50 Kick-Ass Websites You Need to Know

About
Posted 10/21/2009 at 8:00am | by Alex Castle, Norman Chan, pp4mnkt3am and Forence
Ion

It's time to update the entries in your browser's links toolbar. But with recent estimates
putting the size of the internet at well more than 100 million distinct websites, it's getting
harder and harder to get a handle on all the great stuff that's out there. That's why we've
compiled this list. And unlike some lists you may have seen, which try to name the very
"best" websites, but end up just telling you a lot of stuff you already know, we've chosen
instead to highlight 50 of our favorite sites that fly under most people's radar. Think of it as
the Maximum PC blog roll (remember those?). These sites represent great alternatives to
popular web destinations like YouTube and Hulu, and include useful references, powerful
web apps, and the unknown blogs you must absolutely bookmark.

You might have heard of some of these sites, but we'll bet you haven't heard of all them.
Read on and find out. You won't be disappointed.
Demoscene.tv
See What Can Be Done with 4 Kilobytes

If you’re any kind of nerd at all, you probably know about the demoscene, where talented
programmers create complex videos rendered in real-time, stored in incredibly small files.
If you’re not familiar, you should make yourself acquainted with the scene, and all of the
trippy, procedurally-generated content it has to offer. And hey, it’s not like you’re going to
hit your bandwidth cap watching demos.

But what if you just want to see what all the fuss is about without actually downloading and
running an executable? That’s where demoscene.tv comes in. Think of it as YouTube for
the scene, letting you watch demos in HD on the web. And if you like what you see, the full
demo executable is just a click away.

lite.Facebook.com
Clutter-Free Social Networking
You can admit it. Along with Twitter, Facebook is one of the sites that you absolutely feel
compelled to check every day to keep track of your friends’ activities and latest funny links.
But while we’re all for friend-stalking, we could definitely do without the AJAX-heavy
sidebars and interface modules that clutter up the Facebook homepage. Try using Facebook
Lite, which gives you lean views of friend feeds and your user profile. You get access to
essential image and update posting functionality without being bothered by the newest
Facebook game apps.

Letsplayarchive.com
Let other people play games for you

The Let’s Play Archive maintains a list of hundreds of “Let’s Play” games, where
somebody plays through a video game while maintaining a journal using text, screenshots
and videos. Some are funny, while other’s just give you a whirlwind tour of a game you’ve
never played before. Sounds dumb? Give it a try, you might just find it more engrossing
than you’d imagined.
Soyouwanna.com
What They Didn’t Teach You in School

If you’ve ever needed some advice on how to do go about doing the most obscure, but
didn’t really know who to turn to without receiving some sort of critical feedback, So You
Wanna is a great resource for inquiring minds that think alike. So you wanna…audition for
American Idol? Bottle your home-made beer? Get a travel visa to a foreign country? So
You Wanna tells you all about it and assists you in your quest to become the all-knowing.
Note that there is some NSFW content floating around the site.

Google Building Maker

Crowd Sourcing the 3D World
14th Century cartographers would be right about Google Earth – its world is pretty flat.
Despite high-resolution satellite imagery that lets you zoom in on your neighbor’s skylight,
buildings are still part of one big flat surface. That’s where you come in. Google’s Building
Maker is a website that lets you help design and create buildings for Google Earth. Using a
plug-in based version of their Sketch-up modeling program, you can easily create a textured
3D model of your neighborhood or local landmarks and submit them to be included in the
Google Earth database. The process is surprisingly simple and really fun to use. Google has
rolled out the service to 50 cities so far, but plans on expanding its reach in the future.

Ikeahacker.blogspot.com
Outsmart the Swedes at their Own Game
If you’ve been a college student or 20-something living on a budget in the last couple
decades, chances are good that there are a couple of bits of Ikea furniture gracing your
living quarters. The Ikeahacker blog shows you how other people have transformed their
old Swedish furniture into something awesome.

