caferock.org - Alyssa Rock

Links

"You know James, I've been around this great, big internet of ours a few times, so I know what I'm talking about." --Strong Bad

I may not be as web-saavy as my husband is, but I have a few favorite links that are worth checking out. So, follow and enjoy. (Please note that these links are not arranged in any special order.)

Sites I'm Personally Involved With

The Media Education Database

http://medb.byu.edu

I'm the administrator for this site. It's a website I co-authored with my friend Garth Hill. This site is designed to provide media educators with a place to share and download lesson plans and other instructional materials. I'm pretty proud of this site. Check it out.

Yodel Anecdotal

http://yodel.yahoo.com

Yeah, I work for Yahoo! Inc. and this is their company blog. They do a pretty good job of keeping this blog interesting.

Blogs/Websites of My Friends

Beck Family

http://meetthebecks.blogspot.com

A blog created by my good friends the Becks over in Kansas. Sarah and I are kindred spirits.

Biffy Brown

http://matthaynie.com/BiffyBrown

My old roommate Elizabeth Brown's personal blog. She's really good at writing in it regularly and she's also really funny.

The Continuing Family Saga

http://continuingfamilysaga.blogspot.com/

This blog is by my friend Kathryn who is one of my good friends from the days I spent in Heber City/Midway. Kathryn has a great sense of humor and posts regularly.

Garth Hill

http://www.thaabit.net

Garth is a good friend; we keep in touch pretty frequently since we work on the MEDb site together. Garth last updated his blog July 23, 2003---so, it's not very current. But his website is kinda cool.

Greg Hill

http://greg.kathihill.com

This is my friend Greg's blog. He updates it every so often. At least once a month. Greg's a really great guy. He's the server administrator for our website.

Making It Up As I Go

http://themaryanne.info

My friend Maryanne Snell's personal blog. She also posts regularly and her blog is very enjoyable.

The Mayhem Papers

http://mayhem-inc.net

Bruce Snell's personal blog. (He's married to Maryanne.) He doesn't post quite as regularly as Maryanne but when he does, it's always highly entertaining.

Portal J

http://portalj.blogspot.com

My friend Anthony's family website. Anthony is a good friend from my high school days. His wife keeps this blog up to date on a regular basis.

The Real Cruze Family

http://supercruzes.blogspot.com/

Lori is a good friend from high school and this is her family's blog. If I ever wanted to convince someone that being a parent is a lot of fun, I'd send them to her blog.

The Rock Family Files

http://therockfamilyfiles.blogspot.com/

This is the blog of Chris's brother Nathan. His wife Allison regularly posts cute pictures of their daughter Sophie.

Slanted

http://librarianpants.blogspot.com/

This blog is kept up by my friend MBC from high school. "Slanted" has the honor of being my favorite personal blog. She posts every day and no one can make me laugh harder than she can. What an excellent writer!

Sheep Go to Heaven

http://yousaidyoudbakeusacake.blogspot.com

A blog kept up by Jeff Gustafson, Chris's old roommate and my former co-worker. His blog is always REALLY fascinating. In the past, he was pretty good at updating it regularly, but he's become pretty busy with his film career and doesn't keep up with it quite so often. Still, a good read.

Stephanie Barlow

http://www.myspace.com/35966798

A friend of mine from the good old PG days. This is her Myspace site.

Susie and Jay Larson

http://susanjaylarson.blogspot.com

Susie is one of my favorite former roommates. She posts lots of cute family pictures and the occasional journal entry here.

Wayne and Rebecca Madsen

http://www.waynemadsen.com/wayneandrebecca

Our new neighbors and good friends here in California. They update their blog every weekend. I think this site has really excellent graphic design. I guess that's 'cause Wayne's in the fine arts. :)

The Best Sites for Keeping Up With Film and Media Issues

The Documentary Blog

http://www.thedocumentaryblog.com/

This is definitely one my favorite film blogs. This blog regularly posts trailers and reviews of new and interesting documentaries.

