Digg

I know I check digg everyday. What you do is submit a link, if people like it they "digg" it the more "diggs" you have the higher it is on the website. The result is time looking at videos of cats or political gaffes or things about digg itself. Its a fun website with a "unique" community with "unique" views.

Addicting Games

With a fresh load of games weekly Addicting Games never gets old. I have twiddled away many hours playing such favorites as "Bloons" and "Bowman." They don't lie when they say these games are addicting, and plus they have so many it can and will keep you occupied for hours.

YouTube

Not exactly an obscure website by any means. I am not going to tell you what Youtube is because if you don't know you must have been living in a cave in Azerbaijan. The fact is that there are millions of videos you can watch. Some entertaining, some so horrible you wonder why they bothered making it.  Youtube has its own culture and a huge community. You can spend hours watching original videos or videos of popular tv shows that have been illegally uploaded.  Either way you could watch youtube videos for years without seeing the same one twice.

Wikipedia

This website has revolutionized the way we get our information. A completely free non-profit site Wikipedia is a true gemstone of time wasting websites. I have frequently been looking up something useful lets say "Mark Twain" and after tangents and links from Wikipedia I will most likely end up with the mating habits of elephants. I learn little from Wikipedia as I never read enough to actually learn about the subject at hand. But the bits I learn stay with me so I can spew it out and inappropriate times and get looks of disgust by my peers.

StumbleUpon

Stumbleupon is the mother of all time wasting websites. Well its not really a website but a tool bar you install that takes you to different websites depending on your interests, you just hit stumble. I have spent at least a week of procrastination just hitting stumble. Do not install if you are prone to procrastinate as this is like the reverse of riddlin.

 

Big Fat Whale

A very funny webcomic, updated every Friday. There's a lot of humor to be laughed at here, with a great back archive to check out. The website is pleasantly well-made and easy to negotiate, too.

Gateway

Here's a great game where you must find items and figure out way to escape. I won't spoil the game for you by providing clues, mainly because I can't. I played a bit of the game and it started to hurt my brain so there you go.

Five Apps You Run that Suck, and Five Replacements That Don't

Interesting article time. Some of the software that comes with computers can often be bulky and next to useless. This article discusses this phenomenon, and points out five replacements for such software.

Locks Quest

An online RPG-style game for you to play! Instead of being a cubicle-dwelling office drone, you're an adventurer protecting the kingdom against waves after wave of enemies. Very fun game.

Are You Man Enough?

A very funny webcomic by Phil McAndrew. Are you, in fact, man enough?

40 Ways to Ruin a Photo

Indeed, there's many ways to ruin a photo, and here are 40 hilarious examples. Many of them are of a group of friends posing for the camera, and somebody behind them doing something to ruin the picture.

UFO Sightings Connected to Large Hadron Collider Experiment?

Here's an interesting article. Orange lights in the sky have been observed from various points in England and Europe. Could it be due to the Large Hadron Collider being turned on, if but briefly. Who knows, only the UFO's do and they're not talking.

The Free Information Society

If you enjoy reading articles on line, you'll live The Free Information Society. There's information on a wide variety of subjects, from biographies to game reviews. This is a website that's fun to poke around.

21 Cool and Unusual USB Powered Devices

From the fine folks at The Hottest Gadgets comes a very interesting article about unusual USB devices. Did you know you can get a USB powered dart launcher? Now that sounds like something your office place could use.

CGI Liquid Like You've Never Seen Before

Here's a great video of CGI liquids. What you see in this video is entirely computer-generated fluid. Fascinating, and oddly beautiful.

That's it for this week. Hope you have fun and waste a lot of work hours! Yes!

Juggler

It's ironic you'll be playing this juggling game instead of juggling work, but there you go. Can you keep all three balls in the air? I sure couldn't, but that's probably because I have the dexterity of an intoxicated orangutan.

Bored?

Feeling like you could use some therapy via the Internet? Well, you're in luck. Check out the Bored? website and click on the mood you're currently feeling. The website will try to console you, or offer advice. Now that's some good internet psychiatry!

