MAN WEB TOP 10: DISCOVER IT. USE IT.Sometimes you just have to celebrate the common man. John Male loves his easy chair with easy access to his beer fridge and even easier access to the Plasma TV remote. John Male LOVES football. John Male doesn’t DO chick flicks. He DOES what he likes. John Male’s got 1 problem though… He can’t find any fresh, new sites online made just for him. And we’re writing this article to come to the rescue of frustrated men everywhere, with a really rather cool mix of man-focused websites that go beyond the GQ’s and Men’s Healths of the Web. Here’s our list of the Top 10 absolute best sites for men (nudity excluded)…
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DailyFeats – A special website with an innovative approach to goal realization, DailyFeats is here to “guide you in doing small actions — or “feats” — that reflect your values and your life’s goals. Along the way, you’ll earn points, meet a helpful community, and save money on real-life expenses, motivating you to go do good — every day.”
The spectrum of the ‘Feats’ you can aim for is huge. Choose a goal related to your health, your sense of responsibility, your family, your knowledge and many other factors of your life. Once a goal category has been chosen, you are asked to pick what you’ve done to reach that goal, and depending on your answer, you earn points for the effort. Sign in via Facebook or register to receive the much needed support for reaching successful Feats, and to help others do the same. Want some inspiration? Check out the epic feats page. Here’s a recent one on that list:
Nogeno – The team behind Nogeno has a calling. They want this website to serve as a home for the musicians who “need something personal – a page to call their own which will bring out their music, videos, upcoming gigs and much more.” Although there are many prominent sites for novel musicians (such as Bandcamp, MySpace and others), Nogeno’s added value comes in the form of lack of commercialization, or so its team claims.
To discover new artists that will suit your taste, you are invited to type in your favorite artist or band’s name in the homepage and the Nogeno system will automatically build a playlist made up of new emerging artists within the ballpark of your preferred genres. Musicians are also invited to create their own music space using Nogeno’s platform to increase their exposure.
Here’s the mixtape playlist Nogeno created for me, based on my submission of Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse, two bands I love to listen to. As you can see, the left part of the screen is the actual playlist, while the right part of that page is devoted to bio and background info regarding the artist/band playing.
TIME LightBox – Great photos in newspapers have long been a prerequisite. The professional teams of photographers working in major newspapers produce compelling pictures that help to tell an important news story. But the TIME’s LightBox tops even that by offering a one-stop place for the absolute best photos the newspaper has to offer. All photos are hand-picked by the TIME’s photo editors to create a regularly updated collection of grade A pictures.
Terribly Beautiful: J Henry Fair’s Aerial Photographs of Industrial Pollution
The Dieline – This packaging design hub is a beautifully created website with a mission: “to define and promote the world’s best packaging design, and provide a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest industry trends and design projects being created in the field.”
What makes The Dieline so special is its professional know-how and community oriented approach. They’re here to inform, help and inspire. Aside from the gorgeous packages covered, The Dieline also has designated sections for job offerings for those working in the industry, The Dieline Conference (next one will take place on June 22nd), and a special Dieline page for wine packaging. Here is a package design I instantly fell in love with:
Urbio Vertical Garden, designed by Enlisted Design and Volare Studio, San Francisco
YouTube’s First Orbit – On April 12, 1961 Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human to fly into outer space and complete an orbit around planet Earth. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of humanity’s most important milestones, YouTube created a compelling movie, “a real time recreation of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering first orbit, shot entirely in space from on board the International Space Station. The film combines this new footage with Gagarin’s original mission audio and a new musical score by composer Philip Sheppard.”
First Orbit is a poignant film unlike anything you’ve seen before. It is a well-documented piece of history everyone should enjoy and cherish.
The Web offers hundreds of top quality sites where you can both listen to and discover new music and artists. Pandora and Grooveshark might be the most famous ones everyone is familiar with, but there are many other sites that offer great music for free you might not be aware of. Here’s my top 10 list of sites that offer free music streaming and music discovery.
1. Stereomood – This is by far my #1 music site. Stereomood is a free playlist-ready music streaming place that invites you to explore exquisite tracks based on the mood you’re in. The homepage is made up of a big tag cloud of moods for you to choose from; calm, happy, sleepy, lonely and in love are only a number of the vast mood options available. Once you pick a mood, a ready-made playlist appears and will start to play. You can also share each of the songs of each playlist on a variety of social networks. Beautiful design and perfect sound make Stereomood my top music choice.
2. Blip.fm – Built in the form of a Twitter-like micro-blogging service for music, Blip.fm is open to users from all over the world (as opposed to location-restricted sites) and puts a special focus on music discovery and social interaction. The homepage is essentially a feed list of ‘blips’ other users have submitted, and you can go right ahead and start blipping yourself. Simply search for your favorite artist or song and blip. You can create your own playlists, give ‘DJ props’ to users (Blip.fm’s “Like” equivalent), and follow favorite DJs.
3. The Sixty One – This music site is the most stylish one in the list, merging great music with gorgeous visuals and atmosphere. The interface of The Sixty One is unlike any other music site you’ve seen before. Each page represents a different artist and includes a full screen picture of the singer/band and automatically plays one of their songs. You can learn more about the artist by exploring the info box on the right (offering the artist’s website, recorded music and upcoming shows). Browse the artists on The Sixty One by simply clicking the right/left arrows and discover even more great music. The screen shot below is of Kori Pop.
