Wednesday, September 27, 2023

FakeIndians, History vs. Hollywood and other interesting websites


With so much creative talent focused on social media platforms these days, it can be difficult to find websites created for interesting niche topics and fun pursuits.
What follows are a few such websites that I’d like to spotlight.

FakeIndians

The blog FakeIndians exposes people who falsely claim to have Native American heritage. The website has revealed dozens of “pretendians.” The fraudsters claim to hail from indigenous peoples to advance their careers in academia, politics, literature and art.
(See article by the New York Post.)

History vs. Hollywood


The website History vs. Hollywood answers the No. 1 question people have about movies based on true stories. That is, how much of the story is real and how much is made up?
Recent articles have examined “Dumb Money,” “Oppenheimer” and “The Beanie Bubble.”

Bloody Disgusting

I love horror movies and like to keep up on the latest new releases and under-the-radar gems. Bloody Disgusting keeps me informed about which horror movies I should have on my watch list.

Fangoria


Speaking of horror movies, the granddaddy of genre coverage is Fangoria. I used to collect Fangoria magazine back in high school and college. Now it’s available online as well as in print. It does an excellent job covering horror movies past, present and future.

Make My Drive Fun

When I’m planning a trip, especially a road trip, I check out TripAdvisor for interesting destinations along my route or where I’m staying. Here’s another website that provides information on quirky destinations along the way: Make My Drive Fun.

AllTrails


AllTrails is a website and mobile app for hikers to share trail maps and reviews of them. The service has curated over 400,000 trails and has a community of 55 million outdoor enthusiasts.

Viral Post Generator


Viral Post Generator is a humorous play on the generative AI trend. It pokes fun at professional networking site LinkedIn by generating cringy, aspirational posts celebrating even the most mundane tasks. (See article by Insider.)

Statista

I’m a fan of well-designed informational graphics. Statista has built a huge database of interesting charts on an extensive array of topics. It posts new charts daily and sends them out in a free newsletter.

Chartr


Speaking of pretty graphics, Chartr is another great resource. Chartr also has a free visual newsletter with charts that provide insights into business, tech, entertainment and society.

Connections


I was never a big fan of Wordle, but I’m hooked on another online game produced by the New York Times: Connections. With Connections, players have to group words that share a common thread. It’s a winner.

Theatre of Authenticity

Theatre of Authenticity is a collection of images by Belgian photographer Natacha de Mahieu. Her work mainly questions the relationship between humans and their environment.
Theatre of Authenticity shows famous tourist destinations being overwhelmed with visitors. De Mahieu created each image by using tens or hundreds of photos within a defined time frame and making a seamless collage.
Her images are meant to contrast the idealized pictures of those locations seen on Instagram. (See article by The Guardian.)

The Atlas of Beauty


The Atlas of Beauty is a project by Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc. She traveled the world photographing women and listening to their stories. Her goal was to show that beauty is much more than what we see in the media. (See article by Bored Panda.)

America’s Cultural Decline Into Idiocy

The Facebook group America’s Cultural Decline Into Idiocy collects images and videos of the stupid things some Americans do. It would be sad if the content weren’t so funny. (See article by Bored Panda.)

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