50 things to do on the internet when you're bored
The internet can be a pretty overwhelming place. Sometimes you need to take time out and remind yourself it's not all serious.
1. Googlewhacking
The original procrastinator's nightmare, now made even more difficult by scallywags posting word lists everywhere. The idea is to type two words into Google that will produce from its store of billions of pages of indexed information, just one result. The words you type in must be in Google's own dictionary. If you've never come across Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure then I suggest you investigate that as it's a lot less frustrating than the game itself.
2. Search for long lost friends
Who knows what could happen? A more dangerous variant is "search for long lost lovers"...
3. Find out how attractive you really are
It's a simple concept - you upload a photo, people give you a score out of ten and you discover whether you're hot or indeed, not. I'm sure you're very hot. Or you can just vote on other people instead.
4. Search through NASA's archives
There's a whole universe of incredible images and recordings here and they're free of copyright too. Lose yourself in the vastness of space.
5. Start a blog
Who's the most important person in the world? You are! Let everyone else know your thoughts by starting a blog. Try these - Blogger ; WordPress ; MySpace.
6. Stumble around
There's a site called StumbleUpon that acts as a kind of randomizer. You press a button and it gives you a site that other people have recommended. It's a wonderful way to bump into something you never knew you wanted.
8. Download a new browser
There's a browser that most of us are used to. It's not the best. Not by a long way. The second most popular browser is Firefox - infinitely configurable with user-developed add-ons, fast, responsive and more secure than the other one. Another great offering is the best thing to come out of Norway since A-ha - Opera. Google's own Chrome has many fans too.
9. Find your namesake
Unless you have a very rare or very common name, this can be quite a mind-opening experience. Maybe, get in touch with your namesake? Share your experiences of being your name with other people who are your name.
10. Learn to write properly
If your grammar, punctuation and spelling leave a lot to be desired, why not try and improve them?
11. Learn to write improperly
Alternitavely, if you're grammer and puncturation an speling our ferst class then why not see if you can kajoal sum pore sap into getting anoid with you?
12. Make anagrams of your friends and colleagues' names
Entertain your friends and colleagues with this nifty anagram maker.
13. Marvel at Wikipedia
You could lose yourself for days and days in Wikipedia. Did you know for instance that Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo is a perfectly valid sentence in American English or that 0.999 recurring is actually equal to 1.
14. Download some serious software to test your creativity
Programmes like Maya 3D (used to make films like Toy Story) have trial versions you can download for free. Maybe they could unleash your creative genius. Of course, you'll need to spend a small fortune if you want to buy the full versions. Adobe's Creative Suite is available on trial too.
15. Broadcast yourself
How many videos have you watched on YouTube? Why not make one of your own?
16. Find out what happens to stuff when you microwave it
Gasp at the power of the microwave. Don't try this at home!
17. Learn something unnecessary
We try to fill our heads with so much these days. Why not dilute it with some unnecessary knowledge?
18. Waste some time playing games
These things have been known to be contagious. Play with caution.
19. Learn where you really live
Two German cartographers have put together an 'Atlas of True Names' wherein it's revealed that Chicago means 'stink town'. You can see the atlas in more detail here.
20. Watch a man age 8 years in 2 minutes
This gentleman photographed himself every day for 8 years and turned the results into a video. Intriguing.
21. Get some nice wallpaper
Get yourself a nice picture from the sky to give you a new perspective on life.
22. While you're at it...
If you've never had a play with Google Earth, then it's about time you tried. You can fly from Manchester to Tokyo in 3 seconds. Not that you'd want to mind - Manchester's the best place on the planet. Ahem... If you need some direction (ho-ho-ho) while you're playing with it, you can play games like "who can find ten Russian towns beginning with 'C' first" and "find a lake shaped like a shampoo bottle" or more interesting variations of your own.
23. Look at current affairs from a different angle
The world famous Drudge Retort provides an alternative view of events from an American perspective.
24. Start a rumour
This is a competitive game. Play against a friend and see who can get the most people to believe the most ridiculous rumour. Try not to make it a vicious rumour though.
