Websites I Like
Below, in no particular order, you'll find an eclectic list of several sites
that are of personal interest to me, some of which you might also find
helpful academically.
Others are just downright weird.
-----------
Here you'll see the world through the imaginative and rather narrow mind of
Strongbad (a short-tempered Flash-animated character who looks like... we'll
let's just say he manages to type while wearing boxing gloves) and his
sidekick Homestar, just your average everyday talking marshmallow (???).
Through the use of dramatic foil, comedy ensues.
Homestarrunner.com
TED stands for Technology, Education, and Design. These talks are some of the most
interesting on the net.
TED talks
A point-of-view webquest to help you become reacquainted with the life and
times of Shakespeare. See also the link for Life in Elizabethan England: A
Compendium of Common Knowledge below.
Elizabethan Webquest
Didst thou say, "Shakespeare"?
A guide to what life was really like during the time of the bard. Sports,
games, language, fashion, religion, money, food-- it's all here.
Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge
I love vintage saxophones and own a 1933 Conn Pre-Chu Berry tenor horn
myself. She's old, but she still sings beautifully...
Saxes Galore
Simple explanations for how our not-so-simple brain/mind works...
Mindlab
Think you know Homer? Watch ten The Simpsons clips and see if you
can finish each classic quote.
Homer Simpson Fill-Ins
Oxymorons, spoonerisms, and yes, really, really bad puns. Here you'll find
a vast array of categories addressing the art of language play. There's
even a section devoted solely to Stupid Cow Jokes that you'll find udderly
terrible. Submit your own if you dare. (In case you were wondering, I
don't get my "material" from this site-- it usually comes to me on the
spot... unfortuately for us all.) You'll also find some wry rhetorical
questions in the spirit of Steven Wright. Here's a taste: Was the inventor
of the colander accused of having an idea that did not hold water? And
another: Why does the Return key move the cursor to a new line?
Punliners.com
Musicians, test your ability to identify intervals and chord qualities by
ear. If you're really up for a challenge, click on the Perfect Pitch section.
Ear Trainer
Make a Flash movie online. You select the characters, background, text,
music, and action. It's simple to use. Send your masterpiece to a friend!
Make My Movie
A guide to retro-speak by Geetz Romo. Useful when encountering neo-Beatniks,
poseur hippies, jazz-musician-wannabes, and the like. Y'dig?
How to Speak Hip
If all truth is found in paradox, then this site might contain more profound
insights and themes than any other on the web. Prepare yourself to ponder
oxymoronic, paradoxical, and self-contradictory quotations throughout the
ages. Before you know it, you'll be a philosopher yourself.
Oxymoronica
Is "Ring Around the Rosie" really about the Black Death? Where did the
company name Google come from? Is the correct phrase "Hawk a Loogie" or "Hock
a Lunger"?
Word Origins
President Obama's election has not ended President Bush's War on Grammar.
Bushisms
Unlike punliners. com, this site also includes palindromes
and malapropisms.
More wordplay
Everything you wanted to know about music theory presented in excruciating
detail. Not for lightweights.
Dr. Brian Blood's Music Theory Online
Photos of cruel and not-so-unusual abuse of the humble apostrophe.
The Apostrophe Protection Society
If you haven't seen the show since you were a kid, you should watch an
episode this week. You'll see beyond the slapstick into a searing satire
of American life that is The Simpsons. Obscure trivia, icons galore,
character tributes, and classic "Ralphisms" abound here. Comment on
your favorite Simpsons lines and read what others have to say about them as
well. Link to other fine links to all things Simpson.
The Simpsons Archive
If you like Comedy Central's The Daily Show, you'll appreciate The
Onion's "mockumentary" news reports. If you find a real
side-splitter, you can email the page to a friend directly by clicking on the rather tiny icon
at the bottom.
The Onion
Type in your name and get a humorous anagram in response.
Yours Truly,
Ruggedly Sober Lice
Instant Anagrams
My favorite book of all time, ZAMM is perhaps the most challenging and
thought-provoking novel you'll ever read. Based on true events, it's an
American roadtrip that, along the way, will make you think about how
and why we think. (Somehow it also manages to become a ghost story.)
This is a link to the FULL text. The book is copyrighted and published by
Bantam, so if you like what you see, pick up a copy for yourself at a
bookstore. The author died a few years ago, so he won't be seeing the
royalties anymore, but puchasing the book is the right thing to do
nonetheless.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
If you are in love with the English language, this is a goldmine...
Writing Links & Links for Writers
And another...