Fatburgr.com
Count your Calories

Also a popular iPhone app, Fatburgr helps you count calories and make healthier decisions
when eating out at various popular dine-in and fast food restaurants. Simply pick your
poison (ours is Panera Bread) and Fatburgr will present you with an alphabetical list of the
restaurant’s entire food inventory with the number of calories, grams of fat, carbohydrates,
and fiber in each serving. If you take a look, you might be surprised at the lack of nutrition
surrounding some of your favorite dishes.

Ffffound.com
Get Inspired
Ffffound (yes, four F’s) is an image bookmarking web service that allows users to post and
share their favorite images they find on the web and recommends similar images according
to the user’s taste. This is a great resource if you’re looking for some inspiration, or need an
image that matches your tastes. Fffound displays graphic designer’s works, typography,
advertisement design, animations, and sometimes, even the latest meme. There is some
NSFW content floating around the site.

Newseum.org
Keep Up with the Local News
Curious about what’s on the front page of newspapers elsewhere in the world? Look no
further than the Newseum, which offers downloadable PDFs fof more than 80 major
international and domestic newspapers. These informative gems are brought to you by the
interactive museum of news and journalism and is located by Capitol Hill in Washington,
D.C.

Strangemaps.wordpress.com
Strange Maps are Strange

If you’ve got a fascination with maps, or an affinity for world history, Strange Maps posts
interesting maps several times a week, complete with interesting facts and statistics
following suit in blog form.
Wunderground.com
The Most Accurate Weather Reports

We know, your gut instinct tells you to go to Weather.com to check for local weather
conditions or the weekend forecast. But Weather Underground provides better local
reporting by tapping into a network of 10,000 local weather stations in all major cities
across the United States. A community-powered reporting system provides detailed hourly
updates, which are especially useful when planning your commute during the rainy season.

Whatshouldireadnext.com
Take a Look, Read a Book
If you’re looking for a good book that’s out of your realm, try your hand at What Should I
Read Next. WSIRN displays recommendations based on your favorites list. Conversely, if
you just want a quick recommendation, simply enter in one item and WSIRN will offer
titles that may appeal to your interests based on genre and author title.

Rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com
There’s more to Life than the Internet

A recent issue of Wired listed rules for the modern Pointdexter – proper etiquette for
techies in the 21st century. But while you may know the difference between a good and bad
post on Twitter, how about ten hours of the day when you’re not on the internet? That’s
where Rules for My Unborn Son comes in; this blog regularly posts the important lessons
that’ll really help you get by in life. Rules like “Never eat lunch at your desk” and
“Compliment your mom’s cooking” may be common sense for most of the world, but it’s
sage advice for the unwashed masses of geeks.

Prezi.com
Pitch a Meeting

Microsoft’s Powerpoint is truly a hassle to use when you’ve only got a few hours to put
together a full blown presentation. Thankfully, free web services like Prezi offer
procrastinating professionals a better way to put together some pretty creative
presentations. Prezi takes about five minutes to learn and the slide show is really just one
big easel. And, if you want to get super creative, there are numerous tutorials that teach you
how to jazz up your presentation with animated segues and mindmapping techniques that
will inspire your audience to think outside of the box. Best of all, it’s all hosted online, so
you don’t have to worry about anything happening to your expense report.

Tvtropes.org
Must-Read before Engaging in Mature Internet Discourse
This wiki is a comprehensive catalog of literary devices used in popular fiction, including
tropes (different for clichés) used in most television shows today. Be wary, the site is a
deep dive into the craft of story writing, and will change the way you enjoy books,
television, and movies forever.

Knowyourmeme.com
Stay Up to Date with the Internet

Pardon us for considering our readers to be out of touch with the latest Internet memes, but
you’d be surprised to see the statistics on how many average Internet users aren’t in touch
with the latest Internet fads. For this reason, Know Your Meme exists to give your friends
and family all an equal chance to laugh at, or with, the Internet.

Kongregate.com
Play Flash Games in Style

What do you get when you combine time-wasting flash games, an Xbox-like achievement
system, a social network and a collectable card game? You get Kongregate; the best flash
game hub on the ‘net.

