Rotten.com

Rotten.com is a web site devoted to morbid 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".

Related Topics:
Web site - Morbid - Autopsy - Forensic - Perverse - Sex - Misanthropic

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As most of the photos featured on the website are sent in by readers, it is likely that some photos are digitally altered.

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Rotten.com was started by a California BBS Sysop in 1996. According to the rotten.com FAQ, it began as "a 'what should I do with this domain now that I blew a hundred bucks on it' exercise."http://www.rotten.com/faq/.

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During 2000 and 2001, Rotten.com was strongly associated with several of the Slashdot trolling phenomena, with Rotten exhibits such as the "The Incident With The Bird" and the "The Incident With The Fish" responsible for penis bird and penis fish, ASCII art messages posted to the Slashdot website. Mischievous users 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 unsuspecting readers into inadvertently viewing unpleasant images.

Related Topics:
2000 - 2001 - Slashdot trolling phenomena - ASCII art - Slashdot - Goatse.cx

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In contrast to the main site, the Rotten Library offers a less grotesque collection of pages, describing itself as 'an unforgettable collection of all that mankind swore to forget, but which we have trapped in agonizing clarity to remember always.' 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. A great amount of research goes into the "exhibits," although some point out that the information may be presented in a biased manner. Some of these articles still contain disturbing images, such as photos of charred nuclear victims on the "Atomic Bomb" article, but they are at least germane to the text. The library contains a large and growing number of categorized articles, ranging from biographies and historical events to articles on various conspiracy theories and lists of little-known sexual acts.

Related Topics:
Crime - Criminals - Sexuality - Popular culture - Bias - Conspiracy theories - Sex

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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, humane side to what was otherwise considered a puerile "shock" site. On the afternoon of June 22, 2005, "The Gaping Maw" went dark to comply with new governmental bookkeeping requirements regarding the distribution of pornography, specifically governmental age-verification of models, under 18 U.S.C. 2257. All articles were taken down, and the site's title page was replaced with a statement lamenting the passage of the laws, headed by the banner "CENSORED BY US GOVERNMENT".

Related Topics:
Editorial - Tristan Farnon - Jerkcity - Leisure Town - News - Satire - Society - June 22 - 2005 - Pornography - 18 U.S.C. 2257

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In early 2000, The Daily Rotten was started. This site, updated daily, contains links to news articles that decidedly cover the more bizarre, macabre and unpleasant side of life. Stories of terrorism, 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.

Related Topics:
News - Terrorism - Murder - Suicide - Abuse

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The events of September 11 2001 were featured heavily on The Daily Rotten pages, a fact that the creators acknowledge as contributing to the popularity of the site.

Related Topics:
September 11 - 2001

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In November 2003, the Rotten Dead Pool was launched. This is a game in which players pick ten people they believe will die over the course of the next twelve months. A point is awarded to a player for each of their picks who dies over the twelve months (unless the deceased was awaiting execution at the time they were picked, or murdered by the player).

Related Topics:
2003 - Game - Die - Execution

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In mid-2004, Rotten launched NNDB, a so-called intelligence aggregator. This is a growing website that lists information (birth, death, job history, biography) of thousands of people. People are classified as icons, famous, somewhat famous and niche.

Related Topics:
2004 - NNDB

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Rotten and its related web sites are a product of Soylent Communications.

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