Writing Tips for Writers
If you are interested in writing poetry, you MUST visit this site. Find out
everything you want to know about becoming a better poet-- even how to
publish your work.
Student Poets Only
A history of the English Language
English Language
An entire website devoted to a literary term that doesn't know whether it's
coming or going. Or going or coming.
Chiasmus.com
These words are as interesting as they are obscure.
Weird Words
If you like The Onion, then you have probably already seen The
Daily Show. Here's the online version of the show hosted by Jon Stewart.
The Daily Show
Make your own comics.
Comic Creator
Looking for literary criticism online?
Internet Public Library
Find out the origin of those old, rotten cliches when they were new and
fresh.
Cliche Origins
Monty Python news...
Did you know that Monty Python's Life of Brian was voted the number
one comedy film of all time, beating out American Pie and even their own
Holy Grail? (Of course, the British comedy team have the home-turf
advantage-- the survey was conducted in England.)
The Daily Llama
A simple mix-and-match guide to creating snappy comebacks that would make the
Bard proud. Stop dead in their tracks those rubes who would insult "Yo
Mamma."
The Shakespeare Insult Kit
The story of Oedipus. In eight minutes. Performed by vegetables.
Seriously. And it's PG-13.
Oedipus the Movie
The Phrontistery (Look it up)
Phrontistery
Words for which there are no words.
Sniglets
Start off with "6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know" and go from
there...
Daily Writing Tips
Ways for generating ideas, breaking writers' block, and WRITING...
37 Dramatic Situations
Could you start making a living as a writer right now? Click and find out...
Funds for Writers
Writing a novel? This site offers advice on every possible aspect of the
process you can imagine.
Tips for Aspiring Novelists
Eleven simple rules that go a long way in adding credibility to your writing.
11 Rules of Writing
Looking for a new band to listen to? Let the power of Pandora's Music Genome
Project go to work for you. It learns your favorite songs' musical
identities by analyzing "everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to
instrumentation,orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich
world of singing and vocal harmony" to find the best music you never heard.
Pandora
Test your vocabulary, and feed the hungry. For every word you guess
correctly, the United Nations will distribute ten grains of rice to needy
people. Watch the virtual rice bowl fill up as you improve your vocabulary.
Free Rice
Still stumped on how to write an MLA Works Cited page? Find the type of
source you're using, and type in fill in the blanks. It's even easier than
Easybib.
Citation Machine
WordSpy says, "This Web site is devoted to 'lexpionage,' the sleuthing of new
words and phrases. These aren't 'stunt words' or 'sniglets,' but new terms
that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites,
and other recorded sources."
WordSpy
Prickles or Goo? Which one are you? (South Park meets Alan Watts.)
Prickles and Goo
Future English majors only...
History of Old English
When you need help, call somebody.
Math 911
Another reason The Simpsons is even smarter than you think...
Cinematic Allusions in The Simpsons
If you're not exactly sure what satire is, watch this clip from Saturday
Night Live. What dangerous aspect of American culture is it poking fun at?
SNL Taco Town
First, check to see how many of these classic works of literature you have
read. Next, click on those you haven't and begin catching up...
The Great Books Online
See the relationships among synonyms. Visuwords uses Princeton University's
WordNet, an opensource database built by university students and language
researchers.
Visuwords
Increase your ability to speed read by pasting any text of your choice and
viewing it at up to 6,000 words per minute.
Speed Reading Practice Engine
Screenwriters, check out this online screenwriting software. It allows you
to collaborate with your co-writers using the web.
Plot Bot
Wolfram allows you to compose and download original electronic music
compositions. Perfect for scoring your own movies.
Music Composer
Little or no musical talent?
Touch Here
Not a synesthete but wished you knew what sound of rice looks like?
Chladni Effect
Fuzzmail records the act of writing and lets you send it as an email.
Dynamic changes, typos, pauses and writeovers are captured and
communicated.... Just start typing a message and fuzzmail will record what
you type. When you're done, click "send" to stop recording and send
your message. The recipient will get a private web link to read the message
replayed in the way that you typed it. A copy of the Fuzzmail you wrote will
be sent to you at your email address.
Fuzzmail
Do your parents suffer from Adultitis, or worse... could you be exhibiting
early-onset symptoms yourself? Given the average four-year-old laughs over
400 times a day, while the average adult laughs just 15 times per day, you
may indeed be experiencing this terrible disease in its eary stages. If so,
learn more about this epidemic, and get get help here:
Adultitis Official Homepage
Find the top ten reasons for visiting Dave's website.
David Letterman's Top Ten Archive
Bored?
Nose
That's all, folks...
