Cool Sites I Don't Want to Close

26Maybe I am the only one with this problem, but when I come across a really cool website, I do not want to shut it down or navigate away from it. I KNOW I can tag it and come back later, but I also know that lots of things I tag do not get visited again. I keep telling myself...OK, I know I tagged, but I am not going to leave this site until I have looked over it just a little bit more...and then I do this with another, and another, and finally I have a ridiculous number of sites open in my tabs, sitting there and confusing me and my computer as well. So I am going to share these sites here as a second way of remembering them for when I want to review a little more. In my mind they are irresistibly cool. Even with my weakness, I do manage to tag and close most sites I like. Here are some still open from the last few days:

• Tag Cloud: http://www.tagcrowd.com/ This one is a bit like Wordle but I want to play with it some more before I decide which I like better. Incidentally I made a tag cloud about cloud computing. How cool is that!
  
• 
  
• http://blog.achille.name/tag/tag-cloud/ This is a blog entry about tagging. I keep telling myself I will read it again and try some more of the sites mentioned.
• 16 Awesome Data Visualization Tools: This is an article about data visualization, a topic that has been intriguing me the last few days: http://mashable.com/2007/05/15/16-awesome-data-visualization-tools/ I want to read it again and try out all sites, and then look over the larger website, called Mashable, The Social Media Guide.
  
• Data Visualization: Modern Approaches: http://www.diigo.com/annotated/cdd7155aac5001023d0db95e085d6403 This is the article that got me excited about data visualization in the first place. I also want to look at the main site here, Smashing Magazine.
• What Cloud Computing Really Means--Infoworld. This is a very clear and understandable explanation of the term "cloud computing"--I will reference it in an upcoming article on this topic. Here is the URL: http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/04/07/15FE-cloud-computing-reality_1.html
• Dear Librarian Blog: http://www.dearlibrarian.com/#bumpin-widget Yes, I have a ton of blogs tagged, but this one has me especially interested, with a nice combo of tech and librarian-y entries.
• Twitch-Board http://twitchboard.net/ Allows you to bridge between Twitter and Delicious or other web environments. Or at least I think that is what it does...need to try it out!
• Amaztype http://amaztype.tha.jp/ Oh Gosh Oh Gosh I LOVE Amaztype. It is sort of Amazon meets Wordle but not exactly. Just go! Be sure to try Amaztype Zeitgeist. JUST DO IT! YOU WILL THANK ME!!!!
• Gallery of Data Visualization: http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/ I just stumbled across this last night. It looks like tons of fun. I am promising myself some time with it later this evening.
• HistoryShots: Another data visualization site. I have not explored it much either but LOVE the graphic on the first page. I can see kids having fun doing something similar. This is another for my brain-dead evening browsing. http://historyshots.com/index.cfm
• This is a link to an article in Houston Chronicle. It shows the downside to drug testing teachers, something the Texas Legislature is considering as a mandate. Let me point out here that the very expensive drug testing for high school athletes turned up less than five positive tests since its inception. But hey! We have plenty of money to spend demeaning teachers as well, right? Governor GoodHair thinks it is a good idea, which is one compelling reason to be wary. Here is the link: http://www.click2houston.com/news/18886268/detail.html
  

There, I did it. I closed all those windows. Maxine MAC, my computer, is breathing easier. About my browsing habits...around 7 PM each night, unless a huge deadline is looming, I own up to the fact that I should not do any SERIOUS work. My brain has down-shifted. That is when I fall back in my lounge chair with computer in lap and TV on as background entertainment. I finish reading the newspaper, watch TV if it catches my attention, and roam the net. Yes, I am a nerd. Or am I a geek? Hmmmm....anyway, I hope somebody enjoys some or all of the above sites.