Work projects have me surfing the Interweb. Some fabulous finds I want to share with you are:
1. FOUND magazine
It's easy to spend a lot of time on this site, looking at the random finds. Its mysterious photos and cryptic notes have really sparked my imagination. I laughed hysterically at some; with others, I became pensive. The site entertained me for quite a while.
The above image is the "Find of the Day" for today. Arianna Meyer in Kansas sent in this "Shopping + Guys" note, and explains:
I found this when I was moving into my new house. Someone who lived there before probably had kids who played school. Obviously this essay received an A+.
Reader submissions are the lifeblood of FOUND magazine, so submit, already.
2. Urbis
Urbis is an online community dedicated to providing feedback on written work. Users submit their work and their "goals" for the work; other users (either "friends" or "strangers") then review the work. The site tracks the ratings and provides an analysis of what the community thinks about any given work.
According to their site:
Urbis is a community of creative people that offers sophisticated tools to help advance creativity and expose it to an audience.
If you're looking for an online writers group, Urbis could be the place.
3. Adopt the Sky
As a card-carrying member of the Cloud Appreciation Society, this site caught my eye. Readers in the U.S. now have a chance to "adopt" one square mile of sky in a symbolic effort to clean it up and help lower asthma rates. It's like the "adopt-a-highway" program, only way above our heads. The group Earthjustice, which started this project, describes what they do:
Earthjustice evens the odds in court against law-breaking industries and government agencies, protecting the environment and human health.
We do it for free. And we win...
Adopt the sky and sign the petition to tell the EPA we need better air standards now.
Cleaner air = more oxygen to the brain = more brain cells to use for writing and creative endeavors. Consider signing the petition.
KG--you're a card-carrying member of the Cloud Appreciation Society? You are so complex. You never cease to amaze me.
And I would *love* to adopt part of the sky. I mean, that would make me feel so connected, and responsible for it, and I guess this is what they were going for with that program :-).
This would also be a great gift for the "person who has everything", don't ya think?
Posted by: Sharon Sarmiento | July 31, 2007 at 03:11 PM
Hey Sharon! Complex? Why, thank you for the compliment. :)
That's an excellent point about a gift for someone who has everything. One of our favorite books around the house is called "The Gift of Nothing" by Patrick McDonnell -- look it up, you'll enjoy it! (It's along the same lines as adopting bits of the sky for a friend.)
Posted by: KG | July 31, 2007 at 11:12 PM
Adopt the Sky is a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Crafty Green Poet | August 03, 2007 at 03:25 AM
Crafty Green Poet — You're welcome! Do you have something like this in the U.K.?
Posted by: KG | August 03, 2007 at 08:36 AM
As if I don't have enough websites to keep me distracted, haha. (http://writingspark.com/?p=540).
Definitely off to check out FOUND! Thanks!
Posted by: alicia | August 04, 2007 at 11:58 AM
Alicia — Alright. Turnabout is fair play. I'm off to visit your link list. ;)
Posted by: KG | August 04, 2007 at 03:05 PM
Thx for the links - and you know how much I love links!
Posted by: Nienke | August 07, 2007 at 01:58 PM
Nienke — Yes, I do! Shall we be calling you "Nienke, Goddess of Links"? I kind of like the way it sounds, and it certainly fits you.
Posted by: KG | August 08, 2007 at 12:28 AM