The Twisted Web We Weave

I am someone who sleeps with my laptop in bed with me and can’t take a fifteen minute car ride without checking every bookmark on my BlackBerry. I receive condolence calls when my computer is on the fritz. Everyone who knows me can testify that I am a technology whore and an internet addict.

But with good reason! The internet, while consuming more of my spare time than I’d like to admit, has been paramount to my everyday functioning. Below, I’ve shared with you websites that no self-respecting New Yorker should endure 2009 without.

•  ChaCha: I have the feeling ChaCha is not as popular as it should be. Have you ever really needed a pressing question answered but were on the go or just too damn lazy to figure it out yourself? ChaCha is a website where someone else does the information hunting for you. It’s free, fast, and provides the instant gratification we’ve all grown accustomed to.  The best part is you can text ChaCha your questions and a “ChaCha guide” will be at your beck and call. Next time you need to know the name of the song that Zack and Kelly danced to at prom the time Kelly couldn’t afford a dress, you’ll know who to turn to (ChaCha can also be used to find out about flight delays, school closings, and traffic).
• craigslist: craigslist is the only site with an old school interface that doesn’t make me cringe (I’m looking at you, DrudgeReport… ugh). While I found both my job and apartment via craig; the site has also provided me with hours of entertainment. One of my favorite CL forums is Missed Connections. Missed Connections is where you can attempt to have a second chance with someone you spent a fleeting moment with at a bar or on the subway but were too pussy to ask them out the first time around. Also notable: best-of-craigslist, a collection of rants, raves, sales posts, and apartment listings humorous enough to make you LOL [Ed. Note: I am using LOL ironically and do not condone its usage].
• HopStop: The perfect website for the subway-challenged. HopStop not only tells you what trains to take, it also tells you how to walk to and from the station. Perfect for those who tend to be slow on the uptake! All you need is a point of origin and destination and the rest is cake. HopStop isn’t only for New Yorkers; any U.S. city with a transportation system can utilize this travel tool.
• Wikipedia: When I was in school, Wikipedia was strictly forbidden. Simple proof that the ‘forbidden fruit tastes sweeter’ cliché holds true for websites. I’ll say it once: Wikipedia is the shit. While it’s true that you run a great risk of obtaining misinformation, Wikipedia isn’t there to be a reliable source; it’s there so that people like you and I can write character descriptions for the entire cast of Degrassi. It’s there so you can learn what actors went to rehab and when. It’s there so that we can constantly edit history as it happens.
•  Last FM: Similar to Pandora, except sort of better. Every time you listen to a song, your Last FM profile learns more about you and what other bands you might like. The site recommends music to you by comparing you with users who have similar taste. Working both ways, the songs you listen to often become more important on the site; thus being recommended to other people more frequently. You can also see your musical compatibility with any user, like a Match.com for jams. It also synchs with iTunes AND your iPod, keeping tabs on your most played tracks on and off the computer. 
•  StumbleUpon: The web’s best kept secret. StumbleUpon can be accessed as both a toolbar or as a website (for when you’re at work). After answering some inquiry about yourself and your interests, the site installs a toolbar for easy-access to websites you’d find appealing based on your interests. With one click of a button, Stumble will take you and show you the best selection of pictures, videos, news articles, and blogs the internet has to offer.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Facebook: For social networking

Tumblr: For blogging

Stuff White People Like: For laughing

Gawker: For being slightly elitist but informed

Google Maps: For when you’re lost

 

 

 

The Luxury Spot: For everything else!