Uptown Magazine - December 25/08
Site of the Year: Garfield Minus Garfield
Who would have guessed that a stripped-down Garfield comic would become 2008’s Death of a Salesman? More than just reductionist pop-culture art, the comic is “a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.”
Best Web Application: Friendfeed.com
If you are riding the Web 2.0 social-networking wave, you’re probably sick of surfing to a bunch of different sites just to find out what your friends are up to. That’s where Friendfeed comes into play. Once you have linked up your various online accounts, Friendfeed aggregates information from all your social-networking sites in one location. Why limit yourself to wasting all your time on Facebook when there are so many other social-networking sites out there?
Honourable Mentions: Generatus.com and Ping.fm.
Best New Mobile Web Application: Tweet What You Spend
Even if you haven’t been directly affected by the economic downturn, you, like many people, are probably more concerned about where your hard-earned money is going these days. Tweet What You Spend is an easy-to-use Twitter-driven mobile application that helps you keep track of your spending habits. While there are other free budgeting programs out there, the fact you can update your spending anytime, anywhere using SMS through your Twitter account is a big bonus.
Honourable Mentions: Pandora or Joost for the iPhone.
Best Viral Videos: I’m Fucking Matt Damon; I’m Fucking Ben Afflleck
Most viral videos are here today, gone-tomorrow, but that isn’t the case for Sarah Silverman’s I’m Fucking Matt Damon video and Jimmy Kimmel’s response, I’m Fucking Ben Afflleck. Sure, there were other clips that got people’s attention in 2008, but few had the staying power of these laugh-out-loud funny songs.
Honourable Mentions: Bill O’Reilly Flips Out and Tom Cruise Scientology Video.
Best Site Canadians Can’t Access: Hulu.com
Free, on-demand streaming of TV-over-the-Internet still has a long way to go, but Hulu represents a giant leap forward in delivering digital video content over the web. With support from major networks such as Fox and NBC, a slick interface, hundreds of movies in its growing database and huge growth potential, the fact that this video portal is only accessible to American users is a crime.
Honourable Mention: Sling.com
Best Site to Waste an Hour On: Buzzfeed.com
Buzzfeed.com - Wanna keep up with what people are talking about on the web? Buzzfeed is ground zero for everything from the latest viral videos to which celebrity sex scandal you should care about this week.
Honourable Mentions: Trendhunter.com, Metafilter.com and Fark.com.
