Not really a timewaster thanks to the 'fun factor,' but for the interesting melding of real-life science with online games that slow my browser down to the speed of molasses: perhaps appropriate, since Sharkrunners is a game that's going nowhere fast, as it operates in real time. Going hand in hand with Discovery's annual Shark Week, Sharkrunners let's the player control a virtual ship to track real-life sharks:

In the game, players control their ships, but the sharks are controlled by real-world white sharks with GPS units attached to their fins. Real-world telemetry data provides the position and movement of actual great white sharks in the game, so every shark that players encounter corresponds to a real shark in the real world.

Ships in the game move in real-time, so players receive email and/or SMS alerts during the day when their boat is within range of an encounter. Players login, choose crewmembers and an approach technique, and then collect various data from the nearby sharks.

This reminds me to set the TiVO.

Sharkrunners [via Wonderland]

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