Ten Nerdy Websites for the New Year

Are you looking around for some online nerdy fun beyond Twitter and Pinterest in 2013? Well, I have a list for you!

1. Buzzfeed
The leading social news organization, intensely focused on delivering high-quality original reporting, insight, and viral content across a rapidly expanding array of subject areas. . . . reaches more than 25 million monthly unique visitors.
Probably the best-known and largest Geek site covering a cavalcade of topics from pop culture to sports to food to politics.
32 Imaginative and Beautifully Designed Maps
The Science Behind 9 Big Diets
30 Ways to Instantly Transform Your Office
Eight Firsts of the New Congress

2. Mental Floss
"Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix"
I just discovered this website and now every day some new delightfully quirky article pops up on my Twitter page. I know Nerds love their lists (look at me writing this one now) but you can find something for everyone on Mental Floss:
7 People who hated Pride and Prejudice
The Story Behind 11 Famous Cocktails
7 TV Shows Saved by the Fans

3. The Mary Sue
"A Guide to Girl Geek Culture"
Ever wish there were more super heroes of the female persuasion? Well, look no further than The Mary Sue where you will find a heroine on almost every page, along with lots of cool stuff about Tolkien, Anime, Science and more.
10 Most Popular Posts of 2012
Ten Anime You Should Watch (And are Easy to Find)
A Prehistoric Lizard named after Barack Obama

4. I Waste So Much Time
"A collection of funny or interesting junk"
This website is a good place to turn if Pinterest and Tumblr seem repetitious or glitzy. "I Waste So Much Time" is for people who crave things that make them go Hmmmmm. While many familiar internet jokes appear, such as Grumpy Cat, there's more to it than just "Memes and Things." In effect, it's the perfect way for a nerd to get some food for thought and have a few laughs at the same time.
30 Random Surprising Facts
Soldiers Going Home
Grumpy Cat Reincarnated

5. The Oatmeal
"An entertainment site for teens and older full of comics, quizzes, and other delights."
This site is the brainchild of web designer Matthew Inman, who also creates the cartoons and art work on the site. While that description would please any nerd looking for something to peruse, The Oatmeal has the added draw of wacky quizzes and rather twisted comics (warning - not really for children - think of The Office's Dwight Shrute vs. Bears with various Ninja weapons and cannibalism). Matthew is also the author of How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You ~ click link for Amazon.
Quiz: How Many Justin Biebers Could You Take in a Fight?
Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
The Five Phases of Caffeine Intake

6. A Number A Day
"The Mathematical Association of America’s NumberADay blog. Every working day, we post a number and offer a selection of that number’s properties."
My teenage son gave me this selection - the Math Association simply posts a number - large or small - each day, then they analyze it in a meaningful way. Great discussion opener for homeschoolers or gifted kids, and fun for any older math nerds or Nate Silver wannabes.
2013
2013 = 3 x 11 x 61.
2013 is the number of trees with 27 nodes and 4 leaves (A055291).
The year 2013 celebrates the Mathematics of Planet Earth.
2013 is also the International Year of Statistics.

7. Comic Book Movie
"A Comic Book and Movie Website Generated by Fans"
I'm not as into the comic book world as some folks, but that doesn't matter because everyone can use this site to stay informed about sci-fi or horror movie news, as well as events like Comic Con. This is the place for articles on X-Men and Dr. Who. And for this old Trekkie and lover of all things Star Wars, Comic Book Movie is also a nostalgic walk down memory lane. For a more interactive experience, check out the Online Community with Live Chat, Polls, Quizzes, Calendar, and a List of Fansites.
The Importance of Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel"
Beautiful Star Wars Travel Posters - Alderan, Hoth, and More!
What will Disney do with Star Wars?

8. Neatorama
"The neat side of the Web. We bring you the neatest, weirdest, and most wonderful stuff from all over the Web every day. Come back often, mmkay?"
When I am completely bored with everything else, I can always find something amusing or astonishing on Neatorama. Yes there are robots on every page, but also links to geeky artwork, movie trivia, scientific discoveries, movie mash-ups and more pulled from all over the web. There are also frequent contests and a cool online shop.
Remote-Controlled Superman
11 Seriously Weird Chocolate-Coated Foods
What is the "7" in 7-Up?
Ten Beautiful Tattoos Inspired by Watership Down


