BOREDOM UNDONE

Boredom Busters

We all have those days – you know the ones.  You have nothing you want to do and can’t bear the thought of doing anything productive.  Well here are a few websites to check out.  Go on and get inspired.  Then get back to work. (All images from respective websites.)

      1.       http://imaginawesome.com/

People send pictures their kid’s drawings to this guy, and he magically transforms them into something comprehensible.  A few are plain weird though, before and after. 

   

      2.       http://www.lettersofnote.com/

This website is full of interesting letters written by a multitude of people.  Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, but all are worth reading. 

  3.    http://milan-poetry.blogspot.com/2007/03/laughing-heart-charles-bukowski.html

“The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski is a beautiful poem about living life fully.  Sometimes it’s hard to do this because of whatever’s going on in our lives, but when we have the chance, we might try to live by these words.

     4.    http://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome.html

From the man who brought you 1000 Awesome Things, Neil Pasricha gives a TED talk on his own life and attitude.  It’s a fascinating video to watch when you have time.

      5.       http://www.thecheesethief.com/2012/01/old-denim-corner-heart-bookmark.html

Here’s an easy DIY that doesn’t cost much (maybe nothing) and is actually useful.  I could see myself using one of these, unlike some of the DIYs out there.  It would make a nice surprise gift for a family member or a friend.

     6.       http://www.papercdcase.com/index.php

Sometimes you make an impressive CD for someone and then realize you’re out of jewel cases.  There’s always the folded up paper case, but this website one-ups that by letting you print out a foldable paper case with the song tracks and a title printed on the front in whatever font you want. It will also print out the fronts and backs of jewel cases in case you do have them around and don’t feel up to writing things by hand.

       7.       http://8tracks.com

Handcrafted mixes with easy browsing through tags.  You can find a playlist for every mood.  Some random titles: Love a good drop, A Cure from Sadness, I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good. 

       8.       http://turntable.fm

Similar to 8tracks, but you get to DJ in real time with 3-4 other DJs for real people.  There are rooms specific to whatever genre of music you want to play or listen to.  Examples include: DJ Wooooo's House/Dance/Electro, Indie While You Work, 90s Alternative, Chillout Mixer, The 99% Anything Goes, and Top 40.  Highly addictive. 

     9.       http://corgiaddict.com/

A tumblr dedicated to corgis.  Really.  Just as cute as you’re imagining right now.

    10.   http://lonelycheetos.tumblr.com/

A tumblr dedicated to lonely Cheetos.

    11.   http://scandybars.tumblr.com/

 

A tumblr dedicated to zoomed-in pictures of halved chocolate bars.  As you might have noticed, tumblr is a great way to waste time and beat boredom. 

12.   http://fotojournalismus.tumblr.com/

Here’s a tumblr that doesn’t have to do with animals or food.  This blog is about photojournalism.  It posts a bunch of different photos every weekday and focuses on the work of one photographer every weekend.   

    13.   http://thenicestplaceontheinter.net/

Maybe you’re just looking for some hugs?  Here you go.

Now go and do something,

Teen Link

Better get your hands free...

Beginning today,June 10th a new law comes into effect for Washington State that we anticipate is going to have some pretty heavy consequences.

As of Thursday, cops and state troopers can stop AND TICKET drivers who are talking on cellphones or texting while driving. Anyone using a cell-phone while driving without using a "hands-free" device can receive a $124 ticket.

Just so there's no misunderstandings on this matter:

TALKING ON YOUR CELL, READING TEXTS, WRITING TEXTS, and SENDING TEXTS

WHILE DRIVING IS NOW A PRIMARY OFFENSE. 

And if you have an intermediate license or a permit, you are prohibited from using a phone 
while driving at all - with or without a hands-free device. 

Washington State Patrol reported that there will be no grace period for this new law either, so no one is getting off with a warning or will be able to tell an officer after they've been pulled over, "but, I didn't know."  

Please spread the word to everyone you know about this change. 

While we are in favor of this law forcing people to drive safely, we're not necessarily in favor of tons of people receiving tickets being the way that they are informed of the change in the law.

Supposedly, a campaign was begun Monday, June 7th, to raise awareness about the new law, but outside of some newspaper articles, there doesn't seem to be much being promoted regarding the law specifically.

