Broaden my horizons, one search at a time...

August 31, 2010 6:52 PM

Spare 5 minutes. What do I type into Google to learn or laugh?
posted by SueDenim to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

You can type in the word "recursion"
posted by jessamyn at 6:53 PM on August 31, 2010 [7 favorites]

You could try, "Slam Poetry" or "Ted Talks".
posted by kylej at 6:59 PM on August 31, 2010

"How to cook an alien" -- first link
posted by Think_Long at 7:00 PM on August 31, 2010

stand up site:youtube.com
posted by pompomtom at 7:01 PM on August 31, 2010

"shrine of the mall ninja"
posted by signalnine at 7:10 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]

ytmnd
posted by knowles at 7:20 PM on August 31, 2010

Generally speaking the best way to do this is find a bunch of sites that produce interesting content, then add their RSS feeds to Google reader. Just trying to Google up 'interesting, diversionary' stuff isn't going to work to well.

But sites like Buzzfeed and Reddit are good for finding things that the average person would enjoy. Reddit has a bunch of 'subreddits' for stuff relating to particular niches too. Just looking at your ask-me questions, you have a couple on cooking. And reddit has a cooking subreddit. And another one just for baking
posted by delmoi at 7:35 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: movies yourpostalcode : movie titles given preference, so you can see where a film is playing near you and at what times, rather than searching theater by theater. word yourpostalcode will send you to matches in Google maps

define: x : come up with dictionary definitions of any word

most calculations can be performed in Google, as well as conversions: 21C to F, 2miles to fathoms

Per Wolfram Alpha, Google is graphing many of its statistical results now. For example: population of China
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 8:09 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]

I spent my five minutes messing with Google Labs, setting up my Google Voice number so I could receive and make calls from my computer. It was the best five minutes I spent in a long while that I can say will pay off in spades. Coolest part was that it took probably less than five minutes!
posted by bkeene12 at 8:34 PM on August 31, 2010

Jimmyr.com is a great compiler site for high- and low-brow time-wasting.

Cheers
posted by jimmysmits at 8:38 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wikipedia, random page.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:43 PM on August 31, 2010

Go to Wolfram alpha and type in every single question you've ever heard a nerd reference to another nerd:

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What is the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything?

How many roads must a man walk down before he can be called a man?

Open the pod bay doors.
posted by chicago2penn at 9:02 PM on August 31, 2010

In quote marks "$yourname should/needs/looks like/wants" - use your full name if it's common. It's like personalised random advice on the results page!
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 5:58 AM on September 1, 2010

If you can avoid being sucked in, popurls.com is my go-to. The meta-portal of meta-portals. Not a search, per se.
posted by bitterkitten at 8:24 AM on September 1, 2010