Howcast.com
Instructional Videos that are Actually Coherent

From mundane tasks like washing your hair to complicated ventures like how to finance a
home, Howcast hosts instructional videos that can help you get by in life. User-shared
videos are well produced and get straight to the point, unlike the junk you’ll find on
YouTube.

Interfacelift.com
Find the Perfect Wallpaper

Interfacelift may not be the biggest desktop wallpaper site on the internet, but it is one of
the best organized, with easy sorting by resolution, rating, or tag. With thousands of
gorgeous photos and illustrations, available in tons of resolutions (including dual- and
triple-monitor resolutions), Interfacelift is definitely worth a look next time you want to
refresh your PC’s wallpaper.

Investopedia.com
Demystify Your Investments
If you’re new to investing, the stock market and other financial institutions can seem like
black magic—you put some money in, some charts go up and down, and hopefully you end
up richer than you started. Enter Investopedia, Forbes’ collection of definitions and articles
about all things financial. Written accessibly but not condescendingly, Investopedia will
leave you feeling more confident about investing in no time at all.

Good-Tutorials.com
Paint a Pretty Picture
You don’t have to be a designer to learn how to touch up photos, create your own graphics,
or conjure up fancy web buttons. Good Tutorials is one of our favorite resources for making
the most out of our entire Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, if you’ve got a knack for
web design, this site can also help with CSS, Flash, Java and PHP.

Drinkhacker.com
Learn How to Drink in Style
Nothing says “sophistication” and/or “problem drinker” like leaving Drinkhacker open in
your browser. With well-written spirits reviews and intriguing cocktail recipes,
Drinkhacker’s got something to offer even the most casual drinkers.

io9.com
Be a Sci-Fi Superfan

Ok, ok, so io9 is a Gawker blog, and therefore not exactly “under the radar.” Nonetheless,
it’s one of the blog mega-network’s lesser known sites, and an absolute must-read for any
science fiction fan (we know you’re out there). All mediums get covered -- television
shows, movies, books, and even comics. The editors know their Cylons from their
Cardassians, and the editorials give you more to stretch your mind than typical geek
debates.

Customize.org
Spruce Up Your Desktop

Customize.org is the biggest and best resource for pretty much any aspect of the desktop
customization scene. On it, people post screenshots of their desktops, tricked out with
popular apps like Litestep, Samurize and Rainlender, and share how they're made. The site
also hosts themes and skins for those apps and others, along with helpful how-to guides.

Mentalfloss.com
Learn a New Interesting Fact Every Day
Did you know that giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any mammal? Or that Pope
John Paul II was made an honorary member of the Harlem Globetrotters? No? Well, if you
visited the Mental_Floss blog regularly, you would. With informative posts, infuriating
quizzes and an “Amazing Fact Generator,” the blog is recquired reading for wannabe
smart-alecs.

Musicovery.com
Find new music, the colorful way
Musicovery is a music-finding service that’s a little different than the rest. To get music
recommendations, you just specify a list of genres that you like, a timeframe, and whether
you want your music calm or energetic, dark or positive. Musicovery searches up matching
songs, and displays them in a color-coded map. Its library isn’t as big as some others, but
the colorful visuals and unusual song selection make it worth a visit.

Yankodesign.com
Glimpse into the Possible Future

Do high-concept gadgets like the Optimus Keyboard tickle your fancy? Yanko Design is a
blog that focuses entirely on futuristic design concepts from studios like Art. Lebedev. The
products showcased are mostly conceptual renders and may never see production, but
occasionally, you’ll find a forward-thinking idea that perfectly combines form and function.

Gethuman.com
Skip the Robot, Talk to a Person
These days, calling technical support can be a real nightmare for a number of reasons: long
hold times, unintelligible outsourced operators, and “Tier 1” technicians who almost
inevitably know less about the product in question than you do. But the worst of all tech-
support injustices is the automated frustration dispensers that companies sometime employ
to put you through a labyrinth of touch-tone menus before you can talk to a real person.

