Time Killers

I use the Internet to do lots of things: research, shop, communicate, share, work, etc. In other words, I usually have a purpose when I'm online. Sometimes, though, I get sucked in without realizing how much time I've wasted. It's amazing what one can find, what one can tie into, what one can do on this thing we call the World Wide Web.

In thinking about ways I waste time online, I suppose I sort of categorize time wasters into three different buckets:

1. There are the good ole 'standby' sites like YouTube and Craigslist.org that will never get old (or so it seems).
   
2. Then there are those sites like Facebook and Twitter which I used to be into, but am fading away from, mainly because I feel like they are way too saturated. (We'll call those the 'faders.')
   
3. Finally, there are the 'newbies,' the sites that I've just recently come across and think are pretty cool. (Mind you, sites don't stay in this third category for long. They will eventually fall into one of the first two categories mentioned above!)

In keeping with the theme, I thought I'd introduce you to some of my 'newbies.' (You know... just in case you want to waste some time, too.)

PhotoFunia

PhotoFunia is a site that allows you to take your pictures of you or someone else and place them into real-life scenes. This site is going to be particularly entertaining for teenagers or some of your more - shall we say "narcisstic" - friends.

I've kissed him goodbye forever!

Giselle looks great in my store logo.

Warhol was inspired.

FOUND

The Finds section of FOUND Magazine is really entertaining. This group has collected found messages - notes, cards, drawings, receipts, ticket stubs - and created a massive collection of - well - things. Alongside each thing is also a note indicating who found it, where it was found and in what context. A new find is showcased each day.

Funny, sad, intimate, nasty, sweet, innocent - whatever the tone of the visual presented, the sentiments draw you in. It's like taking a peak into other people's lives. Before you know it, you are trying to figure out what the circumstances were to have produced such actions or communications.

The posting for the image above reads:
Reading List FOUND by Blake in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Our local library issues printed receipts for checked-out books, complete with due dates.



The posting for the image above reads:
Uh-oh FOUND by Julie in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A grim forecast scribbled onto a piece of printer paper.
The back reads "BECOMING A MAN (12 YEARS OLD)."


The posting for the image above reads:
Dear Dumplin' FOUND by Emily
I found this in the library at my high school.

PostSecret

Of the three sites I have listed here, this one makes me think the most. It's similar to FOUND, but in a much more controlled way. In the organizer's words, "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard." The use of the word "secrets" is an understatement. Think more along the lines of "confessionals."

(CAUTION BEFORE READING: Many postings on PostSecret use crude language and may be offensive to some. Please take this into consideration before linking to their site.)


The clock starts now. Don't say I didn't warn you.