Wednesday, April 10, 2013

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!


7 comments:

  1. I love your web shares! You find some truly fascinating things out there, and save me the time and trouble of looking :) I love street art, btw.

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  2. I love street art too. I enjoy going into the city to look at new creations. I just might do that this weekend. I'll try to snap some shots.

    I have been thinking lately about using the web to come up with weekend/summer lesson plans for the kids. I want to explore some topics that naturally interest them. My son finds school so boring. Since I can't homeschool him, I'm thinking I'll at least try to nurture some love of learning by doing fun "lessons" at home. I ordered a pond storybook so we can start by exploring the creatures in the pond behind our house.

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  3. I LOVE street art, it is so fun to walk around the city and check out the fun art. Makes me think I need to get into Minneapolis again sometime soon.

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  4. street art is cool, used to see a ton of it when I lived in Philly. I am a new follower through GFC and a blog hop

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  5. Fun (and strange!) stuff. I love the little things in life too.

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  7. I am fascinated by street arf and graffiti, and those are some fabulous examples. I always wonder how anyone managed to create it without ladders and things....?

    Bloomin love the cat with eyebrows (such a child) off to check out that site! Thanks Tabetha x

    Kate
    Just Pirouette and Carry On...

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Thank you for taking the time to comment! It is most appreciated~*