September 15, 2008 (Vol. 28, No. 16)
URL:
http://www.cyberlipid.org
Rating:
Strong Points: Vast information collection
Weak Points: Poor layout scheme
Summary:
Just when you were starting to get sick of the use of the term “cyber” as a prefix (cyberspace, cybernetic, etc.), along comes the Cyberlipid Center. Though one might conclude that this is a Center devoted to Cyberlipids (whatever those are), this is actually not the case. Instead, as you might suspect, it is just a gussied up name for a site about a topic (lipids) that is not exactly comprised of a set of glamorous molecules. That may be a bit unfair to lipids, as we are rapidly discovering how these molecules impact our lives. The Cyberlipid Center is a site that brings to mind “retro” more than the term “cyber.” The reason for this is the rather simplistic interface (and ugly layout) that organizes and houses the information. On the plus side, there is an absolutely awesome collection of lipids organized alphabetically by name. The structures are rather primitive, but it is hard, looking at the list, to think of a lipid that might be missing. On the down side, the layouts look like they were designed by a fourth grader. If the medium really is the message, then this site loses out. Fortunately, content is king for scientific information, thus saving the Cyberlipid Center from the dust heap of the Web.
