Best of the Web - 10-29-08

I'd better start dating these "Best of the Web" posts because I'm planning to do them at least once a week.

If you've got suggestions for reviews you'd like to see here OR if you'd like to submit a review, just leave a comment in one of the posts. We'll get back in touch and put you to work.

Onward.

This week I did some poking around the Web for fun sites. If you look at my latest entry on Bowl of Cheese, you'll see the mindset that I'm in is slightly off kilter. So enjoy this handful of sites. Tomorrow we'll either do another magazine review or a slice of life event/consumer review.

Adflip - Want to get all nostalgic about advertising from another date? Just go here and click around. There are ads from each of the last few decades. And there are ads here for products that might not even exist anymore.

It's like a little time machine advertising style. Look at the old cars and the odd food ads. Do you think we've advanced at all with our new CG (computer generated design) and our different color palates? Or do you long for ads that are avocado green, just like our fridges and dishwashers used to be?

Stuff Journalists Like - This site is a light-content destination (so far) as it only started this fall. But it already mimics perfectly the fascinating and popular site - Stuff White People Like.

As the site is written by professional writers (not just one author) you'll get to see different writing styles and some unique takes on stuff journalists are purported to enjoy. Disclaimer here: I have submitted a column for inclusion on the site recently but it has yet to be published.

PseudoDictionary - Quirky and less useful than Urban Dictionary, but still lots of fun. Maybe today's list could be the time-waster's version of the Best of the Web. Some words are spot on and others don't make a ton of sense. The authors of the site boast that they have more than 24,000 entries in their database so you'll find something here to make you giggle. And maybe you'll even start using some of the terms you discover.

Phobia List - Just what it sounds like. If you have a phobia you want to name or know the name and need a phobia's description, this is the place for you. Very unlike one of my other blogs - Things to Worry About - this is real-world knowledge from a guy who's been compiling phobia info for years.

Go take a look. What are you afraid of?

Meez - Do you ever wonder how all your friends on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have avatars that look cool and new? I do..or did..until I looked at Meez. You can go here and create a character and then use that character as your avatar in a variety of places.

It costs nothing and doesn't require any skill. Just go through the menu of gender, body type, skin, hair, make-up and other features. Then you're done. Take a screen shot for use on some services or just upload the 3-D avatar for use on others. Like I said about today's list, light but fun.

That's it for today. Share your thoughts in the comments.

-30-

Best of the Web

A regular feature here on Jeffsnotes.com will be my quick jaunt around the Internet looking for interesting, informative and fun stuff.

Here's what I found today...

Cake Wrecks - so much fun. A true time-waster that makes you wonder how many stupid people exist.

Bad Parking - I submit photos to this site occasionally because I am constantly wondering who is handing out licenses to the blind.

Chris Brogan - there are plenty of smart people around us and Chris is one. He's prolific, insightful and creative. And we're lucky to have him right here in the Northeast. If you get a chance to talk to him, introduce yourself and ask a few questions. Then open your mind and ears while he enlightens and entertains you. Smart people get high review marks.

Dvorak - John C. Dvorak has been writing columns on technology and business for years. But he still keeps a blog going and posts to it every day. Some of the stuff is inane. Some is smart. All of it is worth a quick look.

Bicycling.com - A site rich with info on the sport Americans love again now that Lance Armstrong has injected (bad verb use) himself back into the Tour de France for 2009. You can follow that journey at one of my other sites - TDF09.com - and you can read about all things cycling at Bicycling.

News of the Weird - Think our election system is disorganized and in need of an overhaul. Read this story.

Scam School - are you into podcasts? This one is worth a look. I'm not saying it's as intelligent as Slate Magazine or NPR, but it's unique and often fun.

Steve Garfield - Steve is another guy who finds a way to jam 61 hours of work into each 24-hour day. Last week he did breakfast in Boston, jetted up to NH to see Barak Obama, then got back in time to teach a class at BU and do his daily radio show. This link is of his Obama video.

That's it for today. If you have ideas for Best of the Web on Jeffsnotes.com, leave them in the comments.