But you don’t have to put up with all of that, thanks to Gethuman.com, which tells you—on
a company by company basis—exactly what number to call and what buttons to press to get
through to a real, human operator.

Cookingforengineers.com
Learn to Cook like a Nerd
If you’re the type that thinks of cooking as more of a science than an art, then Cooking For
Engineers is the site for you. With lots of recipes written out and photographed in
excruciating detail, and interesting cooking “experiments,” this site will help you make the
transition from computer nerd to kitchen nerd.

Newsmap.jp
See the World’s News at a Glance
As Google News has become the single largest aggregation of local and global news, there
have been several attempts to rearrange all that data into a more readable form.
Newsmap.jp is one such effort, which organizes stories into a big, colorful treemap, based
on category (business, technology, sport, etc) and importance, measured by the number of
outlets reporting on a story.

Give it a try; it’s a surprisingly intuitive and addicting way to browse the news.

Magnatune.com
Listen to Free, Licensable Music

These days there are so many sites offering free music download (legally or illegally), that
to stand out from the crowd, you need to do something unique. Magnatune is a site that
does several unique things. For one: they only offer music from independent artists.
Another, you can listen to any album in its entirety. Finally, Magnatune lets you license any
song they offer, making an excellent resource for producers of podcasts and indie films.

Kayak.com
Plan Your Next Trip
If you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway, Kayak can help you find the best deals on
any trip around the world, whether it’s by plane, ship, or automobile. Kayak is a search
engine that pulls information from hundreds of travel sites based on your query; you can
then refine your search and choose the result that is right for you. You can also sign up for
their newsletter and receive daily deals based on your airport location setting . We should
mention, however, that domestic flights within the continental United States or Europe do
not show up economy airliners, such as Southwest and EasyJet.

Eeggs.com
Find Out Things You Never Knew about Your Favorite Games and Movies
Eeggs.com is a directory of user-submitted easter eggs for games, movies, and TV shows.
You can browse the “Eeggs” by category, date added, or by rank. There are about 4,000
Easter eggs for video games alone, so head on over and find out what you’ve been missing.

Widgetbox.com
Put Some Flair on Your Blog
Alright, so we’re aware that this is no longer the nineties, and websites are still taboo and
less traffic worthy when covered in Javascript widgets, but if you’re fairly active on a
number of social networking sites, or would like to create a landing page out of your blog,
Widget Box is the perfect resource. Some of our favorite widgets include: the Twitter feed
box, the Flickr slideshow, and the Social Networking badge.

IFarchive.org
Play Thousands of Free, Awesome Games
“Interactive fiction” is a term used to refer to text-based adventure games which rely on
clever writing and imagination, rather than fancy graphics. Although you’re probably more
familiar with the classic interactive fiction games that were popular around the dawn of PC
gaming, such as Zork and Adventure, there are plenty of enthusiasts still hard at work
turning out new and innovative works in the genre. Ifarchive.org is the place to go to find
pretty much an interactive fiction game, new or old, as well as emulators and other software
needed to play them.

TheSixtyOne.com
Listen to Music, Level Up
Tired of music sites that just let you listen to music? Wish more stuff in your life had RPG
elements? Then you should definitely give TheSixtyOne.com a look. A music site with a
decidedly indie slant, songs on TheSixtyOne are uploaded by artists themselves, and voted
on by users. The gimmick? Whenever a song that you’ve voted for goes on to be voted for
by others, you gain experience and levels. There are also achievements (such as listen to
1000 songs) and quests (for example: listen to 7 recently posted songs), so you'll always
have something to work toward.

Vuvox.com
Make Slick-Looking Web Photo Collages
Vuvox is a web app which lets you take a collection of images, videos, and song files, and
turn them into a rich, scrolling web collage. A set of simple photo editing tools lets you
show only the best parts of your photos, and you can add info boxes that expand when
moused over. When you’ve created the perfect collage, you can embed it on your blog or
other website, or pass a link around on Twitter.

