Fun websites to stop you from doom-scrolling – Part 1

The everyman's usual downtime includes app-hopping from one Zuckerberg owned app to another – Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp – rinse and repeat. The endless content blurring together can be a sensory overload and oftentimes, is a fruitless endeavor that yields no mental stimulation nor an emotional respite. Rather than doom-scrolling, hop onto these 5 fun websites to save yourself from a dopamine overdose and instead engage your mind in something new. 

Chase lightnings with Lightningmaps.org

This website has a world map you can zoom in and out off and track lightning strikes happening anywhere around this big globe of ours. It shows lightning strikes with a 60-minute delay. The real-time data is directly fed by hundreds of stations from several continents. 

A red circle emerges around new lightning strikes, which shrinks and disappears after 60 seconds. The color of filled circles indicates the length of time between strikes, up to 60 minutes. Yellow represents new strikes. The color darkens as they grow older. Nearly 60 minutes equals dark brown. The thunder front of current strikes appears as a white translucent rising circle at greater zoom levels. It becomes more transparent as you progress and eventually vanishes. 

Trek the highest peak with Mount Everest 3D

Starting from the history of the first ascent to the highest peak in the world to trekking Mount Everest without ever leaving your home – Mount Everest 3D is a delightful way to spend your leisure time. They have built an interactive 3D map of Mount Everest and the Himalaya that's unrivaled in quality, detail, and is based on cutting-edge satellite technology. 

The map depicts the two most popular routes up the world's highest mountain, as well as all historical and well-known hiking routes in the Khumbu region. You can kick back and watch thrill-seeking trekkers conquer Mount Everest with the Live Trekking option, and live vicariously through their adventures.  The hyper-real snowy trails are (almost) as enthralling to peruse through as a real trek. 

Prime your photography skills with Photopea

If you are a shutterbug with a treasure trove of images waiting to be edited, look no further, because Photpea has you covered. A free photo editing website, Photopea is a good editing software, with basic and advanced tools. For users of traditional Photoshop, it is a very close online alternative. For small and easy facebook ads, banners Photopea is a good choice. There is a wide array of layers and selection tools, background removals and different fonts to experiment with. Take your time and become familiar with the interface and soon you will be churning out pictures with a professional edge – all for free! 

Google driving simulator for a virtual long drive 

Sick of sitting in traffic and complaining about lost time? Well, now with Google Driving Simulator you can traverse any city on earth all with the convenience of your keyboard. Type in the name of your desired city – Tokyo, London, maybe even Dhaka? And go for a virtual long drive. Do not worry if you lose control of your steering, because unlike the real roads of Dhaka, crashing in a driving simulation will not result in casualties. This simulator is a fun way to sharpen your driving skills while cruising through your favorite cities. 

Get fit with Musclewiki

The sedentary lifestyle of sitting hours at the desk in the office and then heading home to lie flat in bed results in the body's metabolism to slow down, which leads to weight gain. Musclewiki is a free website that allows you to search up relevant exercises for the muscle group you are looking to work out. The Tools dropdown menu comes with a Calorie Counter, Macro Calculator, One Rep Max Calculator and a Directory. Musclewiki is your in-house, personal trainer that will break down an exercise routine and count your calories for you.