OFFICE SPACED; Best thing about high-speed Internet connection at

Productivity is for managers, man. That high-speed network at work? That's for you, your trigger finger and your mp3 collection.

With thousands of Web sites trying to hook you with music, games, video and text, your office desk just might be the most entertaining place you'll be all day. But you only have eight hours to browse, so there's no way you'll see all the best that's out there. (And you still have to get enough work done to keep that job.)

That's where I'm hoping to help, to make your time-wasting at work as efficient as possible. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should get you started, whether you're looking for games, five-minute distractions or stupid video clips to e-mail your sister. You'll find the links with this story at spokane7.com (along with a lot more suggestions, and an ultra-bonus section devoted entirely to ninjas). And hey, if you have any great Web site tips, send them my way. I'll post the best suggestions with the online story, too.

Remember, when browsing these recommendations, an open Word document and ALT+TAB are your best friends. If you do get caught, nod with confidence and tell the boss it's part of an HR team- building exercise that's really growing the synergy between you and your co-workers. (Sorry, it's up to you to really sell the line.)

SIDEBARS:DISTRACTIONS GoogleEarth: This requires a download, but it's free and VERY cool. Combining Google's mapping and satellite data, GoogleEarth lets you cruise the planet in near 3-D (http:// earth.google.com). Scroll around or use search to find interesting spots, or visit the GoogleEarth Community forums (http:// bbs.keyhole.com/ubb) to download geographic bookmarks and tours from other users. >> Wikipedia: Just because you're wasting time on the job doesn't mean you can't stretch your brain in the process. Wikipedia is a user-driven encyclopedia, updated and revised 24 hours a day. The front page links to the newest submissions, articles relevant to the day's news and to a nice "Today in History" selection. Dig into the site to get smart, or just to find quirky articles on subjects such as "Fictional languages" and the "Heavy Metal Umlaut." (http://en.wikipedia.org). The "Unusual Articles" page is always a great place to start. (http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Wikipedia:Unusual_articles) >> Worth1000: More than 4,800 galleries of manipulated photos, with themes such as Fountain of Age (making celebrities look older), Rock 'n' Ren (where rock bands and classic paintings collide) and Cryptozoo (realistic- looking animal hoaxes). There's some fantastic talent here, and with new contests starting nearly every day, you can browse for hours. ( http:// www.worth1000.com) Flickr: Explore!: The Flickr Web site is an incredible tool for digital photographers. It lets you upload and easily categorize photos, then share galleries across the Internet. The Explore section highlights some of the most interesting photos each day. (http://flickr.com/explore) Extras online: Quizzes, Brainteasers, Cartoon Skeletons, KissThisGuy, Remix The President, Sweet T's.HUMOR McSweeney's: A juggernaut of smart humor online. McSweeney's well-written wit often comes with drawn-out headlines - as in "The Weekly Column of a Local- Newspaper Ombudsman Attempting to Communicate His Marital Frustrations Through His Work" - but you don't want to miss an installment. Otherwise you might walk into the local Huckleberry's without the context of "Passive- Aggressive Vegan Grocery Cashier: A Day in the Life," and that would be a shame. (http://www.mcsweeneys.net) >> Incredible Stuff I Made: One man's Web site, full of how-to guides for bizarre and stupid projects. If you've ever dreamed of making spring-soled sneakers, here's your main guy. Don't miss the epic "Making Fire Without Matches," and if you hit October still looking for a great Halloween costume, how about a giant Jenga stack? ( http://www.cockeyed.com/ incredible/incredible.html) >> The Best Page in the Universe: Roam the archives for classics such as "Four things that could have improved 'The Matrix: Reloaded,' " "You're not Dave Chappelle, and you're not funny" and "How to kill yourself like a man" (methods rated on manliness, style, awesomeness and mess). (http:// maddox.xmission.com) Political blogs: Depending on your partisan persuasion, you'll find plenty of meat at: IMAO ( http:// www.imao.us) Happy Furry Puppy Story Time ( http:// www.norbizness.com) Protein Wisdom ( http://www.proteinwisdom.com) Scrappleface ( http://www.scrappleface.com) Jesus' General (http:// patriotboy.blogspot.com) Fafblog (http://fafblog.blogspot.com) And then there's The Poor Man ( http://www.thepoorman.net). Why he doesn't have a syndicated column in alt-weeklies across the country is one of the great mysteries of our time. Extras online: The Great Meatshakes Experiment, Homegrown Flamethrower, Vodka Brita Filter, Fear the Monobrow.MUSIC mp3 Blogs: Following along with a good music- loving blogger is a great way to stumble across songs you'd never hear any other way. The genre's getting big enough that some bands are submitting tracks straight to these sites, and labels are "leaking" releases to big-ticket bloggers in hopes of getting some buzz. Some mp3 blogs keep a strict focus, such as "Copy, Right?," which covers only cover songs (http://copycommaright.blog spot.com). Others, such as "Largehearted Boy," are solid guides not only to songs, but also to concert downloads, CD/DVD