Web Diversions

Face-Off With a Deadly Predator

2009-11-17T10:59:00.001-05:00

The wild. Scary and beautiful.

Bag Art

2009-11-06T16:55:00.000-05:00

Something Citrusy

2009-11-03T21:10:00.003-05:00

Halloween's over but there are still some monsters out there! Find one is this funny comic strip from the folks over at Explosm.net.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

2009-10-30T14:07:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween! Well, almost. Anyway, here's a Halloween classic: It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! Watch it streaming for free right here on Web Diversions.

The video does take a little while to load. Please be patient.

Peanuts: Specials: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Ep. 101)
Uploaded by Peanuts. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Carve a Virtual Jack o' Lantern

2009-10-28T16:09:00.003-04:00

Hey Halloweenies. Just two days to the spookiest holiday of the year. Get into the spirit with a little online pumpkin carving!

Online Magnetic Poetry

2009-10-19T14:13:00.004-04:00

Today we have another great recommendation from our long-time reader and occasional west-coast correspondent, Kate F.

This is one of those things that falls under the category simple but addictive (we should probably have a tag for that huh?). Magnetic poetry is awesome, so why not do it online. And you're not the only one moving things around: you don't have your own individual page, so any changes any one else in the world makes will show up on your page too. So maybe you'll start a poem and someone in Korea will finish it. Pretty cool.

A music video from the U.N.

2009-10-16T16:30:00.002-04:00

Dude, the U.N. totally rocks. Fer serious.

The video takes a minute to load but it's worth it, I promise.

Bizzarre Google Suggestions

2009-10-13T12:59:00.003-04:00

Google Suggest is a surprisingly useful tool. I'd say I usually get about half way through typing in a search term before Google tells me what I was searching for. But sometimes Google comes up with things that are, well, a little odd.

Check out the Huffington Post's photo poll on the Most Inappropriate Google Suggests Of All Time. Make sure to submit any weird suggestions you've gotten.

Community: Spanish Rap

2009-10-06T19:46:00.002-04:00

The flu is kicking my butt so please excuse the lack of eloquence. This is a clip from the new NBC show "Community" which, from my Hulu browsing, is proving to be surprisingly funny. Enjoy! (And please send me some soup).

Friday Drive In: Dave Eggers on Ted Talks

2009-10-02T16:34:00.003-04:00

I just applied to volunteer for the New York branch of the amazing institution 826. So I thought this would be a good time to spread the word a little. The video tells the story of the organization better than I could so I'll let it do the talking.

In case you live under a literary rock, Dave Eggars, besides being the founder of 826 is also the man behind McSweeney's, "The Best American Non-Required Reading" series, and a few novels including his first and most well-known: A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Detroit Unbound

2009-09-28T11:42:00.002-04:00

As a former Michigander and lover of urban decay I find James D. Griffioen's images, "Detroit Unbound", beautiful and compelling. For those of you not familiar with what's going on in Detroit, the combination or riots, white flight, and the dying American auto industry has left what was once the the fourth largest city in the country a veritable ghost town. The Detroit News has reported that "According to the U.S. Postal Service, there are 62,000 uninhabited buildings and vacant lots throughout Detroit." ("Empty Monuments", August 17, 2009). Entire blocks stand deserted and there is a growing urban farming trend to make use of all this empty real estate.

If you enjoy Detroit unbound, check out more images from Smashing Magazine.

Friday Drive In: Combo

2009-09-25T16:16:00.001-04:00

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

Curveball

2009-09-23T12:22:00.003-04:00

Curveball is basically just a 3D version of Pong. But like many of the simplest games it's highly addictive.

Odosketch

2009-09-22T13:42:00.002-04:00

Dust off your beret and get to work. Odosketch is an online tool that let's you create very natural sketches that look like they were done with colored pencils. It tracks your movements as you draw, so when you're done you can watch a video of your sketch being created.

Some of the featured sketches are truly amazing. Especially as someone who isn't an artist it's fascinating to me to watch the process people use to create these amazing images.

Friday Drive In: American Retirement

2009-09-18T16:48:00.002-04:00

The British comedy duo French and Saunders bring you a hilarious look at what the British think of us Yanks.

