends more time than 5 or 6 full time minimum wage workers spend actually working per week trying to promote and retain the clothing optional status of this beach. An affiliate of The Naturist Society, this site is chock-full of pictures (a few are definitely NSFW), trip reports, etiquette rules, warnings, and general content that really say a lot about Lloyd’s mental state. Perhaps most amusingly, you can even buy t-shirts in their merchandise section.