Things I Enjoy Liking On The World Wide Web: A List
(games)
How many U.S. States can you name in a minute? How many countries can you name that have a population of under ten million? How about baby names beginning with Z? How many of those can you list? Zara, Zane, Zachary, Zelda.... Well, nice try, but there are actually 297 Z names, and you have 20 minutes to think of them! AND YOU ARE SO GONNA FAIL!!
Welcome to Sporcle, a site that can quiz you on just about anything. Can you identify 36 Star Wars characters by just looking at a portion of their face? Can you name thirty 80's songs after only hearing a 3-second clip of each? Can you list the U.S. Presidents backwards in under 5 minutes? Well? CAN YOU??
So good luck with that. And good luck not wanting to spend hours upon hours on this site once you're hooked. I mean, seriously... beware.
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How many U.S. States can you name in a minute? How many countries can you name that have a population of under ten million? How about baby names beginning with Z? How many of those can you list? Zara, Zane, Zachary, Zelda.... Well, nice try, but there are actually 297 Z names, and you have 20 minutes to think of them! AND YOU ARE SO GONNA FAIL!!
Welcome to Sporcle, a site that can quiz you on just about anything. Can you identify 36 Star Wars characters by just looking at a portion of their face? Can you name thirty 80's songs after only hearing a 3-second clip of each? Can you list the U.S. Presidents backwards in under 5 minutes? Well? CAN YOU??
So good luck with that. And good luck not wanting to spend hours upon hours on this site once you're hooked. I mean, seriously... beware.
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(comic series)
Ever wonder what superheroes do when they're not... well, being heroes? Have you wondered how their love lives might be hampered by the fact they wear spandex, possess crazy powers, and are constantly saving the world? Love And Capes is a fun romp that follows the lives of Mark/The Crusader, Abby, Charlotte, Darkblade/Paul, Amazonia, and their friends and family. The storylines mostly focus on the relationships and the quirks of dating -- or being -- a superhero, but there are some classic comic-y moments every now and then (evil clones, time travel, alternate realities, etc.). The series is well drawn, cute, funny, and a lot of fun.
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tvtropes.org
(info.)
I love this site because it teaches so much about story structure and arcs, plot devices, character traits, and -- my personal least favorite -- cliches. It lets you compare an element in, say, your favorite movie, to all the other works of fiction in which that element is also present. Aaand it's a total time sucker.
A writing teacher once told our class that there were only two possible plots or subjects in all of writing: Love and Death.
Tvtropes says otherwise. Way otherwise.
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tvtropes.org
(info.)
I love this site because it teaches so much about story structure and arcs, plot devices, character traits, and -- my personal least favorite -- cliches. It lets you compare an element in, say, your favorite movie, to all the other works of fiction in which that element is also present. Aaand it's a total time sucker.
A writing teacher once told our class that there were only two possible plots or subjects in all of writing: Love and Death.
Tvtropes says otherwise. Way otherwise.
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(blog)
GFY makes fun of celebrities and their fashion choices, gathering photos from awards show red carpets, premieres, and fabulous parties -- and providing hilarious, biting commentary. I've been visiting this blog off and on for almost eight years, and the snarkiness never subsides.
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Stump The Bookseller
(info.)
I guess I chose a bad time to highlight this website, since it looks like it has gone on one of those eternal sabbaticals websites are sometimes known for. (Right now the main page says "Stump the Bookseller will be on hiatus until January 15, 2013." That was three weeks ago.) But assuming it comes back, STB is really a neat site. This person in charge of it collects book "stumpers" from people who remember vague (or even clear) details about a book they read once upon a time but just can't remember or find. Readers to the blog then can go through all the stumpers, and if they see one they recognize, they can send in the author & title -- and save the day! There are other sites that do this (the Livejournal group "What Was That Book?" is another) but this one has been going for many years, and I've found myself immersed in all the book descriptions, longing to find out what the titles are so that I can read them, too, because, hey -- that plotline sounds pretty interesting! NOW WHAT THE HECK WAS IT CALLED??
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Nostalgia Critic
(videos)
I adore 99% of the Nostalgia Critic videos. This guy picks apart and mocks (or raves about) old movies and shows -- mostly stuff from the 80s and 90s, but not always. And when he hates a film, he HATES it -- he's merciless. And hilarious. Look through his list of videos and find all the movies you remember watching as a kid. Watch those. Then watch all the videos of movies you always meant to see but didn't. (Most of the time, you'll be glad you didn't.) Then when you've exhausted all those options, just check out some of the others and learn about movies you'd never considered. The Critic is bright and funny, and the reviews are creative and well-produced. He went on hiatus for a while, but he's back! (There's also a Nostalgia Chick, who's a little less funny, but also has a film degree and knows her stuff.)
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(videos)
If you're a fan of Harry Potter who has not experienced the wonder that IS Potter Puppet Pals, you're in for a treat. The characters are, of course, puppets, and they're a little tweaked -- Harry is a bit of a self-absorbed jerk, Ron's an idiot, Neville's a walking squash, Dumbledore's insane, and Snape... well, Snape is still Snape. The vids crack me up, and I wish there were more.
