Wednesday Web Wanderings: Before I Get Too Deep~*

For today's web wanderings, I want to introduce you all to some of my favorite awesome ways to waste a little time learning a little bit about little things.  Despite all the pithy quotes and mental health gurus telling us not to sweat the small stuff, it is the little things that make life interesting.  They may not be life altering or "big picture" things, but they are what make us unique in a world of sameness.  After all, we all more-or-less do the same things, buy the same stuff, worry about the same bills, focus on the same goals.  How we accomplish those tasks, the baby steps we take along the way-- that is the bit that is life.

How we waste our time is a micro definition of who we are.  A little character snapshot of our inner id.

Okay, shove me in to shallow water & welcome to my inner mind.  Watch where you step, its messy in here.  And there are penguins.~*

I have posted links to street art before.  I'm a transplanted urbanite, graffiti is unquestionably art as far as I am concerned.  And by graffiti  I mean graffiti, not vandalism-- there is a distinct difference between the two, at least to my way of thinking.  Anyway.  You simply must take a few minutes to check out the Web Urbanist.  They have a marvelous collection of street art & so much more.  I can spend hours strolling through the galleries, learning a bit about design & architecture & generally perusing their online museum. They have everything but the gift shop & cafeteria~*

I've learned a ton from this next site.  Of course, being an academic, I always double check-- just because it appears on this site doesn't necessarily mean it is accurate.  That said, I haven't found an error yet.  And it is exactly what it purports to be-- Listverse does indeed have lists.  Bazillions of them.  The top 10 whatevers. Do you like Art & Literature?  Crime & Mystery?  People & Politics?  Or are you drawn to the Bizarre?  There are categories that cover pretty much any interest you might have.  Pour a cup of your favorite beverage & get cozy because Listverse has obscure fascinating facts about whatever might tickle your fancy.

Did you know Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll coined the word portmanteau to describe the linguistic blending of words (i.e. breakfast + lunch = brunch) in his book Through the Looking Glass?  Well now you do.  You are welcome

Trendland's tagline is "your daily dose."   And I can't think of a better descriptor, frankly.  It is your daily dose of...everything.  A great way to stay au courrant-- which, as a historian, is important, as a teacher, is essential and as a mother of teenagers, is vital.  And let's face it, I find trends fascinating.  What they say about individuals, cliques and cultures...good stuff.  Oh.  And florals are in~*

I discovered the Internet Archive in grad school.  It is a warehouse for everything.  It is a public library for digital media.  Historic, cultural, the whole kit & kaboodle all on one site.  I use it a lot for both research and teaching.  The 1950's propaganda cartoons are my most favoritest things ever.  Not only is the mid-century art awesome, the blatant distortion of history is just priceless...trust me.  My favorites are done by John Sutherland, the king of corporate propaganda.  And the most awesome of those has got to be Its Everybody's Business.  The not-so-subtle inclusion of pro-corporate "rights" (none of which are actually in the Constitution) makes me giggle.  Okay, so it may be an inside joke only readily apparent to historians & civics buffs, but you gotta love the artwork!  It was made in 1954, though for some reason the Airforce adopted it in 1965...go figure~*

And last, but certainly not least, I give you The Slightly Warped Website, a smörgåsbord of random stuff.  My favorite post lately?  Sam: The Cat with Eyebrows.  Just wook at that widdle face.  You have to check it out ~*

Have you wandered across any interesting web wonders?  Add your own links in the comments below!  And have a wonderful Wednesday!