The End
Know of a site you think I would like? Send it to [email protected].
that are of personal interest to me, some of which you might also find
helpful academically.
Others are just downright weird.
-----------
Here you'll see the world through the imaginative and rather narrow mind of
Strongbad (a short-tempered Flash-animated character who looks like... we'll
let's just say he manages to type while wearing boxing gloves) and his
sidekick Homestar, just your average everyday talking marshmallow (???).
Through the use of dramatic foil, comedy ensues.
Homestarrunner.com
TED stands for Technology, Education, and Design. These talks are some of the most
interesting on the net.
TED talks
A point-of-view webquest to help you become reacquainted with the life and
times of Shakespeare. See also the link for Life in Elizabethan England: A
Compendium of Common Knowledge below.
Elizabethan Webquest
Didst thou say, "Shakespeare"?
A guide to what life was really like during the time of the bard. Sports,
games, language, fashion, religion, money, food-- it's all here.
Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge
I love vintage saxophones and own a 1933 Conn Pre-Chu Berry tenor horn
myself. She's old, but she still sings beautifully...
Saxes Galore
Simple explanations for how our not-so-simple brain/mind works...
Mindlab
Think you know Homer? Watch ten The Simpsons clips and see if you
can finish each classic quote.
Homer Simpson Fill-Ins
Oxymorons, spoonerisms, and yes, really, really bad puns. Here you'll find
a vast array of categories addressing the art of language play. There's
even a section devoted solely to Stupid Cow Jokes that you'll find udderly
terrible. Submit your own if you dare. (In case you were wondering, I
don't get my "material" from this site-- it usually comes to me on the
spot... unfortuately for us all.) You'll also find some wry rhetorical
questions in the spirit of Steven Wright. Here's a taste: Was the inventor
of the colander accused of having an idea that did not hold water? And
another: Why does the Return key move the cursor to a new line?
Punliners.com
Musicians, test your ability to identify intervals and chord qualities by
ear. If you're really up for a challenge, click on the Perfect Pitch section.
Ear Trainer
Make a Flash movie online. You select the characters, background, text,
music, and action. It's simple to use. Send your masterpiece to a friend!
Make My Movie
A guide to retro-speak by Geetz Romo. Useful when encountering neo-Beatniks,
poseur hippies, jazz-musician-wannabes, and the like. Y'dig?
How to Speak Hip
If all truth is found in paradox, then this site might contain more profound
insights and themes than any other on the web. Prepare yourself to ponder
oxymoronic, paradoxical, and self-contradictory quotations throughout the
ages. Before you know it, you'll be a philosopher yourself.
Oxymoronica
Is "Ring Around the Rosie" really about the Black Death? Where did the
company name Google come from? Is the correct phrase "Hawk a Loogie" or "Hock
a Lunger"?
Word Origins
President Obama's election has not ended President Bush's War on Grammar.
Bushisms
Unlike punliners. com, this site also includes palindromes
and malapropisms.
More wordplay
Everything you wanted to know about music theory presented in excruciating
detail. Not for lightweights.
Dr. Brian Blood's Music Theory Online
Photos of cruel and not-so-unusual abuse of the humble apostrophe.
The Apostrophe Protection Society
If you haven't seen the show since you were a kid, you should watch an
episode this week. You'll see beyond the slapstick into a searing satire
of American life that is The Simpsons. Obscure trivia, icons galore,
character tributes, and classic "Ralphisms" abound here. Comment on
your favorite Simpsons lines and read what others have to say about them as
well. Link to other fine links to all things Simpson.
The Simpsons Archive
If you like Comedy Central's The Daily Show, you'll appreciate The
Onion's "mockumentary" news reports. If you find a real
side-splitter, you can email the page to a friend directly by clicking on the rather tiny icon
at the bottom.
The Onion
Type in your name and get a humorous anagram in response.
Yours Truly,
Ruggedly Sober Lice
Instant Anagrams
My favorite book of all time, ZAMM is perhaps the most challenging and
thought-provoking novel you'll ever read. Based on true events, it's an
American roadtrip that, along the way, will make you think about how
and why we think. (Somehow it also manages to become a ghost story.)
This is a link to the FULL text. The book is copyrighted and published by
Bantam, so if you like what you see, pick up a copy for yourself at a
bookstore. The author died a few years ago, so he won't be seeing the
royalties anymore, but puchasing the book is the right thing to do
nonetheless.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
If you are in love with the English language, this is a goldmine...
Writing Links & Links for Writers
And another...
Writing Tips for Writers
If you are interested in writing poetry, you MUST visit this site. Find out
everything you want to know about becoming a better poet-- even how to
publish your work.
