10 Time Wasters:
Killin’ Time ‘Til 5:00 Rolls Around
You know those days when you’ve finished up the day’s work but it’s only 4:00 and you have to kill some time until quitting time at 5:00. You have to look busy but, let’s face it, you’re through for the day.
Well, with these time-killers, you can stare at your computer screen like you’re studying an important report. Goof off and look good doing it with these fun, browser-based sites. (You don’t want to download anything to the network server, right?)
1. Fun Trivia is the leading trivia site on-line. The site uses quizzes created by authors so there’s always something new to peruse. Puzzles range from painfully simple to just plain painful. There are hourly quizzes, daily challenges and, if you’re the social type (and you have a corner office where you won’t be disturbed) you can join one of the dozens of social groups and compete against other teams.
Terry Ford, the driving force behind Fun Trivia, offers lots of other features. Got a question that’s been nagging at you? Post in on the forum. You’ll have your answer in a few minutes. Fun Trivia also lets you create your own quizzes, using volunteer editors, if you want to stump your friends with your opera knowledge.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 10+
2. Mafia Wars is an on-line pick-and click with over 5 million participants. The basic game is simple: Go through the door or Go through the window. Pick and click. But even that part gets addictive.
Mafia Wars is designed to create social interaction so you can play it on FB or MySpace, swapping bombs for machine guns with fellow MW players. Lots of trading going on all over my FB wall.
Be warned, Mafia Wars is addictive. You build gangs, make deals, get cheated, killed, double-crossed and you make friends while you’re waiting for that minute hand to reach 5:00 PM. Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 9
3. The Smoking Gun isn’t a gamer site, so if the boss looks in on you, your computer screen won’t be filled with popping balloons or enraged outlaws.
This site posts actual, public records – arrest reports, mug shots and other goof stuff on the rich, famous and the just plain stupid.
You can read the entire police report of how the infamous Tanya Harding flipped a hub cap that hit here then husband in the face. (She was arrested for spousal abuse.) You’ll find the actual copies of reports of burglars who got stuck in air vents, DUI arrest reports on everyone from Paris Hilton to Eddie Murphy and more.
If your boss does catch a glimpse of your screen, it’ll look like you doing real-time research instead of reading the latest on Tiger Woods’ “accident” that left him bleeding outside his SUV on his own property. Like gossip? The Smoking Gun is a total time waster. Bet you won’t want to leave even when the closing bell rings.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 8+
4. Neopets is designed for kids but, guaranteed, you’ll be on site everyday. In Neopets land, you create your own virtual pets. They need to be fed. You have to find medicine when they come down with the wheezles, there are loads of games and puzzles. It ain’t just for kids, that’s a fact.
One good thing I like about Neopets is that you can log in at home and play along with your kids.
Again, the games range from super easy to super fun, the kids learn lessons like responsibility and consequences, saving and trading items, and it’s a good way to connect up with friends around the world.
Don’t forget to feed your pet everyday, and find the cure when they get sick.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 8 (adults); 10+ (kids)
5. Pogo is everywhere. Pogo games get picked up by AOL, Yahoo, you can add them to your iGoogle page. You can’t swing a dead gamer without hitting a Pogo game somewhere.
Some are pretty lame, but Bejeweled has become such a classic, Microsoft is including it in its free game pack. Bejeweled is like crack. The more you do it the more addicted you become. But no worries. There are mobi Bejeweled apps for the subway and you can log on as soon as you get home to start a new game.
My only recommendation? Blink once in while as you play.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 7 (all games) 7; Bejeweled: 9+
6. Elveron is a browser-based RPG (role playing game). It’s got robust player support and, for a free browser-based time waster, it’s got some decent graphics and mind-twisting puzzles. More a strategy game, Elveron offers a degree of complex game playing that’ll have you logging on over the weekend to slay a dragon or two.
You can save your position, your standing in the player community and join in when you can. You’ll find your usual trolls who want to smash up everything, but you’ll also test your synapses by solving some of the puzzles. I spent two hours trying to figure out how to get through a locked door. You see, it involved a key that was hidden….hey, find it yourself. That’s the fun part.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 7+
7. TMZ delivers celebrity and political gossip by the pound. Today, there was a report on The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who owes $800K in back taxes, more on Miley Cyrus and some pix taken by a well-know family while on vacation.
TMZ has good sources so the content is fresh and up-to-date – the latest on what celebrity does to people. It makes them CRAZY and this site proves it.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 8+
8. Ugly Persons is just what the name says it is – pictures of ugly people. Now, I know, it’s not funny to laugh at those folks who fall short in the looks department, but some people just ask for it. There are a lot of ugly people in the world who put up their pictures as avatars, on dating sites and other places where you just don’t want to see ugly people.
People also enter their own pix. Now, there’s an honor you don’t want to brag about, but it’s a real time waster of a site and you’ll feel real good the next time you check a mirror. (Unless you find your picture on the site, in which case, sorry. I didn’t know.)
Time Waster Scale Rank: 6+
9. The Carton Network might be a little loud for the office – nothing a headset won’t fix. And you’ll find a lot more than just cartoons. Games, clips shots, puzzles, contests and all the stuff you need to kill an hour before slipping out of the office a few minutes early. Hey, it’s not like you were doing anything important, anyway.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 7
10. Create Paintings equips you to create your own paintings based on your mood, your interests, your degree of boredom and even how much time you have left before the time bell rings.
Okay, great art it ain’t but if you’re looking to kill a little time and free the inner artist within you, this is a real time waster – and a whole lot of fun.
Time Waster Scale Rank: 5+
There are thousands of time wasters on-line. It isn’t hard to find them. In fact, there are sites that let you create cartoons of yourself as the time clock ticks slowly, sites that let you sing along karaoke style – perfect for the overly-quiet office, and even sites that let you see what you’ll look like 40 years from today through computer aging.
When you’re bored at work or at home, don’t just sit there. Waste some time. The web provides all the tools you need.
So what are you waiting for? An invitation? C’mon, start wasting time. It’s easy on the W3.
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