ING THINGS
ing things is the most fun part of every issue! It's where we tell you about cool things we'd like to share with you. As a bonus, here you can find ing things that don't make it into the print issue! There is no limit to cool stuff out there, so check back regularly for updates.
Useful Facebook Applications
Websites for Procrastinators
Favorite Quotes
Musicians You Might Have Missed
Websites You Should Know About
Recent/Upcoming Album Releases
Useful Facebook Applications - back to top
| Greenbook |
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Go green on Facebook! This app helps offset CO2 emissions caused by spending hours on Facebook. “Huh?” you ask. Here’s the deal: if you’re on Facebook, you’re using energy; thus, you are putting CO2 into the air. Greenbook helps reduce your carbon footprint by investing in green programs and buying Renewable Energy Credits. You earn reductions just by keeping the application, but you can do more by earning coins. |
| Turned City |
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This new app can be helpful to those who will be graduating in a few months. Its purpose is to help you find friends once you move to a new city for a job. Since many grads these days are leaving Michigan, they can struggle to find friends in an unknown area. Turned City helps you make friends with people your age who share your interests. It’s like a dating site but for platonic friendships. This app makes a new city a little less lonely. |
| Family Link |
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Have you ever typed your last name into Facebook search just to see who’s out there? Well you can take it a step further with this app, building your family tree and seeing who is related to you. We’re Related can even help you find your relatives on Facebook. Plus, the app allows you to share photos and information with them. Don’t you just love family? |
Websites for Procrastinators - back to top
www.thisisjustcool.com
This website is pretty much self-explanatory. It’s a blog that features cool things from the web—videos, photos, and stories. Plus the site accepts original submissions from average dudes like you. This site will feature anything cool, so you are bound to find something that you like. If you are ever in need of some quick entertainment, and you want to see something cool, this site is the place to visit.
www.stumbleupon.com
A beloved website for procrastinators, StumbleUpon surfs the Internet to discover interesting sites for you. Just check the topics that interest you (animals, gadgets, online games, etc.) and click stumble. The site will bring you to a new site that like-minded stumblers have recommended. You can then like the site or share it on your social network. Not impressed by the first site? No worries! Click stumble again to check out a new site. The beauty of StumbleUpon is that it brings you to websites that you would have never found but match your interests. Try stumbling the next time you are bored, but be forewarned: it’s addictive.
www.mysterygoogle.com
You either love it…or you don’t get it. Here’s how Mystery Google works: you type something in the search bar per usual, but when you hit enter, you are given the search results of the person who searched before you. The fun part: missions. Users will type in a search that gives a mission to the Mystery Googler. Example: Bob types, “Mission: call me and play your favorite song.” Sue searches after Bob, gets his mission search, and calls him. It’s a strange way to feel connected to other people on the Internet. You have to try it to understand, but it can be a fun time.
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
—Oscar Wilde
“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
—Winnie the Pooh
“Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Musicians You Might Have Missed - back to top
Artist: Black Lips
Website: www.myspace.com/theblacklips
This band is from Atlanta, Georgia, as if you couldn't tell by its very stylized garage-punk tunes. Southern touches include twangy guitar, distorted recordings, and vocals that nag your ears—it's almost as if you can smell the sweat and diesel and see the dirty concrete of the garage from which they came. Their newest album, 200 Million Thousand, was released in 2009 on Vice Records.
Tracks to Catch:
- "Cold Hands," from Good Bad, Not Evil—bluesy, quick paced, and full of attitude!
- "Veni Vidi Vici," from Good Bad, Not Evil—an exotic backbeat that rattles your brain but strangely chills you out at the same time.
Artist: Of Montreal
Website: http://www.myspace.com/ofmontreal
Imagine a collision of glam-rock, Yellow Submarine-era Beatles, and outsider art. That would be Of Montreal. Led by Kevin Barnes, this group also hails from Georgia, more specifically Athens. They are an experimental group with plenty of sounds from which to choose, whether you like sweet, folky tunes or a little synth pop. Their newest album, False Priest, is expected to be released with Polyvinyl in 2010.
