From virtual art appreciation to making you lose money if you miss a deadline—explore the useful side of the Internet with us.
The Internet is a trove of treasures! Whatever you need the World Wide Web delivers in a jiffy. Long gone are the days when we turned to our phones and desktops to unwind; they now have become our only source of work.
We of course can debate on the pros and cons of the Internet, but what we cannot deny is its resourcefulness. We at Man’s Life went on a hunt to dig out the most unique and oddly helpful websites to get you through any predicament you are stuck in. Happy surfing!
Link – https://artsandculture.google.com
Google as a search engine has saved us from doom. It sure does feel like it has answers to all the questions in the world! Well, mostly! In addition, we just discovered the educational yet artistic side of Google! Drumroll please! Say hello to Google Arts and Culture—a non-profitable initiative that works with cultural institutions and artists from around the world. If you’re an art student or someone who’s interested in art, this is the place for you! This platform helps you experience art and culture in new ways. It could be exploring artists, mediums or historical figures. Even selecting a time and zooming on the artwork to see it up close and personal (even though it is through a screen) with all the information of its making presented to you is possible. They have partnered with multiple museums like the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands, the National Museum of Death in Mexico and the Archaeological Survey of India to name a few that lets you explore their collections virtually. What a great time to be alive truly, we may not be able to travel to these museums soon, but they sure are right here for us to see.
Link – https://www.memrise.com
Memrise is not just any other language learning website. It’s fun, enjoyable and effective. Whether you like travelling, watching films from across the globe or just love a particular country’s band more than any other—language shouldn’t be holding you back from enjoying these experiences. Learning a new language is no longer boring and bookish. Memrise has said goodbye to textbooks and gotten on board native speakers who speak their language on a daily basis to teach you. Learning from the best while having fun, is what this experience is all about. With a mix of tech and science, you can learn languages from Polish to Korean in a jiffy.
Link – https://www.instructables.com
If you are somebody who loves making things and wants to get your hands dirty, this is where you should be heading. Instructables, started in the summer of 2006, is a website that lets you explore, document and share your creations. It’s a place where you learn to make everything that you have ever dreamed of! A community that is thriving with curious makers, innovators, teachers, and lifelong learners, Instructables is a place where people share how to make things. It could be a DIY Fiber Optic Light Sculpture or a 3D Printed belt chain and even Homemade Twix Bars. We even stumbled upon how to make a Solar Powered Japanese Garden Lantern—this place has it all. When did learning get so much fun?
Link – https://asoftmurmur.com/
WFH isn’t all that fun. Zero change in scenery and definitely the same old boring ambient noises. We miss going for lunch meetings and occasionally slipping into a cafe for work. A Soft Murmur is an online background noise generator that helps you relax, focus and tune out sounds that disturb your everyday routine. If you are around people who just won’t let you work, head over to this website and play the custom ambient sound of your liking. From the sound of rain, waves, fire or even a coffee shop—A Soft Murmur has soothing sounds that will let you tune out unnecessary background noise and help you focus. Put on your earphones, and you are good to go!
Link – https://sleepyti.me
This website is fairly simple. We no longer have a count on the number of hours we sleep. For those who have a fixed sleep schedule, kudos to you my friend. What Sleepy Time does is it asks you what time you think you have to wake up. What hour and how many minutes later do you want to end your slumber-fest? Sleepy Time works by counting backward in sleep cycles. Waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle leaves you feeling tired and groggy, but sleeping through an entire sleep cycle is ideal for your body and mind! Say one has to wake up at 7 Am, the portal will calculate the different hours one should ideally crash at. Hope this helps us sleep better!
Link – https://www.stickk.com
For anybody who sucks at maintaining a deadline or just following a routine, Stickk is here to help you out. The amalgamation of human behaviour and a successful goal-setting tool gave us Stickk. The mission of this page is to redefine goal setting by using data-driven techniques that empower change. Once you sign in to the website you have to choose a commitment you want to fulfil—say lose weight! You fill a questionnaire answering what your goal weight is and when you would like to start achieving it. You then got to put money on the line. That’s your stake for losing weight! You can choose a friend or charity you hate, so if you don’t meet your target for the week your money is gone (there is an option where you can bet without money too). You then get to choose a referee to keep you on track, could be your friend or your mom (bet she has been on your back) and you are set to lose weight. With your money and honour at stake, we can bet you will be at it from the get-go.
Link – https://www.snopes.com
While the Internet is a boon, it’s also the place where you will find the most amount of fake news. We all have our fair share of family Whatsapp groups that send forwards like garlic healing cancer and that man never landed on the moon! Who is to say what is fake from what is true? Snopes will tell you! It’s the detective snoring out the legitimate news from the fake making the rounds. This fact-checking website is a boon for those who have been misinformed and for those who don’t know who to trust. Started in 1994, investigating urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore, Snopes is the oldest and largest fact-checking site online, widely regarded by journalists, folklorists, and readers as an invaluable research companion. No longer falling for those fake news!
Whether it’s fact-checking or learning something new, the Internet never fails to amaze. We hope you enjoyed browsing through these websites!
[Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock]
Shraddha Shetty