"Ninety percent of everything is crud." Theodore Sturgeon

But the remaining ten percent is worth dying for. This is what you will find on this blog, only the Creme de La Creme of the Internet.

Jelli – Enjoying music online is as easy as ABC. If we’re fed up with a certain track or radio station we simply click on the next one – free choice on the Web is terrific, isn’t it? But just imagine how sweet life would be if we were able to manipulate the music lineup, determining which song will be played next. Sounds crazy, I know, but now this very option is available at your fingertips.

If you are looking for a different kind of music entertainment, one which is more democratic and ‘for the people, by the people,’ where you can help to determine the lineup of music tracks, Jelli is the place for you. This small piece of audio heaven here on earth is “100% user-controlled radio, enabling users to take over a radio station using their web browsers. Leveraging the power of the web to reinvent traditional broadcasting, Jelli empowers the community to interact with the broadcast in real-time and determine dynamically what plays on the air.”

To join in, all you need is to create an account. Choose from a list of stations, Red, Orange or Green and then start voting for or against each song on the list. For more in depth information on Jelli’s ins and outs, I recommend checking out their Getting Started and FAQ pages, but you should know their platform is extremely intuitive. The best part about Jelli in my view is that they managed to avoid instances of discontinued play due to buffering times. It looks, feels and sounds just like real radio, only it’s much more engaging, appealing and effective.

As for my favorites, the Red station is my top choice. I listened to it as I was writing this blog, and I was sure to provide my votes accordingly. Some of the songs I voted for actually made it to broadcast, which was really cool. This made me super happy and I genuinely felt I had a hand in creating the music lineup. Below are some of the songs that were played. Enjoy!

Tags: weekly faves

LifeTuner – This past year has made us all much more calculated in terms of expenses, and we all came to learn that frugal is no longer a negative, frowned upon adjective. Seeking bona fide financial advice is not only OK, it’s strongly recommended. Need someone to help you plan ahead? Drop by LifeTuner, which “brings together sensible, unbiased advice from volunteer financial experts with a vibrant community of peers and individuals who’ve been there before – all of whom can share their experiences and learn from each other.” On a side note, I thought it was interesting LifeTuner is brought to us by AARP, a non-profit organization “dedicated to helping people of all ages make smarter choices today for a better life tomorrow.”

Tags: weekly faves

Newser – Staying on top of today’s news can be overwhelming as the Web’s real time feeds of various sorts require the consumption of copious amounts of data and text on our part. That’s why we have RSS, readers and other filtering mediums available. But even with such content aids, as soon as you click on say, a New York Times article, chances are there are multiple lengthened pages ahead for you to read. So if getting the gist of a news story is what you’re after, I suggest that you visit Newser. With a maximum of two paragraphs per story, this sophisticated news aggregator “combines the wisdom of editors and the power of technology, offering, we believe, a richer, smarter, and more entertaining news experience.” Do they keep that promise? Oh yes. Here’s an example.

Tags: weekly faves

The Purse Page – Last week I mentioned how much we appreciate and encourage recommendations. Well, this week we have yet another Weekly Fave that sprung from a recommendation we received from Erin Booker at Outblush. She gave us the tip of the Purse Page and we’re delighted she decided to share it with us. Both Outblush and the Purse Page are featured on our Women Mini Faves page, along with other juicy resources for the fairer sex.

The Purse Page is, in one word, fabulous. It’s updated frequently with excellent content any woman will appreciate, and the blog features designer bags and celebrity stars rocking those totes, clutches and wallets. I was so impressed with this blog that I sent my girlfriend an email with a link to three designs I was particularly impressed by (see them below). Her reaction said it all: “my boyfriend has exquisite taste.” Hope you will also find these as delightful as I did.

Tags: weekly faves

The Best of Us Challenge – Have you ever thought you can beat a professional athlete? Even if your initial reaction is ‘yes,’ once you take into account the physical shape, years of practice and mental determination required, your rational side of the brain will most likely deter you from taking part in this futile faceoff. Well, now you can do it, in a surprising and unique kind of way.