Tracks to Catch:
- "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)," from the album The Sunlandic Twins—bouncy guitar and fluffy lyrics ("Let's pretend we don't exist / Let's pretend we're in Antarctica"), this song is great to lie back and sip on an Arnold Palmer.
- "Cato as a Pun," from the album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?—this song starts out in Pink Floyd-psychadelia and continues out in retro style. Before you put this song on, light that incense, man. Might I suggest Dragon's Blood?
Artist: Mos Def
Website: http://www.myspace.com/mosdef
This man is worth the double assurance in his name—most definitely. Doubling as an MC and an actor (respectfully, I might add), Mos Def uses the most unique samples I have ever heard from foreign- and ethnic-themed melodies. Check out his latest, The Ecstatic from Downtown.
Tracks to Catch:
- "Supermagic", from the album The Ecstatic—he uses the sampling of Turkish singer Selda Bagcan whose the melodies and beats are wonderfully harmonious with his lyrics.
- "Auditorium", from the album The Ecstatic—uses samples from Madlibin combination with a haunting melody you can blast from your subwoofers or cheap computer speakers if necessary.
Websites You Should Know About - back to top
http//www.blackle.com
Blackle is a search engine created by Heap Media and powered by Google. Contrary to Google’s bright white search page, Blackle is, well, black. So what’s the big deal? Not only is Blackle easy on the eyes, it saves energy because it takes more power to display a white (light) screen than a black screen. So if you’re into conserving energy (why wouldn't you be?), type in http://www.blackle.com next time you want to do some stylish searching.
http://www.c4vct.com/kym/humor/failfinl.htm
For those of you who are taking time to read ING Magazine over studying for exams, we applaud you. Here are 50 fun things to do during an exam you know you are going to fail. If you try any of these, please tell us your story.
http://www.msutwitter.pbworks.com/
Still not on the Twitter bandwagon? We don’t want to have to tell you again— hop on! It’s not just another form of social media; it’s transforming the way businesses communicate with outsiders and the way we network. So what’s this site, you ask? It’s a list of all known MSU related Twitter accounts! Over 120 are listed, but a few of the most useful include: InternAtState, MSUstulife, MSUlibraries, MSUnews, and the MSUunion. To view any account individually, just type in the username in this url: http://www.twitter.com/username
http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/search
For the bookworms out there who have run out of suggestions from friends, use this site to guide you toward the next book that is right up your alley.
http://www.newsmap.jp
Being in college doesn't mean you have to fall out of the loop on world news. This site is a fun way to look at the latest headlines, read what interests you, and bring your life up to pace with the rest of the world.
Recent/Upcoming Album Releases - back to top
Whether you kick it old school with CDs and records, buy tracks on iTunes, or risk getting your Internet taken away by illegally downloading, here are some recent and upcoming album releases to note.
November
- Schwayze: Let It Beat
- Weezer: Raditude
- The Almost: Monster Monster
- Every Avenue: Picture Perfect
- Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits
- Say Anything: Self-Titled
- A Letter To You: Aimless
- Dashbaord Confessional: After the Ending
- Wyclef Jean: From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion EP
- Switchfoot: Hello Hurricane
- Justin Bieber: My World
- Fall Out Boy: Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits
- John Mayer: Battle Studies
- Anberlin: The Anthology
- Forever the Sickest Kids: The Weekend, Part 1: Friday
- OneRepublic: Waking Up
- Person L: The Positives
- P. Diddy: Last Train to Paris
- Susan Boyle: I Dreamed a Dream
- Lil' Wayne: Rebirth
- Rihanna: Title Unknown
- Britney Spears: The Singles Collection
- Timbaland: Shock Value 2
December
- Alicia Keys: The Element of Freedom
- 30 Seconds to Mars: This is War
- We the Kings: Smile, Kid
