The Wonderful Wacky Web

Icon art

Aaron — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:57:47 +0000

If you’re a blogger or a person with a website, and you’re looking for that one unique picture that sets you apart from the rest, why not create a unique banner out of popular icons?

Web 2.0 Write allows you to put together letters from popular icons and icon art; this process is similar to cutting out letters from a magazine and stringing them together into coded words. All you have to do is type in the sentence you want to convert into icon art, and in a few seconds, you’ll get a handy picture with your text converted to the icons.

Here’s an example of how Web 2.0 Write works.

Quickly and efficiently, the website sputters out a generated image of your text in icon format. Better yet, you are given the option of copying and pasting the actual text characters. You can do anything you want with your new converted text; there are many options for sharing your creation with others through the Internet.

If you’re interested in making a fun and unusual banner or title, you may want to check out Web 2.0 Write.

Check it out @ web2.0write.com.

Best Wishes,

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Having trouble concentrating on your work?

Aaron — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:49:34 +0000

I have a very noisy work environment. There are always people yelling around me, and the kitchen is never silent. This is the worst kind of environment for a student who is trying to do well in school, yet I manage to keep on task thanks to SimplyNoise. SimplyNoise is a website that dispenses sound of all frequencies, otherwise known as white noise. White noise is supposedly a very helpful audio strategy to help keep people on task. You’ve all heard white noise before: the radio static is one example. SimplyNoise allows you to choose between white noise or other sounds to keep you concentrated on your work. You can toggle the volume and listen through the site, or you can download the audio file so you have it with you wherever you go.

SimplyNoise also offers other types of sounds, including the sound of thunderstorms, all of which are downloadable! If you feel like you need something to help you concentrate, why not try SimplyNoise?

There is no registration nor downloads required.

Check out SimplyNoise @ SimplyNoise.com.

Good luck concentrating!

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Hungry for knowledge?

Aaron — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:12:32 +0000

If you’re as big a geek as I am for learning through the television, then you probably love to watch documentaries. Topdocumentarfilms.com will soon become your best friend.

This amazingly organized website categorizes over 300 documentaries, and hosts some of the most popular videos such as Planet Earth, though they are not in as high quality as that seen on television.

This fantastic site features full-length documentaries that are sure to keep you interested when you’re bored or when you’re craving information about a certain topic.

Have fun learning!

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Suspicious of a TinyURL or Is.gd link?

Aaron — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:11:50 +0000

I often am wary of shortened links that others send me. Many a time I fall for annoying Rick-Roll’d videos and javascript-ridden websites that render my web browser totally useless. When this happens, I often have to close all of my browser tabs, just because I had been pranked by friends. If this often happens to you, then worry no more, because today I introduce a website that allows you to preview TinyURL and Is.gd links!

This useful site, dubbed PrevURL, allows you to enter a shortened link into a text box. Then it proceeds to show you an image preview of the web site you at which you were about to arrive.

Yikes, that was a close one!

Check it out @ PrevURL.com.

Best Wishes,
MiMc: Mister McGeek

Bathroom Reservations

Aaron — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Are you planning to visit Italy anytime soon? If so, be forewarned that there are rarely any public restrooms, and when there are, you are expected to pay 1 Euro per visit to the restroom. That’s equivalent to about $1.31, just for finding a place to store your excrements!

Luckily for tourists, Venice is beginning to lighten up on these bathroom payments. Now, tourists may reserve bathroom tokens online for a few Euros less than they would have to pay on demand. However, they have to wait fifteen days before using the tokens.

What a strange country, that Italy.

For more information on how you can save money going to the restroom in Europe, click here.

Happy urinating,

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Have writer’s block? No problem!

Aaron — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:46:04 +0000

Sometimes I get very distracted from my homework, and it takes hours to get back to concentrating on my work. Other times, I get writer’s block and can’t think of anything to say at all. Time management and concentration are two of my greatest problems. . .until I discovered Dr. Wicked’s Writing Lab.

This site might sound totally evil, but its intent is good: to get people writing, no matter what kind of obstacle they face. Once on this site, you are greeted with a simplistic box with a few options to toggle your writing session.

