Best websites to visit when you're bored
Before the Internet came into its own, finding something to do to cure boredom was a task in and of itself. At work, you could count the holes in the ceiling, crumple pieces of paper and practice your cubicle hook shot, or get lost in a game of Minesweeper, all the while hoping your boss wouldn't wander by.
We have it much easier these days. The Internet isn't just fleshed out, it's flooded with more websites than you'll ever have time to visit. Many of them suck, of course, and several others will leave you with an infection quicker than a one night stand in the red-light district, but there are also a vast number of gems buried beneath all the rubble.
Get ready to add some bookmarks to your browser because we've gone and gathered 57 websites guaranteed to help you kill time when the day just seems to drag on.
Inner Body
The wonder within us all
How much do you really know about your own body? Probably less than you think. Inner Body is your interactive guide to the complex human system and all of its inner workings. Wow your friends by learning everything there is to know about the urinary system!
www.innerbody.com
Magic Secrets Explained
Dispelling the mystery
It's been said that a true magician never reveals his secrets, but that's a bunch of hogwash. In fact, if you head over to Magic Secrets Explained, a site that's just what it sounds like, you can learn a bevy of magic tricks from well-known magicians like Criss Angel, David Blaine, and others.
www.secrets-explained.com
Dumb Laws
Keeping us safe from ourselves
Did you know that in Kansas, it's illegal to shoot rabbits from motorboats? You're also not allowed to use mules to hunt ducks. In Idaho, riding a merry-go-round on Sunday is against the law. Look up all kinds of dumb laws by state!
www.dumblaws.com
Will It Blend
Don't try this at home
Pretty much anything and everything will blend in a Blendtec blender, but knowing the answer doesn't make the videos on this site any less enjoyable. Watch Blendtec founder Tom Dickson demonstrate his pride and joy shredding things like an iPad, glass marbles, and even Super Glue. We dare you to try and watch just one video.
www.willitblend.com
Quick Meme
Go viral!
Don't let your rapier wit go to waste. Instead, create a hilarious meme and maybe, just maybe, it will go viral. Or it will get lost in the shuffle of the thousands of other memes. Either way, a visit to QuickMeme.com isn't likely to be quick at all.
www.quickmeme.com
You Suck at Photoshop
What not to do
If you're a Photoshop whiz, you might look at the name of this YouTube series and say, "Them's fightin' words!" For everyone else, the You Suck at Photoshop series is a hilarious way to learn the ins and outs by a very talented narrator who clearly has some personal issues.
http://bit.ly/9Ftp7V
Someecards
Say it with sarcasm
When you have something sarcastic to say but don't know exactly how to phrase it, Someecards is your go-to site. There's a comical e-card for every occasion, be it a birthday or whatever topical trend is dominating your Facebook feed. Or just visit the site when you need a good laugh!
www.someecards.com
Ductivities
The cornerstone of advanced civilization
Food, water, oxygen, and Duct Tape—with those four things, you can not only survive any situation, but thrive in it. Why Duct Tape? Well, just head over to Ductivities to see some of the many things you can build with a roll (or dozen) of Duct Tape.
http://bit.ly/13osna5
Digital Public Library of America
Grow your melon
If you have some time to kill and want to upgrade your internal knowledge bank, the Digital Public Library of America is a great place to start. It has over 2.5 million items from libraries, archives, and museums, and unless you happen to be Ben Stein, it's nigh impossible to spend a few minutes clicking through articles without emerging at least slightly more knowledgeable than when you started.
http://dp.la
The Useless Web
You don't know what you're missing
The Internet is composed of around 4 billion webpages. How many of them are quirky? We're not sure, but The Useless Web will take you to a new one each time you click. You might see a dog licking your LCD screen or Oprah Winfrey seemingly unleashing a horde of bees on a studio audience. They may be useless sites, but they're also amusing.
www.theuselessweb.com
Drinkify
Make a libation to match the mood
It's Wednesday night and your friends don't want to go out until the weekend, so you purchase a new digital album from Amazon and settle for an evening of _____ (insert your favorite artist or band here). Now all you need is a stiff drink, but what goes best with _____? Drinkify will tell you exactly what you should be pouring down your gullet as you listen to _____.
http://drinkify.org
Click the next page for more sites to visit when you're bored along with some cute animal sites!