9. The Anomalist
"A Daily Review of world news on maverick science, unexplained mysteries, unorthodox theories, strange talents, and unexpected discoveries."
Considering that The Anomalist keeps up with the latest UFO and Bigfoot news, this is a surprisingly low-key website without the usual scary radioactive-green alien pictures or flashing apocalypse ads. It's a simple list of the daily crypto news, sort of a dignified one-stop shop for the Twilight Zone. Whoever runs the site is truly open-minded and loves a mystery, yet they sometimes sometimes wink at or call out the more outrageous hoaxes or tales of abduction and time travel.
Since they are a news aggregator, I'll just list a few headlines:
Sacramento Man Captures Video of Strange Explosion in the Sky
The Curious Genetics of Werewolves
Sightings Increase of Zimbabwe's Own Loch Ness Monster


10. Lexicon Valley Podcast
"A show about the mysteries of English."
If you love linguistics and want to have a nerd-gasm over language, this is a true joy. Probably not for children, but definitely for wordsmiths and dictionary readers of all ages.
How Honest Abe Became the Poet of Gettysburg
From Downton Abbey to Mad Men - Capturing Language in Period Drama
Try out their fascinating New Year's podcast on the phenomenon of "Creaky Voice" among young American women.


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Eat Like a Hobbit with Denny's Second Breakfast

For those of you who have seen "The Hobbit" several times and still crave more essence of Middle Earth, Denny's Restaurant chain has a new menu that allows you to raid Bilbo's pantry like the Dwarves in the movie.

from Huffington Post

For the record, that includes the Hobbit Hole Breakfast, Shire Sausage Skillet, Frodo’s Pot Roast Skillet, The Ring Burger, Gandalf’s Gobble Melt, Dwarves’ Turkey & Dressing Dinner, Lonely Mountain Treasure, Radagast’s Red Velvet Pancake Puppies, Bilbo’s Berry Smoothie and Lone-Lands Campfire Cookie Milk Shake.

Gandalf and Radagast Enjoy Second Breakfast


The ever-amusing Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central has tried the menu and reviewed this during his "Hobbit Week": "Eat like a Hobbit because at Denny's you can't eat like a human." LOL

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Looking for Cooking on Cable

An assortment of cookbooks from some of my favorite culinary cable shows.
Click the links to order the books or to see more from the same author.

Lidia's Italy in America

After taking us on journeys into her own kitchen and into kitchens across Italy, Lidia Bastianich now invites us on a road trip into the heart of Italian American cooking today. Traveling around the United States, Lidia visits Italian American communities that created something new out of the recipes passed down from their ancestors.





The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show with Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

America's Test Kitchen is a 2,500 square foot kitchen located outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines and is the workday destination for over 3 dozen test cooks, editors and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to our public television show, America's Test Kitchen.

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust

In Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, the Food Network star takes easy a step further, sharing her secrets for pulling off deeply satisfying meals that have that “wow!” factor we all crave. Start with delicious Dukes Cosmopolitans made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus Jalapeño Cheddar Crackers that everyone will devour. Lunches include Hot Smoked Salmon, Lobster & Potato Salad, and Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, all featuring old-fashioned flavors with the volume turned up.

Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner

After a full day, Giada, like most parents, wants nothing more than to sit down for a home-cooked dinner with her husband, Todd, and their daughter, Jade. Weeknights with Giada rises to the challenge, delivering soups, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, and meat and fish dishes that come together quickly as stand-alone main courses—most in half an hour or less

Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food: More Than 100 Delicious, Super-Fast, and Easy Recipes

Everyone needs quick, healthy, and delicious recipes for feeding a family--and no one's better at providing them than Gordon Ramsay, the three-star chef famous for his no-nonsense cooking. Here he serves up a feast of doable ideas: more than 100 recipes and 15 great menus for putting food on the table each and every day. Many of the dishes take only 15 minutes to prepare and cook; none takes longer than half an hour--and you can put together an entire meal in only 30-45 minutes.

Bookish Pics

Gorgeous Illuminated Medieval Cookies

These spectacular sweets were made by Anniina from Luminarium Blog. You can buy the edible papers from her Etsy Shop where she writes: These cookies will make everyone who sees them ask, "How did you make these!?"

Piano Bookshelf from Recyle Art

1973 College Reading Room from Sweet Briar College Tumblr

Gorgeous Library from lookingthroughfoggedmirrors.tumblr.com/

Skull Bookshelf Vanitas Arrangement by James Hopkins

Via Laughing Squid