What I Read

Following is a list of websites that I go to with varying frequency. Some of the sites I visit every day, some of them -- every couple of days, and a few of them I just "check in" every now and then. I guess it all depends on how often they're updated. This is by no means every site I read, just the ones I want to talk about.

Falling Sand Game - To me, this is less of a "game" and more of an "activity". Four streams of sand are falling from the top of the screen and you get to decide their path by setting barriers up or creating trails for them to follow. Controls are at the bottom of the screen.

Cover Lay Down - This is a blog that deals with folk tunes... either someone has covered a traditional folk song or someone has taken a standard song and given it a 'folk edge'. Either way, the commentary is smart and insightful.

Definr - Plain and simple dictionary. I like the clean interface but I don't understand the "Meep".

Delicious 2.0 - This is an online bookmarking 'service'. If you find an interesting site you can add it to the list. I just like to see what everyone else has added. Seems to have a 'technical' slant (programming languages, blogs, software, etc.)

Digg - This is a news aggregator that covers mainstream, technical, weird, pop culture -- you name it, someone has probably "dugg" it.

FAIL Blog - Witness the idiocy. Pictures of the aftermath or video of the failure occuring.

Faux Fire - "Chestnuts roasting in the microwave...". Best served during Christmas. If you put your hands close enough to the screen you can actually feel the warmth.

Gizmodo - If you're a gadget hound and enjoy being on the front lines when these products come out, this site is for you.

Graph Jam - These are funny charts and graphs to commiserate the foibles of every day life.

The Hype Machine - This is a music blog aggregator. If somebody blogs about it and there are MP3 links, it's probably here.

By Ken Levine - Writer and Director Ken Levine posts about life as a television writer. He and his writing partner wrote the screenplay for "Volunteers" and a lot of the mid-section of the TV series "MASH". He's also written and/or directed for "Wings", "Frasier" and "Cheers".

Lunchtimers - This is basically a virtual magnetic board with the big colorful letters you can shift around to make words (like you might see at the bottom of a refrigerator). Be warned! There are others on there with you and EVERYONE has control.

Photoshop Disasters - Photoshop is both a blessing and a curse. In the wrong hands it can be downright hilarious. This site points out glaring errors in Photoshop judgment for commercially-available pictures. (does that model only have 4 fingers?)

AT&T Labs Text-to-Speech Demo - In current GPS systems they have realistic-sounding voices that give directions... these are the guys that perfected those voices. You can have this site say whatever you want in several different voices (male or female).

Reddit.com - A news aggregator that seems to point out mostly controversies and inconsistencies in mainstream media. You really have to separate the wheat from the chaff on this site.

Star Maker Machine - Songs that fit the theme. The blogger decides upon a theme and then has several entries (with MP3's) that somehow deal with the theme. If it happens to be "trains", you'll see a bunch of songs about trains.

::soundtransit :: sounds - Nothing fancy here, simply ambient sounds from around the world. Generally, for each one, there is a brief description of the place and what may have been going on at the time. Some recording artists are better at explaining what you're hearing.

Wookieepedia - For "Star Wars" geeks only. It's Wikipedia for the "Star Wars" universe.

Web Sudoku - Play the game online or (my preferred method) print out the game boards. Literally, millions to choose from at all different skill levels.

Ashleigh Brilliant - I was quoting Ashleigh Brilliant before I knew who HE was (yes, he's male). Every day philosophy summed up in 17 words or less.

Boing Boing - They sum it up best: "A Directory of Wonderful Things". If you know what Steampunk is, what DRM stands for, have ever read a comic book, want updates from Burning
Man, like wild and wonderful things -- then you'll love this site.

Cool Text - Pick a font, choose what you want to say, choose color, size, etc. and this site will render your ... logo?

Line Rider - deviantART - There are other sites that claim to be the 'original' Line Rider site... this is the beta site from the original programmer.

Download Squad - Looking for some kind of tool to work on your local PC, a thumb drive or a MAC? This is the place. They also have quite an archive of sites for online Java games -- look under "time wasters".

Drudge Report - Only showing the headlines of the hottest political topics of the day. Links to other hot-topic sites as well.

