The Top 100 Web Sites of 2010 - Undiscovered: Fun
Band Camp
Over the past few years, MySpace has become the default site for up-and-coming bands all over the world. It's really too bad. MySpace is clunky and ugly-everything that's driven individual users away from the site into the arms of Facebook, but most groups have yet to branch out from the News Corp.-owned social network, and in many cases, it's their default site. Band Camp offers a much cleaner, nicer, and just generally better layout for bands, right down to the minimalist music player.
Clicker
There are lots of TV shows online, whether original broadcast by the networks and cable channels, or original stuff. How do you find it all? Clicker wants to be your complete guide. Search for movies, live broadcasts, music videos, and if it's (legally) online, Clicker can probably play it, or link you to it. And if it's not, it'll probably provide a link for buying it.
Critical Past
Need to dig into the past? Try Critical Past, which offers a collection of historic images and videos. They're completely royalty-free (though you still have to pay to use them off the site). If it got captured for the news in the early part of the 20th century, there's a good chance the footage you seek is here.
Fiverr.com
What would you do for $5? Get your mind out of the gutter. We're asking a serious question, and this question serves as the basis for Fiverr. Post your skill or search the database in a number of categories, including Gift Ideas, Fun & Bizarre, Writing, and Technology. If you've been looking for someone to sing you "Happy Birthday" in Chinese, relieve your stress, teach you to juggle, or take a picture of themself dressed as Mr. Peanut, this is your site.
The Hotlist
Figure out where all of your Facebook and other social network friends are and if what they're doing is hot or not. This site mashes up info like locations with other data (like pictures of the potential crowd) so you can decide whether it's too hot for you to handle.
Kideos
Let's be honest, as great a resource as YouTube is, it's not really a site for children. Kideos, on the other hand, offers a great alternative for parents looking family-friendly video content for their kids. The site is broken up into five age groups, between zero and 10 years. The content is largely pulled from third-party video sites like YouTube, but the content is curated by Kideo and streamed through its own proprietary kid-friendly player.
Locate TV
Sites like Hulu and Netflix Watch Instant are great, but let's face it, most of us still do the majority of our television watching through our TV sets. Locate TV makes navigating through those hundreds of channels a lot simpler, by letting users create personal TV schedules. Search for your favorite shows or movies, and Locate TV will tell you if and when it's on in your area. You can also get e-mail reminders and download to an iPhone or iPad, so you'll never miss that show again.
Pixton
Have you always dreamt of becoming a cartoonist, but can't draw your way out of a wet newspaper? Pixton is a dynamic online app that lets you create highly customized comic strips. The site also features an active community of burgeoning cartoonists and plenty of comics to read.
Radio Tuna
With the contents of more Web-based radio stations than you could ever hope to listen to in a lifetime, Radio Tuna lets you search for tunes by genre, artist, or station. Bookmark sites you like for your return.
RoadsideAmerica
Consider RoadsideAmerica the blue-collar version of Atlas Obscura. That site's exotic locales are traded in for truck stops and tourist traps on the highways and byways of America. If you're planning a trip across the U.S. and have some time to kill along the way, RoadsideAmerica can point you to Alliance, Nebraska's Carhenge, the Zombie Museum in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, or the albino squirrels of Olney, IL.
ShortFormTV
Need a snack? This site serves up "video snacks," what it considers the best shorts found on the user-generated biggies like YouTube and Facebook. Hit a channel like HaHa Funny or Super Cute and you'll see a constant stream of laughs or sweetness. Vote vids up or down based on what you like to help others.
Shovio
Anyone with a camera and Internet can be the star at Shovio, which lets pros and amateurs alike broadcast in prime time slots. The difference is, this is two-way broadcasting, so the audience gets to interact. There's also a push to get businesses to use it to broadcast to employees and customers.
WhoSampled
That new song you just heard for the first time sounds strangely familiar, doesn't it? WhoSampled lets you track down the sources of your favorite songs, featuring videos of the new track and its source material. If you're looking for a place to start, I recommend checking out the results for one-time PCMag After Hours guest, Girl Talk, at WhoSampled.
