Happily Stumbling

I hate to admit it, but sometimes I feel as though I run out of things to look at on the web. There are times when I'd like to keep browsing, but I've already looked at all of my usual sites. What to do? (Something productive, you say? Shut up.)

But now that dilemma is a thing of the past, thanks to Stumble Upon, a web browser extension designed to help users find new and interesting ways to waste time on the internet. It works this way: you tell Stumble Upon what you like (say, birds, baking, and Al Gore), and then, whenever you run out of things to look at on the web, you hit the "Stumble!" button on your toolbar, and it takes you to a randomly-chosen site related to your interests. Like this one. Then you can rate the site (thumbs up or down) to improve future stumbles. Pretty cool.

Righteous Indignation is the Best Kind

One day when I was in elementary school, a small, red-headed boy named Richie Amidon walked up to me on the playground and asked me if I wanted to be punched in the mouth. I was a savvy kid; I thought I could call his bluff, so I said yes. And then Richie Amidon punched me in the mouth. Our teacher made us both stay in from recess that week, a punishment which always seemed unfair to me: I, after all, had only committed the indiscretion of getting punched in the mouth.

So, when I read that Italy's Marco Materazzi has been fined and suspended by FIFA for receiving Zinedine Zidane's headbutt to his chest, I am filled with righteous indignation.

The Great Beyond

You know you're avoiding something when you not only click on the link to the Russian site featured on your friend's blog, but you surf around once you're there, regardless of the fact that you don't even have the capacity to sound out the words. It's a fun site, though: random (in the true sense of the word, not the sense my students use) clicking led me to one page that was full of flags, apparently designed and posted by visitors to the site. Most were funny variations on this or that national flag; others were just excuses to pledge allegiance to pot. But here are two that caught my eye, based on the US flag:



The other one has a slightly different tone:


















Sigh.