releases and entertainment news (http://blog.largeheartedboy.com). But music is about taste, so it might take some sampling to find your favorites. Here are a few to try: You Ain't No Picasso: http:// youaintnopicasso.blog spot.com >> Gorilla Vs. Bear: http:// gorillavs bear.blogspot.com Fluxblog: http://www.flux blog.org Mystery and Misery: http://www.mysteryandmisery.com The Hype Machine: It can be tough to keep up with all the mp3 blogs out there, so the Hype Machine does it for you. This site collects the songs from dozens of the best blogs, and streams them in Internet radio form. Very helpful if your office doesn't allow downloads. (http://hype.non-standard.net) >> 7: Radio: Speaking of streaming, our Web site pumps out plenty of free songs and live concerts. Check out local favorites such as The Dearly Departed, Ten Mile Tide, Seaweed Jack and more. ( http://www.spokane7.com/music) Extras online: More mp3 blogs!WEB COMICS >> MNFTIU: Grainy fighters who walked straight off the photocopier, swear like sailors and battle toward personal growth and ultimate kung-fu. That's My New Fighting Technique Is Unstoppable. Also the home of office hilarity in My New Filing Technique Is Unstoppable and "Get Your War On," the only anti- war comic that could get Voltron onto the pages of Rolling Stone magazine. Artist David Rees is due back from summer break any day now. ( http://www.mnftiu.cc) >> Homestar Runner: Another one that's been around for a few years, Homestar has stayed popular for a reason: classic characters, regular Easter Eggs and gratuitous cultural references. Home of the Strongbad Email. (http:// www.homestarrunner.com) More to try out: Just as with mp3 blogs, collecting web-comic bookmarks is awfully dependent on taste. There are nerdy standards such as Penny Arcade (http://www.penny- arcade.com) and Player vs. Player (http://www.pvponline.com), and oddities such as Alien Loves Predator (http://www.alienloves predator.com/index.php) and The Perry Bible Fellowship ( http:// www.thepbf.com). And there are countless, beautifully drawn long- form comics, some telling short stories, some following epic tales. Try these: Alpha Shade: http://www.alpha- shade.com Scary Go Round: http://www.scary goround.com Keaner.net: http://keaner.net A Lesson Is Learned: http://www.alesson islearned.com Extras online: More comic links.VIDEOS/ANIMATION Ifilm Viral Videos: Find those future "most-e-mailed" videos in their embryonic stage. (http:// www.ifilm.com/viralvideo) >> 30-Second Bunnies Theatre: Face it, most of us can't justify spending a couple of hours with a classic movie at work. But if you could hit the high points in a half- minute re-enactment, by bunnies no less, wouldn't that be just as good? Maybe even better. Performing "Pulp Fiction," "The Shining," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and more, this troupe even has a gig on the Starz networks. (http://www.angryalien.com) Bonus: If you like the bunnies, you'll love the final scene from "Se7en," performed by stuffed animals. (http://gorillamask.net/seven.shtml) Milk and Cookies: A repository of dumb and funny video clips, with games and other distractions mixed in (http://www.milkand cookies.com). Always a good way to start the day. Find more like this at Gorilla Mask (http://gorillamask.net/ media.shtml) and eBaum's World ( http://www.ebaumsworld.com), home of the remixed "Knowing Is Half the Battle" clips from G.I. Joe (http:// www.ebaumsworld.com/gijoe.html). Not everything at these sites is always work-friendly, so if the boss is around, use your brain. >> The Daily Show: It might be the best show on television, but you already knew that. You also knew Comedy Central's Web site always has last night's highlights (http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/ the_daily_show/index.jhtml). But you might not have seen Lisa Rein's archive of classic clips (http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/ daily_show_comedy_clips). Workin' for the Weekend: One man, gone completely off the deep end, re-creates the Loverboy classic. (Long link; find it with this story online.) Extras online: Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa, LARP Lightning Bolts, Voldo's Gettin' "Hot in Herre."GAMES Big sites such as Yahoo! Games (http:// games.yahoo.com) and Addicting Games (http:// www.addictinggames.com) have hundreds of time-killers. Some sites you might not have seen: >> Orisinal: A mother lode of 56 beautifully executed Flash games. The animation style is distinctively ... well ... cute, and every game is simple enough to jump right in, but challenging enough to let you taunt co-workers over high scores. I can't recommend this one highly enough. ( http:/ /www.orisinal.com) >> Fishy: This one's been around for a while, but it's a great example of how simple a perfect game can be. You're a fish plunked into the middle of a pond; eat little fish to grow bigger, avoid larger fish or they'll eat you. Keep it up until you're the biggest thing around. A warning: The serene soundtrack makes it easy to lose track of how much time you're putting in. ( http://www.xgenstudios.com/play/fishy) Guess the Google: This game uses Google's search to put 20 images in a collage. You guess the keyword that put those pictures together. It's pretty tough. (http:/ /grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google) Extras online: Chaos Theory, Poom!, Lemmings in your browser, plus more great sources for great links every day. And ninjas!

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