Narratively

With journalism in general, and long form stories in particular, being challenged by the seemingly unending trend towards instantaneous information and the need for speed overtaking depth, Narratively is a breath of fresh air.

The site is dedicated to slowing down the news cycle and instead telling in-depth and untold stories, about New York to start with. Thus, it delivers one story a day and this could range from a longform article to a photo essay or short documentary. Irrespective of your interest in New York itself, this experiment in storytelling is well worth your time.

Curious

It has been said the surest way to stave off aging is to keep learning. If true, then Curious may be amongst the sites that could be considered a modern day version of the Fountain of Youth.

The site enables people to teach others about a topic or activity which they know, through short instructional videos, as well as encouraging viewers to share their own expertise. A small sample of lessons on offer include everything from building a shelter and planting a garden, to writing HTML code and tiling your floor. While many of the lessons are free, teachers can also elect to charge a nominal fee.

Upworthy

Upworthy is another site that aggregates content for your viewing pleasure. However, it is considerably more, to put it delicately, intelligent and thought provoking than some other sites that do the same.

One look at the categories under which videos are aggregated affirms this. These include diversity, economy, environment, immigration, politics, science and technology and inspirational. While many of the videos offer social and political commentary, a number are amusing and several are profound. Well worth a visit or ten.

Had one job

From the serious to the laughable, Had One Job offers up photos of various ‘fails’ for your amusement. These include a picture of an iPhone placed in a Samsung display frame, an arrow drawn on the road that points cars directly into a pole, misspelt STOP signs (or is that SOPT signs?) and poorly planned carpentry, amongst others. For a quick and amusing glance at how signage and product design can go very wrong, this site does its job very well.