Hedgehog Launch

Have the overpowering urge to slingshot small animals into space? Sure you do. In this addictive online game, you'll have the power to launch hedgehogs into space, all for the name of science, of course. And don't worry, these hedgehogs are happy to take part in the space program.

Winterbells

Speaking of lauching small furry innocent animals into the stratosphere, here's another fun game. This time it's rabbits instead of hedgehogs, but that doesn't take away from the fun in seeing how high you can make a rabbit go.

Funny Metaphors Used in High School Essays

Here's a good chuckle: actual metaphors used in essayes written by high schoolers. Some really funny ones, but I won't spoil the "lolz" from you.

Pictures for Sad Children

A great if not grim and gritty at times webcomic. It gave ol' SlackerDan a good laugh, and believe you me that's pretty impressive because I'm one helluva critic. Anyways, Pictures for Sad Children is quite funny, although I'm not sure I'd read it just before bedtime.

Photos at the Right Time

Sometimes I like nothing better than perusing funny picture collections. I found this beauty and it is hilarious (although some pictures may make you wince.) There's some pretty impressive pics here of, well, things that happened at the moment the picture was taken.

How Geek Are You?

Similar to last week's The Nerd Test ver 2.0; here you can get your geek score. Not too many questions either, so you can easily hide this webpage when you hear your bosses' heavy tread through the cubicle maze.

Stripes

Now here's a real time waster, and an optical illusion as well. Just slide the vertical lines over the other lines to make the optical illusion come alive for your wonderment. Doing it for more than five minutes will induce a peaceful Zen mediation effect, so lean back in your office chair get comfy.

Gorbachov: The Music Video

And in the fine tradition of finishing up this week's Waster, may I present to you Gorbachov: The Russian Video: Bigger and Russianer.

Now that's one stylin' superhero, bringing soft drinks and denim jeans to the thousands, if not millions, of post-soviet folk. He's strong, he's valiant, he's Gorbachov!

Well, ol' SlackerDan hopes you enjoyed the above ten links. See how many of them you can visit before a snoopy co-worker or boss discovers you're throwing virtual rabbits around on your computer.

1. People Bucket

   An online game where, yes, you throw people into buckets. There are eight levels to complete; try to do them all and see your overall performance. Who would have imagined throwing people around could be so much fun?

2. American Society for Velociraptor Attack Prevention

   You can never be too prepared for a velociraptor attack. Sure, they've been extinct for millions of years but, who knows, there could be still be some alive. So follow the guidelines on this website and you should be fairly safe.

3. Pork

   Here's a great video from the fine folks at Weebl's Stuff. Note that the video loops, so you could watch it for hours if you wanted to. "Pork, it's the meat of kings...", indeed.

4. The Nerd Test ver 2.0

   Need to know if you're a nerd? Well, just follow the link above and take the lengthy and extensive nerd test. It will also tell you what kind of nerd you are, from computer geek to a mega-dork. If you complete the test, you'll get a graphic displaying your result. Good luck, nerd.

5. Public Domain Clipart

   You could browse this extensive collection of over 20,000 copyright-free clipart images for hours. It is stated the images are in the public domain, which means you can edit them and/or use them for personal or commercial interests. Have fun, there's a great collection here.

6. World's Greatest Android Project

   You'll either enjoy or be creeped out by this website. Probably both. Robotics are serious business, and many different types from various corporations are written up hear. I find the female-looking robot a little disquieting, but I wonder if she's single?

7. Air Force Test Game

   Here's a great simple-yet-addicting game. Keep your red square away from the moving blue bars and the black walls for as long as possible. It's called the "Air Force Game" because, as the website says, this game is used by air force pilots for working on their dexterity. Give it a try, or many; this game will make your work day go by that much faster.

8. Every Thursday a Theme!

   To quote the website, "...We propose just one day a week, Thursday, be set aside for themes not quite so depressing and accusatory. Below is our preliminary calendar, and a handy link where folks can provide suggestions for additional themes. None of which should require anyone to donate money, wear a ribbon, sport a rubber bracelet, or give up a Saturday... " What these brilliant people are doing is making every Thursday a unique holiday or remembrance. Now you don't have to worry like non-Thursday events like Easter or Christmas!

9. Weird and Silly Road Signs

   Here's a great list of, yes, weird and silly road signs. I personally appreciate the "There May Be Trouble Ahead" electronic sign. Say, thanks for the warning!

10. Italian Spiderman

    Video No weekly waster would be complete without a strange, often disquieting video at the end. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is "Italian Spiderman".Now that's what I call a prime example of a spiderman! Smoking, compulsive eating, and other bad habits don't seem to stop him. He's amazing and he's Italian.

So ends the fourth issues of "Websites to Waste Your Week". May it bring you enjoyment at work and reduce your personal productivity!

The best part about all these banner maker sites is that they are all free and easy to create. Have fun creating your own banners for your websites or ads!

1. This is Sand

   This is a virtual sand decoration games. You know those sand sculptures in glass you see at the mall? This is the virtual version. A lot of fun, and very Zen-like when played. To get help, click on the upper left gray square, it will tell you all the commands like changing sand color, etc.

2. Trash Can Costume

   This article can show you how to make a costume that will scare the pants off your co-workers. The author of this article made the costume for Hallowe'en and reported great success in terrifying children. Just think of how you can apply such a costume at work! That's if you don't get fired wearing a trash can costume, that is. (and you probably will)

3. Welcome to Ant City

   Were you one of those psychopathic children who used to burn ants alive with a magnifying glass during hot summer days? You'll appreciate this game then! And even if you weren't, it is better pretending to be a supervillain with a massive magnifying glass set people and cars on fire than it is to actually do work at your job.

4. Thinking Machine 4

   Do you play chess? If you do, you'll really appreciate the Thinking Machine 4. After you make a chess move, it plots all the moves it can do in a beautiful colorful pattern. And it is really good at chess, too... it beat ol' SlackerDan in no time flat. I've always been better at checkers, anyways.

5. 404 Error - Page Not Found!

   Here's a page you can sit back and enjoy as it tells you why it's a 404 page and how being a 404 page is a rather deep psychological burden. This 404 page seems to be rather manic-depressive, too, just like most of your co-workers!

6. Juggler

   Ever wanted to learn to juggle? No? Well, visit this page anyways for some virtual juggling, much more fun than doing a solid day's work. I personally am horrible at this game, so if you can juggle the balls for more than ten seconds you're doing better than me.

7. You Know You're a Canadian When...

   Here's a fun link for all the Canadian readers "oot" there, eh? And even if you're not from the Great White North you'll probably get a chuckle from some of the entries on this list. I'm Canadian and I got many laughs from this article.

8. Eskiv

   This is a great fun game that you just may find addicting. It's very basic gameplay: using the arrow keys, move your black circle onto the grey square while avoiding the balls. Each time you successlfully touch the grey square, another ball will appear. It gets to be quite a challenge!

9. Free Multiplayer Online Games

   If you're able to install games on your work computer, you'll want to take a look at this comprehensive list of multiplayer games. A lot of the games here are completely free, while some have options you need to pay for. Who knows, maybe you'll find a multiplayer game here you can play at work for days on end.

10. Skateboarding Dog

    And to wrap up this week's issue of Websites to Waste Your Week, here is a video of a skateboarding dog:

Have a great week, and try not to work too hard... or at all, hehehehe.

1. Electric Oyster

   Here's a great one to start off these week's list. Want to fly over an arctic landscape while grooving to trippy music? Who doesn't? Well, now we can with Electric Oyster. The sense of flying is very real, and the music is very funky as well. An excellent way to relax in your cubicle at work for three or four hours.

2. AmazingSuperPowers

   Webcomic time! Finding a great webcomic and reading it from start to finish is a great way to get to 5:00 pm at your job without doing a lick of work. AmazingSuperPowers is a hilarious webcomic, often very surreal but always funny. There's a big archive to explore as well.

3. Spacializer

   Want to make weird sounds from your computer so everyone in the workplace look around confusedly for the strange noise? The Spacializer will help you with that. Crank up your speakers and play with the amorphous blobs, yes! Each color has a tone, which is played when the cursor is placed over that color in the aforementioned blobs. Hypnotic and really calming, man.

4. Chuck Norris Facts

   Here's a fun website about the man everyone fears, Chuck Norris. Did you know Chuck Norris doesn't wear a watch, he decides what time it is? Incredible. This website is chock full of Chuck Norris facts, hence the url's name. The place to go to learn more about Chuck Norris. Sir.

5. Video - "People Are Strange" (Remi Gaillard)

   Celebrated French prankster (well, celebrated in France, anyways) Remi Gaillard made a video to The Door's tune, "People are Strange" and the results are hilarious. I won't spoil it for you, but just imagine being a car driver stopped at an intersection in this video...

6. What is Your Internet Culture IQ?

   Think you know everything there is to know about the Internet? Well, test your skills on this website. Know where the phrase, "all your base are belong to us" comes from? How about the necessary ingredient to add to cola to make it explode? Good luck with this test!

7. Hidden Google Secrets

   Over at Chomp Chomp is an interesting article about some of the hidden features of the popular search engine Google. Did you know there's a simple flight simulator in Google Earth? There's some very interesting tips for you to discover and hopefully use at work while not working.

8. All Supernatural

   Feel like getting a little creeped out to make the 9-5 more full of adrenalin? Check out All Supernatural, the site with stories from contributors about their brush with UFO's, ghosts, and/or strange creatures. This site also has a great heartbeat sound effect, maybe if you turn your computer speakers loud enough you can make your entire office go "THUMPA-THUMPA-THUMPA".

9. Squares 2

   Here's a great webgame guaranteed to assist you waste time at work. Squares 2 is a challenging Flash game where you have to hit black boxes with your black box while avoiding the red squares. There's power-ups and point deduction shapes too, so keep your eyes and reflexes sharp. Great game, overall.

10. Crazy Rabbit

    And finally to wrap up this first web issue of "Websites to Waste Your Week", here's a pointless yet fun game-thing: Crazy Rabbit. Be careful, that crazy rabbit thinks your mouse cursor is a carrot, and if it gets too close to him he grabs onto it! You can shake him off, though, mercifully.

I hope you enjoyed these ten links and this article. I plan to publish a list of incredibly wasteful yet interesting and downright fun links every week, just for the sole purpose of making you waste time at work. If you do, leave a comment below, and tell me what links you enjoyed most or suggestions for upcoming "Websites to Waste Your Week" articles. Thanks!

One of the best methods to kill you blog is to post every few days. Even better, if you can convince yourself that 1-2 posts per week is just fine, you are on right way to decay.

Disable comments

Maybe you haven't thought about it too much, but sometimes you must enable comments manually if you want to allow people to respond and actively participate on your blog.

Use default template

This is another great way to make your rare visitors to move along. This is unfortunately very hard to do because there are many totally free blog templates waiting for you around every Internet corner, but if you try, you can make it and ignore them all.

Make all kind of promises

Trust between you and your readers have absolutely zero importance. You can promise what ever you want, new posts on subject, free links, do-follow enabled from tomorrow, anything!

Quality is for losers

Why bother with 500+ words articles when you can get away with two sentences and one link stolen from another blog. Nobody will notice.

Social Networks are waste of time

This is probably the best way to kill your blog. If you think that social networks are waste of time and can't help you with generating traffic, well think again. Waiting for page rank and search engines traffic may become never ending story. Be active member of web communities and people will appreciate it.

Don't comment on other blogs

This is also totally unnecessary since you are helping others to have more traffic when you should do something about yourself.

