First thoughts are to agree with you on wireframe and thunderhouse and add a few more off the top of my head.

http://www.absolutvodka.com/map/index.htm
An oldie in web terms which only serves to show just how ahead of its time it was. Using the web as an application; this looks great, feels great and by collaborating with UFO and Coldcut amongst others, sounds great. Commercially it gets Absolut's brand values spot on.

http://sodaplay.com/index.htm
Another application and this is a seminal one - is there anyone who has not spent hours at this site? Unlike so many 'clever' ideas this really is fun, it has a degree of difficulty that keeps you going back and with new features that allow you to save creations and submit them for 'model of the week', is truly interactive. Meccano for the digital generation.

http://www.eboy.com/
I love pixels and this site is the don of pixel engineering.

http://www.zx26.com/
Another oldie, although refreshed for 2000. More great use of pixels in 56 animated gifs that create motion and style with tiny file sizes. Also home to the brilliantly named 'Japanese Speaking Machine'.

Back to the bookmarks!

On 15:36:37 18 October 2000 ashley wrote:
>If I were asked to pick out sites that I felt were truly
>creative in their use of the web medium, the following
>would certainly be there. It is worth noting that I
>don’t necessarily think that these sites serve their
>purpose better than other sites, or that I think they are
>necessarily commercially the correct approach, just that
>they have stood out in their creative execution. It will
>perhaps be little surprise that most of the sites use
>Flash and are best seen with the latest browsers and a
>fattish pipe internet connection…
>
>I’d be interested to hear what you think.
>
>http://www.thunderhouse.com.br/cannes/laramara/
>You navigate a totally black screen guided only by voice
>commands you come across as you explore. Navigation by
>audio only. An intriguing idea and experience.
>
>http://www.heavy.com/
>Who says the web can’t be entertaining? You need a
>good connection for this, but it is the best example of
>web-based multimedia entertainment that I know.
>Outstanding.
>
>http://www.veonzone.com/
>“The broadband destination site.” You’ll
>need a very fast connection and the Veon player for this
>to work but it is very impressive. Interactive web
>programming including fashion shows, extreme sports shows
>etc. where you can click on the items in the video to
>purchase, find out more. This is broadband interactive TV
>but coming at it from the web….
>
>http://www.nykris.co.uk/
>A UK web design agency. Apart from the classy shapes,
>colours and animation, I particular admire this one for
>its use of sound – the sounds of London life (tube
>stations, voices, alarms, phones ringing etc.) are
>particularly evocative and mildly amusing.
>
>http://www.tribalddb.com/
>It’s a spin off of an advertising agency, which is
>usually a bad sign, but there is something remarkably
>intriguing and addictive about this site. Things grow and
>move, you can interact with them, change their size, shape
>and movement direction, making it all a ‘touchy
>feely’ experience. And yet it combines this with
>more standard and necessary company information.
>
>http://www.wireframe.co.za/
>A South African site that encourages a different kind of
>interaction – there are little
>‘sketches’ and elements that are pleasurable
>to interact with even using just a mouse. The way things
>move and react is somehow soothing. Like the web
>equivalent of those squidgy de-stresser things, or
>Archimedes balls and other such executive desk toys…