Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

The 10 websites your homework hates

1. Facebook

Clearly there’s no question on this one. I bet half of you have another tab open with Facebook on it as you read this. Facebook has become so many college students’ addiction and their homework’s worst enemy. Sometimes when I’m supposed to be writing a paper I find myself looking at profile pictures of friend’s friends that I don’t know. It is a serious problem that can be seen any time you enter the library or a computer lab—at least half of the people who are trying to do work have Facebook up instead. There is the games section, where you can find just about any mindless computer game you’ve ever wanted. There are endless apps. There are friends saying silly things. There is Farmville. Sometimes I try to imagine what students were doing seven years ago when Facebook was still just a notion in that Harvard student’s head. They probably got a lot more done.

2. StumbleUpon.com

I learned about this website a couple of years ago and I have weaned myself from it because it was taking up too much of my life. Now that I return I am dangerously close to returning to my addiction, as it has now been linked with Facebook so you can see what sites your friends stumble upon. It’s basically a big database in which you choose from a long list of interests and it finds  websites related to things that interest you. Say you are interested in art, it could bring you to a forum where people share their art, it could bring you to an article about a specific type of art, it could bring you an artistic YouTube video, or sometimes it could just bring you to a cool photo.

3. Sporcle.com

Their tagline: “Mentally stimulating diversions”. Perfect. It is a site full of timed quizzes on just about anything you can imagine. There are different categories you can look through, or you can hit “Random Quiz” until you find something that appeals to you. Each quiz will show your score at the end and, if you want, you can view how you compared to others who took the quiz. This site is also fun to do with friends because the brain power between multiple people can only increase your score  and the excitement.

4.KillSomeTime.com

This website was chosen for the list while similar websites were not because it has just about everything in one place. It has funny videos and pictures like CollegeHumor but also has the wide array of stupid, yet extremely amusing, computer games such as featured on AddictingGames. It is a great source for popular and hilarious videos, but they are easier to discover than on YouTube. Plus, the name of the website just works perfectly for this list.

5. TheOnion.com

Why read real news articles when you can instead read rather hilarious, satirical versions? The Onion is a website of news articles that are completely made up but sound legitimate. You may wonder why you would want to read factious stories when you could be educating yourself on topical issues. Most of the things written on The Onion are based off of true events but made with ridiculous twists. Kind of like The Daily Show. The best fun to be had with the website could quite possibly be showing these articles to gullible friends and watch them become outraged at what the world seems to be coming to.

6. TextsFromLastNight.com/FMyLife.com

For those of you who still live in the prehistoric ages, Texts From Last Night is where people send in outrageous texts that they receive for the world to see and FML is a series of stories of people’s unfortunate lives. Both have on several occasions caused me to LOL at inappropriate times, (i.e. using a computer at the library, during class, etc.). Ever heard someone say “Eff my life!”? That spawned from this website. UMass also has its own TFLN group on Facebook, strictly chronicling the crazy nights at the Zoo, although I think everyone has forgotten about it because it’s mostly just ridden with spam now. I believe we should change that! (I spent way too much time procrastinating on there.)

7. Yayeveryday.com

Not quite as many people have heard of this site before; that makes me happy to be a pioneer in all things procrastination! Everday collects cool artsy photos and videos for your enjoyment. I think their database goes on for just about forever. (Actually 262 pages as of right now.) I like these photos better than the ones on Kill Some Time because they’re done by really talented people and are really appealing to look at. This site is also great because you can click on the photo or video to see where it’s from, and I have found some pretty neat blogs this way. They also add new things constantly so it’s difficult to ever get bored.

8. Wikipedia.org

No, Wiki is not just for writing misinformed papers anymore. Ok, well so it is, but I also find myself spending way too much time on this website accidently. I type in something I want to know more about; such as sporks or Billy Corgan, and with all of the blue highlighted words I end up reading encyclopedia articles about things that have nothing to do with what I originally searched. Not only this, but now Wiki has a bunch of spin-offs, such as WikiQuote and WikiAnswers. I actually just searched “procrastination” and found this lovely quote, “it is estimated that 80%-95% of college students engage in procrastination.”