You Can't Handle the Cute
There's nothing wrong with wanting to look at kittens, puppies, and other awww-inducing photos. Here are some of our favorite resources.
Cute Overload
The site that started it all, CO, as it's known, is the homepage for cute aficionados. It even has a Cats and Racks category.
www.cuteoverload.com
Cute Roulette
Also known as "click and squee," this site shows you one cute thing after another in a never-ending slide show of redonkulessness.
www.cuteroulette.com
Love Meow
This site chronicles the heartwarming stories of shelter cats, rescues, and special-needs kittens and cats. Keep some Kleenex handy.
www.lovemeow.com
Crack Shack or Mansion
Can you tell the diff?
You would think it'd be easy to tell the difference between a crack shack and a mansion. Then again, you can't judge a book by its cover, and apparently we can't tell the difference between a crappy abode and one that costs millions of dollars. Can you? Give it a whirl the next time you're bored.
www.crackshackormansion.com
I Waste So Much Time
Comic junk food
The Internet's always good for a laugh, and unless your funny bone is broken, you'll find plenty of them on I Waste So Much Time. The premise is simple: You look, you laugh (or don't), and then rate the pictures and videos (optional). When you've killed enough time, you can go on with your daily routine, only in a better mood.
http://iwastesomuchtime.com
Funny Typos
Helarious
If their's one thing Maximum PC readers like too do, it's play games. If their's a second thing, its overclocking. And if theres a third, its point out typos. Funny Typos is a sight taylor made for you!
www.funnytypos.com
Awkward Family Photos
Boy, do I feel better about my upbringing
You may think your family is a little bit weird, and maybe it is. But you know what? You're not alone. Far from it, in fact, as Awkward Family Photos proves. Spend a few minutes flipping through pages of pictures of other odd families and you'll come away convinced you're more normal than you thought.
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com
The Most Awkwardly Public Break Ups in Facebook History
The name says it all
Let's face it, breaking up with someone or being broken up with isn't always easy. It's especially bad when it's done on social media, before family and friends. The Most Awkwardly Public Break Ups in Facebook History captures many of these moments, and they're often hilarious to read.
http://some.ly/18qghAY
Feed The Head
A site for surrealists
One of the stranger sites on the web, Feed The Head is deceptively engaging. Getting the head to breathe fire is rather easy, but can you grow a beard? There's a lot to discover here, and when you've exhausted all you can do, click the VectorPark.com link in the upper-left corner for similar time wasters.
www.feedthehead.net
Literally Unbelievable
People who don't get parody
Everybody knows that Onion stories are satirical… well, almost everybody. Literally Unbelievable archives instances on social media where people take Onion stories to be true. You'll laugh and then subsequently cry over how dumb people can be.
http://literallyunbelievable.org
Epic Rap Battles of History
Rhymes about the way it was
Who was the better inventor: Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla? Who's the bigger brainiac: Stephen Hawking or Albert Einstein? Such questions can only be legitimately answered through Epic Rap Battles of History, which has a bunch of nerdy white guys dressing up as history's most famous figures and duking it out with surprisingly clever rhymes.
www.epicrapbattlesofhistory.com
F My Life
OK, maybe it's not so bad
We're all stuck in a rut at points, but if you can't laugh at yourself when you're down, who can you laugh at? That's the thinking behind this website, which collects the most entertaining FML moments on social media. The site will have you crying at the misfortune of others, but it won't be because you're sad.
www.fmylife.com
Best of Craigslist
Classifieds can be comedy gold
Craigslist can be a great tool when you're trying to sell your used goods or buy items on the cheap, but browsing some of the listings can also be highly entertaining. Enter Craigslist's Best Of section, which highlights some of the zanier, funnier posts, many of which are more satirical than legitimate.
www.craigslist.org/about/best/all
Click the next page for some must-see subreddits.
Five Must-See Subreddits
Reddit.com sells itself as "the front page of the Internet." But it's the niche sub-communities ("subreddits") that keep us coming back. Here are some faves.
Users encounter tricky situations and use minimal resources to resolve them in creative ways, just like the hero of the '80s TV show that the subreddit is named after.
Comical mishaps can occur when attempting to preserve an animal after death in order to keep it on the mantel or as a conversation piece.
This community collects mesmerizing or delightfully silly animated gifs that are designed to loop seamlessly, forever.