The Best of Us Challenge is a website where Olympic athletes “are challenging YOU to compete against them.” To give an example, you can challenge Refael Nadal in how many tennis balls can you pick and hold in 30 seconds, Michael Phelps in Speed Putting or Shawn Johnson in Distance Egg Toss Challenge. The Challenge runs from 14 October to 28 February, and there are many prizes you can win, including a trip for two to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Tags: weekly faves

Airbnb – Here’s a concept that is so simple and effective, it’s a wonder no one has thought of it before, let alone offered such a user friendly website for it. Airbnb is “an online marketplace allowing anyone from private residents to commercial properties to rent out their extra space.”

Whether you’re looking for a traditional B&B for your vacation, a luxurious cabin in the mountains or in search of an adventurous tree house for your camping trip, Airbnb is the spot for you. It’s a one-stop place for both finding and offering such tempting spaces for rent. What locations are included? The entire globe – check out their coverage. The Bamboo House in Puerto Viejo, Alajuela caught my eye. Which one’s your favorite?

Tags: weekly faves

Today’s BIG Fail – Why is it that accidents, mishaps and simple missions gone wrong induce our roaring laughter? Let’s be honest; we often find the failures of others funny as hell. Today’s BIG Fail relies on the exact same notion, offering a variety of hilarious videos of accidents, crashes and shattered glasses all over the globe.

I enjoyed browsing the site using the Random button, and relished in numerous surprising moments of OMGs. By the way, after going through about twenty ‘failures,’ I realized the most common utterance people in the videos made was “Holy shit”! Below are my favorite fails that made me both laugh my butt off and feel sorry for the unfortunate stars…

Tags: weekly faves

Learn Something Every Day – Learning new facts and acquiring new knowledge usually requires some sort of incentive for maximum and long term retention. Learn Something Every Day has come up with an original and wonderfully appealing incentive to teach us fascinating things about life and the world we live in. Presented in vibrant bite-size squares are short interesting points worth considering. I learned for example that the inventor of the electric chair was a dentist; David Bowie has a spider species named after him, and get this, humans share about 50% of DNA with bananas. This is an excellent coffee brake spot.

Tags: weekly faves

The Sound of Orange RockCorps – Locating sounds and mixing them together is a creative process that has been around for decades, and with the right technology, pretty much anyone can do it. The only question is how well you can do it. But when you’re the one creating the audio building blocks yourself, i.e. the sounds, and then you mix these up into one continuous tune, that’s a whole different ball game.

Cellular giant Orange has made available an interesting application allowing users to “record sounds, stick them together with other sounds from your mates and other Orange RockCorps volunteers, and create your own, unique, totally awesome version of a famous track.” Check out the Top Tracks to see what others created, or work on your own track with your own set of sounds. Either way, this amounts to a whole lot of fun.

Tags: weekly faves

Power Pinball – If you haven’t seen the movie ‘Tommy,‘ then go and watch it; it’s a rock musical based on tracks by The Who, starring Tommy – a Pinball wizard. I enjoyed the movie so much that every time I hear the word pinball, I think of that great movie. Below is the video of my favorite song from the movie, paradoxically not performed by The Who (rather by Elton John).

In terms of the game itself, you should try out this super fun Power Pinball, offering cool power ups. Tag different groups of mushrooms to activate special modes, get huge bonuses and point streaks! For more Pinball games, check out All My Faves Games, where we have a designated faveline for pinball games.

Tags: weekly faves

So you have a webcam. Big deal. Sure, it’s a nice gadget to have, and it probably plays a major role in your online communication activities. But is that all destiny has chosen for this small Peeping Tom device? No sirree. In this lineup of 15 websites I’ll show you how webcam utilization is taken to the extreme to create surprising, innovative and fun experiences you never thought were possible.

The list below is divided into two sections: the first focuses on webcam sites related to web communication, and the other section is fun and entertainment oriented.

Web Communication

1. 6rounds

6rounds is spearheading the field of collaborated online activity by offering a unique, engaging and truly fun webcam communication platform. Thanks to their innovative concept and top notch execution, users can now dip into shared experiences online and go where no other users have gone before.

Today the average online user, apart from visiting his or her regular websites, most likely has an account in one of the major social networking communities, uses video streaming services such as YouTube and the like, and engages in online chat on a daily basis. You could hardly call these online behaviors new or surprising. But what if all these and other activities were to occur in the form of shared real-time experiences by two users -regardless of their physical location- using webcam communication and video conferencing?