9. Yahoo.com

This may seem like an odd thing to put on this list. But I’m telling you, I’ve never before spent so much time on Yahoo except when it was my go-to search engine. My favorite part of Yahoo aside from the free email server is the news section. I’m not huge into news that involve politics or really big words but Yahoo always seems to have a good stream of interesting articles that change every day. Had it not been for Yahoo I wouldn’t have bothered to see what Katy Perry was supposed to wear on Sesame Street nor would I know that Peter Jackson has been given the ok to film “The Hobbit”. Awesome.

10. CuteOverload.com

I don’t know about you, but nothing brightens my day like adorable baby animals. This blog has readers submit cute photos or videos of animals and the site administrators add funny captions. New blog posts are up every day. Even if you believe that you are just too manly to have others see kittens on your laptop screen, just remember, girls LOVE baby animals.

Acacia DiCiaccio can be reached at [email protected].

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Comments (74)

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  • H

    haberlerJan 1, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    I relish, lead to I found exactly what I was taking a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye

    Reply
  • E

    Ejaculation trainer: how to last long in bedDec 22, 2011 at 8:24 am

    You could definitely see your expertise within the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. Always follow your heart.

    Reply
  • A

    AliDec 1, 2011 at 12:03 am

    Stumbled upon this!

    Reply
  • C

    careNov 30, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    dearblankpleaseblank.com is another

    Reply
  • P

    procrastinatorNov 30, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    I stumbled upon this site while I was supposed to be reading chapter 4 in my textbook for college.

    I like stumble upon cause it breaks up the mindless dribble… er I mean text book reading.. so I don’t fall asleep while working on my assignments

    Reply
  • S

    SamMar 30, 2011 at 1:40 am

    It’s funny how I have facebook open in another tab & found this via stumble upon. First two things on the list.

    Reply
  • S

    slackerMar 29, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    Dont forget craigslist’s missed connections!!!! soo funny!

    Reply
  • W

    whome?Mar 29, 2011 at 8:04 pm

    Im trying to study. (aka stumbling). Maybe this is a sign

    Reply
  • J

    jynnantonixMar 29, 2011 at 7:36 pm

    Haha, so true! I came to this list thanks to stumbleupon, which I’m only on because I’m putting off some rather important paper-writing! Funny old world, isn’t it? 🙂

    Reply
  • M

    miisMar 29, 2011 at 7:22 pm

    stumbleupon’d this while avoiding an essay. awesome.

    Reply
  • A

    allMar 29, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    haha, i am on stumbleupon right now looking at this website. Also, similar to texts from last night, is damnyouautocorrect.com its hilarious

    Reply
  • B

    BrandiMar 29, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    hee hee I stumbled upon this 🙂

    Reply
  • E

    emanMar 29, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    I stumbled upon this too!. WINNER! FTW!

    Reply
  • T

    thebigwebMar 29, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    DamnYouAutoCorrect pretty much makes me piss my pants every time i go to it!

    Reply
  • R

    ReaderMar 29, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    As far as #6, I found a similar web-site that keeps me entertained: http://www.typical-human.com – it asks visitors to anonymously share their “oddities” and then people vote whether such “oddity” is “typical” or “weird”. It’s pretty hilarious!

    Reply
  • D

    dmtMar 29, 2011 at 12:08 pm

    you forgot the shroomery.org

    Reply
  • B

    BioengineerMar 29, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    ironic, got to a site about distracting sites through a distracting site (Stumbleupon). thank you for the sites

    Reply
  • S

    ShroudMar 29, 2011 at 11:11 am

    I believe Cracked.com should get a honorable mentions.

    It contains a LOT of very interesting shit and it draws you in for hours on end…albeit, it requires for the people to have the ability to read more than 140 characters

    Reply
  • A

    AlchemistMar 29, 2011 at 10:10 am

    “Sometimes I try to imagine what students were doing seven years ago when Facebook was still just a notion in that Harvard student’s head. They probably got a lot more done.”