Start-a-Rumour Plus involves some groundwork. Use the internet to create a literature of disinformation to support your rumour, and THEN see how far it gets. Award yourself a gold star if your rumour ends up in any print or broadcast media.
25. Dialectize your page
Here you can turn your web page (or any text) into a variety of dialects. Redneck is the mostest fun!
26. Look at some statistical art
That's what I've just Christened it anyway. The work of Chris Jordan reflects our consumerist society in jaw-dropping visual form.
27. Save time folding shirts
This is a skill that is great to get the hang of: folding shirts in about a second.
28. Find out where you dead heroes live
If you've ever wanted to pay homage to your long lost hero, then you can find out where (or if) they're buried here. Does this stretch the "fun" part of the title too far maybe?
29. Look at cute animals
This collection of baby animals is sure to keep you going "aah" for hours.
30. Make pretty things
Here you can learn how to do origami with pieces of fabric. It's just like Blue Peter!
31. Find out how tall your favourite celebrities are
Essential information that we all need: the height of our favourite celebrity.
32. Make a photo-fit of yourself or your friends
Pretend you're wanted by CID by making a photo-fit style picture of yourself. What, you really are wanted by CID?
33. Look at some little art
Just beautiful little people in little things. It's so cute.
34. Watch constantly streaming comedy and make it stop
You can watch people trying to be funny and then let them know whether they are.
35. Fun ways to learn where things are
Play Statetris, a variation on the theme of Tetris where the blocks are actually states (or counties).
36. Spend your money more ethically
Learn how "ethically challenged" your favourite retailer/manufacturer is and use your consumer choice to encourage them into caring for the environment and the communities in which they operate. I guess the "fun" part comes in seeing how ethical or otherwise the operations of these companies are.
37. Re-translate yourself
AltaVista's (now Yahoo's) fantastic Babelfish can badly translate any document to and from a variety of languages. A fun thing to do is translate into one language then use that translation to translate back into the original and see how much of a mess it's become.
38. Learn to cook huge things
This recipe site has oodles of recipes, but the quantities they tend to suggest are more suitable for the American audience for which they were originally intended.
39. Learn LOTS of things!
My favourite online video tutorial site is VideoJug. Their videos just seem to work and they're made with a little humour too.
40. Buy the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The single greatest book of all time. If you've never read it, just trust me - buy it!
41. Find a cheaper phone number
There are a number of "revenue sharing" numbers - 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871. When you call one of these, the person you're calling gets a percentage of the call. So if, for instance, your gas company makes a billing mistake, when you ring them you're actually paying them for the privilege. Calling 08xx numbers from mobile phones is far more expensive than calling a geographical or even another mobile. It's an abhorrent practice. It's also why I consult Say No to 0870 before I call anyone with a non-geographical number.
42. The Wiki-Sex game
A competitive game. You and a friend must choose a topic for each other. The idea of the game is to start from the Wikipedia article for that topic and reach the article on Sex in as few clicks as possible. The person who achieves this wins the game.
43. Do your own space travel
This free space simulator is mindblowing once you get the hang of it.
44. Read the complete works of Shakespeare
There's an online repository of Shakespeare's complete works. Always good to know.
45. Appreciate the genius of Banksy
Not everyone's cup of tea, but at least when he does graffiti it means something.
46. Look at some scrap art
See what wonderful things can be made out of bits of old cars.
47. Remember how much you like the moon
The occasional genius that is Joel Veitch produced probably the best song ever to contain the words marmot and spoon. (Warning - contains annoying music that plays instantly.)
48. Waste a day or three on YouTube
We've all discovered this one already haven't we? My personal favourite thing to do is look up pop videos from the eighties.
49. Discover where all those highly amusing emails start their journey
It's not your mate Bob who thinks these things up. He just gets them from Office Humour.
50. Customise your laptop
Is your laptop looking a bit dull and lifeless. Why not brighten up your day in some small way by changing the appearance of your laptop. You can make your own design or use one of the pre-existing ones.