Websites that rule, Part 5

Tonight I feel like blogging, but I don't have the mental energy to form a new profound thought of any kind, nor do I even feel like going off on a rant (strange, I know). Then I saw that we're long overdue for another installment of "Websites that rule", so here we are, almost a year later with Numero Cinco.

Site: http://kerryheadley.wordpress.com
Why the site rules: Remember the Snippy Little Thing (snippylittlething.blogspot.com)? Well, she's moved over to the other side (Wordpress) and started/continued a new incarnation of her kickass personal blog over there. It's seasoned and more professional, and aside from being less feisty, it's not missing much else.

Site: http://www.womentowomen.com
Why the site rules: It's a health-related website written by women, for women. And I'm not talking about women with Associates degrees in Psychology who spent 3 months devouring every questionable website out there and now call themselves "experts" on natural health because they've "done their research" and "educated themselves". I'm talking about people with medical degrees (nursing, medicine, alternative medicine) and real licenses to boot.

Site: http://www.appointment-plus.com
Why the site rules: Remember Appointment Quest (www.appointmentquest.com)? Well, they kinda fell short (didn't include any notes fields, point-of-sale, employee timeclock, inventory tracking, etc), and then they pissed me off (their website got slower, and slower, and sloooowwwwer). Then, they really pissed me off (they actually DELETE appointments a year old OFF the calendar! I lost all my stats from when we first opened! Each day, that day's appointments from the previous year drop out of accessibility and into the cybernetherworld forever). So, for our new web-based scheduling software/website, we now use Appointment Plus. Much more functionality, usability, and it's a faster website. Same price, problem solved.

Site: http://www.whitewhine.com
Why the site rules: Remember making fun of your girly-girl blonde, delicate snowflake classmates who cried the Rio Grande every time they broke a nail? Well, this is the adult version of that. It makes fun of problems that aren't really problems. Granted, some of the submissions are retarded (some really ARE legitimate annoyances that these folks make fun of people for getting annoyed at, while others simply aren't enough of an annoyance to be considered for submission). But overall, it's a decent site built on a great concept.

Site: http://www.fantom-xp.com
Why the site rules: If you have ever wanted some really spanking cool full-resolution desktop images, look no further. They have over 100,000 images, and they are all FREE. They're delicious images of all categories, largely available in any screen resolution you want, so you always get the right sizing and dimensions for your screen. I spent hours on this site, combing through everything it had to offer. Very yummy!

Site: http://alley.ethercat.com/cgi-bin/door/door.cgi
Why the site rules: Yeah, I know it's a strange URL. And you've got to copy-paste it exactly as it's written above in order for it to load properly. But if you've ever heard of the cult of Scientology, or you're at a not-so-strong moment in your life (making big changes, kicking an alcohol or drug habit, kicking an eating addiction, lonely, trying to make friends, starting a new school, branching out in your philosophy research, soul-searching, finding yourself, etc), you may be vulnerable to certain charismatic people or cults that paint rosy pictures, make big promises, and hide their true nature. This site focuses on Scientology, the bastard child of a cult cross-bred with a pyramid scheme. It details over 200 different people who have experience with this cult, what attracted them to it, and why they left (more often) or why they stayed (much less often).

Site: http://www.medicineppt.com
Why the site rules: If you're going through med school (of any type - allopathic, chiropractic, osteopathic, or any other type of school like nursing or PT), you'll need to know your anatomy, your endocrinology, etc. This site serves as an awesome study guide by providing link after link to bite-size lectures in medicine education in the form of PowerPoint presentations. Cramming has never been so easy! http://medicalppt.blogspot.com is another such site.

Site: http://www.hamexam.org
Why the site rules: Studying for your amateur radio license? Didn't think so. But I did! Yeah, even though I'm not an old white codger who talks over public airwaves about hemorrhoids and grocery shopping, it's still a fun hobby and I've met some extremely cool people over the radio. It all started here, at this website, which made that first license possible. Yes, the feds (FCC, namely) require you to pass an exam and obtain a piece of paper in order to talk on certain radio frequencies. Suck it up and get licensed - it's easy. I crammed the info in 3 hours using this site, which costs NOTHING (in contrast to other sites that promise they have the question pool - the entire question pool is available on this website for free). (PS: Truth be told, I'm learning all the info for real, just *after* the exam LOL)

Site: http://www.truuconfessions.com/
Why the site rules: Yes, there's a second "u" in there. Why, I don't know. This website is a collection of anonymous confessions from mostly women who complain about various aspects of their lives. What brought me to the site was a link to it from a child-free forum, so that's the section of THIS website that I perused. Now, truth be told, many of the confessions are tame and borderline , and you can still sense that the mothers are holding back, abstaining from expressing feelings that they are denying themselves and refusing to admit to themselves. But reading between the cliche phrases and cheesy emoticons, you can feel what they're REALLY feeling...it's what they're NOT saying.

Site: http://www.jobschmob.com/
Why the site rules: Some survey I read somewhere says that 85% of all workers dislike their jobs. That makes SOME sense; we wouldn't be there if we weren't paid to be, right? (Although how on earth THAT many people can't stand their vocation is a little surprising; you'd think we'd be smart enough on average to pick jobs that are at least somewhat compatible with who we are and what we want out of life, especially since there's such a wide variety of jobs to choose from!) But anyway, maybe your dream job is 8 years of schooling away, or you've lost it through downsizing or outsourcing. Or maybe it doesn't exist. Or maybe your current career path looked good a few years ago when you chose it, but now that you're further into it, you can see it's not all it's cracked up to be. Regardless, if you feel like venting or ranting or just generally complaining about it, this is the site for you. Sometimes you can read the comments or blog posts and begin to feel better about your own crappy situation because it's not as crappy as someone else's.

Site: http://www.cracked.com/
Why the site rules: Remember Templeton, the obnoxious rat on "Charlotte's Web"? And how he sang that song in the middle of the night called about a smorgasbord of apple cores, banana peels, and cookies everywhere? Well, this is how I feel when I visit Cracked.com. It's this amalgam of interesting light-bulb thoughts, comics, and lists that you didn't previously REALIZE were important, but become so in seconds. Today's examples, taken from the front page: "5 Secrets of Making Reality TV They Don't What You To Know About", "If Politicians Ran On Issues the Internet Cares About", "Two Views of Love on Valentine's Day [VENN Diagram]". I'm in love.

For past installments of Websites That Rule, behold:
Websites that rule, Part 4
Websites that rule, Part 3
Websites that rule, Part 2
Websites that rule, Part 1