    Naaah, did we hell 😀 It’s been more than 7 years but from what I remember from University we took loads of drugs and went to the pub every night.
    Facebook’s cheaper and healthier

    Reply
  • A

    AmandaMar 29, 2011 at 8:41 am

    Thank you stumbleupon for distracting me once again… oh and thanks for the new distractions…… 😉

    Reply
  • M

    martinMar 29, 2011 at 8:39 am

    Stumbeled to this site while having homework to do
    🙂

    Reply
  • J

    JoeMar 29, 2011 at 6:14 am

    Stumbled. supposed to be doing assingment. Irony

    Reply
  • K

    kstoMar 29, 2011 at 4:55 am

    found.com is a good one

    Reply
  • B

    bbbMar 28, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    Stumbled upon this while procrastinating in the Umass Library…weeeiirrrddddd….

    Reply
  • T

    thysbw3eMar 28, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    what about: mylifeisaverage.com? and verydemotivational.com (and all of the memebase sites) ?

    Reply
  • K

    KaylaMar 28, 2011 at 8:43 pm

    Guess what site brought me here…..
    StumbleUpon.
    And guess what is tab 2 on my browser…
    Facebook
    And guess which sites I read almost religiously…
    DamnYouAutocorrect, Fmylife, tfln, etc. such a true post

    Reply
  • J

    John UKMar 28, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    2.27 am Stumbleupon. How many cups of coffee have I forgotten to drink. How many meeting have I missed !!! My life is disappearing ……. Just one more click

    Reply
  • C

    CayleighMar 28, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    Found with StumbleUpon.

    TVTropes HAS to replace something on this list, for REAL!

    Reply
  • G

    gotjenMar 28, 2011 at 8:02 pm

    Totally StumpledUpon this while I should have been writing my research paper.

    Reply
  • E

    ErmileeMar 28, 2011 at 7:04 pm

    STUMBLEUPON BROUGHT ME HERE 🙂

    BAHAHAHA. Procrastination!

    Reply
  • E

    erikaaMar 28, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    I FOUND THIS ON STUMBLEUPON!! AHH 😀

    Reply
  • J

    JoshMar 28, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    I found this with stumble upon

    Reply
  • M

    MichelleMar 28, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    Billy Corgan lover? *high fives*
    and of course, I stumbled on this.

    Reply
  • K

    KelseyMar 28, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    Yeah… I stumbled upon this. 🙂

    Reply
  • L

    liamMar 28, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    also found this on stumbleupon JAJAJAjA…also try bored.com name says all. btw sorry for my bad english 🙂

    Reply
  • A

    asdfghjklMar 28, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    cracked.com

    Reply
  • K

    KristenMar 28, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    You forgot to put YouTube up there!! Haha

    Reply
  • M

    MoomanMar 28, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    Math homework probably hates wolframalpha, that site is my savior.

    Reply
  • A

    AnaMar 28, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    As I was reading this, I had facebook open and I happened upon this site on Stumbleupon.com. I am supposed to be taking history notes right now.

    Reply
  • T

    Tyler DoughertyMar 28, 2011 at 3:20 pm

    I don’t find stumble a waste of time. I have learned more from stumble than anything really.

    Reply
  • L

    LozPotMar 28, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    TeeHee!!! I also ‘StumbledUpon’ this website. But for F*cks Sake you’ve given me more sites to waste my time on…………. Thanx tho 🙂

    Reply
  • S

    S. M.Mar 28, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    Actually I just Stumbled this page… kinda ironic huh XD

    Reply
  • B

    BethanyMar 28, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    Haha, I was just reading some stumbleupon articles on Facebook, and decided to stumble and ended up here… 🙂

    Reply
  • Z

    zhaniswolfMar 28, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    You forgot I Can Has Cheeseburger 🙁 lol

    Reply
  • D

    DCP - Transatlantic Hip HopMar 28, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg-CYdT0dDQ – i think you all need a bit more of this…

    Reply
  • S

    StaceyMar 28, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    Hyperbole and a Half – will draw you in with its humor, may I recommend the God of Cake….enjoy

    hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com

    Reply
  • D

    DustinMar 28, 2011 at 11:12 am

    “I’m not huge into news that involve politics or really big words…”
    How are you not terribly embarrassed to write this?
    Christ, you should be ashamed. Thankfully, you’re likely too apathetic to vote, but still…

    Reply
  • H

    HaleyMar 28, 2011 at 11:06 am

    I FOUND THIS WITH STUMBLEUPON.

