The curious case of the StumbleUpon button.

If you're like me, you have succumbed to adding a small button on your web browser. This innocuous button has a simple word, "Stumble!". Not very complex, you see it and you're tempted to press it. It is then that the magic happens. Surprise! An interesting site pops up. Then (if you are indeed, like me) you lose your concentration completely and are suddenly compelled to click it again, and again, and... again.

It's almost a reflex action to find even more interesting things. For example:

The silly ones:

• http://wildammo.com/2009/09/26/national-flags-never-tasted-this-good/
• http://www.listal.com/list/m-p-t-t-t
• http://www.armchaircommentary.com/2009/11/if-star-wars-luke-skywalker-han-solo-had-facebook.html

These are mostly stupid things but sometimes you get really interesting political pieces and not the bipartisan crap you usually get. Or a website dedicated to French animated shorts. Or that particular artist with the photo-realistic renditions.

The good/sometimes serious ones:

• http://readersupportednews.com/godot
• http://www.boredpanda.com/25-photorealistic-pictures-drawn-with-a-bic-pen/ (yes, there are naked people on this site, chill out*)
• http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/26/772918/-*Awesome*-Cartoon-Explains-Public-Plan
• http://www.blog.exxcorpio.com/2009/06/29/12-awesome-french-short-animations/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9CQDKt8LVo&feature=player_embedded#
  

Awesomeness aside, this button is dangerous. For those of you who have experienced this phenomenon, you'll know what I'm talking about. The addictive quality to this program does not help at all when, say, you have to finish that English AP term paper worth 15% of your grade. Or, that Religion take-home you've been extending the deadline on... Proceed with caution. And know you will not be disappointed.

Battles:

boredom.
listlessness.

Aids:

procrastination to the nth degree.

*On an important note, I don't know if it's me or something, but I seem to get way too many naked girls. And they always turn out either Russian or Eastern European. Weird... Unnecessary. Unavoidable. (if, in the personal settings you choose "Photography" as an interest)

So if you're ever in the mood, stumble. Like it. Spend hours surfing the vast reaches of the internet.

'Till next time.

Song of the moment: "The Sound of Silence" -Simon and Garfunkel