Ch-ch-ch changes

There have been a lot of recent changes over here at Web Diversions HQ, and we're having trouble juggling them all. So, unfortunately, we're temporarily shutting down the blog to readjust and make some changes. But don't worry: we'll be back! Better than ever! For those of you on our livejournal RSS feed, you will obviously know right away when we are back in service. For those of you who aren't, check back periodically to see where we are. We hope you don't forget about us!

Missing you already,
Web Diversions

C'mon, Get Tappy

Sorry for yesterday's missing post guys; it was my birthday and I was in Hershey, PA where apparently wireless just isn't that popular.

Ever get a snippet of a tune stuck in your head but just can't figure out what the hell song it is? Well no more friends!

Song Tapper can tell you the name and artist of a song by simply having you tap out the melody on your spacebar key. How is this possible? I have no idea. But it is pretty neat. Give it a whirl.

Cube in Your Cubicle

I'm out of town right now, so today's (ok, tonight's) post is going to be short and sweet, but still really fun!

Now you can enjoy an old favorite with a digital spin at the Official Rubik's Cube website. Play the cube, get hints and tips on how to beat it, and try to make it to the high score list.

C'mon, mix it up a little!

Here's a new way for audiophiles to geek out and for anyone to have a little fun and make a song.

Break in the Road is a cool Shockwave game sponsored by (unfortunately) McDonald's. The setup is similar to that of a mini Tony Hawk game: it starts with an intro movie explaining your aim through narrative and then moves on to a large playing area for you to move around in.

The premise? You're a musician who lands a one minute set at a club. You've decided to make a song by going around London and recording sounds off the street with your mini disc recorder and then taking them back to the studio and mixing them together using a very simplified Garage Band-type setup. Then you play your song at the club and see if the crowd likes it.

The animation is really fantastic and the size of the game space is very impressive for a free online game. Mixing tracks is fun and easy and it's pretty hard not to come up with something halfway decent. All your songs can be saved and/or emailed to friends. I only wish it progressed past the first level (a la Tony Hawk) so you could record more and different clips, make longer songs, and work your way to different venues. Even so, it's an A+ way to waste a little time.

stINK

We all make mistakes. Some are just more permanent than others.

Bad Tattoos is a gut-busting compendium of hilariously terrible blunders in ink. Posts range from your typical off-center tribal tats and poorly translated Chinese character jobs to your down-right offensive and white trash designs. Equally hilarious are the extremely witty comments by members.

You do need to have a LiveJournal account to friend and view this community, but they do have a website for everyone displaying their Worst of the Worst that anyone can get a sign in for.

Be forewarned: this site will suck you in for hours. Thanks to my girlfriend Gina for finding this gem.

Map Time

Believe it or not, it appears that humans were making maps several millennia before the existence of written language. A map of the stars found on the walls of the Lascaux caves dates back to 16, 500 B.C. In fact, most of the earliest maps were of the night sky.

Now we have a plethora of well-known map sub-categories: there are topographic maps, geologic maps, nautical charts, weather maps, linguistic maps, etc. Well know you can add another category of maps to your list: strange maps.

Strange Maps is an awesome blog that serves as an odd, catrographic compendium of information. Some highlights include a map where U.S. states are renamed for countries with similar GDPs, the secret soviet plans for the complete removal of the North American continent, and the world in George Orwell's 1984.

Become a Cabbage

No, really!

Ok, not really. this site is pretty funny though. Make sure to read the FAQ.

On the Road Again

When Life Gives You Limewire, Make Limeade...

but when life gives you AlbumBase, download an outrageous amount of free music.

You know how most downloading programs go: first you have to download some application that is going to take up space on your hard drive and make all your other programs run slow. Then you have to sift through all the anime porn, spam, and random crap that comes from your search. Then you have to go song by song to get an album, usually not able to find the last 2 or 3 to make it complete.

Well friend, throw off the shackles of your downloading oppression and start stealing music easier, faster, and more accurately!


AlbumBase is straightforward and simple: sign up for an account with your email address, search for an entire album out of the 296,097 they have to choose from, and download it in less than a minute. That's it.

At some point in the registration it did ask me for my phone number, but I just closed the page and came back later and my account worked fine. If you have any trouble opening the files, make sure you have the latest version of stuffit expander.

Thanks to Travis (whose birthday was yesterday) in Ann Arbor, MI for telling Web Diversions about this awesome site!

Friday Drive In: Panic Attack

It's time for our second installment of Flash Friday.

This beautiful 2d flash is quite the find: Panic Attack.

A quick service announcement regarding the first Flash Friday: I know some people were having trouble viewing the youtube embed, so I've changed it to a regular old link. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Web Diversions: Resurrected!

Miss me? Thanks for sticking it out during our brief hiatus. So let's go ahead and get back to business.

There are certain sure fire recipes for funny, and one of the most popular ingredients is a big scoop of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Take any regular-old item and add the son of god and you're bound to get a laugh. Bath mat: boring. Bath mat with Jesus on it: hilarious. Macaroni and cheese: somewhat tasty. Jesus-shapes macaroni and cheese: knee-slapping good.

So the crew at Jesus Dress Up may be guilty of going for the easy laugh, but it doesn't mean they weren't successful. You can dress Jesus up in a variety of humorous get-ups and even choose what sign to hang over him. When you're done you can print him out for proud display on your mantel.