It's safe for work, but these crisp, hi-res images of delicious-looking meals are not safe for an empty stomach.
Lift your spirits with short clips of people running into screen doors or getting hit in the junk.
Brotips
Man up
Being a man isn't always easy. Luckily, there's Brotips.com to help you along the way. The site offers over 3,000 pieces of advice that encompass dating tips, philosophical anecdotes, and more. And while it's mostly proverbs for men, there are some pearls of wisdom for women, as well.
http://www.brotips.com/
Net for Beginners
Even old hands will learn something new
While Net for Beginners is a great website to help introduce your grandma to the Internet, it also explains the origins of many Internet tropes that power users take for granted. For instance, did you know that the word "meme" is derived from the Greek word "mimema," which means "something imitated?" The site houses many more of these interesting Internet factoids.
http://netforbeginners.about.com
Google Web History
Your every move recorded
It's no surprise that Google keeps a record of every interaction you make with its services, but when you look at Google Web History, that fact becomes eerily clear, right down to your personal trends and charted activities. If that's too spooky for you, the site also gives you the option to delete all this data.
https://history.google.com
BT London
320 billion pixels of panorama
It's not about the megapixels, my friend. Today, gigapixels call the shots, and the current record is held by this 320-gigapixel—or 320-billion-pixel—panorama of London. The shot was stitched together from 48,460 frames shot above London using four Canon EOS 7Ds and 400mm lenses. The panorama lets you zoom in with incredible detail to examine the city's very nooks and crannies.
http://btlondon2012.co.uk/pano.html
Las Vegas Cams
Your vicarious Vegas wedding
Nothing says happily ever after like driving to Las Vegas and getting hitched—by an Elvis impersonator. Having it broadcast to the world over the Internet only cements the union, right? You get to bear witness to such matrimonial hijinks from the front-row seat of your computer screen.
http://bit.ly/596zl
Visual.Ly
Infographics 'R' Us
In this juiced-up, multitasking world, where there's barely time to read the CliffsNotes or even a Wikipedia entry, you can just mainline your data through Visual.Ly's infographics. Follow the rise and fall of the Wu-Tang Clan, for example, or learn how the Starfleet delta shield evolved. You'll be amazed at what you can learn through pictures.
http://visual.ly
Internet Map
Whose is bigger?
Does Yahoo own a bigger piece of the Internet than Google? OK, the answer to that is pretty obvious. But you might be surprised by the size relationship between Google and, say, Maximumpc.com, or any of the other 350,000 top websites represented by the Internet Map. You can easily lose yourself scrolling through this data-driven universe of planetoid-shaped objects.
http://internet-map.net
Pica-Pic
Handheld gaming
Every once in a while, a website comes around and reminds you how awesome the Internet is. Pica-Pic is one of those sites. It's like a time machine, taking you back through all those retro handheld games you grew up playing. Quite frankly, we're surprised Nintendo and other game publishers haven't sued this site off the web. Just in case the end is nigh, enjoy it while you can!
www.pica-pic.com
5-Second Films
The tiniest of time wasters
OK, many of these short films are actually a little longer than five seconds, but not by much. Don't be surprised if you find yourself spending many minutes on this site, just seeing how each of these brief-but-humorous sketches plays out.
http://5secondfilms.com
Outgrow.me
The marketplace of ideas
You've heard about Kickstarter and its ilk, but you've probably never heard of Outgrow.me—an online store devoted to the sale of successfully crowdfunded products. Even if you're not in the market for a bra that holds a smartphone or a vehicle called a "scrooser," it's fun to see the fruits of modern invention and entrepreneurialism.
http://outgrow.me
Where Cool Things Happen
Photos that will wow you
It's hard not to get sucked into this photo blog, which chronicles interesting places and events from around the world. From mass animal gatherings to 3D latte art to buildings inside caves, you're sure to find something here that amazes you.
www.wherecoolthingshappen.com
Click the next page for sun websites that allow you to have fun with audio!
Fun with Audio
With an emphasis on sounds, these sites are no less entertaining than their visually oriented brethren.