Here you can easily toggle between Gentle, Normal, and Kamikaze mode. The Electric Shock Mode (thankfully) is just for giggles.

Dr. Wicked explains how his innovative program works, and gives a demonstration.

Unless you’re a hardcore writer, you probably wouldn’t want to set the program to Kamikaze mode with the grace period set on Evil. That’s probably a bad idea.

You can check out this program @ Dr. Wicked’s Writing Lab.

Happy Writing!

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Easily search for wallpapers that fit and look great

Aaron — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:21:44 +0000

Google is like magic. All you have to do is type in a set of magic letters, and it’ll take you to links beyond your wildest imagination. Turns out, you can use its magic to search up wallpapers quickly and efficiently. Just find out your screen resolution and go on the Google.com!

Step 1: Find your screen resolution.

Step 2: Go to Google.com.

Step 3: In the search field, type in “imagesize: [your resolution here] [topic]“

Here’s an example:

Voila! Have fun searching for great wallpapers!

Best wishes,

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Podcast Recommendation

Aaron — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:01:46 +0000

If you have an iPod, a Zune, or any other MP3 player compatible with podcasts, you might want to check out Radiolab.org. As a regular podcast listener, I have found that Radiolab is probably one of the best science podcasts out there.

Radiolab constantly updates with new 1-hour episodes to keep listeners interested and up-to-date. It isn’t like any old news podcast, however. In every episode, the speakers Jad and Robert introduce an interesting, random topic, which ranges anywhere from time travel to zoos. Then, they invite researchers and experts to talk about the topic, offering insight into an otherwise obscure topic.

The podcast is absolutely free, so if you have an hour to spare, you should try it out. You can either subscribe through iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, or directly through Radiolab.org.

On Radiolab’s website, there is a section on the column to the right which offers episodes from every season.

You can also listen to podcasts right from the website, and even download the MP3 file for free.

If you are interested in educational podcasts, you should definitely check out Radiolab.

Check it out @ Radiolab.org.

Have fun,

MiMc: Mister McGeek

I can’t understand what my grandparents are saying!

Aaron — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:24:35 +0000

“Aye, but she’s such a philargyrist and keeps complaining about my job.” What’s a philargyrist?! Sounds like a word out of a ’60s movie.

But even if you look for the word in the dictionary, you’ll be surprised to see that it’s not in there. Nay, the word only exists in the select few who still remember it.

That’s where the Save The Words campaign comes in. This web site preserves old words that are no longer in the dictionary and attempts to spread its usage.

Here’s their goal:

Each year hundreds of words are dropped from the dictionary.

Old words, wise words, hard-working words. Words that once led meaningful lives but now lie abandoned and forgotten.

You can do your part! Help save the words!

As you enter the well-designed, wordy website, you’ll come across this flash application:

The words will start screaming to be picked…literally. You can mouse over a word to hear it yell, “Pick me! Pick me!”

You can put your mouse cursor outside of the window to move the window toward that direction and to uncover new words. There are literally hundreds of words here.

When you see a word you’re interested in, click on it to bring up a little window with the definition and an example sentence.

If you want, you can register an account and promise to use the word frequently in order to try and revive its usage. Or, you can enter your email address and receive a daily word.

Try learning some words and stumping your friends and teachers! Check it out @ SaveTheWords.org.

Happy Learning!

MiMc: Mister McGeek

Suspended for nodding?!

Aaron — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:10:36 +0000

Our world has just gotten to a whole new level of ridiculous. What kind of career punishes a worker for nodding to the President?

Well, apparently Cleveland Firefighter’s Memorial Pipes & Drums does. Unfortunate John Coleman was suspended from his band for six months for waving to President Obama.

Apparently there was a rule that prohibited nodding or waving or behaving in any other way beside normal “marching band etiquette”.

I don’t know about you, but if the President of the United States waved to me, I sure as hell would wave back.

I wish you well, Mr. Coleman. You have my full support.

Best wishes,

MiMc: Mister McGeek