Dynamic Drive DHTML - If you do any sort of web programming (I don't) then you might need some of the scripts on this site. All kinds of scripts to make your web pages come alive.

Engadget - I can't always see the difference between this site and "Gizmodo" (above). A lot of days they cover the exact same things. I like them both. I read them both.

English Fail Blog - This site, through pictures, points out spelling mistakes in commercial signage. If you've ever seen the "Black Anus Burger" sign, then you know what I'm talking about.

FARK.com - News of the weird and asinine. You really have to put your sarcasm hat on tight when reading the headlines -- absolutely hilarious.

Orisinal - Game site that is both elegant and thought-provoking at the same time. While each of the games seem easy to play, they are difficult to master. My favorite -- "Bubble Bees".

Geeks are Sexy - This site tries to prove that geeks are people too. If you're not a geek, nerd, etc. don't go here.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) - What was the name of the show that Scott Bakula was in before "Quantum Leap"? Go to this site and find out about your favorite movies, TV show, actors and actresses. Lots of trivia and goofs revealed. (answer: Anybody remember "Eisenhower & Lutz", or was I the only one who watched it?)

Internet Bumper Stickers - Funny sayings and pithy zingers summed up in as few words as possible. Good for a few laughs.

Jan Hammer Web Site - I heard Mahavishnu Orchestra many moons ago but had no idea he was a part of the group. I also had heard his work with Al DiMeola. Later, when he did the soundtrack to the "Miami Vice" TV show, I picked up on the influences I had heard and started listening to his earlier works.

#1 Song on This Date in History - Find out the song that was number 1 on the day you were born -- or any other day, for that matter.

Filler - This is my favorite way to waste some time. An old game premise where you have to fill up as much of the room as you can before you get "tagged". I suggest turning the music off.

Mental Floss - This site dispenses the knowledge and then tests you on pop culture.

Mixx - Another news aggregator. I like to spin through the pictures it comes up with. Other than that, read the headlines.

Motivated Photos - I'm sure we've all seen the sarcastic versions of the motivational posters. This site has many of them to look through.

Neatorama - Information about topics that you probably wouldn't have searched out on your own but are fascinating (at best).

The Official Home of Line Rider - See? What did I tell you. One of those sites that "claims" to be the original. Still, they made some nice changes.

Peter Gabriel - The man, the myth, the legend. You can also find a whole host of artists that are on his private music label.

PostSecret - I don't have enough secrets of my own (ha!) so I have to read everyone else's here. Some heartbreaking, some humorous, some inspirational.

someecards.com - I'm not sure how I stumbled on to this website but I haven't regretted it a moment. Hilarious e-cards to read and send to friends. When Hallmark just doesn't go far enough.

Let them sing it for you - You type in a phrase or a whole sentence and what you get in return is a bunch of song snippets that 'sing' your sentence. If they don't have that word in their database, you hear static (i.e. - don't put proper names in the sentence).

Steve Winwood - The man, the myth, the legend. From his early days to what he's up to now.

StormPulse - One of the prettiest weather sites I've seen. I used it quite a bit when there were 3 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin at the same time.

Sumo Paint - Online drawing site, no download required. Good for drawing Chinese characters. Lots of brushes with great textures. I also like the 'smudge' feature.

Techcrunch - The business side of technology. When start-ups are starting (or ending), when controversy brews within a technology company, when technology stocks increase (or decrease), when CEO's are hired (or fired) -- Techcrunch is there.

The Hunger Site - Who wouldn't go here every day? All you have to is click on some buttons and -- at NO COST to you -- help with many deserving causes. Stop reading this and go there now.

The Onion - If the headlines don't get you, the overall humor of the site will. They take the happenings of the day and turn them sideways.

thesixtyone - Contributors upload their songs so you can hear them. The more people like them, the higher they appear on the page.

Calvin & Hobbes - Every cartoon has been scanned in and is searchable by the text in the comic.

Yearbook Yourself - This site allows you to upload a photo of yourself and then it "yearbooks" you. You may not have been around in the 50's but see what you would have looked like in that era. Fun and stupid, just for laughs.

[I really hope you liked this entry, it took forever to put together]