Imagine co-watching a video, co-listening to a cool new song with a friend, or co-shopping online with your mom or best pal. This site definitely deserves a visit. The added bonus of 6rounds is their personalization options (special effects, skins) as well as their game rounds feature, where users can play enhanced games together such as backgammon and truth-or-dare.

2. Tinychat

Already acknowledged as a worthy video chat and conference provider by Wired Magazine and TechCrunch, Tinychat definitely delivers a great free service to its users. With an emphasis on High Quality video and audio (HQ), Tinychat offers chat rooms you can share with friends and family for virtual face to face conversations. The service is simple to use, requires no downloads or add-ons of any kind, and you can start chatting away in style once you’ve completed the quick signup process (by using your Twitter log in info). Another cool thing about Tinychat is their iPhone application, so you can video chat on the go.

3. SpeedDate

Internet dating tends to get a bad rap, and as many would agree, dating in itself can deem an excruciating task. So what can we offer to the timid singles out there? One word: SpeedDate. Despite its somewhat intimidating name, speeddate.com provides a nice dating service through the use of your webcam. If you’re too shy to blind date or are short on cash for a dinner and a movie, give SpeedDate a try and you’ll see how it is a great return on your webcam investment. Embark on a series of 3-minute video chats with other eligible singles and see what happens. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll tell your kids the story of how you met their father or mother thanks to your computer and webcam…

4. 12seconds.tv

If you like the basic idea behind Twitter, you can expand your micro-blogging endeavors to the realm of video with this dandy website. 12seconds.tv, as the name suggests, invites you to post short video status messages via your webcam. You’ll need a Twitter account to record and post your video messages, and 12seconds.tv will automatically add your newly posted creations to your Twitter page and feed (activate this in your 12seconds account’s setting page). The service’s platform supports mobile devices, so you can shoot that important video when you want to, wherever you are.

5. justin.tv

This ever-growing community of self-broadcasters is a wonderful place to visit and use if you haven’t done so already. After you’ve uploaded a video of yourself you can invite friends and share the love, or check out the broadcasts of others. The site’s huge channel selection is an impressive database of videos which offers something for everyone; it covers a wide range of fields such as entertainment, science and tech, education, gaming and many others. Even if you’re not into showing yourself online, this is a great spot for learning and recreation.

6. Daily Mugshot

If you thought witnessing change is impossible, dailymugshot.com is the proof that the opposite is true. Their free service allows you to take daily pictures of yourself and see the progression of difference through a quick slide show. Smelling a bit like a custom made stop motion creation, Daily Mugshot makes you the star 24/7, 365 days a year. Naturally, you’re more than welcome to show yourself off to your friends. When a site has a unique concept, looks great and is well executed, there’s not much else to say.

7. Shoot and Share: YouTube and Facebook’s Webcam Features

Although YouTube and Facebook are long-established big fish in the social networking pond, their webcam feature is worth noting. With these services you can create videos at the minute you log into your account and share them around immediately afterward. Save uploading time and give way to improvisation and instant gratification. To check out YouTube’s webcam feature, click here. To see the one offered by facebook, simply log into your account and click on the webcam icon under your status box.

Pure Fun and Augmented Reality Entertainment

The next few websites are an eclectic mixture of fun webcam supported sites, and others which are based on what the web community refers to as Augmented Reality (AG). The rising trend of AG has led to the emergence of a quasi-infinite number of cool websites that merge computer-generated and actual physical environments. In this category of mixed reality webcam sites you’ll find places that deliver nothing short of engaged entertainment and a great deal of fun.

8. web-cam-stop-motion

What can I say? Simply put, this site is packed with fun and creativity. Make your own stop motion movie with this platform’s easy webcam recording segments, and you will get in touch with your artistic side and imagination. The entire process from start to finish takes less than five minutes, yet your glory will last forever. If you’re fresh out of ideas for your one man (or woman) show, check out other users’ takes and be inspired.

9. Eternal Sunset

Although this particular site is not directly related to your webcam per se, it offers an amazing experience using other webcams scattered all over the world. As you might infer from its name, Eternal Sunset gives you a personal virtual porch overlooking the fabulous sunsets currently occurring around the world. The photo quality is superb, and navigation through the site is aesthetic and easy. Both romantic and super cool, Eternal Sunset made it into this selective lineup thanks to its brilliant idea and perfectly positioned network of webcams.