Fun Switcher
Just click a switch and be treated to an accompanying sound clip. The real fun is in mixing different sounds. Gangnam Style and Skeletor laughing? It's strangely mesmerizing!
www.funswitcher.com
Gordon Mah Ung Soundboard
You don't have to wait for our biweekly No BS Podcast to hear Deputy Editor Gordon Mah Ung go off on Apple, Ewoks, and other random things that piss him off.
www.leedash.com/rantsoundboard
Museum of Endangered Sounds
You're sure to feel a touch of nostalgia when you visit this site, which pays tribute to the long-forgotten sounds of old technologies. Think: dial-up Internet, rotary phones, and the Windows 95 startup, to name a few.
savethesounds.info
Letters of Note
In the words of famous people
What do the philosopher Seneca, former president John F. Kennedy, and music producer Steve Albini have in common? You can find letters that they actually wrote reprinted on this site, which provides an archive of personal and professional correspondences of public figures.
www.lettersofnote.com
White Whine
First-world problems indeed!
An appalling, but also extremely entertaining, glimpse into the psyche of the terminally self-centered. You'll find random bitching about Starbucks orders, out-of-stock iPhones, and the indignities of flying coach, among other complaints of the entitled, gathered from around the web.
www.whitewhine.com
Impact: Earth!
Fun with science
This site created by Purdue University lets you set specific parameters to calculate the impact of a given object being hurtled toward Earth. What's not to like?
www.purdue.edu/impactearth
Unnecessary Knowledge
Get your fact fix
Next time you're bored and looking for a way to kill time, you can either numb your mind with a video of someone doing a face plant, or you can enrich your mind with a randomly generated fact. It might not change your life to know that pigs sleep on their right side, for instance, but this site will give you plenty of conversation fodder.
www.unnecessaryknowledge.com
Don't Even Reply
Take the bait, if you dare
This site reads like the private diary of a professional online troll, and it's effing hilarious. By harmlessly answering ads on Craigslist with unbelievable but earnest-sounding replies, this gentleman truly elevates the act of messing with people to an art form. We know it's kind of messed up, but it's still a hoot.
www.dontevenreply.com
Free Rice
Use your smarts to feed people
We all want to help solve world hunger, and we'd love to do it from our computer. Free Rice lets us. Visitors are presented with simple quizzes that when answered correctly display ads, which pay for rice for impoverished nations. It's a great way to pass the time while waiting for your Hummer to get detailed.
www.freerice.com
Bitstrips
Design your avatar
Bitstrips is a simple and fun way to create an online avatar for your Facebook page. You can choose your body, facial hair, height, clothes, and create fun comics, status updates, and greeting cards. We know it sounds like something your mom would do, but we think it's cool, damnit.
www.bitstrips.com
Top Documentary Films
Free, feature-length time killers
We love documentaries, and this site lets you watch as many of them as your schedule allows, absolutely free. Whether you are into military history or just looking for a crash course in chemistry, you'll easily find great docs on any topic that piques your interest here.
www.topdocumentaryfilms.com
NationMaster
Expand your horizons
Geography geeks will love this one, as it encapsulates a ton of interesting trivia about the world's nations into easily digestible morsels. You can sort countries by categories like poverty, debt, murders, oil use, and lots more. It's a fun way to learn more about the world around you.
www.nationmaster.com
Difference- Between
Dissecting the seemingly similar
We all know the difference between CAT5 and CAT6, but do you know the difference between a slug and buckshot? A diamond and a trapezoid? Tropical storm and a hurricane? This site shows you the difference between two similar things, covering every subject imaginable. Sadly, there's no PC vs. Mac comparison.
www.differencebetween.net
Geoguessr
Where in the world are you?
This site drops you into an unknown location on Google Maps, lets you pan around a bit, and asks you to guess where you are located on a world map. When you choose, it tells you whether you're right or wrong, and then loads a new location.
www.geoguessr.com
Three Go-To Games
In-browser Flash games let you kill time, for free, in a variety of stress-relieving ways. Here are A few of our top picks.
Superhot
In this FPS, time moves at a snail's pace when you are stationary, which gives you the ability to dodge bullets and aim with crackshot precision.
www.superhotgame.com
Freeciv-web
This open-source version of Civilization may not have all the bells and whistles of the real thing, but it's polished enough to act as a stunt double.
play.freeciv.org
Frog Factions
Similar to Space Invaders, you play a frog who must defend his fruit supply against a constant horde of insects, assisted by some fun ability upgrades.
twinbeard.com/frog-fractions