In a panel at a Web conference in 1995 I talked about the inevitable rise of instant stardom and its perils, once the Web got popular. Here are some of the latest subjects - a very funny online video of 19 year-old Gary Brolsma showed him lip-synching to a Romanian pop song. Now after CNN and VH1 broadcasts, he's hiding at home, refusing calls from the New York Times and an appearance on the "Today" show:

Boston resident Geoff Hargadon made a popular parody of the art installation "The Gates". His site got 4 million hits, and he got a reception with the mayor, appearances in international newspapers and MSNBC, and offers from museums across the U.S. to add his work to their collections: