Random Article in Wikipedia

Wikipedia has a random feature that, when clicked, will return a random article from the website.  If you have an extra few minutes and want to learn something new, try the random feature and expand your knowledge on a new topic!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

Word Clouds

Word clouds (also known as tag clouds) seem to be popping up everywhere in education, but I think they are fun for personal use too. On websites for creating word clouds, you can paste in the address of a website or an article online and find the central theme of the page. You can also upload a paper like one you would write for English class and see the theme of the paper using a word cloud. Or you can make a list of your own words and create your own word cloud to use on your personal website, social media account or as a creative nametag or sign.

Wordle is the original word cloud website.  It has features to change the color themes, the font, and the text orientation on the cloud.

Tagxedo is like Wordle on steroids.  It has all of the same features as Wordle but also allows you to change the shape of the cloud.  If you are a Twitter user, you can create a word cloud based on all of your tweets.  You can even try other Twitter user names to get a feel for what they post.  Tagxedo makes this easy.  Navigate to the web site and click the Twitter box and enter the desired user name.  One of Demi Moore's followers on Twitter made a word cloud for her using the program.

I have found other word cloud sites, but I believe these are the best.  If you know of others, let me know!  Have fun visualizing your words in a new way!

http://www.wordle.net/
http://www.tagxedo.com/

Polaroid pictures without the Polaroid camera

If you are feeling nostalgic for the look of a Polaroid picture but haven't seen one of those clunky cameras in years, there's a fun program you can download to get that same look!

A free application (both Windows and Mac) is available online at Polodroid that allows you to upload digital pictures you have taken and add effects to resemble a Poloroid picture.

While you wait for your picture to develop, you can even shake it to make it go a little faster.

And once you have a collection of your best Polaroid pictures reminiscent of the 1980s, you can upload them to the Poladroid online gallery on Flickr and show off your best work! 

http://poladroid.net/

iPhone App: ESPN ScoreCenter

ESPN has a great FREE app available in the iTunes App Store that you will LOVE if you have any amount of love of professional sports.

You can view the Top Events happening in sports today.

You can see the top scores in a particular sport with your favorite team at the top.

And my favorite part...you get a message (like a text message pop-up) to your phone when any of your favorite teams plays or scores...or any other option you choose, for that matter.  Of course, you can turn off these messages if they start to annoy you.  But I love being updated on what's happening when I can't watch my favorite teams on TV.

Download ESPN ScoreCenter and customize it with your favorite teams today!