In the age of technology, it’s easier than ever to waste time on pointless endeavors. Why reach for that book you’ve been using as a coaster for that mug you haven’t washed in a month when the whole world is right at your fingertips? The sun is shining? Who cares! You’ve got the internet and you’re far too busy to, I don’t know, leave your bed?
I, at least, know all of this to be painfully true about myself, and I can(not) so proudly state that I’ve found a significant list of random websites over the years—websites that have served as fodder for my increasingly solidifying tendency to procrastinate on anything and everything. So if you’re looking for brainless internet activity that will bring you fleeting satisfaction, here are some of my favorite sites:
- Cleverbot
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Ah, an oldie, but such a goodie, if I do say so myself. I remember the days of gathering around the Middle School Library desktop and starting some Kardashian-level drama with Google’s resident artificially intelligent dunce. Within a few short exchanges, my friends and I could end up anywhere from getting engaged to the thing to having online roleplay-esque lightsaber battles (think *swings saber*, *falls dead*, *miraculously resurrects*). Cleverbot was always a good time, and to this day it can be fun to pop in every now and then to have a chat with our dear old friend. I will say that, having just chatted with Cleverbot myself at the time of writing this article, it seems a lot more clever than it ever was back in middle school. In a way, it’s cool to see how far AI has come over the years. But it’s also just really sad once you realize you’ve been yelling at a confused AI bot for the past ten minutes.
- AIPortraits
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Speaking of AI, artificial intelligence has since extended to pictures. There are a couple of fun pointless AI sites I considered talking about here, including the one that rates your hotness level based on the selfies you upload (but that one is kind of problematic, and I’m not just saying that because I didn’t get a perfect 10, thank you very much). AIPortraits is a site that takes your uploaded images and turns them into renaissance-like renditions. It’s super weird and super cool. Unfortunately, it looks like the website is currently down. However, enjoy this AIPortraited picture of Keanu Reeves!
- MorphThing
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Ever wanted to see what you and your crush’s babies will look like? Or maybe you’ve had the thought, “huh, these two celebrshortcutities combined would be one scary-looking person?” Well MorphThing is here for you. It superimposes images onto one another so that the two people become morphed. You can choose from a preexisting pool of celebrity images, or you can upload your own. I myself have been morphing for years, and yes, I know how sad that sounds.
- SelectSmart
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Okay, so maybe all this AI and photo manipulation isn’t really your thing, but Buzzfeed Quizzes just aren’t delivering the answers you seek and you’re desperate for something new. Look no further than SelectSmart! Okay, I actually really enjoy this one. The site hosts a ton (and I mean a ton) of incredibly specific quizzes, such as “which dog should I adopt”, “college major selector” and “do you believe in the Force?” (I don’t know, do I?) I’ve taken a ton of these quizzes in my free time, and they are all surprisingly thorough—like someone out there really cares that you get the right car to match your personality. All jokes aside, some of these quizzes could be incredibly helpful in narrowing down options for tough decisions, and others might give you helpful insights about yourself. Of course, take these with a grain of salt (and if you’re going to get upset with your results from the “what STD are you” quiz, you probably just shouldn’t take it.)
- RainyMood
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Let’s say, hypothetically, that you’re a far more normal/social person than I am and you’re just looking for a fun new website you didn’t know about. RainyMood is a website that just plays an endless track of rain sounds—that’s it. Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. Put this on in the background while you’re studying or if you’re about to fall asleep, and I promise you, you will feel so cleansed. I once fell asleep with this thing on and was very confused by the lack of rain when I looked out the window in the morning. Then I remembered—this is just an awesome website.
- Honorable Mention: The Dinosaur Game
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You know what I’m talking about, I know what I’m talking about. Need I say more?
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Photos 1,3,4,5 provided by author. Photo 2