New Year, New Experiences: Open Your Browser
by David Burn
We’ve been online for what seems like forever. We have a routine now, a well-developed pattern of online behavior. We open our browser, process email, look at Twitter and Facebook, suck up some mainstream news, glance at our favorite blogs, back to email and then the instant messages come in.
Under these circumstances, it is all too easy to let your routine become a rut. Thankfully, you can circumvent that problem by using the Internet to unearth new and interesting things. But first it helps to know where to look.
7 Sites to Help Break Up Your Digital Routine
Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes and memos. A recent post featured a letter from Kurt Vonnegut to a group of high school students in New York City. The legendary writer advised the students to practice “any art.”
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
News sites are chock full of sad stories. In fact, taken as a whole, reading the news can be a real downer. Is this because humans are deeply flawed? Or might it be the result of an imperfect media industry that finds more profit in sensational, gossipy randomness? Either way, it’s up to all of us to look toward something better, and we can now turn our attention to The Intelligent Optimist. Using advanced semantic technology in combination with an editorial team, The Intelligent Optimist presents stories (from other sources) that focus on solutions rather than problems, and on positive changes rather than negative ones.
There’s nothing like well-made photography to spur healthy mental meandering, and there’s nothing like Flickr’s blog for a tour through compelling visual treatments from a wealth of talented pro and amateur photogs that you’d never find on your own. It is also a treat to see how the editors make collections from disparate parts. For instance, a recent post about birds of prey contains brilliant images from nearly a dozen Flickr members.
From product design to urban planning and architecture, from street graffiti to installation art pieces, you’ll find something that catches your eye on Web Urbanist. For instance, the site is featuring an article about a “Forest Community of One-Pole Tree Houses.” The design is modeled on the shape and function of living trees, and the idea is to get human beings to find their place within existing organic ecosystems.
It is all too easy to become unmoored in today’s digital milieu. The web can go from a never-ending source of intrigue to a yoke around your neck. Plow digital citizen, and ye shall reap. But before you take to the proverbial field, make a trip to the well of productivity tips that is Lifehack. The site is dedicated to providing advice, resources and tips to help you get things done more efficiently and effectively. One recent Lifehack article (for those who want to keep digging for more digital riches) is 25 Killer Websites that Make You Cleverer. The article points to Justin Guitar, where you can find hundreds of free guitar lessons. If history is any indication, playing better guitar licks will not just make you more clever, but also more attractive to members of the opposite sex.
Sometimes, a bit of retail therapy is precisely what the office doctor ordered. And seriously, who among us doesn’t want to shop for (and later wear) limited edition t-shirts made by our comrades in the creative community? Threadless is a creative community that makes, supports and buys great art. It’s a great place to find quirky designs that will make you smile. Even some of the names of the t-shirts are hilarious. For instance, “Larry the Fox Doesn’t Feel So Clever Anymore.”
Lastly, let’s not overlook the rising value of a digital timeout. DoNothingfor2Minutes.com challenges visitors to its homepage to pause for two whole minutes. It’s not as easy as it sounds, given how conditioned we are to click in search of another dopamine hit delivered via web browser. I like what happens on screen when you move your mouse during this chill drill. Click over and do nothing for two minutes. The web of interesting stuff will be here when you’re done.
52 Limited is a digital resource company connecting creative + technology talent with leading brands, marketing and engineering departments, start-ups, design firms, advertising and interactive agencies. If you’re looking for talent or work, visit us at 52ltd.com
