Best Reddit Subreddits to Subscribe to

If you are a Redditor, you know how important subreddits are.  For those who might be new to Reddit, subreddits are the different forums or groups within the website.  These forums are created by the users and can be about anything or any topic.  While Reddit starts you off with some default subscriptions to a few subreddits, they don't make it too easy to find the good ones.  Subscribing to subreddits that interest you are what will make or break your experience on the website.  Below, you will find some of the best subreddits worth checking out. 

The Basics:
/r/Pics and /r/Videos are 2 huge subreddits which are pretty self explanatory.  Images and videos are some of the staples on the internet and these 2 groups will help you find the new submissions that are popular and will probably end up being talked about among friends and end up on the news later that week.
/r/News - Pretty self explanatory. Good for staying informed on what is going on in the world.
/r/BestOf - A recap of some of the best contributions to Reddit each day.

Funny: 
/r/Funny is another huge group that is a recommended if you enjoy a quick laugh.  It mostly consists of funny pictures found on the internet. 
/r/ContagiousLaughter. Laughter is contagious and this subreddit is proof of that.  Check out the top submissions and you are sure to be cracking up in no time. 
/r/FirstWorldProblems. A fun take on the types of problems those who are privileged and seem to have it all encounter in their daily lives.
/r/MadeMeSmile - Not so much funny, but things that are sure to brighten your day. 

Interesting: 
/r/MildlyInteresting. Like the title says, these post are about things spotted that are mildly interesting and more times than not, actually very interesting. 
/r/DoesAnybodyElse. A place where people post about their unique quirks and find out if anyone else is the same way.  A fun place to discover how different or how much the same we all are.   
/r/AskReddit . Have a question or need some quick advice?  AskReddit is another huge subreddit where you can ask the community anything and get answers from other users. 
/r/iAmA is a place where people state who they are or what they do and then they answer questions that are submitted.  These can be very interesting depending on who is hosting them.  Often it is famous people or people who have interesting jobs or experiences.
/r/DataIsBeautiful Educational and interesting stats, charts, maps, and surveys.
/r/IRLEasterEggs Pictures of interesting things found creatively placed in unexpected locations. 

Helpful / Educational: 
/r/LifeProTips and /r/YouShouldKnow will give you advice on how to live better.  They provide tips that will make things easier and improve your life in ways you never expected. 
/r/TodayILearned. People learn interesting facts and things everyday.  This is the place to share and read about them. 
/r/NoStupidQuestions A lot like /r/AskReddit.
/r/Frugal is a great place to learn about how to stretch those dollars and make the most of your earnings. In times like these, everyone can use some tips on how to save money.
/r/WhatIsThisThing. Have you found something but you have no idea what it is or what it is for? This sub-reddit is for you!

Entertainment: 
/r/Documentaries is a great place to find some of the best documentary films on the web.  Sort by popularity to find the best ones and discuss them with other users in the comments section. 
/r/NetflixBestOf Recommendations and discussions for the best shows and movies on Netflix.
 /r/ListenToThis is a good place to find new music that is not popular yet.  Do you know of a great band or artist that has not made it big yet?  Share their music here. 

Other: 
/r/UpliftingNews/ - Positive news stories that are inspirational and make you feel good! A nice change of pace from what you usually see covered on the news.
/r/JusticePorn. Do you like when bad people get what they deserve?  This one is the place where justice is served.
/r/Travel Some of the best pictures from travel destinations around the world. 
/r/Technology.  Stay up to date with the newest technology related news and discussion with this one.
/r/CrazyIdeas.  They are not actually crazy, in fact, the ideas posted here are some of the most amazing ones you will find and will make you ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?"
/r/TIFU Stories people share about times when they messed up.
/r/InternetIsBeautiful/ - Random interesting websites that you probably have never seen or heard about before.

For a big list of subreddits sorted by subscribers and popularity, check out Reddit List.

Also check out our Funniest Stories on Reddit Post! 

Do you know of some good subreddits that are not on this list?  Share them below in the comments section. 

Thoughts on Having Kids

I'm around the age where it is acceptable to get married and have kids, but I have choose not to do either of these things. There are a few reasons why I would not want to have kids. One reasons is the enormous responsibility. Another is the unpredictability of what your child will be like. And the third reason is that life is too hard and just not good enough. I'll explain all of these reasons in detail below.

Having a kid is a big responsibility in terms of commitment and time, not to mention the financial aspect of it. When you have a child, you are pretty much saying that you are going to take care of this child and be a parent to him or her for at least the next 18 years. That is a long time! You are responsible to provide for them and make sure they have a good life as they grow up. Taking care of yourself is hard enough, but throw in another person and you are working twice as hard.