    XDDDDD

    Reply
  • A

    anMar 28, 2011 at 10:16 am

    reddit.com

    Reply
  • D

    DanyMar 28, 2011 at 10:09 am

    ffffound.com is pretty sweet also

    Reply
  • J

    JMar 28, 2011 at 9:19 am

    I would say 10 sites that slowly kill you …

    Reply
  • B

    BillMar 28, 2011 at 8:48 am

    LOL… I “StumbledUpon” this article at work — SU is a productive day’s worst nightmare!

    Reply
  • F

    fajas colombianasMar 28, 2011 at 8:22 am

    How could you miss tumblr and twitter.

    Reply
  • Z

    z1Mar 28, 2011 at 5:53 am

    stumbled!
    I would add Cheezburger, 4chan and Twitter

    Reply
  • L

    LolaMar 28, 2011 at 4:54 am

    I stumbled upon this at 5:50 am…damn my insomnia.

    Reply
  • E

    ElleMar 28, 2011 at 4:50 am

    TVtropes is dangerous because I only end up on it while writing essays- which is usually last minute. And once I’m there… oh god I only went there for a second, to see if they had that XKCD comic about them and it turns out it’s been ten minutes.

    Reply
  • K

    katieMar 28, 2011 at 3:14 am

    I found this whilst I was meant to be studying- via stumbleupon- how apt!

    Reply
  • A

    Ashley²Mar 28, 2011 at 2:53 am

    Don’t forget 9gag =]

    Reply
  • J

    JosephMar 28, 2011 at 2:20 am

    3:19 am – Using Stumble Upon.
    Ended up here.
    Spent Hour here looking at links in comments.

    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

    Reply
  • L

    LiseyMar 28, 2011 at 2:05 am

    I stumbled upon this too :(.
    Yahoo answers is also pretty bad in the procrastination stakes…

    Reply
  • M

    michaelaMar 28, 2011 at 12:40 am

    i stumbled upon this (:

    Reply
  • A

    AshleyMar 27, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    TvTropes.org

    Reply
  • P

    PeterMar 27, 2011 at 11:11 pm

    Discovered via stumbleupon.com at 05:10 am. Damn you.

    Reply
  • B

    benMar 27, 2011 at 9:28 pm

    TOTALLY AGREE … everytime i go to check my yahoo email inbox i get sidetracked by some RANDOM interestin news article they have up

    Reply
  • J

    JessicaMar 27, 2011 at 8:20 pm

    that textfromlastnight.com sucks and it seems like they’re trying to scam me before i can even look at the site!

    Reply
  • M

    mattMar 27, 2011 at 7:28 pm

    The best part about this, is that i was on TFLN when i decided to start stumbling and this is the first site it took me to.

    Reply
  • J

    JImMar 27, 2011 at 7:28 pm

    You should add Shorpy.com – incredible old photographs you can download in HD and explore streets, people and places from 100 years ago. Ive killed a lot of time here.

    Reply
  • L

    LindaMar 27, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    you missed tumblr.

    Reply
  • A

    AnisaMar 27, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    I knew only the first two. My homework are thanking you really much for introducing me to the other eight! 🙂

    Reply
  • J

    JamesMar 27, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    And of course if you’re a guy. Any porn website, or 4chan.

    Reply
  • A

    Andrea UndisMar 27, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    I found this website from StumbleUpon, and it has caused me to procrastinate more.. Thank you 😀

    Reply
  • M

    MorganMar 27, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    Don’t forget MyLifeIsAverage.com… I spend waaay too much time on that one.

    Also, dearblankpleaseblank.com and any of the other mylifeis websites.

    Reply
  • T

    TimMar 27, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    Stumbleupon is the best kept secret on the web. It truly brings you some things you may never get to see…or read. Great website (or should I say web-service)

    Reply
  • T

    trMar 27, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    sweet… the umass newspaper made stumble

    Reply