Blog.StupidInternetTricks.com

The Wunderfool Blog has moved to Blog.StupidInternetTricks.com! All your old favorites are online there and new content will continue to come every Monday. In addition, a form is available at StupidInternetTricks.com for you to submit suggestions for tricks. And we're working on a weekly newsletter. Subscribers will see the tricks a month before they show up on the blog.

To celebrate the new site, a contest will be launched on Monday, Aug 20, 2007. The winner will receive a free autographed FredBook. Check it out, and sign up for the newsletter while you're there.

SimpsonizeMe.com

How would you look as a Simpson's cartoon?

Nod to: DeAnna Dodson

HappySlip.com

Another example of how the Internet can empower people. NYC Filipino actress looking for a creative outlet starts a vlog. It goes to the YouTube top 10 and has corporate sponsorship. The name comes from her mother's mangled pronunciation of "half slip." Here's the first episode.

What I like: She writes it, does all the parts and edits it herself. It's especially clever how she does the father.

What I don't like: The soap operas. But I laughed when it rained in the subway and when she worked in story elements from the other videos into the soaps.

EternalSunset.Net

See the sunset all day

Nod to: This is True

MyABCAdventure.com

The Wunderfool's ABC Adventure

Nod to: Lisa Samson

PopularityDialer.com

You need to get a call at a strategic time? Make it so.

[The cousin-in-need call is good.]

VisuWords.com

VisuWords.com Try "extract" to get a nice demonstration of what it can do.

CubeNews1.com

Sometimes you see things on the Internet and think, "Man, how do they do that?" Then you see things and think, "Why didn't I think of that?" The only limit to what you can do with the Net is your time and imagination.

Nod to: The SpyMan

Putt Putt Golf Online

I'm not a fan of computer games, online or otherwise. But this one captured me.

Nod to: Peggy G.

WhatToRent.com

Fill out a personality questionaire, get a movie recommendation.

A different approach to movie recommendations. Rather than a list of reviews, WhatToRent.com tries to get to know you, then recommends a movie. Here are some of the questions:

• Imagine you are selecting dinner at a restaurant you have visited a few times. The restaurant has a broad menu of foods you are not totally familiar with. What is the percentage chance you will try something new even though you may not like it?
• How long does it take you to fall asleep at night?
• How much money would it take for you to wear a neon green fanny pack around for the rest of your life. You would not be able to tell anyone you were paid to wear it. (A one time payment in American dollars)

Given the seeming randomness of the questions, the recommendations are actually pretty close to what I like. Give it a shot.

Rattle-N-Roll.com

Birth announcements styled after old rock concert posters. Very hip.

Nod to: Kelly

Make Your Own Library Catalog Card

Nod to: Lisa Samson

Make your own Warhol print of Marilyn

On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s suicide in August 1962, Andy Warhol used this image and silkscreen to create a series of posters. Now you can try your hand at coming up with different combinations.

Nod to: Lisa Samson [2007 Christy Award finalist for Straight Up. It's good. Get it now.]

HowToDoThings.com & ViewDo.com

How-to articles on a wide range of topics in 19 categories. Stuff like:

• How To Stop Your Cat From Eating Houseplants
• How To Determine the Sex of Baby Chickens
• How To Convert To Islam
• How To Know if You're a Metrosexual

Nod to: Charlene Good

How-to videos on a wide range of topics in 14 categories. My favorites - how to:

• Short sheet a bed
• Make rainbow sushi
• Trick someone into giving you $10
• Make a ninja mask out of a tshirt

The Speech Accent Archive

A few hundred native and 200+ non-native speakers of English read this paragraph: " Please call Stella. Ask her to bring these things with her from the store: Six spoons of fresh snow peas, five thick slabs of blue cheese, and maybe a snack for her brother Bob. We also need a small plastic snake and a big toy frog for the kids. She can scoop these things into three red bags, and we will go meet her Wednesday at the train station."

You can contribute a reading to the project if you so desire.

I was disappointed to see that "fire" wasn't in the paragraph. You can really hear a southern accent with that word. Other words that should be in the paragraph: roof, peanut, pecan, July, ask.

Song For Work

1. Click on the graphic.
2. Click on Listen to Ray
3. Read the First Response from Ray
4. Check out some of the dozens of remixes the general public have contributed to the canon
5. ZeFrank and the Fabulosos tracked Ray down in Feb. He's a minister in St. Louis. Hear his story on this episode of the ZeFrank Show.

Warning: The lyrics are: "I'm about to whip somebody's ass. If you don't leave me alone, you're gonna have to send me home, cause I'm about to whip somebody's ass." If this causes you distress, don't listen to the song. But read the response from Ray and watch the video of him in which he talks about his response to those who thought his song was "inappropriate." It's a nice response, cause he's a nice guy.

Also, you can check out the linked episode of "the show with zefrank." He's even less inhibited in his word choice than Ray, so be forewarned.

