Web Monitor

15:48 UK time, Tuesday, 1 December 2009

A celebration of the riches of the web.

Today in Web Monitor: the tank theme park, the human spam filter and the best theatre of the year not in a theatre.

Will Smith as Phil Smith • For More Intelligent Life, Will Smith, the British comedian (pictured, right) not the US action hero, has been trying to prove his masculinity by driving a tank.. He headed to a place he describes as a tank theme park:

"When I ask Nick [the owner] how many tanks he has, he answers: 'More than Belarus.' I'm not sure it's a good idea for an individual to own more armoured divisions than a country. But I found looking out at a field full of tanks less unsettling than looking out at, say, a garden full of gnomes. A guy has a load of tanks, you know what you're dealing with. A guy has a load of gnomes, there's other stuff going on, probably involving secret basements."

• The Rejectionist is blazing a trail for the anonymous blogger. The name of the blog comes from the writer's job as an assistant to a literary agent. In the Seattle paper the Stranger, the Rejectionist describes his or her job as a human spam filter:

"I wish I could say that my role as an intermediary between the humble masses and a publishing contract has taught me grace and compassion; instead, it's taught me that the world is overrun with racist, lady-hating lunatics, hell-bent on inflicting their own horrific visions upon an unsuspecting populace."

• Theatre critic for the New Yorker Dan Kois is anticipating some angry responses from Broadway because his favourite musical theatre of the year was one he saw not at an opening night but instead in a YouTube video. Jill and Kevin's wedding dance (mentioned in Web Monitor) has been viewed over 32 million times on YouTube. For Kois, it's not just their dance but every wedding that presents an opportunity to show off a polished performance:

"For what is a wedding, really, but the only play that most people will ever have the chance to direct? Just once in your life, you have a beautiful theater, a captive and receptive audience, and a trusted cast at your disposal. Thanks to your parents, you might even have a bigger budget than the typical Off-Off Broadway show. And, as in any theatrical performance, you're bringing together an audience in order to tell them a story - in this case, the story of you, and your relationship."

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