There is so much uncertainty when having a child. You don't know if it is going to be a boy or a girl. You don't know how he or she is going to turn out. You don't really know how it will affect your life if it is your first child. People assume their child will be born healthy, but many babies are born with medical problems or disabilities. As mentioned before, life is hard enough even when you don't have any significant problems to overcome, but throw in a mental or physical disability and it makes it much more difficult. You are really taking a chance and rolling the dice when you decide to have a child. You hope for the best, but you never know what you are going to get.

The last reason for not having kids is the fact that life is too hard and not good enough. This is a depressing reason but there are so many bad things and negativity in the world that it would be unfair to bring someone into it and subject them to these things. I realize this may be a controversial reason and there can be a lot of discussion about it. I think the world needs to be a better place to live and the living situation needs to be very good before deciding to bring a child into the world.

What about the flip side? One might ask, "Haven't you ever seen a baby and wished you had one of your own"? This has not happened often, but I have worked with young children in the past and it has made me consider this question. In moments like that, I have thought about what it would be like to raise a child of my own, but all things considered, I still would decide against it. I would be more willing to help someone else raise a child by assisting with babysitting. This would provide a similar experience without all the pressure and commitment of having your own child.

What are your thoughts on weather or not to have kids? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Best Youtube Channels of 2013

1. Laina the Overly Attached Girlfriend (wzr0713)
You probably recognize her from the Overlay Attached Girlfriend meme which is a screen cap of her face from one of her videos.  Laina has risen from this fame and created a great new Youtube channel.  She is very funny and smart, traits that come across in her videos which range from vlogs, to parodies, to fan challenges.  Here is one where she goes to the red carpet at the American Music Awards to try to find Justin Beiber.


2. Vitaly Pranks (VitalyzdTv)
Vitaly is one of the bravest pranksters out there who is known for pushing the envelope and creating "R Rated" pranks.  He does the kind of stuff that makes people want to beat him up before he reveals that it is all just a joke.  Sometimes people are a good sport about it and other times things get out of hand.  If you like edgy prank videos, be sure to check out this channel.  In this one, he goes around to guys saying, "Do you even lift?" implying that they need to work out.


3. Jia Jiang - Rejection Therapy (DukieAjah)
Jia Jiang is on a quest to create 100 videos featuring the concept of Rejection Therapy.  This means he goes around and asks people requests that are unusual or weird and most likely going to get rejected.  Jia films each situation and records the outcome.  Many times his odd requests are granted and he gets to experience something special. On this day, he goes to Costco and asks to speak on the intercom system which leads to an unexpected result.


4. Roman Atwood Pranks (RomanAtwood)
Like Vitaly, Roman Atwood and company are another great prank group to check out.  These guys come up with some of the best ideas that are always funny and elicit hilarious reactions from the unsuspecting targets.  In this one, they use a play on words to tell people they have a bee on them.


5. Badge of Shame - Joe Goes (BadgeofShame)
Joe from Badge of Shame goes around to conventions and different events to interview people in attendance.  His questions are funny and awkward which make them very enjoyable to watch as he interacts with the general public. Here is one where he visits Japan to interview the people and learn about the culture.


6. RossCreations
Ross from the RossCreations channel is one talented dude.  He does physical stunts, acrobatics, and does some of the most daring pranks you will see on Youtube.  If you like Vitaly's style, you will love this channel.  Here is one of his stunt/prank videos with a baseball theme.


7. Reggie Watts
One of my favorite artists and performers Reggie Watts now has his own Youtube channel and it is about time.  This guy is such an interesting character with endless amounts of talent.  It's great to see him with his own platform to share it.  Here is the first video in a series he is doing about how music can effect people.


8. Live Prude Girls
Milana and Stevie from the Live Prude Girls are some of the funniest girls on Youtube right now.  They make original sketch videos but are most famous for their awkward interview type videos where they invite guests to their house and ask them questions.  Here is one where they interview fellow Youtuber Kassem G.


9. Flula
I'm still not sure what to make of Flula Borg from the Flula channel.  He is a German now living in the US who makes music related videos and videos reflecting on American idioms and phrases.  At first I didn't know what was real and what was fake.  All I know know is that Flula is smart, talented, and very funny.  He reminds me of Ali G, who is one of my all time favorites.  In this one, he discusses the term "party pooper".


10. Whatever
 Rounding out the top ten Youtube channels of 2013 is the Whatever channel.  They do the hidden camera style pranks and social experiments like some of the other channels mentioned above.  This video is actually an extended clip from one of there videos called Staring at People.  Andrea finally met her match in this one.


If you liked these, check out the Best Youtube Channels of 2012
or the Best Youtube Channels of 2014. 

Sambazon Juice Review

I was at the store the other day and I saw a promotion where if you buy a salad, you get a free Sambazon juice.  Sambazon is one of these healthy juice blend drinks that has acai berry.  I had never tired it before and since the regular price was $3.50 for a 10oz bottle, I thought I would give it a whirl. 