Don't learn from famous bloggers

Why you should read popular blogs, when they don't visit your blog? It must be some fraud they do to force others to come back again and again. You will show them all when you become more popular in few weeks.

Ads are never enough

Great way to destroy your blog completely is to offer advertising even if you have just started with blogging and all you have is 3 posts and 2 very funny videos uploaded. Bring them all together: bidvertiser, adsense, project wonderful, private ads! More ads more money!

Ignore your readers

There is no point in answering your reader's comment, especially if it is negative one. How dare anyone to come to YOUR blog and say something like that! You should not publish that comment in the first place. Also, why bother with that stupid blog design suggestion, you make all decisions, right?

There is a range of various sources out there and they can range from the unsigned garage-band giving away their demo, right through to the free promotional giveaways of the major record labels. Knowing the validity of your source is the defining factor and if you follow this guide, you will be able to get regular free and legal music without the guilt or hassle. This brings us to another important factor - the Creative Commons licence.

I won't go into to much detail, as the Creative Commons have a perfectly definitive explanation at their website about what each of licences entail, but in short; all digital media under their branding, including music, is tagged with an alternative to the standard copyright license. Many bands and artists make their work(s) available on these licences, which help them circulate or spread the popularity of their art to a wider audience. So, where can you find this music?

As mentioned there are many websites available to fans of music, but here is a top-five list of free and legal music sources.

MySpace Music: The musical side of the social networking site is obviously a no-brainer to those with more experience, but there is a bounty of free music to be found there and it's a good place to start if you are a little unsure about the issues surrounding this topic. Artists that are registered on MySpace often make music freely available themselves for their fans to download directly form their page. There are also monthly giveaways and promotional songs distributed as well as albums that can be preview (“streamed”) before their official release dates. It requires some searching, but you're bound to find things you like.

Pit-falls: If you are downloading from a major label artist, then make sure the music available is from their official MySpace page and not a fake one - check for tour dates and blog entries to make sure.

The Hype Machine: The golden gateway to the musical blogosphere! This is where all the music blogs from around the globe get collated and displayed in one place. It's essentially and arrogated list of what is currently hot and what people are talking about. There are no direct downloads available, but you are freely able to listen to a never ending stream of music that increases by the second. You can add favourites, save songs to your own playlist and also read the many articles that get displayed from the millions of music blogs around the world.

Pit-falls: There isn't really anything to be worried of if you stay on The Hype Machine's website, but if you do stray off into the world of musical blogs, be very wary.

Direct From The Record Companies: Independent and major record labels sometimes give away their own music- in some cases whole albums are often made available! This is usually for promotional reasons and is widely available without registration or subscription. A few examples are; Secretly Canadian, This is Fake DIY, Creation Centre, and Kill Rockstars. There are so many out there, way too many to list here, but if you search around you can easily find them.

Pit-falls: None. But it may be worth your time if you do sign up to their mailing lists, as these usually contain the occasional free MP3!

Muxtape: Is the Mecca of mixtapes. It's a relatively new website where you are freely able to listen to millions of pre-created user made mixtapes. Yet again, there isn't any music to directly download, but there are vast amounts of songs for your listening pleasure.

Pit-falls: Be aware that if you create a mixtape yourself, you MUST own the correct copyright or have permission from the artist(s).

Music Blogs: This grouping is a tough one. I wont down-cry the musical blogging community, because I am apart of it, but it is widely known that some are legal and others aren't and it can be very tricky working out which is which. If you do feel like stretching your legs and branching off to explore the vast realm of the music blogs, stick to the main ones such as; The Stereogum, AOL s Spinner, or RCRD LBL - if you are unsure about the legality of a blog you can always email the blogger directly - just don't except an honest reply.

Pit-falls: Music blogs are a sticky minefield so tread carefully when downloading MP3s from them. Try to determine the credibility of the blog by the type of music they are publishing - e.g. it's highly unlikely Bob Dylan would let an amateur blogger host one of his entire albums freely.