Look What They've Done to the Official Web Site, Ma

supposed to publish new research last year. What happened to their sales estimates (tentatively over 100 million)? Well, skipping past the two-paragraph intro, one can "Explore the epic" (don't worry, all these links are almost clearly visible in the masthead -- just pass your mouse cursor over it and you'll see things light up). You get a brief two-page explanation of how the system works and down below you have a "Click here to explore Middle-earth" (no need to look for it). Middle-earth, apparently, exists in a popup window. The map of Middle-earth is green (so we know it's not a desert, and that it's still in Missouri, for those of you who know your Mark Twain Tom Sawyer Abroad by heart). You need to load the IPIX active X control, however. On first glance the map may seem grossly inaccurate, but cartography has never been the easiest science and when combined with Web interactivity it must be quite a challenge. When you click on the map points and load the control, you get a rotating 3-D image. I found the Hobbit hole first. Bag End, to be exact. Bag End from the movies, that is. I could actually look out at the Shire from the doorstep of Bag End. Cool. The zoom feature is a little disconcerting, but that may just be my mouse sensitivity. Another click brings up a menu that lets me see how the Hobbit ears, feet, and language were put together. Well, the RealAudio stuff wasn't working yet, so I moved on to Hobbiton. Unfortunately, the stuff about Wizards, Elves, Dwarves, etc. wasn't online yet, either. In looking around the map I notice that the East Bight (the big indentation in the right side of the southern part of Mirkwood) has been renamed the East Bright. This flash feature is a bit slow, but that just may mean my Pentium is outdated technology. The fan questions don't really cover any new territory, unfortunately. So, for old-timers this will seem more like a FAQ than new ground. Still, for once we can get answers straight from Peter himself, instead of from fan Webmasters who have gleaned bits and pieces. The most controversial question, unfortunately, belies a common ignorance about the book:

In Tolkien's work, Middle-earth is almost exclusively occupied by white-skinned people with the notable exceptions, the Haradrum, being allies of the enemy. How will you escape the almost certain protest this might cause if put on film? ...

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