Many of you spent your vacations doing spectacular things. Some visited distant countries. Others did important research, wrote a play or built something extravagant like, maybe, the world's largest Plaster of Paris sculpture of Sophia Loren's legs. I did none of these things. For the most part, I tested out seat cushions.
But all that lazing about gave me time to discover some interesting new Web sites. Of course, I mean "discover" in the way we mean it when we say "Christopher Columbus discovered America," but those of you who have not yet visited these two online attractions should find something new to waste time on as the new semester begins.
The online video craze is hardly news. The proliferation of broadband over the past few years has allowed sites such as YouTube and services like iTunes video to become practically ubiquitous.
The phenomenon is nowhere near as important as the hype suggests -- something the editors of Time magazine did not realize until they'd been reduced to fodder for ridicule last month. Though, it is certainly making watching video content more convenient.
One relatively unknown entrant into this already crowded arena is http://www.peekvid.com, a Web site that looks about as legal as aggravated assault and as legitimate as a Floridian hedge fund. Peekvid streams complete live action TV shows, movies, cartoons, anime, Asian dramas and movies for free.
The volume of titles on Peekvid is impressive, as is the range. The TV section, for example, features current hits like 24 and Dexter as well as more aged fare like Red Dwarf and NewsRadio. How the MPAA and any number of other entertainment industry bulldogs haven't yet pulled the plug on this project is a good question, but don't expect to find answers on the site. Peekvid has no about page or news or FAQ. There is no contact information or explanation of how the site works. A bit of online sleuthing suggests that the site is based in the Netherlands, but that's not exactly Christmas Island. Sooner or later, whoever is hosting these files is probably going to be shut down, but until then, the site is yours to enjoy.
Those who delight in the minimalist design paradigm will find Peekvid doubly satisfying. The ultra-slick slogan "watch videos online" is well suited to a Web site with a color palate that evokes images of polar bears on snowy fields. Peekvid embodies simplicity itself. There is just one advertisement under the video, which users of anything other than Internet Explorer will find easy to block, and you won't notice the clutter and asinine commentary endemic at YouTube on Peekvid. But, while Peekvid is free and relatively instantaneous, a pay service like iTunes or the somewhat more complex Bit Torrent will net you significantly files of significantly higher quality.
Another site is http://www.damnInteresting.com. I used to think we would locate Osama Bin Laden before I found a blog worth reading, but that changed when I was introduced to DamnInteresting, a Web site that lives up to its name.
Every few days the site is updated with a new exposé on some obscure topic, usually related to history or the sciences (or both). The writers at DamnInteresting have been known to comment on matters ranging from giant carnivorous centipedes to Buckminster Fuller's visually bizarre and mechanically nifty dymaxion automobile to the 17th century Dutch obsession with and commodification of tulip bulbs. DamnInteresting is the perfect site for the genuinely curious.
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the site is the quality of the writing. The majority of blogs, it seems, are either too poorly written to do justice to their subject or so snarky that one is liable to be trampled under a stampede of wit and irony. Some of the articles on DamnInteresting are, admittedly, duds, but most are actually written by competent folks who happen to harbor an abiding interest in the trivial and freakish. I shouldn't sell DamnInteresting short though. Their work is engaging, practically addictive; DamnInteresting fuses education and entertainment brilliantly. There are few better sites out there for people who just revel in knowing stuff.
Next time you find yourself staring at your computer screen, wondering if you've turned the last page of the internet, check out these two sites. After all, what else would you be doing? Homework?
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.