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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Digital Book News

When ebook companies fix prices:

Apple E-Book Price-Fixing Trial Set for 2013

The U.S. joined 15 states and Puerto Rico in claiming Apple, CBS Corp. (CBS) (CBS)’s Simon & Schuster, Lagardère SCA’s Hachette Book Group, News Corp. (NWSA) (NWSA)’s HarperCollins, Macmillan and Penguin colluded to fix prices of e-books. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, who is presiding over the consolidated lawsuits in federal court in Manhattan, set the trial for June 3, 2013.

“Several parties, Apple and DOJ are pushing for a fast trial as fast as can be accomplished that is consistent with justice,” Cote said yesterday as she set the nonjury trial with Apple and other defendants that haven’t settled.

. . . Apple’s digital book-pricing practice may have cost consumers more than $100 million, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said at a Washington news conference after that suit was filed.

The case is U.S. v. Apple, 12-cv-02826, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

Eeep . . . Big Brother is a . . . book? Ray Bradbury might have figured it would turn out like this!

WSJ: Your E-Book is Reading You

For centuries, reading has largely been a solitary and private act, an intimate exchange between the reader and the words on the page. But the rise of digital books has prompted a profound shift in the way we read, transforming the activity into something measurable and quasi-public.

The major new players in e-book publishing—Amazon, Apple and Google—can easily track how far readers are getting in books, how long they spend reading them and which search terms they use to find books. Book apps for tablets like the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook record how many times readers open the app and how much time they spend reading. Retailers and some publishers are beginning to sift through the data, gaining unprecedented insight into how people engage with books.

Great opportunities for self-published authors!

California Libraries Make Deal with Smashwords

Califa, California’s largest library network, is about to strike an ebook deal with self-publishing site Smashwords, Library Journal reports. The partnership would bring about 10,000 self-published ebooks into Califa’s 220 libraries.

Califa would “purchase about 10,000 of the company’s top titles for about $3 a title.” Some of the titles could cost less, though: Smashwords CEO Mark Coker recently told me that the company will soon allow its authors to set their own ebook prices, and said “a lot of them are going to want to offer libraries lower pricing…or will want to offer their books for free to libraries.”

But unfortunately . . .

People Overlook EBooks in Libraries

Some 62% of respondents to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project’s latest library survey said they didn’t know if their library offered e-book lending. In reality, three-quarters of public libraries in the U.S. offer this service. The problem is, not enough people are taking advantage of it, or even know about it.
In fact, only 12% of Americans over the age of 16 who read e-books say they’ve borrowed one from the library in the past year.
. . . Pew found 52% of e-book borrowers reported at one point or another they encountered a waiting list to borrow an e-book. We think digital, 25 people can read it at once, but that’s not the case at all. Mitgang says you need to “think of digital books as a physical book, you can only lend it to one person at a time.”