Student Poets Only
A history of the English Language
English Language
An entire website devoted to a literary term that doesn't know whether it's
coming or going. Or going or coming.
Chiasmus.com
These words are as interesting as they are obscure.
Weird Words
If you like The Onion, then you have probably already seen The
Daily Show. Here's the online version of the show hosted by Jon Stewart.
The Daily Show
Make your own comics.
Comic Creator
Looking for literary criticism online?
Internet Public Library
Find out the origin of those old, rotten cliches when they were new and
fresh.
Cliche Origins
Monty Python news...
Did you know that Monty Python's Life of Brian was voted the number
one comedy film of all time, beating out American Pie and even their own
Holy Grail? (Of course, the British comedy team have the home-turf
advantage-- the survey was conducted in England.)
The Daily Llama
A simple mix-and-match guide to creating snappy comebacks that would make the
Bard proud. Stop dead in their tracks those rubes who would insult "Yo
Mamma."
The Shakespeare Insult Kit
The story of Oedipus. In eight minutes. Performed by vegetables.
Seriously. And it's PG-13.
Oedipus the Movie
The Phrontistery (Look it up)
Phrontistery
Words for which there are no words.
Sniglets
Start off with "6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know" and go from
there...
Daily Writing Tips
Ways for generating ideas, breaking writers' block, and WRITING...
37 Dramatic Situations
Could you start making a living as a writer right now? Click and find out...
Funds for Writers
Writing a novel? This site offers advice on every possible aspect of the
process you can imagine.
Tips for Aspiring Novelists
Eleven simple rules that go a long way in adding credibility to your writing.
11 Rules of Writing
Looking for a new band to listen to? Let the power of Pandora's Music Genome
Project go to work for you. It learns your favorite songs' musical
identities by analyzing "everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to
instrumentation,orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich
world of singing and vocal harmony" to find the best music you never heard.
Pandora
Test your vocabulary, and feed the hungry. For every word you guess
correctly, the United Nations will distribute ten grains of rice to needy
people. Watch the virtual rice bowl fill up as you improve your vocabulary.
Free Rice
Still stumped on how to write an MLA Works Cited page? Find the type of
source you're using, and type in fill in the blanks. It's even easier than
Easybib.
Citation Machine
WordSpy says, "This Web site is devoted to 'lexpionage,' the sleuthing of new
words and phrases. These aren't 'stunt words' or 'sniglets,' but new terms
that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites,
and other recorded sources."
WordSpy
Prickles or Goo? Which one are you? (South Park meets Alan Watts.)
Prickles and Goo
Future English majors only...
History of Old English
When you need help, call somebody.
Math 911
Another reason The Simpsons is even smarter than you think...
Cinematic Allusions in The Simpsons
If you're not exactly sure what satire is, watch this clip from Saturday
Night Live. What dangerous aspect of American culture is it poking fun at?
SNL Taco Town
First, check to see how many of these classic works of literature you have
read. Next, click on those you haven't and begin catching up...
The Great Books Online
See the relationships among synonyms. Visuwords uses Princeton University's
WordNet, an opensource database built by university students and language
researchers.
Visuwords
Increase your ability to speed read by pasting any text of your choice and
viewing it at up to 6,000 words per minute.
Speed Reading Practice Engine
Screenwriters, check out this online screenwriting software. It allows you
to collaborate with your co-writers using the web.
Plot Bot
Wolfram allows you to compose and download original electronic music
compositions. Perfect for scoring your own movies.
Music Composer
Little or no musical talent?
Touch Here
Not a synesthete but wished you knew what sound of rice looks like?
Chladni Effect
Fuzzmail records the act of writing and lets you send it as an email.
Dynamic changes, typos, pauses and writeovers are captured and
communicated.... Just start typing a message and fuzzmail will record what
you type. When you're done, click "send" to stop recording and send
your message. The recipient will get a private web link to read the message
replayed in the way that you typed it. A copy of the Fuzzmail you wrote will
be sent to you at your email address.
Fuzzmail
Do your parents suffer from Adultitis, or worse... could you be exhibiting
early-onset symptoms yourself? Given the average four-year-old laughs over
400 times a day, while the average adult laughs just 15 times per day, you
may indeed be experiencing this terrible disease in its eary stages. If so,
learn more about this epidemic, and get get help here:
Adultitis Official Homepage
Find the top ten reasons for visiting Dave's website.
David Letterman's Top Ten Archive
Bored?
Nose
That's all, folks...
The End
Know of a site you think I would like? Send it to [email protected].