Since the Easter season has evolved from one long weekend a year to a month-long fiasco of holidays and half-baked working days, corporate SA has become a bit of a nightmare. Just because you`re at work, doesn`t mean anyone else is. And just because someone else is present, doesn`t necessarily mean they have any intention of doing work.
This Easter in particular coincides with Pesach, elections and the usual host of public holidays with which we, as South Africans, are blessed. So, in the great tradition of skiving off around the holiday season, here are a couple of sites to keep you entertained if you are unfortunate enough to be shackled to your computer.
This is one of Google`s spin-off sites. You enter a word, and then ask Google "who", "what", "when" or "where" and it does its best to turn up a meaningful answer. Sadly, the summary of my entire online existence is that I am an ITWeb journalist. A friend of mine was identified as "a veteran in the music business who wears many hats", and it`s true, she does. Googlism also knew that her boyfriend who lives in London "had lunch with Blaine every day and has documented his meals on the Internet". This has made me determined to establish myself as a more quirky online personality in future.
Actually, while we`re on the topic of Google, it`s worth having a look at its labs. This is where it keeps all the technology it`s not quite ready to launch, but is happy for you to play around with. The Sets function is particularly interesting. You enter a few words from a set that you are trying to complete, and it will come up with others that it thinks are in the same set. So if you offer it "beer", "wine" and "whiskey" it promptly responds with "tequila", "rum" and a variety of other alcoholic beverages. It obviously hasn`t linked to Googlism yet though, because it wasn`t able to provide me with a complete set of ITWeb journalists.
It`s not as if you haven`t heard of New Scientist, but its online presence is a great way to waste a couple of hours. Never mind the daily interesting articles on science and technology, what`s great about New Scientist online is that you can send your own interesting questions or stories for publication and response. It also has its own listing of the best science sites on the Web.
I don`t know if it was Emode`s intention from the start, but since its rebranding as Tickle.com, it has been punting its dating services harder than ever. The site contains the most comprehensive collection of fun and serious personality tests that I have encountered online. I used to wonder what it ultimately intended to do with the massive database of personal information it is acquiring, but now it seems Tickle is using it to match people with their best potential partners. Dating aside, visiting Tickle.com is a diverting way to spend an afternoon. Be warned though, in some cases, it will only give you a quick overview of your test results, expecting you to pay for the full report. The people at Tickle know all about my dress sense, my favourite cocktail, my IQ and my subconscious dreams and desires.
All cat lovers should visit this site. Compiled by a tecchie who obviously has way too much time on his hands, it discusses the acquisition of a new piece of computer hardware - the kitten. It addresses issues of compatibility, storage, cleaning and modes of operation. It also links to other choice cat humour sites like Bonsai Kitten, which has had animal rights activists erroneously up in arms for years.
Sadly, the summary of my entire online existence is that I am an ITWeb journalist.
Georgina Guedes, editor, Brainstorm
For the voyeurs among us, Grouphug is a site that offers people with a heavy conscience, or just the perverted desire to confess, a forum to do so anonymously. You can browse reams of blog-like entries ranging from the teenage girl too afraid to confess to her parents that she wants to drop out of college, to the secretary who pretends to know nothing so that irritating clients will have to speak to her boss. Please be warned, this is an open forum, and people frequently confess to salacious and lewd acts.
When reading through the entries at Grouphug, a bleeding heart like my own often aches at the inability to offer comfort to the poor souls who are wracked with guilt over their sometimes insignificant foibles. Enotalone provides a more interactive alternative for those seeking feedback instead of just the release of confession. Of course, the site, which enthusiastically announces that "you are not alone" doesn`t see the irony that people looking for help online probably are.
Have a great Easter, enjoy your long weekend, and vote well.
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