Wonder Websites: So cool that you ought to visit them

We’re often so engrossed in browsing social networking sites that we miss out on a lot of the creative and informative stuff available out there on the web. Here are 10 websites that you definitely should check out!

1. Factsie

Did you know that the smell of freshly-cut grass is a plant distress call? Or that the light from the moon can create rainbows called moonbows?  You didn’t know? (Well, I didn’t either.) You can read up on a range of interesting and unusual historical and scientific facts. And yes, the site provides sources to back up the fascinating facts presented.

2. Instructables

From technology to food to play, this is a Do-It-Yourself guide. You can learn to make fun things like a cat tent, a beer shooter, elastic band heroes, or useful stuff like inductive bike lights, a micro fish tank filter and much else And if you’re the creative type, here’s where you could share your ideas as well.

3. Lifehacker India

This website offers tips, hacks, and how-tos for a range of tasks and situations, enabling you to work smarter, save time and simplify your life. They also have a special section called ‘jugaad’ where (surprise, surprise!) they feature stories and ideas by the Lifehacker India team.

4. Recipe Puppy

Have some ingredients on your kitchen shelf but don’t know what to do with them? Recipe Puppy’s the place for you. Just type in the ingredients and you get a list of recipes to choose from. The list ranges from lemon pepper rice to orange wheat muffins. The website also helps you learn what ingredients go well in a recipe.

5. Spreeder

Want to improve your reading speed and comprehension? Spreeder is here to help. Words from the paragraph you want to speed read are flashed on the screen and you control the speed based on your comfort level. The blog posts on how to improve reading speed and related topics are worth reading too.

6. unplugthetv.com

The website seeks to replace the mind-numbing television we’re all so addicted to. Watch something that grows your mind instead. This site has hundreds of educational videos to help you learn something new or even see something that you thought you knew from a fresh perspective. The site announces “This website is NOT another Youtube or Wimp. You won’t find videos of talking dogs or double rainbows on this site.” So this evening, unplug the tv.

7.VSauce

Created by Michael Stevens in 2010, this site comprises of a number of YouTube channels. You can find interesting videos on science and philosophy, as well as gaming, technology, culture, and many other topics of general interest. Vsauce won the 2014 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best News and Information.

8. Udemy

This is one self-improvement site that packs a serious punch. Over 22,000 courses to choose from, on subjects ranging from religion and spirituality to pet training and IT certifications. Some courses are free, while others are chargeable. A great platform to learn the things you always wanted to.

9.  Powersearching with Google

When someone asks a question that you can’t answer, the next thing you probably do is google it. But often, google may not immediately give you the answer you’re looking for. That’s why this website is useful. Here, you can take quick courses that improve your Google search skills. Let’s face it, our lives are kinda dependent on Google, right?

10. Lumosity

This site transforms ‘science into creative games’ so that you can constantly challenge your brain’s abilities. Among other benefits, these games invoke  your visualization skills and evaluate your impulse control. Those of you who find it difficult to remember the names of people you meet, there’s a game to test that as well! Make this website, a part of your daily online regimen! Guess what I’m going to play next? A game that pushes me to rapidly select words from my vocab cache.