Cutline Speaks

Life’s little distractions

posted by Lauren on June 17, 2008

The Internet is an amazing and valuable source of information. And like any engaging medium, it has the power to harness your attention and thus make the day disappear. Even when my intention is to go online and quickly check my email, I often find myself drifting – maybe taking a glance at my Facebook account, checking the news, or glancing at the latest gossip headlines. Next thing I know two hours of my Saturday have passed and my goal to buy airline tickets has led to an IMDB "where are they now" search of my favorite 80's heartthrobs. While I tend to limit my diversions to a select list of sites I visit again and again rather than scour the long tail of information available on the web, I still find time flying by.

I know I'm not the only one. My roommate, for example, has the uncanny ability to lose himself in the depths of Wikipedia, Yelp!, and the Buffalo Sabres website. I'm drawn more to idle entertainment, including the Flixter movie quiz (yes, I'm up to over 200,000 points), puzzle games, and the new Google Image Labeler.

So what draws your attention online? What sites do you find yourself visiting repeatedly, and which do you recommend for anyone looking to kill some time on the web? Would love to hear your favorites and perhaps I can find a new favorite of my own.

Tags for this post: entertainment