4. Jelli – This music site has a special twist. It’s an online radio site (exclusively online), where registered users decide on the radio’s playlists -100% user-controlled radio. Each of Jelli’s channels (Red, Green and Orange, each representing a different range of music styles) is made up of a long list of standby tracks users can vote for (by clicking the V button) or against (by clicking the X). Returning users are equipped with heavier ammunition: rockets and bombs to vote for or against a selected track, respectively. In short, this site is about listening to great music, and having a hell of a time along the way.
5. Mixcloud – If you’re already familiar with the concept of podcasts you will appreciate this music site. Mixcloud is based upon the same podcast idea, and it contains a wealth of music styles and DJs for you to follow, listen to and subscribe to. In addition to the variety of music genres, you can also explore other channels including business, comedy, culture, education, news and more. Think of it as NPR’s first cousin.
6. 22tracks – This attractive music site offers free music streaming of 22 different music genres, each with a playlist of -you guest it- 22 tracks. The sound quality is amazing and you are invited to create a playlist with your favorites, and also share each of them with your social network friends. This is one of my favorite sites for music discovery, especially since all the tracks on this site are carefully curated by 22tracks’ team of professional DJs.
7. 8tracks – This Web radio service is totally free, and it offers creating, sharing and listening to user-created playlists, each comprising of eight tracks. The idea is simple and using the site is super easy and fun. Thanks to 8tracks you will undoubtedly explore new artists you haven’t listened to before. Here’s what the Jazz category looks like on 8tracks.
8. One Track Mind – Although this music blog is not a high-profile music site as the other big fish I mentioned above are, it offers a valuable service you should check out if you’re looking to increase your music repertoire. One Track Mind is the place for “music discovery, one track at a time.” The added bonus is you can listen to full tracks of new and recent releases, and download them (100% legal!) as mp3.
9. Hitlantis – I just love the innovative concept of this music discovery site. Instead of browsing lists of artists and songs, Hitlantis offers a visual experience where lots of bubbles are neatly organized by color. Each color region represents a different music genre (consult the legend on the homepage), and each bubble within that color area represents a certain artist or band. Simply click on a bubble and a mini player window will appear, offering additional info about the artist, and also showing what the user community thinks about that artist. This is a great out-of-the-box way to explore new music.
10. Music MiniFaves page on All My Faves – This fully-booked MiniFaves page offers all of the top resources I have mentioned above plus many others worth checking out. In addition to the best music streaming places you can find online, the Music MiniFaves offers top music news and magazine sites for you to explore as well as other music perks such as lyrics finders and much more.
Chirply – Looking for cute and beautiful designs for notebooks, greeting cards and other stationary items? Chirply is here to offer a fresh design spirit, “making better greeting cards, notebooks, and wrapping paper through better design.”
On Chirply.com you can do a number of things, and this sense of multiple options is part of what makes this such a great site. You can browse designs, vote for your favorites, submit your own, and of course buy gorgeously designed greeting cards.
Here are two beautiful designs I just fell in love with at first glance:
Let the Ideas Fly The Ideas Fly By ChaX
Fitango – Although the name suggests fitness support and inspiration, Fitango is here to help you reach your goals, whether in health and fitness, self development, finance, even your love life. Once you’ve signed up (use Facebook connect if possible – saves you the time of registering), go the the Plan store – the program collection neatly listed by categories. There you will find tens of action plans, many of which are free (paid plans range between $1.99 to $7.99).
Once an Actionplan has been selected, the Fitango site and expert team will guide you through the different steps toward your goal. In addition, the Fitango system allows you to connect with other Fitango community members and designate motivators to help you stick to your path. I decided to get in shape and explore the 8-Week 5K Training Plan for Beginners. What’s your goal? Try Fitango and you’ll find how easy it is to pursue it.
Bookshelf Porn – This Tumblr blog is a visual mecca for book lovers worldwide or, as the blogger behind Bookshelf Porn explains: “A photo blog collection of all the best bookshelf photos from around the world for people who *heart* bookshelves.”
Even if you’re not a huge books buff, Bookshelf Porn is loaded with beautiful photos to check out. I recommend starting with the Editor’s Picks. Here are my personal favorites:
Re-purposed Newspaper Stand Bookshelf via Poetic Home
Prettybooks: Yale Rare Book Library (by Nick Hollot)
Utopic.me – If you want to know what’s going on right now in terms of new movies, cool music, viral videos and events in your area, who to better consult than your friends? Utopic is a new innovative platform that allows you to discover the important and inspiring things your friends are into, right now. Simply connect via Facebook or Twitter, and see immediately what’s buzzing around your social circle. I logged in with Facebook connect, and here’s what’s hot in movies, according to my best pals (to see your own sign up first):
Using Utopic is super easy and fun, and each category page is loaded with photos plus brief description of each entry. Give it a try and see what’s in store, thanks to your friends!
The startup Daily – Many entrepreneurs seek tips and advice from the books of experienced, successful CEOs who have alredy been there, done that. Knowledge is always one of the most powerful tools you can have before embarking on a business adventure, but reading books from start to finish can be time consuming. The Startup Daily is “a short daily email with the best tips, ideas, and advice from great books on entrepreneurship, business, marketing, management, etc.”
Get the gist of entrepreneurial wisdom with this laid-back, bite-size (yet dead-serious) email newsletter. You will find large doses of inspiration and great ideas. If a certain idea made you long for the book, you can always buy it and read it from cover to cover. As for my personal favorite idea, here it is: Stop Waiting for the Right Time, from Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky.
