Although we gave you plenty of tips on how to stay organized and on-task this year, we didn't skimp on the fun website supply, either. Time-wasting websites were great for curing boredom at the office in 2010, and these websites in particular were some of our faves. Check 'em out!
Photo courtesy of Showtime
Oh, dad. From the awkward and embarrassing days coaching our youth sports to busting out the famous dance moves only dads know at our birthdays, he always took charge, from home repairs, navigation — you name it — Dad's the boss! So to commemorate the man of the house, here are a few websites to celebrate dad's unique sense of humor, style, and words of wisdom.
The Awkward Family Photos blog got a book deal back in August, which seems like forever ago in Internet-meme time. This week, the Awkward Family Photos coffee-table book is finally out, along with Sh*t My Dad Says, inspired by the brilliant Twitter feed of the same name.
I'm happy to see my favorite blogs and microblogs succeed, but I must admit, the blog-to-book concept puzzles me somewhat. The beauty of sites like Awkward Family Photos and Stuff White People Like is that they are perfectly suited to the blog medium, with its constantly updated, collaborative nature.
Sure, some blog concepts can be reimagined for print, but taking a vibrant blog and essentially reproducing it in static book form seems counterintuitive. My friend has a copy of the Stuff White People Like book, which was fun to read once, but every time I pick it up, it's the same — no updates! — while the blog keeps going.
That said, if anyone wants to give us a book deal, I'm sure we can work something out.
On hand to speak at the SXSW festival this weekend were Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, the authors of blog-turned-book Awkward Family Photos, which is set to drop on May 4. A beloved time waster for geeks everywhere, this blog brings the funny on a daily basis — but will it make an interesting book? The (relatively) new trend in publishing is to cash in by whipping popular web blogs into physical page-turners. A few of my other favorite sites have already gotten the book treatment — Stuff White People Like and Passive Aggressive Notes — but tell me — are you into the trend?
I'm not going to tell you how to spend your time at the office, but I'm also not going to keep these gems under lock and key. These websites are like a black hole in your day, sucking time like there's no tomorrow. Check 'em out — just don't blame me if you get busted by the boss!
Thanks to the website Awkward Family Photos, we all know how uncomfortable family portraits can be. But some families are willing to really embrace the awkward nature of a family photo by dressing up in hand-knit naked suits for the occasion.
San Francisco's public television channel recently caught up with artist Anna Maltz, the woman who makes the head-to-toe suits and then takes photos of people wearing them. (I wonder if she also made the suit Sacha Baron Cohen wore at the Berlin premiere of Bruno?)
Anna explains that she got her inspiration from original naked people Adam and Eve. The only downside to wearing the suit? Curious people often feel free to squeeze what they believe to be fake breasts, when they're actually squeezing the real breasts that lie beneath the suits! Would ever try one on for size?
One of my favorite web finds of the past few months, Awkward Family Photos, is moving from photo blog to photo album. In a fairly predictable development, the bloggers behind this brilliantly funny site just scored a book deal with Three Rivers press. So now you can have not only your awkward family photos adorning your coffee table, but other people's, too!
Bloggers Mike Bender and Doug Chernack have been hearing from agents every since the blog debuted in May; the book is slated for release in May 2010. If you need something to read between now and then, I've got you covered.
I'm glad to see quality blogs getting book deals, but I'm also skeptical. A concept like Awkward Family Photos is so perfect for the web — why confine it to the more static book format? Then again, it worked for Post Secret and Stuff White People Like. What do you think?
Good gravy! This site is perfection. Awkward Family Photos rounds up the most humiliating family photos ever to surf the Web, leaving us with one very important lesson: never dress the same. And, sit on a tree. Or, really, let your parents make out.
