7 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Do With the Internet

The internet is arguably one of the most outstanding inventions of our time. Since its creation, it has helped people connect with others from all over the world, get more professional opportunities, gain insight into different cultures, and make innumerable other activities possible.

Ever since October 29, 2005, the world has celebrated International Internet Day commemorating the anniversary of the first message sent between two computers back in 1969. And while today most people commonly use this technology on their everyday lives, there are some tricks and hacks you may not have heard about yet. Keep on reading and discover 7 amazing things you didn’t know you can do with the internet in 2020!

1. Learn a Language Using Interactive Lyrics

If you are a music lover and always dreamt of learning a language while singing along to your favourite tunes, you are in luck! Apps like Lyrics Training allow you to improve your skills in almost any language through different interactive activities. For instance, if you are studying Portuguese, you’ll find songs by popular musicians like Festa by David Carreira. Play the song and fill in the missing words while it’s sung by choosing the correct option. If you’re not sure what the terms mean, you can tap on them and get a definition. This will increase your ability to recognise sounds and words in another language while you pick up some new vocabulary!

And if you feel you need more help to truly become fluent in your chosen second tongue, contact us at Listen & Learn and we will pair you up with the perfect teacher for your needs.

2. Watch a Livestream of Almost any Animal

Using the internet can help you break up the monotony at any time and enjoy a livestream of any animal you love. For example, you can access the Smithsonian’s sanctuary panda cam and take a look at what this adorable animal is doing any time of the day. A new baby arrived in 2020, so you can watch how he grows up attentively. Using these sites is particularly great during these times when zoos are considered bad for animals’ welfare

3. Draw Police Sketches

If you’d always had an artistic vein and are curious to know what you (or anyone you know) would look like as criminal on the run, you can download apps like Flash Face and start creating police sketches using your phone!

4. Get Help Conjugating Verbs in a Foreign Language

Conjugating verbs can be a nightmare when you are learning a foreign tongue. Romance languages, for example, have dozens of different conjugations, as verbs change for every person even in the same tense!  If you want to say “comer” (to eat) in Spanish in the present simple tense, you have all these options:

• I: “yo como”
• You: “tu comes”
• He/she/it: “él/ella come”
• We: “nosotros comemos”
• You: “ustedes comen”
• They: “ellos comen”

If this idea makes your head hurt, don’t worry: verb conjugators like Verbix are here to help. Just write the verb you need in the infinitive and the tool will present you with all the conjugations available. Isn’t it wonderful? And if you need some help developing your foreign language skills in general, you can always take virtual lessons and learn the language you always wanted from the comfort of your home.

5. Visit Museums From Around the World

If you are disappointed because you couldn’t visit your favourite art museum due to COVID-19, this can lift your spirits. Major places like Louvre in Paris, the Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts or the Rijksmuseum are now available for you to explore using your browser! Most of these virtual tours are in English, though you’ll occasionally find others in French or Italian.

By the way, if you need help with your foreign language skills, you can always sign up for virtual lessons and take your ability to the next level in a short time.

6. Travel in Time (Online)

 

Websites are always changing to keep up with web design trends and updates. Facebook and social media in general are great examples of that. If you enter a site and decide you liked the old version better, you can use tools like the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and take a look at the site of your choice as it was before (usually with hilarious results!)

7. Unlock Your Door From a Distance

Those who want to step up their home security systems can now buy inexpensive, easy-to-use smart locks for their doors. They are simple to install and have an array of interesting features, such as being able to lock or unlock the door even before you arrive at your house using an internet connection.

Now that we’ve given you 7 amazing things you didn’t know you could do with the internet, we would love to hear from you! Did we miss any? Share with us the most curious things you do with the internet using the comments’ section below!