I read an interview with Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google) in The Guardian a few months back that confirmed some thoughts I’d been having about the current state of the internet. In it, Brin posited that the environment Apple have created with their ‘App Store’ is leading to a ‘walled garden’ in which the internet is seen only via a select few apps, leading to a veritable ‘dumbing-down’ of the web in which content is strictly controlled and information flows are greatly reduced.
In protest of this ‘walled-garden’ notion, and as a send off for this semester, I’ve decided to make a Guide to the Web to highlight some of the best websites around, whether it be online shopping, news, entertainment, education or just time wasters, I think I’ve managed to cover some great websites and hopefully you’ll find something you like! Before you write me off, I spend A LOT of time on the internet and love exploring the web to find some great (and not so great) content. Enjoy
Note: We’ve discussed social networking sites at length in class so for the most part I’ve avoided them.
Search Engines
Google - A given, but if you’re still using AskJeeves it’s probably time to change it up.
Wolfram Alpha - What to use when you’re after facts, Wolfram Alpha is an amazing data and fact based search engine. Say you want to know the properties of a Tetrahedron, look no further.
Film & TV
Apple Trailers – Beautiful way to see trailers for all the upcoming films.
Internet Movie Database (IMDB) – Any piece of information from any movie you’ve ever heard of.
Rotten Tomatoes & Metacritic - The only places to go for movie reviews.
Vuze - On the illegal side, but easily the best torrent client out there, once you’ve downloaded Vuze, head to The Pirate Bay to find your favourite movies and songs easily.
News/Opinion
The Conversation - A fantastic Australian academic news site with opinions from thought leaders around the country.
The Age - A little Melbournian slanted but I do enjoy The Age, free content as well which is better than paid!
International Herald Tribune – The global edition of the New York Times with great content from around the world featuring stories you would otherwise never hear about. Freemium which is a shame.
The Huffington Post – One of the biggest and best ‘online only’ news websites. A little lefty slanted but a good read to balance the Newscorp propaganda that we often unwittingly gobble up.
Time Magazine - Really needs no introduction.
Mashable - The go to source for anything Social Media, started by a Scottish bloke by the name of Pete Cashmore in his parents bedroom in Aberdeen. Sold this year to CNN for $200 million.
Education
TEDtalks – Awesome speeches by some amazing people.
Learnist – New platform that allows you to learn almost anything online.
Khan Academy - The ‘go to’ website for online education.
Codecademy - If you want to learn the basics of html, Python, Java etc etc, look no further. Codecademy is a super intuitive online platform that helps you learn to code for free.
Timewasters
Reddit - I’ve mentioned it in a previous blog post, and while it does have its bad side, for the most part it is very entertaining and always providing great content.
Boss Hunting – Bit of a self plug here but we do have some amazing pictures to hopefully inspire!
Facebook - Great social network and also a great time waster, they need to implement some sort of self lockout function.
The Onion - Hilarious news parody site, always good for some laughs.
Kill Some Time - As the name suggests…
TMZ - The number one celebrity gossip source. Fun fact: TMZ stands for Thirty Mile Zone (speed limit) that cars are allowed to drive around Hollywood.
Shopping (Unisex unless otherwise stated)
Uncrate (Men) - Not a shopping site per se but a great selection of curated finds for the modern man – updated daily.
Amazon - The biggest and arguably the best. Not everything can be shipped to Australia so make sure you click the ‘Amazon Global’ button to the left of your screen once you’ve made a search.
Ozbargain - Crowdsourced bargains in Australia. Surprisingly addictive and although it’s for bargains, you’ll find yourself buying things you never thought you needed simply because they are a bargain.
Kickstarter – Basically a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Buy cool stuff here years before it hits the shops.
Shopstyle – If you know you want a pair of desert boots/dress/pants but aren’t sure exactly which ones or where to get them from, come here first.
Gilt Groupe – Designer Flash Sales site that provides some excellent sales on brand names. $20 shipping to Australia.
Net-A-Porter (Women) – High end fashion for women, some jaw dropping prices.
Mr. Porter (Men) – As above…but for men.
Shopbop (Women) - Less high end than Net-A-Porter and free 3 day shipping worldwide!
Indochino - Custom made suits for men from $300 delivered. The Hong Kong tailor you see on holidays but online.
I’m going to end the shopping list here I could literally list hundreds.
Travel
Skyscanner – Excellent flight search tool – great for European flights
Kayak – As above but better for American flights, includes hotels and car hire too.
Adioso – Will almost without fail find you the best Australian domestic flight.
Flightfox - Aussie based ‘crowdsourcing for travel experts’. Check it out, try it out when you next want to fly internationally, it will save you thousands.
Miscellaneous
Lifehacker - If you haven’t heard of the term ‘Life Hacking’ I suggest you click the link.
Gizmodo – A great gadget review site
TechCrunch – Like Mashable but for the Tech startups world, anything you need to know on emerging Tech from the US
So there you have it, a somewhat cursory list (there are PLENTY more where that came from), but I hope you find a few new sites that you never new existed!
Jack
