A Walk on the Weird Side

Welcome to the weird wild web. For every one site that makes sense, there are ten others that make you wonder what the human race is coming to. If you don't believe me, check out the following ten links.

1. http://www.deathclock.com
   This is the Internet's friendly reminder that life is slipping away... second by second. Like the hourglass of the Net, the Death Clock will remind you just how short life is. All you have to do is tell them your date of birth and personality (choose between Normal, Sadistic and Pessimistic), and the jolly people who created this site will obligingly predict the date when you're going to die. They also tell you cheerful facts like most people will die on Mondays, and give you helpful tips on how to make your will.
2. http://www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org/
   Proving yet again that here's no subject matter too bizarre to donate an entire museum to, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak presents The Sulabh International Museum of Toilets. Take a tour of pictures that display the toilet in all its majesty. Learn about the history of commodes from their humble beginnings to their current trend-setting state. There's also an area where you can learn how experts in the field (or should I say bathroom?) are solving current problems in the sanitation sector. Then sign up to become a member of the Sanitation Crusade and receive the Sanitation Digest, a bi-monthly update from the purveyor of the site.
3. http://www.dotcomguy.com
   This one's about a 26-year-old, who legally changed his name to reflect his online life, and volunteered to live off e-commerce for a year. He's been going strong since the 1st of January, buying all his necessities and luxuries exclusively online. Two dozen cameras provide a video of DotComGuy's every move, and his only respite is his bathroom. Most of the time, though DotComGuy restricts himself to mundane everyday things. If anything, this site sheds more light on the life of a homebound bachelor. Added attraction: Now there's DotComDog too.
4. http://www.ecrush.com
   *Ahem* Worried that you'll meander alone forever? Too tongue tied to put your feelings into words? Fear not. Ecrush.com has all the answers. Love, lust or just checking someone out, the site helps you find out if the feeling is mutual. It's a free and confidential way to break the ice. Oh yeah… you also get to find out if you actually have a chance of dating Jennifer Lopez. (Heck, I can tell you that too! The answer is N-O.)
5. http://www.funbureau.com
   The Bureau of Missing Socks is the first organisation solely devoted to solving the question of what happens to missing single socks. It explores all aspects of the phenomena including the occult, conspiracy theories, and extraterrestrial abductions. They offer support for the matching sock deprived, and, catalogue, research, index and document all extant material related to socks since the dawn of the shoe. Also featured--Charlie Chan and the Purloined Sock--a tale of hot passion, intrigue and violence involving the mysterious disappearance of a single sock.
6. http://www.worldrps.com/index1.html
   Revisit your childhood with this site that offers helpful tips to become a pro at rock-paper-scissors (RPS). RPS has captivated the minds, and hands, of generations of decision-makers across the world. Whether you are a budding novice or a seasoned veteran, this is the page for you. There's everything from basic rules to advanced strategies.
7. http://www.teleport.com/~stanton/
   Another one for all you morbid maniacs out there. The Tombstone Tourist is dedicated to finding the final resting places of the rich, the famous, the infamous, and those with especially neat tombstones. Read a little about the lives of people like Dean Martin, Buddy Holly, and Andy Gibb, then view pictures of their final resting places. Complete with "how to get there" directions, if you're THAT interested. Whoa, sounds to me like someone has waaaay to much time o their hands.
8. http://www.123456789.com
   Do you have a burning desire for your life story to live on for others to read 1,000 years from now? The owners of Infinite Humanity have created a simple plan for allowing anyone with a computer and Internet access the ability to create their own "storyography" for those in the Year 3000 to look at. For a nominal fee, ($5 to $10) your memories will be recorded for posterity and placed within their huge data-storage "time capsule", which they maintain "will still be up and running for the next 1,000 years." Here's hoping humanity doesn't have to face a Y3K problem...
9. http://members.aol.com/spoons1000/break/index.html
   When you work in a job where you are constantly using computers for long enough, you develop a certain anxious feeling which can pretty much only be cured by beating the hell out of an old computer or two. However, since this can be extremely frustrating and nerve-wracking if done incorrectly, the maker of this website provides for fellow techies and interested persons an illustrated step-by-step guide for Satisfying Computer Destruction. If you've never seen the gory insides of a computer, this one's for you.
10. http://www.theweirdsite.com
    And finally, the king of weird sites. If you're into weirdness, your search ends here. Weird links, weird news, weird facts, weird downloads…you name it, they have it. You can even sign up for the weird e-zine to get weird e-mails. There's something fascinatingly weird (or weirdly fascinating?) about this site, and like they ominously tell you, you will be back. Oh yes, you will.

1. You don't have a life. Who're you trying to kid?
2. You DO want to know where homeless socks go, don't you?

By
Ananya Lodaya
punecity.com