Rotten.com
Rotten.com is the name of a web site devoted to 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".
During 2000 and 2001, Rotten.com was strongly associated with several of the Slashdot trolling phenomena, with several of its exhibits such as the "The Incident With The Bird" and the "The Incident With The Fish" directly responsible for penis bird and penis fish, respectively, ASCII art messages posted to the Slashdot website (see Slashdot trolling phenomena). Mischievous users would 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 an unsuspecting reader into inadvertently viewing an unpleasant image.
In contrast to the main site, the Rotten Library offers a very different collection of pages. 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 and the writing less sensationalist. While still irreverent, it is very informative, and some articles offer comprehensive overviews of their subject not found elsewhere on the Internet. Although some of these still contain disturbing images, such as photos of charred nuclear victims on the "Atomic Bomb" article, they are at least germane to the text.
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, human side to what was otherwise considered a puerile "shock" site.
In Early 2000, The Daily Rotten was started. This site contains links to news articles, updated most days, which mainly cover the more unpleasant side of life. Stories of terrorism, brutal 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.
Unsurprisingly, the events of September 11 2001 were featured heavily on The Daily Rotten pages, a fact which the creators acknowledge as contributing to the initial popularity of the site.
In 2003, the Rotten Dead Pool was launched. This is a game in which players pick 10 people they believe will die over the course of the next 12 months. A point is awarded to a player for each of their picks who dies over the 12 months (unless the deceased was awaiting execution at the time they were picked, or murdered by the player).
External links
Warning: these sites contain photographic material that is considered to be in "bad taste" and/or offensive by some people