|
Shufflingdead > Articles > Computers
Time's 50 Coolest Websites 2006
Every year, Time magazine, or maybe it's Time.com, I can't really tell, puts together a list of the "50 coolest websites." This year, being the first year I've noticed, has filled me with great annoyance as the selections are largely illogical and commonly unheard of. My research thus far leads me to believe that the list is only put together so that Time has an excuse to use words like "blog," "vlog," and "web 2.0." I endeavor to dissect this list for my writing pleasure and your reading pleasure.
Pandora
Preview: Ah, Pandora! Here's a site I haven't been to in awhile. If I remember correctly, this is actually a pretty good site. You can find particular artists and songs that you like, listen to them, and discover related artists and songs.
First Impression: Excellent, the site hasn't changed it's layout, which is to say I can actually navigate it. Not only that, but they seem to have forgotten that I used up my free time (or, more likely, I have a different IP address now) and I can listen to music for free again.
In Conclusion: This site is actually worthwhile, so far so good Time.
The 9
Preview: I've never heard of this site. Time's description makes it sound like a completely standard video blog. Note that they use the word "vlog," which is probably the event horizon of the English language.
First Impression: Uhh, apparently this is like some kind of streaming tv show. Oh boy, she's talking about Snakes on a Plane.
In Conclusion: This is apparently an internet-tv show created by Yahoo, and I basically have no interest in it. I noticed one of the stories covered on the site was the rising fame of YouTube video blogger geriatric1927, more on him later.
Drawn!
Preview: Another site I've never heard of. Time calls it a "collaborative blog," though I'm starting to wonder if they actually know what the word blog means. It's said to be "for artists by artists."
First Impression: Took a long fucking time to load, could just be the stress of being on Time's list.
In Conclusion: This site actually looks pretty good. It's really a news site for artists and fans of art. I should note that it is not a goddamn blog though. Just because it's updated in a similar fashion as a blog and calls itself a blog does not mean it's a blog. Note to self: stop using the word blog.
Sundance Splinks
Preview: Idiotic, overly cutesy name. This is apparently nothing more than a compilation of links.
First Impression: Typical corporate flash based website. I'm still trying to determine where the content is.
In Conclusion: I was right, this is nothing but a bunch of links compiled on what should have been a simple html based website, but wasn't because it was designed by a "professional."
Photo Muse
Preview: This sounds like a promising archive of photographs.
First Impression: Slow to load a plain splash page. I hate splash pages.
In Conclusion: This site is difficult as hell to navigate. Why these art sites always insist on splash pages between every piece of useful content is beyond my comprehension. It's a good concept with terrible execution.
Jumpcut
Preview: Yet another site I've never heard of. This time it's a site people can use to upload their video files and edit them.
First Impression: This looks like a corporate ripoff of YouTube.
In Conclusion: I'm not nearly the dedicated journalist I would need to be to actually try this site's editing services. What I can tell you is that it looks like a YouTube ripoff, and that the highlight is watching the original trailer for "Revenge of the Nerds."
Wolfgang's Vault
Preview: Never heard of it. Apparently it's an internet radio site for live rock performances.
First Impression: They're playing Neil Diamond.
In Conclusion: I have an idea, check out the hundreds of streaming internet radio stations made available through Winamp and never go to this site.
Podcast Pickle
Preview: This sounds fairly useful, Time informs me that this is a database of "podcasts." I can't help but wonder if Time just wanted an excuse to use the oh-so-trendy word "podcast."
First Impression: Slow to load, green, filled with poorly stretched images.
In Conclusion: I don't have time to listen to this shit. Dear internet, get a life.
YouTube
Preview: The mothership has arrived. Finally, a site I've heard of, and not only that, it's the website that has consumed (and ruined) my life.
First Impression: I'm still logged in from when I visited the site immediately before writing this.
In Conclusion: Fuck you YouTube, seriously, fuck you. You take up all my time with the most useless content. I don't know why I need to watch all of FilthyWhore's and Emmalina's video blogs, I just do. Speaking of which, Emmalina's videos seem to have disappeared, how will I survive without her wonderful waggling ass? And, oh look, geriatric1927's videos are still some of the most viewed. Well guess what, I was viewing his videos when he still only had a few hundred hits, I am a ground floor witness to the rise of another internet celebrity.
Discuss something on the forums - E-mail Us
|
