Not-So-Serious Journalism   

SURE, YOU CAN FIND breaking news, sources and reference material online. But that's so boring. And the boss isn't looking. Try this collection of Web sites that offers an alternative to straight-up news.

Marilyn vos Savant is Wrong!
wiskit.com/marilyn.html
Marilyn vos Savant, a columnist for Parade magazine (``Ask Marilyn"), claims an IQ of 228, or about twice an average score. That has never impressed Herb Weiner, a software engineer who maintains this site devoted to correcting what he considers her most serious blunders. When asked by the Washington Post about Weiner's site, vos Savant said she hadn't seen it but that Web sites of this nature strike her as ``a little creepy.'' But Weiner says on the site, ``I am concerned that some people believe that everything Marilyn says is correct...just because she is smarter than we are.''

The Onion
www.theonion.com
This weekly humor newspaper, which knows no shame, has gained a reputation for its absurdist headlines and stories. A sampling: ``The Hillbillies Have the Bomb,'' ``New High-Viscosity Mayonnaise to Aid in American Swallowing'' and ``World Death Rate Holding Steady at 100 Percent.''

History Buff's Home Page
historybuff.com
The Newspaper Collectors Society of America has assembled the king of all newsroom morgues. The collection includes articles about coverage of the trial of John Peter Zenger and the hunt for Jack the Ripper, as well as the story of a reporter killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn and famous journalism hoaxes. The site also offers historic audio clips (such as the chilling radio broadcast during the crash of the Hindenburg) and a newspaper price guide (first reports of the 1770 Boston Massacre fetch $1,300 to $2,500).

Headline Haiku
coolwebsite.com
It's actually senryu, but Headline Senryu doesn't have the same ring to it. Each day, news poets translate breaking stories from USA Today, National Public Radio, the BBC and other sources into 17-syllable summaries. ``Lewinsky TV / deal close. half million for her / to open her mouth.'' Submissions are welcome.

The News Babe Page
www.redblazer.com/news
Fueled by insomnia, the creator of this politically incorrect fan site compiled links to more than 500 head shots of ``attractive, extremely tidy'' female television newscasters. Icons denote whether the newscaster is a beauty pageant winner, a ``weather babe,'' married or the recipient of an advanced degree. Jeffrey McManus, assistant curator of the site, says none of the women has complained, adding that ``everybody likes news babes.'' A few have even sent promotional kitsch as tokens of appreciation. He also charts which reporters have contacted him about the site, how many corrected his spelling (one), and how many took him to lunch (zero). Not coming soon: The City Editor Hunk Page.

This is True
thisistrue.com
Each week, humor writer Randy Cassingham recounts tales of hapless criminals, outrageous lawsuits and tortured logic with facts culled from the nation's newspapers and wire services. Sign up here for his free e-mail newsletter. Or visit Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird at www.newsoftheweird. com, where you can search an archive of offbeat news items by keyword or browse categories such as ``Drunkenness,'' ``Marriage'' and ``California.''

Flying Pig Awards
members.home.net/cccorlew/pigs/index.html
This site honors photographers for exemplary work in several mundane categories, including person in an office, groundbreaking ceremonies, pet of the week and group poses. Check out the small collection of photos that were never published, for a variety of reasons. Sadly, the site hasn't been updated since the first round of winners in 1997.

The Exploding Whale
www.cs.uoregon.edu/~hacks/misc/whale
In 1970, Portland TV reporter Paul Linnman and his crew recorded state highway workers destroying a dead, beached whale with cases of dynamite. ``The humor of the entire situation suddenly gave way to a run for survival as huge chunks of whale blubber fell everywhere,'' Linnman explains on-air in the aftermath of the blast. One chunk of blubber crushed a car parked more than a quarter-mile away. This site archives the original news clip.

Weekly World News
wwnonline.com
The WWN is now online for those times when you need a dose of reality. Visit the vampire page, join the Bat Boy Fan Club or calm your nerves with Serena, America's sexiest psychic. While you're in a tawdry state of mind, jump to the supermarket tabloid headline generator at www.planetary.net.

A.Word.A.Day
wordsmith.org/awad
Play stump the copy editor with gems such as claque (``a group hired to applaud at a performance''), footle (``to talk or act foolishly''), declivitous (``moderately steep'') and imago (``an idealized mental image of another person or the self'').

Police Scanners
broadcast.com/radio/Special_Broadcasts
Listen from your computer via RealAudio software to live police scanner activity in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and...Plano, Texas. The site also offers an all-Christmas music station, which might provide some relief to cop beat newbies assigned to holiday duty.

The Payphone Project
www.sorabji.com/livewire/payphones
A list of pay phone numbers submitted by an army of volunteers around the world. Call the numbers to report those ``man-on-the-street'' reaction stories without leaving your desk!

MORE:

Death Clock
deathclock.com
Forget the deadline. How long do you have left?

Good vs. Evil
goodvsevil.org
Choose good news (``Positive Press'') or bad (``The Daily Outrage'').

The Big Press Cam!
www.gomontana.com/presscam.html
The newsroom of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, as seen by the computer guy.

A Trip Through Newspaperland
startribune.com/stonline/html/userguide/ newspaperland
A 12-page comic distributed with the July 3, 1949, Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. ``Gee, mister, do you work for the Star and Tribune in that big new building?''

Automatic Dave Barry Column Generator
peacefire.org/staff/bennett/autodave/autodave.html
You know you're in trouble when a teenager creates a program that can write your column.