Issue One - Originally Published June, 1999

Yo! I’m taking a quick break between showings of Star Wars: Episode One (I’ve seen the movie 74 consecutive times already) to write this article for all my friends out here in Medina County Land. My boss says I’m a major freeloader, so he wants me to write about finding free stuff on the Internet.

First of all, I must set the record straight that I only will stay at someone’s house if they let me in the front door. I’m a dude with principles, ya’ know, and if you don’t want me crashing on your couch for three months then don’t invite me in!

Anyways, I digress. Let’s talk about free stuff on the web. First of all, let the web-surfing buyer beware! My father-figure told me that nothing in the world is free, which I know is bunk because I’ve been gobbling up all kinds of free air since before I can remember. And there are even sites where you can get free Internet access if you don’t mind a bunch of pop-up ads.

Let your web surfing take you to www.medinamall.com for many links to cool sites that offer free stuff. One of my favorites is www.thefreesite.com, where they have free offers for magazines and catalogs, an archive of fonts and graphics, but also some really hilarious prank programs. I downloaded a really useful program, one that makes all kinds of flatulent noises. And you wonder how we used to pass our time before the advent of the Internet?!

Some of my fellow surfer dudes and dudettes like www.free.com. Hey, they’re lucky enough to have the perfect domain name, so it must be a decent site. Surf over to it and check it out.

If you go to the web site www.freestart.com you find an entire list of sites that have free goods. It’s a cool place to start, because with each site you visit you find links to guess what -- even more sites with free stuff. It goes on and on and on . . . who knows where the surf will take you. Usually the best sites are found by accident.

When you start to visit these free sites at www.MedinaMall.com, don’t expect to download a coupon for a free Corvette. Bummer! You’re going to see a lot of junk, but the typical fare is magazine trials, catalogs, product samples, simple computer games & programs, web authoring tools and graphics, e-mail newsletters, and coupons.

Speaking of coupons, my boss told me to let you know that he is in the process of working on putting coupons from local businesses at MedinaMall under Web Bucks. It’s something you might want to check out, as soon as he gets off his large behind and gets it started! Please don’t tell him I said that, I need this job -- after all, I can’t go through life always getting things for free, can I?

Net Surfer Dude’s Radical Reviews:

1. The Free Shop : Free magazine trials, a lot of free catalogs and brochures (travel & tourism info), free e-mail newsletters about any topic under the sun, software demo’s. My rating: Three and a half Buy-One-Get-One-Free Coupons.

2. Hot Coupons: Not much locally yet. My rating: One 5-Cent-Off Coupon.

3. Free Hound : Computer stuff, games, internet resources. Confusing interface. My rating: A Number Three McDonald’s Value Meal.

4. Blue Mountain Arts : Send a free greeting card online! I use this one a lot. My rating: A Free Atlantic Cruise (If you can’t afford to send your loved ones on a cruise, at least send them a free virtual card).

NEXT MONTH:

The ‘Net Surfer Dude likes to take off for new places every summer. He’ll surf us over to some cool travel sites on the web, to help us better plan our summer vacations.

“Since The Grateful Dead broke up and I can’t travel along with the Deadheads all summer long,” ‘Net Surfer Dude laments, “I’ve had to be more creative in my traveling pursuits.”

“Instead of sleeping in the back of a pickup truck all summer long, I’ve started to rub elbows with ritzy folk and have been staying at exclusive establishments, like Red Roof Inn and Motel 6,” he said. “It’s far out seeing how the other half lives.”