My first experiences with finding online solutions to my fledgling adolescent boredom occurred in the early days of MySpace. By the time I was a junior in high school, social norms had made it blatantly clear that in order to be considered hip and savvy, you must be an active user of (at least) one social networking website, be able to discuss the newest Sunday secrets of PostSecret.com, and have an ever-evolving list of funny YouTube videos available to name off at any given time (of which none of your friends could already be familiar with; a response of “oh, I’ve already seen that one” was grounds for an automatic five-point deduction on the hip and savvy scale).
Four years later, the rules of website awareness seem to be pretty consistent; open a Facebook account, continue to check PostSecret, and be up on your raunchy (or witty, or bizarre) YouTube gems. While these staples of online decorum provide more than ample resources by which today’s students can distract themselves from the pressures of classes and 20th-century-post-teenage existence, a subtle expectation for more still lingers. Even these tried-and-true websites are no longer enough.
Here, I list some of my favorite websites to visit when I’m looking for a quick laugh, some new music, or a great episode of The Office. Try broadening your online horizons next time you find yourself bored with Facebook (which, by the way, looks suspiciously similar to Twitter with its new layout).
Best website for music: Last.fm
While most of my friends are fans of Pandora (which is also a great website), I prefer Last.fm because it offers the same radio feature as Pandora, but you can also search for specific artists and stream their music. Also, you can link your iTunes account to your profile and track how often you listen to each artist, and see how your musical tastes change over time. Plus, it’s a social networking site like Facebook, so you can become even cooler by joining another website that lets you friend and defriend all of your acquaintances.
Best website for TV and movies: Hulu.com
Hulu is a fantastic resource for finding shows and movies that you already love, as well as discovering new ones. Clips are conveniently divided by Most Popular, Recently Added, Collections, and even Channels, which separate clips into genres for easy browsing. Though there are the occasional unavoidable advertisements, it’s nonetheless an easily navigable site, and best of all, it’s completely free.
Best website for a quick laugh: Engrishfunny.com
English is a hard language to learn (as evidenced by the gross abuse of it by several Americans; but that’s neither here nor there). Apparently, it’s even harder to translate. This website is chock full of pictures of foreign-language-to-English translations gone awry. Prepare to appreciate the English language in an entirely new way.
Best website to share with your friends: Fmylife.com
I’m jealous of whoever thought of taking the ever-popular “FML” and turning it into an interactive forum for all whose L’s are F’d. Updated several times a day, this website contains stories about all sorts of embarrassing or otherwise socially undesirable situations, and you can even cast your vote as to whether the author deserved it, or, in fact, their life is F’d.
Best consistently inconsistent web comic: Quantz.com (dinosaur comics)
In explanation of this website’s classification: the consistency is in its artwork, while the inconsistency is in its ever-changing dialogue. Writer/author Ryan North has used the same pictures for well over six years now, with the main characters- T-Rex, Utahraptor, Dromiceiomimus- exploring topics such as sex, happiness, the joys of stomping, and “December” by the Counting Crows.
Best website for funny, albeit disturbing, pictures: Manbabies.com
There’s something that’s both addictive and repulsive about this one. The idea is simple- take pictures that include a man and a baby, and switch their heads. The results vary in their effectiveness and hilarity, but there are some genuinely hysterical pictures on this website. The best part? If you want to submit a picture, you can edit it yourself, or if you’re too lazy, the blog masters will do the editing for you.
Best watchdog blog: Hotchickswithdouchebags.com
The mission of this blog is to expose the societal injustice that occurs when hot chicks are seen with, well… douchebags. The commentary that follows is normally on par with the situation at hand, though a bit juvenile at times. But then again, it’s not like this website seems to be concerned with maturity. And that’s why it’s so great.
Best do-it-yourself source for new profile pictures: Faceinahole.com
Ever wondered what you would look like as, say, Catwoman? A member of Nirvana? How about Jay-Z, or one of the Munsters? Wonder no more, as you now have the opportunity to literally place your face in a hole from pictures, advertisements, and art. Be conventional and create a funny new picture of yourself; be funny and create a compromising new picture for your roommate.
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