10 interesting websites

The Web is full of fun, time-wasting diversions.
Here are a few that I’ve come across in my travels that I’ve enjoyed:

The Great Gatsby for NES

The literary classic “The Great Gatsby,” written by my cousin F. Scott Fitzgerald, is adapted as an 8-bit video game in the style of Nintendo NES. (See articles at The Creators Project and Boston.com.)

Shit My Kids Ruined

As a parent, I can appreciate Shit My Kids Ruined, because my kids have ruined carpets, broken mirrors and glassware, and committed other acts of destruction. The photo website is the work of Julie Haas Brophy.

My Kid Is Gifted

My Kid Is Gifted is a website based on the fact that kids say the darnedest things.

The Nine Eyes of Google Street View

The Nine Eyes of Google Street View is a website by Jon Rafman that curates interesting photos taken by Google Street View cars.
The only flaw with the site is that it doesn’t say where in the world the photos were taken.

Hanzi Smatter

Hanzi Smatter is a website dedicated to pointing out the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture, usually in bad tattoos.

Born This Way Blog

One of the rare websites selected by Google’s Blogs of Note that I think is truly notable. “Born This Way” Blog is a photo/essay project for gay adults to submit childhood pictures and stories (roughly ages 2 to 12), reflecting memories and early beginnings of their innate gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender selves.

Asians Sleeping in the Library

Asians Sleeping in the Library is an odd photo blog on Tumblr. The description reads, “They’re better at life and they get better grades than you for a reason. Pictures of Asian students from universities sleeping in the library and lecture halls.”

SolarBeat

SolarBeat is a beautiful website that shows the relative speeds in which the planets and dwarf planets of our solar system obit the sun. For each solar year elapsed, the planets strike a note. The effect is like a music box.

The Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator

The Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator lampoons the author of so many best-selling business management books. The website is a hit-and-miss series of fake book covers, but Gladwell is ripe for satire.

Ransom Note Generator

Type some text in the Ransom Note Generator, hit enter and voila! you get what looks like a ransom note with cut-out letters from magazines.