Openwith.org
Decode the Language of File Extensions

This essential website is a comprehensive database of file extensions for whenever you
come across an unknown file type. The site is frequently updated, easy to browse, and even
links you to freeware applications to open your cryptic files. In fact, the advocacy of free
software to open documents is paramount in the site’s mission statement.

Crackle.com
Watch TV Shows and Movies You Can’t Find on Hulu
NBC’s Hulu may be the dominant video-streaming service for legally watching TV shows
and movies, but its catalogue isn’t nearly comprehensive. Rival service Crackle fills in
missing shows and films owned by Sony Pictures, in case you want to watch movies like
Ghostbusters or Groundhog Day. Cracke’s collection isn’t as big as Hulu’s, but there are
plenty of hidden gems here (Karate Kid II, anyone?).

Offworld.com
Insightful Gaming News without the Kotaku Crowd

Boingboing’s gaming spinoff cherry picks only the most interesting gaming links and
industry news for its blog, adding insightful commentary with a little nostalgic bent to each
post. It has since been put on hiatus, and former editor Brandon Boyer has deposited most
of his eclectic links in a Tumblr blog. Still, Offworld’s archives are a delightful read, and it
is still currently updated by the editors of Boingboing.

Also worth checking out: Rockpapershotgun.com, featuring frequent Offworld and PC

Gamer UK contributors.

Vimeo.com
The Best Place to Upload Your Videos

We’ve given up all hope for Youtube. Vimeo – founded by the creators of CollegeHumor –
is the premium cable equivalent of internet video. The simple upload interface, relatively
quick processing times, and elegant video interface make this our preferred video hosting
site. The moderated channels have high-quality content (there’s even a channel for
anaglyph 3D video!), and the community has more than a single-digit lexicon.

Craiglook.com
Craiglist Gets Unstuck from 1995
Craigslist is undoubtedly the best place online marketplace to barter or trade goods, but its
interface and navigation system leaves much to be desired. But since all of its content can
be read through RSS feeds, you’re not forced to actually use the Craigslist site. Craiglook is
a mash-up of Craiglist feeds (read through Yahoo Pipes) and Google Maps. Its location
radius-based search is the site’s most useful feature, and its content is always up to date
with the main Craigslist directory.

Drop.io
Collaborate in Real-Time without the Wave

Yes, we know everyone is excited about the potential of Google Wave as an end-all
solution for real-time project collaboration. But in its Beta state, Wave is too buggy and
slow to earn our recommendation. Drop.io takes a simpler approach to real-time
collaboration: users share online “drop” repositories which host documents and images. We
dig that Drop.io doesn’t require complicated user accounts or unnecessary social
networking elements. Yahoo apparently feels the same way, and has pre-installed Drop.io’s
Attach Large Files feature into every Yahoo mail account.

Spotify.com
A Social Music Platform to Replace iTunes

Spotify is a new music service that hopes to streamline the way we both stream and
purchase new music. The company was launched with the blessing of several major labels,
in a refreshingly forward-thinking move on the part of the music industry. Because of this,
Spotify is able to stream full, high-quality tracks from these labels without fear of
retribution. Our favorite feature is the ability to create and save playlists for later. This
really adds to the illusion that you now have an unlimited music library on your computer.
While Spotify is not yet available for US residents, we await its stateside debut with bated
breath.

Obsoletethebook.tumblr.com
Respect Your Gadget’s Ancestors
This darling Tumblr blog preaches the kind of nostalgia that techies can really appreciate.
Author Anna Jane Grossman recounts the simpler days of pay phones, Polaroid photos, and
pocket calculators. If you’re ever suffering from shiny gadget overload, take a breath and
calm yourself in the Obsolete blog’s welcoming analog arms.