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Lego.com
(retail)
First off, Lego.com is dangerous, especially if you have access to a credit card and happen to love those dang pieces of beautiful plastic. But assuming you can stop yourself from buying a shiny object each time you visit, the website also offers a lot more -- there are games and videos, building ideas and more. Plus it's the only other place (besides the not-in-every-city Lego Retail Store) to see exclusive items that can't be found at Targets or Toys R Uses. It's also entirely kid-friendly... that is, unless that kid has a credit card. In which case, we should all be afraid.
(blog)
(info.)
I guess I chose a bad time to highlight this website, since it looks like it has gone on one of those eternal sabbaticals websites are sometimes known for. (Right now the main page says "Stump the Bookseller will be on hiatus until January 15, 2013." That was three weeks ago.) But assuming it comes back, STB is really a neat site. This person in charge of it collects book "stumpers" from people who remember vague (or even clear) details about a book they read once upon a time but just can't remember or find. Readers to the blog then can go through all the stumpers, and if they see one they recognize, they can send in the author & title -- and save the day! There are other sites that do this (the Livejournal group "What Was That Book?" is another) but this one has been going for many years, and I've found myself immersed in all the book descriptions, longing to find out what the titles are so that I can read them, too, because, hey -- that plotline sounds pretty interesting! NOW WHAT THE HECK WAS IT CALLED??
* * * * * * *
Nostalgia Critic
(videos)
I adore 99% of the Nostalgia Critic videos. This guy picks apart and mocks (or raves about) old movies and shows -- mostly stuff from the 80s and 90s, but not always. And when he hates a film, he HATES it -- he's merciless. And hilarious. Look through his list of videos and find all the movies you remember watching as a kid. Watch those. Then watch all the videos of movies you always meant to see but didn't. (Most of the time, you'll be glad you didn't.) Then when you've exhausted all those options, just check out some of the others and learn about movies you'd never considered. The Critic is bright and funny, and the reviews are creative and well-produced. He went on hiatus for a while, but he's back! (There's also a Nostalgia Chick, who's a little less funny, but also has a film degree and knows her stuff.)
* * * * * * *
If you're a fan of Harry Potter who has not experienced the wonder that IS Potter Puppet Pals, you're in for a treat. The characters are, of course, puppets, and they're a little tweaked -- Harry is a bit of a self-absorbed jerk, Ron's an idiot, Neville's a walking squash, Dumbledore's insane, and Snape... well, Snape is still Snape. The vids crack me up, and I wish there were more.
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Fun With Shorts by Josh Way
(videos)
Fun With Shorts is a series of videos that mock those old film "shorts." As the short plays, this guy can be heard cracking jokes, pointing out absurdities, and bashing every goofy element of the production. (And there are many.) The projects are no doubt inspired by -- and are similar to -- Mystery Science Theater 3000, and its unofficial offshoot, Rifftrax. And at first I thought this guy was just a lowly imitator. It sounded to me like he was reading a script rather than jovially riffing. But before long, Mr. Josh Way grew on me, and I began LOL-ing regularly. Some of his jokes really are MST-quality, and the best thing about it all is that -- unlike Rifftrax, where you have to pay a dollar to download each short -- all his videos are free on Youtube. They're a lot of fun and I definitely think they deserve more views.
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Lego.com
(retail)
First off, Lego.com is dangerous, especially if you have access to a credit card and happen to love those dang pieces of beautiful plastic. But assuming you can stop yourself from buying a shiny object each time you visit, the website also offers a lot more -- there are games and videos, building ideas and more. Plus it's the only other place (besides the not-in-every-city Lego Retail Store) to see exclusive items that can't be found at Targets or Toys R Uses. It's also entirely kid-friendly... that is, unless that kid has a credit card. In which case, we should all be afraid.
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Don't get me wrong -- I generally like kids. And I love that several of my relatives have blogs where they post photos of their little guys bein' cute. That's great. I can choose to look at them or I can choose not to. I also have a lot of respect for most of my friends and loved ones who have become parents.
But then there are the exceptions. They make me want to scream. You spent HOW much on your kid's birthday party?? You're planning to post a tummy pic on Facebook for every day of your pregnancy? You just shared an entire album devoted to your afterbirth?
NO. No no no no no.
But fear not, for there is STFU Parents to save the day (or the sanity). It takes all those outlandish, awkward, and downright horrific parental updates from social media... and mocks the heck out of them. Then people can leave comments, a fact which often leads to long (and sometimes not-very-nice) discussions about related topics, which can be interesting, insightful, or enough to make you want to cancel your internet.
Overall, though, a fun place.
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Tiny Fuppets
(videos)
How to explain Tiny Fuppets? Well, start with The Muppet Babies, but pretend they're in an alternate dimension where their native language is Portuguese. Then add loads of absurdist and ironic humor and... that might begin to describe it.
While there aren't a lot of videos, the ones that exist are just so great. The fact that Tiny Fuppets exists is also a delight to my very soul. :)
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Tiny Fuppets
(videos)
How to explain Tiny Fuppets? Well, start with The Muppet Babies, but pretend they're in an alternate dimension where their native language is Portuguese. Then add loads of absurdist and ironic humor and... that might begin to describe it.
While there aren't a lot of videos, the ones that exist are just so great. The fact that Tiny Fuppets exists is also a delight to my very soul. :)
2 comments:
Molly! You just sucked up my whole night looking at these sites. (Thank you.)
Ha ha, well glad I could help.
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