DVD Verdict

http://www.dvdverdict.com/

These guys review just about every DVD that is produced. Their reviews are a good lifeline for me since I catch more films on DVD than I do in the theater nowadays. Some day when I have more time to watch movies, I want to become one of their judges.

Kids Off the Couch

http://kidsoffthecouch.com/

This website is definitely in sync with my personal attitudes and beliefs about media and parenting. Every week, these folks create a new idea for a "media adventure" that parents and kids can share together. It's a way to help kids connect what they watch with the world they live in. They also occasionally offer free information from children's media conferences. If you're a parent, you should definitely sign up!

My Favorite Sites for Entertainment

Homestarrunner.com

http://homestarrunner.com

Yeah, well who hasn't heard of this site by now... But I gotta admit I've been a big fan for a long time. Longer than you, I'd bet. I've been tuning in to Strong Bad ever since comic (email #53, released December 2, 2002).

Homestar Wiki

http://hrwiki.org

How did I know the exact release date of Email #53? It's all thanks to the ever-comprehensive Homestar Wiki. Contains info on anything you'd ever want to know about Homestar and its related topics.

They Might Be Giants

http://tmbg.com

The official website for my current favorite band. Pretty entertaining. Oh, and they also have a wiki devoted to them.

Basic Instructions

http://www.basicinstructions.net/

One of my favorite web comics.

Making Fiends

http://makingfiends.com

Soon to debut as a Nickelodeon sellout---er, I mean, cartoon... I've been a fan of the animations on this website for quite some time. Amy Winfrey's done some really nice work. I also recommend checking out her Muffin Films.

The Improv Experiment

http://www.improveverywhere.com

As it states on the website, these guys "cause scenes." They are a large group of New Yorkers devoted to carrying out several humorous "missions" in real life with real people. Some of my favorite missions include the MP3 experiment, No Pants day, Best Buy, Cell Phone Symphony and Romantic Comedy Cab. Check this site out. It's funny.

Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency

http://mcsweeneys.net

A hilarious website that has random collections of humorous writings by various artists. You could literally spend days entertaining yourself on this site.

Interesting Sites About Mormonism

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

http://lds.org

I guess I should list the official website here.

Fit For the Kingdom

http://fitforthekingdom.byu.edu/

A collection of short documentaries about everday Mormons living everday lives. This site has some real gems.

Mormonwiki

http://mormonwiki.org/

A wiki sponsored by a non-profit group about Mormonism. All members are invited to submit articles.

LDS Webguy

http://www.ldswebguy.com

This guy keeps a really comprehensive blog discussing the church and its relationship to the Internet and technology. Pretty cool.

Sugarbeet

http://sugar-beet.blogspot.com/

(Sigh.) This is all that's left of the online Mormon zine which parodies Mormon life and culture---like an LDS version of the Onion. I miss this zine. But fortunately, they came out with a book collection of their best articles--a great read.

Mormons For Peace

http://mormonsforpeace.blogspot.com/

An interesting blog kept up by a BYU Professor in favor of peace. The blog proclaims itself as a "presence and refuge for anyone who favors peace over war. Particularly designed for Mormons to discuss Post 9/11 American Foreign Policy in an intelligent and respectful manner."

Meridian Magazine

http://meridianmagazine.com/

I stumbled upon this site while searching for information about Mormon cinema. This is an online magazine that is published every day. I don't always agree with their politics, but I consider their publication a good way to keep tabs on the pulse of contemporary Mormon culture.

Mormon Share

http://mormonshare.com/

If you have a teaching calling in the church, this is a good resource for handouts, object lessons, etc. If I could, I would redesign a lot of things about this site, but, hey... not my site.

Gideon Burton's Blog

http://gideonburton.typepad.com/

An academic blog by one of my favorite former BYU Professors who is deeply interested in Mormon Studies.

Confessions of a Trivial Mind: Ken Jenning's Personal Website

http://www.ken-jennings.com/

Read the blog and check out the other events related to one of the more famous Mormons out there: Ken Jennings, the longest running champion of the trivia gameshow Jeopardy. Ken Jennings has officially made it onto my list of Mormons I would one day like to meet. His blog is so great!

main menu

Appetizers

Entrees

Desserts