Doodlebug

Draw a picture with your mouse, then watch your drawing moves get played back. One look at the Hall of Fame doodles convinced me there are a lot of folks with plenty of spare time out here.

Free signup required. I didn't bother to figure out the points system.

Damn Cool Pics Blog

Well-named blog.

Nod to: Daniel & Halle

MakeZine.com

The blog for Make Magazine. Very interesting, some bizarre, links and videos on home-made gadgets. Some of my picks:

• Tool Silverware
• Table Recorder
• Wii loop machine. It gets good about 7 minutes in. The fascinating thing about this is that the guy figured out how to do astounding things with a Wii remote, but couldn't figure out how to fix the background image on his webpage.
• Nate True's Cuff Lights
• Make a wallet from your computer keyboard
• Veggie Art

Justin.TV

Justin wears the camera 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even in the bathroom. Even on a date. And it's streamed live to the Internet. All the time.

Nod to: Blake Atwood

2006 YouTube Awards

Since YouTube.com plays a significant role in StupidInternetTricks.com, it's appropriate to present the 2006 YouTube Awards winners.

I'll let you go to the site for the Best Comedy, Best Commentary and Best Series, since I didn't find any of the linked sample videos worth wasting time on. But four of the winners are worth checking out.

Most Creative: Our buddies, OK GO, had to have been a shoo in for this one.

Best Music Video: Terra Namoi - Say It's Possible. Just her voice and an acoustic guitar. As a result of this video she has a record deal with Island Records, and will release her debut album this summer.

Most Inspirational: Free Hugs. Pretty moving in a very simple way.

Most Adorable: Kiwi. I've resisted linking this one because, while it is good animation, the cuteness factor is off the charts, which is the kiss of death for The Wunderfool. Your mileage may vary.

Make Your Own Sign

Make your own church sign

Make your own "You're On Notice" sign

CoversProject.com

This is just the kind of thing that makes the Internet a cool place. Millions of people pursuing their passion. Ever wonder who orignially wrote a song, or who it was that covered a song? Find out at the Covers Project.

From the Get a Life Dept.

Tossing things for fun and profit. Note: I saved the best for last.

Ping Pong Balls Playing time: 1:28

Quarters Playing time: 2:18

Basketballs Playing time: 1:28

Cans Playing time: 3:12

Virtual Bubble Wrap

Now all we need is a place to peel sunburns online.

Nod to: Ragamuffin Soul

Warning: Somewhat addictive

Cosmotions.com

Time-lapse photography of the cosmos. Very cool.

Warning: Might make you feel very small.

Skating Music

Skating Music

Nod to: Ragamuffin Soul

Pjotro Redux

Pjotro, the man in the musical suit, is on MySpace.

He left a comment in my July 2006 post to let us know about the battle with DJ Effex at www.PjotroVsEffex.com. I watched some of DJ, and he is very talented, but I'm a Pjotro fan to the core. You have to watch only him all the way through at least once to see all the amazing moves he has and the music his suit produces to accompany the dance. Absolutely priceless and the reason why Pjotro will remain in the top ranks on StupidInternetTricks.com.

Just in time for Valentine's Day

Make your own romance novel cover

Get a personalized romance book

Nod to: Miss C Recommends

BabyNameWizard.com

Cool dynamic graphing of name popularity from the 1880s to present. Sure you can use it to name your kid, but you can also use it to name your characters in a novel. Or see just how mean your parents were to you.

BugMeNot.com

When folks send me links to NY Times news stories or YouTube videos and I click on them and get a registration form, I just close the window and move on. I'd like to read the story, but I already have 50 or 60 logins to keep track of for websites I need to use regularly. I'm not looking to add another. I could use a fake email address from 10MinuteMail.com to register, but I would still have to slog through all the screens for the registration. I'd rather not. So, I miss out on a story or video here and there. I can live with it.

Now I don't have to. BugMeNot.com allows you to use an existing login id/password instead of filling out all those screens to get your own registration. Just paste the URL into the box at the top of the webpage and hit "Get Logins" and you'll see a list to choose from. Or, if you don't, you can be the nice guy, create one and add it to the BugMeNot database for the next guy.

There is a companion site, RetailMeNot.com, for sharing coupon codes. I didn't check it out. I'll leave that to The Woman. Perhaps she'll report back.

Nod to: STC

10MinuteMail.com

10-Minute Mail

Every once in a while you come across a site that requires an e-mail address to send a validation e-mail to. But you don't want to turn over your email address to what could be a spam machine. Enter 10MinuteMail.com. It's disposable and it's free.

Nod to: Ken Kienow

Cool Email Notifications

Amusing email notification alternatives.

One Minute Vacation

Just back from the holidays but still need a vacation? You can take a one-minute sonic vacation right at your computer. People from all over the world submit 60-seconds of sound from their location.

Nod to: Lisa Samson

Overheard in the Office

Starting off the new year with the most addictive website I've seen to date.

Warning: occasional adult content.