lifestyle

Here's a brief look at new and noteworthy experiences among DVDs, video games, gadgets and the Web.

DVD

"Robinson Crusoe of Mars" (Criterion, $40)

The title might illicit a snicker, but this 1964 sci-fi classic is certainly not camp. It's a somber look at what might happen to an astronaut who crash lands on Mars. Is survival worth the reward of utter isolation? "Destination: Mars," a new documentary short on this DVD, drives home the point that director Byron Haskin ("The War of the Worlds") insisted on doing an update of Daniel Defoe's tale that was scientifically sound, given what was known then about space travel. Other extras are carried over from a 1994 laserdisc (which cost $100), including a wide-ranging commentary track that features actors Paul Mantee and Victor Lundin and an archival interview with Haskin.

SITE

Slim Timer (www.slimtimer.com)

Are you a freelancer needing to track hours spent on projects? A small-business owner trying to keep tabs on employees' hours? A stay-at-home parent managing various activities? A student trying to keep up with assignments? This easy-to-use, free website might be just the answer to your time-management woes. It allows you to track several projects at once: Just click when you start, and click again when you move on to something else. You can export and print reports showing how much time you spent on each task. Best of all, because it's Web-based, you can access your data from any computer.

CLIP

Rick Rolling (www.yougotrickrolled.com)

Could '80s pop singer Rick Astley really be that popular? Video clips of his No.1 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" have received nearly 4.5 million views on YouTube -- and nearly every one of them was the result of a prank called Rick Rolling. It originates in online forums where threads discuss, say, some hot video game, a buxom babe or a naughty website. "Anyone have a link?" someone invariably posts. "Here's one," a jokester replies. An unsuspecting click then leads to the video of Astley, he of the burly voice and the girly dance moves. A-ha, Rick Rolled again!

RANDY A. SALAS