Pauses that refresh

There are a lot of reasons why we shouldn’t sit for long stretches. The same goes for our brains: we need to occasionally drop in on websites designed to stimulate us aesthetically, make us think (about different sorts of stuff), or make us laugh.

Here are 4 sites I like to visit on a regular basis:

• Give Me Air provides daily doses of art, literature, humor, music, photography, and other delights. The first time I visited the site I clicked on Music and had the good fortune to discover the Brooklyn-based band The Spring Standards.
• With so many music outlets, it can be hard to remember to log onto Pandora. But I’m very glad when I remember to do it because the artists on my 3 stations (built around Robben Ford, Shawn Mullins, and Stanley Turrentine) are excellent company.

• Brain Pickings offers excerpts from written and spoken works, many of which address issues of creativity, self-expression, and the artistic process. I especially enjoy the site’s visual images, which can be truly amazing. For a good example, check out Kay Nielsen’s Stunning 1914 Scandinavian Fairy Tale Illustrations.
• The Oatmeal is funny, funny, funny (and thoughtful). A recent entry, Why Nikola Tesla Was the Greatest Geek Who Ever Lived, is a case in point (Thomas Edison fans, though, should approach with caution).