The top 10 Web sites you never heard of

[K.Karthik Raja]

The top 10 Web sites you never heard of

The Internet is even more useful than you think. As more and more
programmers and developers race to create the next killer app, some
end up gaining momentum while others haven't quite caught on yet.
We've slogged through the undiscovered masses to bring you ten
websites that are informative, handy, or simply downright cool --
before they enter the zeitgeist.

CrazyBlindDate

There are plenty of dating sites out there, but they all focus on
finding compatibility based on
users' profiles -- not necessarily on personalities. This site offers
blind dates at public
places in your neighborhood in the following major cities: New York,
Austin, Boston, and San
Francisco (with more cities coming soon). The dates can be arranged on
short notice -- as soon as tonight even -- without even viewing a
profile or image for your date. It's the closest thing to a
matchmaking friend you'll ever find online.

Better than: Pining over profiles pictures on Facebook.

DailyLit

Being well-read might not be your biggest priority, but it comes in
handy during dinner
conversations. Luckily, there's DailyLit. The site offers both
classics and contemporary titles, all provided in quick-reading
installments that can be sent to you either via e-mail or RSS. Since
most of the classics are in the public domain, they're free; newer
titles are available for purchase. So, the next time the conversation
turns to the genius of Herman Melville, you can join in.

Better than: Lugging around real books.

IWantSandy

While a glut of applications help you organize appointments on a
calendar, there's a lot of
activity in your daily life that doesn't fit neatly into your
calendar's time slots. Not good at
remembering to print out your flight confirmation code?

Send a message to Sandy, and she'll remind you in a daily digest, in a
text message, or as an vent on your calendar. Using e-mail, SMS,
Twitter, or Jott, you can set up and receive
reminders for appointments, contacts, lists, and random information.
And, true to her human-like presence on the site, "Sandy" speaks and
understands plain English -- just like a real personal assistant.

Better than: Paying a real Sandy who needs sick days.

Cocktail Party Physics

Physics probably doesn't come to mind as a conversation starter, let
alone an icebreaker in a room full of unacquainted guests. But in this
elegantly written blog, stories about science and technology come to
life as effortlessly as everyday chatter about politics, celebrities,
and vacations. Blogger Jennifer Ouelette makes science and technology
engaging enough for 2,000 word posts. Now, that's a feat.

Better than: Trying to impress the in-laws with your martini
capacity.

Newsmap

Newsmap is an amazing graphical representation of the constantly-
changing headlines on Google News. By relying on something called a
"treemap algorithm" to aggregate news, Newsmap uses space to translate
the importance of a story; in other words, more popular and important
stories appear larger, while less important ones appear smaller. It
also connects news stories by theme, using a variety of colors to
represent categories.

Better than: Sorting through RSS feeds.

Run.com

You have no excuse for not keeping your New Year's resolution now that
you can take that jog almost everywhere you go. Run.com, a user-
generated database of running routes all over the world, uses Google
Maps mashups, allowing runners to look up routes in their area and
choose them by length, difficulty, scenery and other user-rated
criteria.

Slideshow: The world's 50 most innovative companies
Business travelers who want to keep in shape on the road will be glad
to find routes in all 50 states, as well as in dozens of foreign
countries. The site is still in beta, so look for more routes to
come.

Better than: Getting purposely lost just to mix up your running
routine.

MakeUseOf

MakeUseOf is a tech blog that even laymen can understand. While early
adopters follow delve into the tiniest details about Web technologies,
most Web surfers only want the highlights of the latest developments.
MakeUseOf offers just that, in considerably de-geeked language.





Intel's Amazon ambitions
The tech-savvy aren't left out, though: in the "Geeky Fun" section,
the initiated will find
plenty of fodder for hearty laughs.

Better than: Trawling through techno-babble blogs for something free,
cool and useful.

5min

Try this: write directions for tying your shoes, or making a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich. It's not as easy as it seems; some things
are best demonstrated, not written. That's what makes the 5min
"videopedia" invaluable. It's a site featuring short videos that
provide solutions or instructions for common and practical issues,
like how to insulate your house or how to teach your dog to sit.

Making friends, creating customers
None of the videos are longer than five minutes, and they're all user-
generated, making 5min a kind of instructional video version of
Wikipedia.

Better than: Reading About.com.

TryPhone

With so many mobile phones on the market, it's hard to keep up and
know which one is right for you. That's the logic behind TryPhone, a
fully functioning interactive phone-testing site where you walk
through all the common features of the phone you're considering buying
in glorious, high-resolution interactivity. The site also contains
user reviews, specifications, product photos and links for
purchasing.

Better than: The dummy devices at cell phone stores.

Damn Interesting

If you ever find yourself sucked in by the occasional History Channel
special, you'll quickly get lost in Damn Interesting, a blog that
writes long-form historical summaries of just about anything that's,
well... damn interesting. Read about the bizarre saga of the trans-
siberian railroad, or the story of the failed invention of wireless
electricity. If you're in need of an engaging academic time-waster,
you've found it.

Better than: The "Random Article" link on Wikipedia