Rob-Rivera.com

5 Websites That Deserve Your Time (and Bandwidth)

Hi! Since my life has, for better or worse, created a symbiosis with the Internet, I get to find a lot of interesting stuff in the unlikeliest of places. Of course, you might be wondering why I’m so special when millions of people find all sorts of interesting stuff all the time anyway; I suppose the reason why I would post this list and subsequent lists like this one is because it’s all a matter of taste. Maybe we share the same tastes, and maybe you trust that I have a good eye (thank you!). In any case, here goes the list. There’s no order of importance, genre or anything in particular. These are simply sites that I visit regularly and always give me something cool to talk about.

1. CHUD: Chud’s been around since I can remember in terms of my internet life, and it’s made the introductions between me and some of my favorite movies ever. The Host, Crank, Old Boy, Tony Jaa, The State, Battlestar Galactica, Slither, the second chance I gave to The Iron Giant, and so many more were discovered through the site. I like to think that Chud is one of the main reasons why I like the movies I do, and it’s definitely made me wise up on what’s good and what’s bad out there. Often considered a blog (though I don’t really see it, but whatever) operated by Nick Nunziata and with some of the best web journalists out there such as Devin Faraci, Alex Riviello, Russ Fischer and others, they cover movies, TV, comic books, DVD and BluRay and have a whole array of columns such as The Devin’s Advocate, The Sewer Subterranea and CHUDSploitation, and others. If you’re looking for something more beyond the run-of-the-mill blockbusters and media darling shows, CHUD is the place to go. Watch out with the Forums, though; they’re the most intimidating place on the internet, because everyone in there is smart and scathing. They eat their young. I’ve lurked for years and whenever I pick up the balls to sign up I run into a thread where everyone’s ripping each other a new one in such sharp, imaginative ways that I feel out of my league.
2. Gorilla Mask: The premise of this site is fairly simple. Every day you’ll come in and check out the daily links of random nonesense on display and you’ll waste your time in the most effective way possible, staying true to their site’s motto: “Killing Productivity, Seven Days a Week.” The site posts all sorts of stuff, from image galleries to articles, videos and curious tidbits you can only find on the world wide web. Their back catalog is well-stocked too, and it’s very easy to search and findwhat you’re looking for. From this site you can also discover many different places on the web where you can waste your time with much gusto. Just keep in mind that some links are NSFW, if you’re worried about that sort of thing.
3. Area 5/CO-OP: I’m proud to say I’m a gamer. Always have been and I think it’s pretty safe to say that I always will be, passing the habit along to my eventual kids. With the internet it’s easier to get news about the latest games coming down the pike and it’s a much cheaper venture too, given that the internet is free and all that jazz. Using its full potential though, the guys from Area 5 (formerly 1UP staff) created a true gem for every gamer out there, recently updating and fine-tuning it to what we know today as the CO-OP Show. Originally the 1UP Show, after what I like to call “The Great 1UP Fallout” which is something you’ll have to read about elsewhere, many of the creative forces behind 1UP had to relocate elsewhere. Happily they’ve all managed to get back up on their feet, and CO-OP has to be seen as nothing short of a triumph. Tune in every week for the best video game show, online or otherwise… just be prepared to suck up a lot of bandwidth, ‘cuz this greatness don’t come cheap. Also, check out the site’s links section full of awesome video game related podcasts and other goodies.
4. io9: If you’re into sci-fi, then you’ve probably heard of this website. If you haven’t, then you should: io9 is kind of the BoingBoing.net of Sci Fi, or rather second cousin who’s more into the genre. In this site you’ll find reviews and commentary on everything sci fi, be it books, TV, movies or anything in between. There are also smart, snarky articles on subjects that span anywhere from alien abductions to Donnie Darko. For what it’s worth, the site is part of the Gawker network, where you can easily jump genres from Sci Fi to celebrities, to gadgets and video games, and others.
5. Post Secret: One of the first websites I ever came across with, I have it in high regard for what it’s been able to accomplish. A web 2.0 site when Web 2.0 didn’t even exist, the site is a simple blog were people send in postcards with their most intimate secrets anonimously. The site’s creator/curator, Frank Warren, then updates the site every Sunday with a whole batch of secrets. The postcards are sweet, depressing, uplifting, discouraging, eerie and facsinating all at once. There have been several books published with thousands of secrets, and many people owe their lives to the website (it’s no coincidence that the website has a link to the US Suicide Hotline). I go there every week to renew my hope for humanity.

I hope you enjoy the sites. I might do more of these in the future, so stay tuned, I guess. Do you have any websites you usually go to that you’d like to share with the rest of us?

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