10. Wan’s Vision

This 100% fun website uses your webcam to create unconventional and inventive activities as well as special effects that manipulate your image for sheer enjoyment. Effects such as bubbles, turning Planet Earth with a mere movement of your hand, and many other exciting features are at your disposal. My personal favorite, the Mona Lisa, might be creepy to some users; the most famous lady in history will follow you with her eyes wherever you go. However weird, it feels like magic…

11. Ocean Recon – Royal Australian Navy Submariners’ Digital Hologram

Whether you’re into submarines or not, this website is all about shock-and-awe, but in a positive kind of way. Above all, it is both didactic and impressive. Experience a 3D introduction to the world of the Collins Class Submarine and explore its exterior and complex interior. And the best part? You can fire a torpedo and see it launched from the submarine’s hull! As with many other augmented reality websites, users need to first print out a designated page. These pages have a special marking which you will be asked to hold upright or lay flat on your desk. Why? Because that is how your webcam will be able to identify the central display point from which the AG comes to life.

12. Sean Kingston – Virtual Sean

The official website of Reggae singer and rap artist Sean Kingston includes an AG feature, ‘Virtual Sean,’ which delivers an interactive show with all the bells and whistles. The animation is terrific and funny, and the music will make your upper body dance to the beat. Try to move the printout around to see little Sean really getting into the performance. This little piece of entertainment delight is shareable through Twitter, Facebook and MySpace in case you feel Sean looked particularly handsome on your screen.

13. Hotel626

This is one of the coolest interactive games with a webcam I’ve seen in a while. If you’re into the horror genre, this game site is an absolute must. The game is based on your webcam in order to deliver a chilling, mission based quest of triumphing over the underworld. Hotel626’s creators recommend that you play the game in a dark room and make sure your volume is high enough -it will certainly put you in the mood for… jumping in your seat at unexpected moments. If you got a kick out of playing this one, check out the all new Asylum626 game which was recently launched.

14. Publicis & Hal Riney

This top notch advertising agency has come up with a remarkable idea for presenting itself and its impressive portfolio of clients. By using astonishing graphics and your hand movements (perceived by your webcam’s real-time image of you), Publicis & Hal Riney have chosen the best and most striking way to market their professional and creative capabilities. After visiting this site you’ll wish you were able to afford a campaign with these guys…

15. And Last but Not Least – Webcam Practicality: HighlightCam

This site will transform your webcam into your very own PI (private investigator). HighlightCam allows you to record whatever is going on in your home while you’re away, and you can see the images live as they occur. Think about the effectiveness of this service; you can keep a close eye on your new babysitter, make sure your home is B&E-free (that is Breaking and Entering if you didn’t get it), and learn about your cat’s new acrobatic abilities.

That’s all nice and dandy, but what if playback time turns out to be 4 or even 8 hours long? No worries. HighlightCam automatically fast forwards those dull moments of inactivity (condensing about one hour into a minute), so all you see is the bottom line of what was going on. It’s your personal virtual guarding service, free of charge and just a click away.

Tags: games, social, video

DailyBooth – The verb share has practically become a synonym for the Web’s social networking concept. Why is sharing so big? This article helps to explain the human factor behind this phenomenon. However, what people less talk about is the consequence of sharing information, photos and videos online; we are essentially invited to peep at other people’s lives. And most of us happily indulge ourselves in voyeurism, watching others -perhaps with their consent- but certainly without their knowledge.

Setting ethical issues aside, there’s no doubt social networking platforms are going to stick around for a (long) while. One particularly attractive fish in the global community’s pond is DailyBooth. A photo sharing platform where one can follow and be followed, DailyBooth offers a sizzling hub for swanky annotated pictures of cool people. A great way to start finding ‘follow-worthy’ people would be through the DailyBooth Live Map. This feature is “a real time map of the world that updates and zooms around when new members snap a picture.” Below you can find some of the pictures I found intriguing. Click on them to view the full profile.

I regularly visit the blogs of sites we feature here, and I would like to point out to an interesting post of the DailyBooth blog: How did you find dailybooth? This prompted me to share (that’s right, share!) the video below. I just love hearing people speak with a British accent…

Tags: weekly faves

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