We DID manage to find some videos through a site called Drive Nice Day, which was promoting awareness by targeting teens with slogans and videos around the topic of Safe Driving. All of these PSAs were made by students here in Western Washington and include a reminder about the new law and the date it goes into effect, one of which includes a new slogan, "Don't Drive While In-text-icated."

http://www.driveniceday.org/video_detail.php?video_id=21

http://www.driveniceday.org/video_detail.php?video_id=11

http://www.driveniceday.org/video_detail.php?video_id=23

http://www.driveniceday.org/video_detail.php?video_id=17

http://www.driveniceday.org/video_detail.php?video_id=26

Before the change to the law, drivers could be ticketed for using their cellphones only if they had been pulled over for another offense such as speeding. And despite what seems like universal agreement that driving while using a cell-phone is unsafe, the jury is still out on how much safer this law will make the roads.

 From the Seattle Times:

"It's a feel-good law. It makes people think, 'We're trying to do something to address the problem,' " says professor David Strayer, of the University of Utah's psychology department.

...his research, and over the years that at other institutions shows there is no difference in driver impairment between those talking on hand-held versus hands-free cells.

The problem, he says, isn't with the hands. It's with the brain. Drivers turn their focus to the conversation rather than the road.When using either kind of cellphone, says Strayer, "the brain becomes overloaded."

And in NY state where a hands-free law has been in effect since 2001, different groups disagree - some asserting that the law has reduced deaths and others claim that it hasn't reduced crashes, even though it's reduced hand-held phone use.

The message that all agree on is that the brain is distracted when using a cell-phone in ANY way and driving simultaneously, which puts the driver and everyone around them at risk. The problem is most people think, "that may be the case for everybody else, but not me. I can handle it." Oh yeah? try on this game for size and see how well you do:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/technology/20090719-driving-game.html

No matter which side of the argument you find yourself standing on, if you get behind the wheel, this new law is going to effect you. So here's a quick rundown.

New law takes effect June 10

What it does: Makes it a primary offense to use a hand-held cellphone while driving. Ticket won't become part of a driver's permanent record or be reported to insurance companies.
For drivers under 18: Outlaws any cellphone use, even with a headset.

Penalty: $124 fine for texting or talking without a headset.

Exemptions: Transit and emergency-vehicle personnel, tow-truck operators and those using a hearing aid are exempted, as well as anyone text-messaging or calling to report illegal activity or summon emergency help.

Sources: State of Washington and The Associated Press

Shut up and Drive...sorta

DRIVE SAFE THIS WEEKEND

As we move into the weekend, when teens do a majority of their driving, especially night-time driving, remember that it’s National Teen Driver Safety Week

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. “In 2007, eleven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries.”

10 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT TEEN DRIVING

1. Sixteen-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a car crash than other drivers.

2. Simple driver error is a factor in two-thirds of fatal teen crashes.

3. Two-thirds of teen occupants killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts

4. In 2005, 12 percent of high school males reported driving after drinking.

5. Two or more teen passengers make fatal teen crash risk five times more likely.

6. Two-thirds of teens who die in car crashes are passengers of teen drivers.

7. Speeding is a factor in 40 percent of all teen driver fatalities.

8. Being awake for 18 hours leads to a driver impairment equivalent to having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08, which is legally drunk.

9. Inexperience combined with distractions is lethal.

10.The distractions proven to kill teens: teen passengers and cell phones.

WHAT'S THE CAUSE?

Drugs and alcohol are STILL a big factor. Nationally, 64 percent of all drivers or motorcycle operators ages 15 to 20 who were involved in traffic accidents and were legally drunk died as a result of the crash. But, driving under the influence seems to be taking a bit of a back seat to “Distracted Driving” – the distraction of cell phones, texting and having other teen passengers in the car.

Check out this site that gives all sorts of things to consider before you answer your phone or text someone when behind the wheel::

http://www.whatdoyouconsiderlethal.com

Also check out the graphic video PSA depicting the dangers of texting while driving.

Warning, the images seen can be disturbing.

Click here to view

And Finally - if you're in the Greater Seattle area,

Click HERE to see a list of All-Ages concerts/shows from The Stranger.