Incredibox

2009-09-17T13:48:00.002-04:00

For you long time readers you may remember the signing horses from way back in June 2007. It's remained one of my favorite posts and today's site is a similar but more developed concept.

On Incredibox mix a song by selecting up to 7 loops from the 14 available. When you've used a certain combination of loops it opens "bonuses" which are basically musical break downs with an accompanying visual.

Keep in mind when playing with Incredibox: the order in which you select loops effects how the loops that come after it sound. To get rid of a loop just tap on the guy performing it.

Radiolab Podcast: Parasites!

2009-09-16T13:13:00.003-04:00

The WNYC show Radiolab delivers up fascinating tidbits about science, presented in compelling narratives. You can subscribe to their podcasts via iTunes or at the Radiolab website.

Tonight they are having a live event at Water Taxi Beach here in New York. Unfortunately it's sold out so I won't be attending but if any video of it surfaces don't be surprised to find it here.

Here's an mp3 of their latest episode, Parasites. Just so you're warned: there are some kind of gross parts in this episode.

WNYC Bake Sale Disaster

2009-08-24T13:17:00.006-04:00

I love NPR and especially my local station in New York, WNYC. Like all public radio stations they're always asking for money but they also always make it funny and interesting. Check out this hilarious fundraising video. It even features one of my favorite public radio hosts, Jad Abumrad from the awesome show Radio Lab.

Mad Men is Back (and so is Web Diversions!)

2009-08-18T00:16:00.006-04:00

This week brought the season premire of what we here at Web Diversions think is one of the best shows on televison: AMC's Mad Men. And today is the premier of Web Diversions triumphant return to regular updates!

The AMC website has two great games to celebrate Mad Men's return. First, "Mad Men Yourelf", which allows you to create your own Mad Men-style avatar.

Then, test your 1962 knowledge with the Mad Man 1962 trivia quiz.

Top Crimes of 2008

2009-01-29T13:59:00.003-05:00

There were a lot of shady dealings in 2008. Wired Blog has been kind enough to compile the seven best capers of the year. I think the Snohomish Smokescreen is the clear winner. Vote for your favorite.

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump

2009-01-23T15:30:00.003-05:00

For all the Oscar buzz that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been getting, I've been hearing some pretty bad reviews from people I know who've seen it. One big complaint? It's just Forrest Gump without any funny parts. Here's a little video that explores that very issue:

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

Design Your Own Domestic Reform

2009-01-16T18:46:00.001-05:00

Greetings Web Diversions fans, from your Los Angeles correspondent. Web D headquarters is still settling in after the relocation but we feel we've made you wait long enough . We hope to bring you more regular posts from here out.

In preparation for Barak Obama's upcoming relocation you can deck out his new digs in fine Ikea style.

Ikea's Embrace Change '09 contest supplies you with a Flash version of the oval office and an assortment of tables, chairs, and even an Obama family dog. Design your room and then send your suggestions to your friends, enter it in Ikea's room design contest, or send it to the White House directly from the site.

New Years Cam

2008-12-31T16:56:00.003-05:00

I promise, Web Diversions isn't dead! It's just really, really busy! But I have to give you guys a little something so you don't forget about me completely.

Check out all the News Years Eve action all over the globe with Earthcam's New Years Cams. Not too shabby.

Free. Will. Power.: Cool videos and T-shirt Design Contest

2008-11-25T12:47:00.004-05:00

Naral Pro-Choice America has launched a new website, Free.Will.Power, to get younger audiences involved in the issue of reproductive rights. It features 3 videos of spoken-word artists with awesome soundtracks by DJ Spooky. Here's one that launched today:

(Side note: as of today, YouTube now supports larger video dimensions. Jams.)

They also have a t-shirt design contest. The winner gets $1,000 and their design will become the official T-shirt of Free.Will.Power. Comment with a link to your entry so we'll know to vote for you!

Hey Web Diversions Fans

2008-11-14T14:58:00.003-05:00

We're packing up shop here in New York and relocating to Chicago. Posts may be scarce (or non-existent) for a little while until we get ourselves settled in. But don't worry: we promise we'll come back. And we'll miss you the whole damn time.

This isn't much in the way of a video post, but it is a good farewell to home post. See you in Chicago...