Wired.co.uk
Tech News from a Different Perspective

Wired UK’s website is a great example of an international publication that puts out fine
content that’s distinct from its US counterpart. Sure, some news and blog posts cover the
same topics as the stateside edition, but the perspective is just as elucidating and fresh.
Plus, it’s the only place you’ll find the musings of acclaimed futurist and comic book writer
Warren Ellis.
Blog.makezine.com
Advanced Crafting for Hobbyists

Like to get your hands dirty? Makezine’s blog is a treasure trove of links to geeky craft
projects found all over the web. From circuit bending tutorials to D-I-Y robots, you’ll find
all sorts of nifty projects that’ll get your inner inventor stirring. And even if you’re not the
hacking type, the linked projects are a joy to read.

Pdfgeni.com
Find any PDF Reference Manual
This search engine is dedicated to indexing PDF files scattered all over the web. It’s
extremely useful for finding technical manuals that you might have thrown away without
having to dig through the original manufacturer’s website. It’s also great for finding ebooks
and obscure academic documents.

What the Font

Because Not Everyone Uses Helvetica

In the days of yore, font-recognition software was expensive and didn’t work particularly
well. Lucky for us, what once cost a lot of money is now available free on the web. Point
your browser to WhatTheFont, upload an image featuring the font in question, and the
service will give you a list of matching fonts, usually including some free options. For
bonus points, font nerds can test their knowledge by trying to identify the difference
between Arial and Helvetica in common logos.

Tor.com
Get Your Sci-Fi Short Story Fix
If you’re a science fiction and fantasy aficionado, this site is for you. A free membership to
this publisher’s site gets you access to exclusive ebooks, and casual browsers can still dive
into a wealth of short stories, comics, art, and its delightful blog.

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Source URL:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/50_kickass_websites_you_need_know_about

Links:
[1] http://www.maximumpc.com/user/author1
[2] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/50_awesome_websites
[3] http://demoscene.tv/
[4] http://www.scene.org/
[5] http://lite.facebook.com/
[6] http://letsplayarchive.com/
[7] http://soyouwanna.com
[8] http://sketchup.google.com/3dwh/buildingmaker.html
[9] http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/
[10] http://www.fatburgr.com
[11] http://ffffound.com
[12] http://www.newseum.org
[13] http://strangemaps.wordpress.com
[14] http://www.wunderground.com/
[15] http://whatshouldireadnext.com
[16] http://rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com/
[17] http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/magazine/17-0/by_index
[18] http://www.prezi.com
[19] http://www.maximumpc.com/Tvtropes.org
[20] http://knowyourmeme.com
[21] http://www.kongregate.com/
[22] http://www.howcast.com/
[23] http://interfacelift.com/
[24] http://investopedia.com/
[25] http://good-tutorials.com
[26] http://www.good-tutorials.com
[27] http://www.drinkhacker.com/
[28] http://io9.com/
[29] http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080131010337AAOiy32
[30] http://customize.org/
[31] http://mentalfloss.com/
[32] http://musicovery.com/
[33] http://www.yankodesign.com/
[34] http://gethuman.com/
[35] http://www.cookingforengineers.com/
[36] http://newsmap.jp/
[37] http://magnatune.com/
[38] http://www.kayak.com
[39] http://www.maximumpc.com/
[40] http://eeggs.com/
[41] http://www.widgetbox.com
[42] http://widgetbox.com
[43] http://ifarchive.org/
[44] http://www.thesixtyone.com/
[45] http://www.vuvox.com/
[46] http://www.openwith.org
[47] http://crackle.com/
[48] http://offworld.com/
[49] http://brandonnn.tumblr.com/
[50] http://www.Rockpapershotgun.com
[51] http://vimeo.com/
[52] http://craiglook.com/
[53] http://drop.io/
[54] http://www.spotify.com/en/
[55] http://obsoletethebook.tumblr.com/
[56] http://www.wired.co.uk/
[57] http://blog.makezine.com/
[58] http://www.pdfgeni.com/
[59] http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/
[60] http://www.ironicsans.com/helvarialquiz/index.php
[61] http://www.tor.com/
[62] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/geek
[63] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/internet
[64] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/websites
[65] http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/features
[66] http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/web_exclusive
[67] http://www.maximumpc.com/user/login?&commentfragment=comments_top_anchor