Lindsay Lohan is supposedly in a "real" rehab setup, Britney Spears seems hellbent on having her kids taken from her, and Paris Hilton remains the celebrity with the vaguest charisma. She's not potentially tragic like Lindsay and Britney. Paris is . . now dull. But that doesn't make her a bad person. She has retreated slightly and is perhaps doing those promised good deeds in a naughty world. Or, just sitting home reading all the massive September fashion magazines.

Web s(L)ites Fun

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Web s(L)ites Time Killers

PUZZLES Number LogicCaught up in the current Sudoku craze? This site offers a hefty supply of puzzles to tackle. Work independently or compete head-to-head against other registered users. There are three levels of difficulty; the site will time you (there's a pause button if you need to take a breather) and, if you wish, "validate" your answers (and highlight any mistakes). You don't have to sign in to use the site — but you do if you want your scores recorded.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP TMZKudos to these newshounds who broke the Mel Gibson story. TMZ is the place to go when you need a shot of entertainment and celebrity news; its "gotcha" style reminds us of The Smoking Gun. Scroll down to the bottom of the home page for links to the latest posts on some of the other "hot blogs" in the celeb category, including "L.A. gossip rag" Defamer and the more media-centric, Manhattan-based Gawker. Got more time to kill? Pink Is the New Blog dishes with flare.

MOOD LIFTER Cute OverloadBecause sometimes you just need to look at pictures of kittens. Or farm animals. Or hedgehogs. This popular blog provides a daily dose of cute imagery, found somewhere on the Internet or emailed in by a fan. Browse categories ("Pocket Pets," "Cats N Racks") or follow the site's links to more cuteness at sites like Baby Animalz.com and Pandafix .

PAINTING Jackson Pollock by Miltos Manetas Here's a place where you can indulge your inner abstract expressionist: move your mouse to splatter virtual paint and click to change the color. To create a hard copy, right-click on the "canvas" and select Print.

FREE GAMES ShockwaveYou'll find a variety of ways to procrastinate here — there are games you can play by yourself, and multiplayer games; flash games you play inside your browser, and games you download. You can browse by category or search by keyword (check out Loop, under Adventure). If you don't already have the latest Shockwave Player installed on your computer, you'll be prompted to download it.

MONSTER MASH Yu-Gi-Oh GrooveHere's one for the kids: a site that features characters from the popular anime world of Yu-Gi-Oh, doing something they don't ordinarily do: dance. It's silly and fun — you mix and match the music and moves. Developer Timothy Harris photographed the actual toys in various poses to create the stop-motion animations. Best feature: though sponsored by Mattel, there's not an ad or corporate logo in sight.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

NYC REAL ESTATE

Our favorite open houses this week:
447 W. 18th St., Chelsea, $2,035,000
The Chelsea Modern isn't just a building -- it's an "award-winning" building, declares the broker description for this two-bedroom condo. Just bust that out the next time someone starts bragging a little too much about the joys of their pre-war classic six. It'll shut them up real quick. And even if it doesn't, you'll still have the Duravit soaking tub, floor-to-ceiling windows and maple floors.

Web site of the week

This is an advisory: If you've got one of those addictive personalities, don't go to Natefind.com. Because it's a little like the real-estate equivalent of heroin -- once you're hooked, you will never get off it.

Natefind is one of the easier real-estate search engines to commandeer. If you're on the lookout for an apartment, all you have to do is type in a price range and it will give you an assortment of apartments all over the city, including the outer boroughs. (It will also, if you care to look, give you listings in Philadelphia and the Hamptons.)

And because the site compiles properties from firms including Prudential Douglas Elliman, The Corcoran Group, Citi Habitats, Stribling, Halstead Property, Brown Harris Stevens and Bellmarc, it helps eliminate the need to search multiple sites. Plus, unlike all those broker sites, Natefind will tell you how much time each property has languished on the market and what the price per square foot is.

But here's the truly dangerous and addictive part -- the "new apartments" and "just reduced" sections will keep you constantly coming back to see which new developments are selling well and which ones aren't. Anybody in the market for new construction would be wise to visit many times each week.

Natefind is where you can discover that some units at The Parkwood on East 28th Street are going for $1,354 per square foot while others are going for $1,076 per square foot. It's where you can learn that the $32 million penthouse at TriBeCa summit has been on the market for 27 weeks.

The examples are too numerous to count... so see for yourself, but don't blame us if you just... can't... stop!
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