Time Magazine recently came out with a list of the 50 Best Websites for 2008. For the most part, I applaud the effort of Time Magazine and the lead website reviewer Anita Hamilton. The list touches on a variety of interests, and in that sense, the list is comprehensive and represents a nice cross-section of web surfers.
I went through the interesting exercise of going through all 50, and I took the liberty of reducing Time’s list of 50 down to Paulano’s List of 18. My two most common reasons for tossing a site were: 1) Someone else on the web does the same thing and they do it better and 2) The site simply did not interest me.
My favorite site is wikisky.org, a site that features images of space. Graphical Search Engine Searchme.com is a close second. The sites that held the least interest for me are Mobaganda and TinyURL.
My pick for Site Most Likely to be Misused is Ratemyprofessors.com. Paulano 
is not comfortable with the fact that the web provides anonymity for anyone who wishes to pop off with a libelous, slanderous or gratuitously unkind comment. I realize that Ratemyprofessors is just one of thousands of possible avenues for this type of abuse, but I feel it represents an class of sites that one should avoid. I’ve witnessed how easily this can get out of control, and quickly ruin a person’s reputation.
And so, without any further delay, I present Paulano’s Top Picks from the Time Magazine Top 50 for 2008. This is so exciting…
http://www.afrigadget.com Highlights cool high tech and low tech solutions to problems facing people in Africa.
http://www.geni.com Easy interface to track your family tree.
http://www.urbandictionary.com Know for sure when you are being dissed by the youngsters.
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu Fascinating slice of music and pop culture history.
http://www.hulu.com Missed House or Bones? No problem. Go to Hulu.
http://www.imeem.com Boasts an extensive offering of music.
http://www.nextag.com No-nonsense comparison shopping.
http://www.SearchMe.com Like the site says – You’ll know it when you see it. A google for visual people.
http://www.nymbler.com A baby naming site that came too late for Angelicious, Spartella and Fabiola.
http://www.carbonrally.com Challenges you to break some of your most wasteful habits.
http://www.colourlovers.com – A site to appeal to designers and artists.
http://www.digitalvaults.org – Grandma’s attic on a national scale.
http://www.freerice.com An odd site – take a vocabulary quiz in return for the promise of a food donation to a nation in need.
http://www.kiva.org Make Loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished nations.
http://www.petfinder.com Find the perfect pet, wherever it is, whatever it is.
http://www.wikisky.org Mind-blowing pictures of the Universe.
http://www.omiru.com Clothes and accessories with clean contemporary design.
http://www.howcast.com A cool “how-to” site with demonstration videos.
OK. I need 2 more for an even 20. NASA (http://www.nasa.gov) is a sure-fire pick.
Does Kyle Design make my list? Of course! Anytime you are looking for unique, personalized gift ideas, Kyle Design is a one stop shop. This is especially true at Christmas-time, when you need gifts for multiple people. Check out her incredible selection. She is certain to have something for everyone, including the person who has everything.
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Filed under: - Business Gifts -, Christmas, Commentary, Gifts, Kyle Design, Lists, Personalized design, Reviews, cigarette cases, flasks, lighters, ornaments, recommendations | Tagged: 50 Best Websites for 2008, afrigadget, Anita Hamilton, Bones, carbonrally, chihuahua design, christmas ornament, cigarette lighter, colourlovers, cylinder preservation, digitalvaults, dog lovers gifts, freerice, geni, Gifts, Graduation Gifts, House, howcast, hulu, imeem, kiva, Kyle Design, mobaganda, NASA, Nextag, nymbler, omiru, one stop shop, ornaments, petfinder, ratemyprofessor, SearchMe, Time Magazine, tinyurl, tree of life, urbandictionary, Website Reviews, whiskey flasks, wikisky, writer's gifts
Review of Time Magazine’s 50 Best Websites for 2008
I went through the interesting exercise of going through all 50, and I took the liberty of reducing Time’s list of 50 down to Paulano’s List of 18. My two most common reasons for tossing a site were: 1) Someone else on the web does the same thing and they do it better and 2) The site simply did not interest me.
My favorite site is wikisky.org, a site that features images of space. Graphical Search Engine Searchme.com is a close second. The sites that held the least interest for me are Mobaganda and TinyURL.
My pick for Site Most Likely to be Misused is Ratemyprofessors.com. Paulano
is not comfortable with the fact that the web provides anonymity for anyone who wishes to pop off with a libelous, slanderous or gratuitously unkind comment. I realize that Ratemyprofessors is just one of thousands of possible avenues for this type of abuse, but I feel it represents an class of sites that one should avoid. I’ve witnessed how easily this can get out of control, and quickly ruin a person’s reputation.
And so, without any further delay, I present Paulano’s Top Picks from the Time Magazine Top 50 for 2008. This is so exciting…
http://www.afrigadget.com Highlights cool high tech and low tech solutions to problems facing people in Africa.
http://www.geni.com Easy interface to track your family tree.
http://www.urbandictionary.com Know for sure when you are being dissed by the youngsters.
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu Fascinating slice of music and pop culture history.
http://www.hulu.com Missed House or Bones? No problem. Go to Hulu.
http://www.imeem.com Boasts an extensive offering of music.
http://www.nextag.com No-nonsense comparison shopping.
http://www.SearchMe.com Like the site says – You’ll know it when you see it. A google for visual people.
http://www.nymbler.com A baby naming site that came too late for Angelicious, Spartella and Fabiola.
http://www.carbonrally.com Challenges you to break some of your most wasteful habits.
http://www.colourlovers.com – A site to appeal to designers and artists.
http://www.digitalvaults.org – Grandma’s attic on a national scale.
http://www.freerice.com An odd site – take a vocabulary quiz in return for the promise of a food donation to a nation in need.
http://www.kiva.org Make Loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished nations.
http://www.petfinder.com Find the perfect pet, wherever it is, whatever it is.
http://www.wikisky.org Mind-blowing pictures of the Universe.
http://www.omiru.com Clothes and accessories with clean contemporary design.
http://www.howcast.com A cool “how-to” site with demonstration videos.
OK. I need 2 more for an even 20. NASA (http://www.nasa.gov) is a sure-fire pick.
Filed under: - Business Gifts -, Christmas, Commentary, Gifts, Kyle Design, Lists, Personalized design, Reviews, cigarette cases, flasks, lighters, ornaments, recommendations | Tagged: 50 Best Websites for 2008, afrigadget, Anita Hamilton, Bones, carbonrally, chihuahua design, christmas ornament, cigarette lighter, colourlovers, cylinder preservation, digitalvaults, dog lovers gifts, freerice, geni, Gifts, Graduation Gifts, House, howcast, hulu, imeem, kiva, Kyle Design, mobaganda, NASA, Nextag, nymbler, omiru, one stop shop, ornaments, petfinder, ratemyprofessor, SearchMe, Time Magazine, tinyurl, tree of life, urbandictionary, Website Reviews, whiskey flasks, wikisky, writer's gifts