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== External links ==
''Warning: The following sites listed below may be disturbing to some.''
* [http://www.rotten.com/ Rotten.com]
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Revision as of 22:50, 15 April 2006
Rotten.com is a web site devoted to morbid curiosities such as gruesome fatalities and deformities, autopsy or forensic photographs, depictions of perverse and other sexual acts, and historical curios that are disturbing or otherwise misanthropic in nature. It describes itself as "an archive of disturbing illustration."
Rotten.com was started by a California BBS Sysop in 1996. According to the rotten.com FAQ, it began as "a 'what should I do with this domain now that I blew a hundred bucks on it' exercise."[1]. (Contains some of the images)
During 2000 and 2001, Rotten.com was strongly associated with several of the Slashdot trolling phenomena, with Rotten exhibits such as "The Incident With The Bird" and "The Incident With The Fish" responsible for penis bird and penis fish, ASCII art messages posted to the Slashdot website. Mischievous users also put disguised links to images on the Rotten.com website in their messages in an attempt, much like with the Goatse.cx trolling phenomenon, to trick unsuspecting readers into inadvertently viewing unpleasant images.
Rotten Library
In contrast to the main site, the Rotten Library offers a less graphic collection of pages, describing itself as 'an unforgettable collection of all that mankind swore to forget, but which we have trapped in agonizing clarity to remember always.' While most of its subject matter still falls within the general sphere of Rotten.com's focus – crime and criminals, human and animal sexuality, and the darker side of popular culture – the presentation is less scandalous. A great amount of research goes into the "exhibits," although some point out that the information is presented in a biased manner. Some of these articles still contain disturbing images, such as photos of charred nuclear victims on the "Atomic Bomb" article, but they are at least germane to the text. The library contains a large and growing number of categorized articles, ranging from biographies and historical events to articles on various conspiracy theories and lists of little-known sexual acts. Though a part of a graphic and controversial site, the Library is surprisingly well rounded in its information and written with a sort of sly sense of humor and quite a bit of intelligence.
The Gaping Maw
In 2000, the Rotten staff started up The Gaping Maw, an editorial/commentary archive. Most of the articles were written by cartoonist Tristan Farnon under the alias "Spigot" (Jerkcity, Leisure Town) and other associates, containing news satire and general rumination on modern society. Along with the library, this has improved Rotten's standing in many communities since it has put an intellectual, humane side to what was otherwise considered a puerile "shock" site. On the afternoon of June 22, 2005, "The Gaping Maw" went dark to comply with new governmental bookkeeping requirements regarding the distribution of pornography, specifically governmental age-verification of models, under the controversial 18 U.S.C. 2257. All articles were taken down, and the site's title page was replaced with a statement lamenting the passage of the laws, headed by the banner "CENSORED BY US GOVERNMENT." In January, 2006, "The Gaping Maw" came back online.
The Daily Rotten
In late 1999 [2], The Daily Rotten was started. This site, updated daily, contains links to news articles that decidedly cover the more bizarre, macabre and unpleasant side of life. Stories of terrorism, murders, suicides, cruelty and abuse are the staple fare of this site. Also featured is the Today in Rotten History section, an "on this day" history listing events in a similar vein as the rest of the site.
The events of September 11, 2001 were featured heavily on The Daily Rotten pages, a fact that the creators acknowledge as contributing to the popularity of the site.
Rotten Dead Pool
In November 2003, the Rotten Dead Pool was launched. This is a game in which players pick ten people they believe will die over the course of the next twelve months. A point is awarded to a player for each of their picks who dies over the twelve months (unless the deceased was awaiting execution at the time they were picked, or murdered by the player).
NNDB
In mid-2004, Rotten launched NNDB, a so-called intelligence aggregator. This is a growing website that lists information (birth, death, job history, biography) of thousands of people.
Sports Dignity
An ancillary site off Rotten is Sports Dignity, a gallery of pictures, most of which are of athletes exposing their genitalia, flipping off the camera, or sporting huge gashes and injuries. Rotten and its related web sites are a product of Soylent Communications.
See also
External links
Warning: The following sites listed below may be disturbing to some.