What to do if bad weather is raging outside: 11 online resources for a fun pastime
'29.09.2023'
Alina Prikhodko
In New York City - heavy showers and floods, so there's not much to do, but there's no shortage of things to do online. Whether you want to play, make friends, watch a live stream, learn something new, or just explore the Internet archives, then a selection from Wikihow.
There are many ways to play online games in your browser without having to pay or download software. Or express your creativity online, such as creating pixel art, playing virtual instruments, or starting a blog.
Watch or listen to live broadcasts, create audio compilations, and track video trends. You can watch storm chasers, listen or follow live wildlife, and more.
1. Play free games in your web browser
Whether you want to play alone or with a friend, there is no shortage of free online games to play. The best thing about these games is that you don't need to download anything to play them, which is very convenient if you use a computer.
- The site Flash By Night There are 45 free games that you can play directly in your browser.
- Addicting games specializes in addictive games. Here you will find all types of single-player and multiplayer games, including puzzles, adventures, sports games and much more.
- If you have a Facebook account, then Facebook Games you will find many free online games including Words with Friends, Farmville and Uno.
- If you like the board game Risk, try it Warzone – a browser game about world domination with the possibility of both single and multiplayer play.
- Play games on Google. Just Google Pacman, Quick Draw, Soccer, Champion Island, Cricket, Hip Hop, Rockmore or Garden Gnomes and you can instantly play games right on the Google search page.
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2. Explore the Internet Archive
Want to see what the Internet used to look like? Or maybe you want to find free books, movies, software or music? Or play arcade games in the browser? The Internet Archive is a completely free archive in which you can find an endless variety of materials. Visit the site archive.org, there are many different sections:
- Wayback Machine: Enter any URL and view older versions of the site. If you've ever wondered what Amazon.com and Apple.com looked like in 2001, or want to take a look at Apple.com in 1998.
- Internet arcade: Play Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Pacman, Galaga and thousands of other games in a browser emulator.
- Open Library: Read free library books online without showing a library card.
- Computer magazines: Look at old computer magazines from a long time ago and see how wild technology was.
3. Explore artificial intelligence and create a work of art with GIVE HER
Use artificial intelligence to create works of art based on the words you type. Have you ever wanted to see a dog playing a guitar in space? Or the giant snail that has taken over Portland, a furry orange monster on a tropical island? Just enter a description of what you want to see and watch it come to life! To get started, simply visit the site openai.com and create an account.
4. Create music in Chrome Music Lab
Play virtual piano, create beats, change your voice, and more with these cool music writing tools created by Google. Music Lab was designed to make music learning accessible to everyone - you can learn piano chords, create melodies, and even create a rhythm using different drum sounds.
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5. Organize a “Guess the Tune” show for your friends
Do you love music? Show off your music guessing skills alone or with friends by playing one of these free name-the-melody games.
- Songl.io allows you to chat with friends by trying to guess artists and song titles in 20 seconds or less.
- Heard is a musical guessing game based on Wordle, which means you only have to guess one new song each day.
- If you have an iPhone or Android, you can install the app Songpop, to get endless fun from guessing songs. Bring your friends or look for new ones in the application.
6. Test your geographic knowledge with GeoGuessr
Do you think you can identify a city or country from a photograph? GeoGuessr is a fun trivial game where you hit a random spot Google Maps Street View and guess where you are.
7. Watch animals in real time
Wildlife cams are a great way to pass the time. Many animal cams have built-in chat rooms for viewers to join in the conversation and even make friends. You might be lucky enough to see pandas hugging or an eaglet hatching from an egg.
- Mangolinkcam is a central database of wildlife cameras around the world, including marine and African wildlife, birds and even insects.
- earthcam contains many live cameras in zoos, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries around the world.
- Kitten Rescue Cam – it’s not exactly wild nature, but what could be better than watching kittens live?
8. Track sharks and other tagged animals as they migrate
The OCEARCH Tracker software allows you to track the location of tagged sharks as they swim in the ocean. Go to the site ocearch.org in your browser and click on the name of any shark in the right column to see detailed information about it. Freya, a 3,5 meter long, 400 kg white shark is currently off the coast of Newfoundland after spending the summer in the Bahamas!
- Reef Tracks allows you to monitor the location of marine life around the Great Barrier Reef, including turtles, sharks and stingrays.
- Also on the site movebank.org You can view data from a wide variety of animals tagged in the wild, including migratory birds, wild pigs, turtles and vipers.
9. Using Map Crunch you can travel the world without leaving your chair
MapCrunch Random Street View lets you explore places around the world with the click of a button. You can use your mouse to move around the image to see what's around, and then press the Go button to move to a completely new location. This is a great way to choose your next travel destination!
10. Listen to real-time messages from police, fire, ambulance and airplanes
You can listen to live broadcasts of police, fire departments, and airplanes right in your browser. Go to the site broadcastify.com and select your country from the drop-down menu, location and scanner type to find out about current events.
10. Watch storm chasers live
Work with storm chasers to track tornadoes and other extreme weather events. During the height of thunderstorm season, you can watch real-life storm chasers filming their close encounters with funnels, lightning, hurricanes and more. Just go to one of these sites to see who's streaming live and click the button to join the chase.
11. Fight boredom with online coloring
Coloring books aren't just for kids—they help people of all ages practice mindfulness, relieve stress, and relieve depression and anxiety. Thanks to online coloring books, you don't even need a printer. Check out these free coloring sites for great pictures to color in, no matter your age:
