50 Kick-Ass Websites You Need to Know About
Paint a Pretty Picture
You don’t have to be a designer to learn how to touch up photos, create your own graphics, or conjure up fancy web buttons. Good Tutorials is one of our favorite resources for making the most out of our entire Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, if you’ve got a knack for web design, this site can also help with CSS, Flash, Java and PHP.
Learn How to Drink in Style
Nothing says “sophistication” and/or “problem drinker” like leaving Drinkhacker open in your browser. With well-written spirits reviews and intriguing cocktail recipes, Drinkhacker’s got something to offer even the most casual drinkers.
Be a Sci-Fi Superfan
Ok, ok, so io9 is a Gawker blog, and therefore not exactly “under the radar.” Nonetheless, it’s one of the blog mega-network’s lesser known sites, and an absolute must-read for any science fiction fan (we know you’re out there). All mediums get covered -- television shows, movies, books, and even comics. The editors know their Cylons from their Cardassians, and the editorials give you more to stretch your mind than typical geek debates.
Spruce Up Your Desktop
Customize.org is the biggest and best resource for pretty much any aspect of the desktop customization scene. On it, people post screenshots of their desktops, tricked out with popular apps like Litestep, Samurize and Rainlender, and share how they're made. The site also hosts themes and skins for those apps and others, along with helpful how-to guides.
Learn a New Interesting Fact Every Day
Did you know that giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any mammal? Or that Pope John Paul II was made an honorary member of the Harlem Globetrotters? No? Well, if you visited the Mental_Floss blog regularly, you would. With informative posts, infuriating quizzes and an “Amazing Fact Generator,” the blog is recquired reading for wannabe smart-alecs.
Find new music, the colorful way
Musicovery is a music-finding service that’s a little different than the rest. To get music recommendations, you just specify a list of genres that you like, a timeframe, and whether you want your music calm or energetic, dark or positive. Musicovery searches up matching songs, and displays them in a color-coded map. Its library isn’t as big as some others, but the colorful visuals and unusual song selection make it worth a visit.