They have many varieties but I decided to go with the strawberry banana.  It's 100% juice and omega 3 6 and 9.  According to the date, the shelf life is about 2 months which is not bad. As for the price, I would never pay $3.50 for a single serving of juice.  I wish these fresh juice smoothies for more affordable.  The cheapest ones are like $2.50. 

So how did it taste?  Very good!  It was like a cross between a juice and a smoothie.  Not heavy like a smoothie, but fuller than a juice.  It had a fresh taste to it and had a banana flavor mixed with berry.  There was a little bit of a grit to the texture, but that is to be expected from a blend like this. 

Overall I was very pleased with the product.  Unfortunately, the cost is out of my price range so the only time I would get it again would be another free promotion or a big discount. 

New Funny Girls - Angela Trimbur and Wendy McColm

With comedy traditionally being considered a male dominated genre, it's always nice to find funny, creative women excelling in this area.  I recently discovered a couple of talented girls on Youtube named Anglea Trimbur and Wendy McColm.  I found Angela through Kyle's channel (check him out too, he is hilarious).  She performed a song as "Juli Diamond" called Club North Pole.  I thought it was great so I did some research and found her channel.  Here is one of her videos where she and her friends have a thing for young guys... really young guys.


After checking out some of Angela's videos, I found Wendy McColm.  She also has a channel and has written, directed, and acted in many videos.   She makes odd videos with a quirky sense of humor that will either leave you laughing or asking yourself, "What did I just watch?"  Here is one where she pays tribute to the Back To The Future series.


Here is one more channel to check out that features both of these ladies as well as a few more funny women, it's called These Girls.  It again has an off beat sense of humor that your will either love or hate.  In this video, they are at a party and they see a guy they like named Dave.


If you liked these videos be sure to check out their channels for a lot more entertaining videos. 

10 Best Songs of 2012

It is time to recap the best songs of 2012.  For this list, there are only a few rules including: No super popular songs that everyone has heard, no artist repeats, and although most of the songs are from this year, some may have been released in a previous year.  Here are Connected Isolation's top 10 songs of 2012:

1. Ricki Lee - Raining Diamonds

The number 1 song this year is Raining Diamonds by Australian singer songwriter Ricki Lee.  It boggles my mind as to why this song did not get extremely popular.  It has all the ingredients of a perfect pop song.  Also check out the live version she did of this song on X-Factor. 

2. Reggie Watts - Fuck Shit Stack

Reggie Watts may be one of the most talented and innovative acts in the music scene today.  He makes songs on the fly using his voice, looping machines, and synthesizers.  His live performances are hilarious and will leave you in awe.  Here is one of his more popular songs called Fuck Shit Stack. 
  
3. G-Eazy - Lost in Translation

G-Eazy has a knack for picking some of the best samples to use in his songs and this one is no exception as he samples the song PonPonPon by Japanese pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.  The chorus is fun and catchy and the beat and lyrics are excellent as what we have come to expect from G-Eazy.  If you like this, check out his recent mixtapes available for free download.

4. Die Antwoord - Baby's On Fire

They may be number 4 on this list, but Die Antwoord is the artist of the year.  No other act is as interesting, different, and genre redefining as these guys.  Every song and video they put out will captivate your interest whether you like it or not.  To learn more about them and hear more of their songs, check out the profile feature here.

5. Flight of the Conchords - Feel Inside

It's been a while since FOTC have put out some new music, but this year they released a special song for charity called Feel Inside.  They actually got the lyrics by interviewing a bunch of kids to help get suggestions for the song. Then with collaboration of a bunch of artists, the final product was created and it turned out remarkably well.  It's funny, heartwarming, and powerful all rolled into one. Here is the extended version to show how they came up with the song (song starts at 5:05).

6. Icona Pop - I Love It

Here is a catchy synth pop song by the Swedish lady duo of Icona Pop.  This one will be stuck in your head before one listen.  The lyrics are fun to sing along with and the music is great for dance parties.

7. Gregory and the Hawk - Blind and Unwise

Slowing down a bit for this next one from GATH.  Meridith aka Gregory and the Hawk has one of the most beautiful voices around and she shows it here in the song Blind and Unwise from her latest album. 

8. The Naked and Famous - Young Blood (White Sea Remix)

This New Zealand band has gained some attention with their hit song Young Blood.  This remix starts off with some angelic singing and slowly builds into a grungy yet delicate electo pop song.  White Sea, who is a female, which is rare in the business of remixing and music production, does a fantastic job with the vocal editing and arrangement.

9. Adrian Lux - Fire (R3hab Remix)

If there is an epic dance song on the list, this is it.  This remix of Adrian Lux's Fire has some of the most intense sounds I have heard.  The chorus synths just crash with force you can feel.  Coupled with some nice vocals make this a great song for the clubs or anywhere for that matter. 

10. Twin Atlantic - Make a Beast of Myself

Wrapping up the 10 best songs of the year is Twin Atlantic with the song Make a Beast of Myself.  With electronic pop dominating the list, this rock song brings some needed diversity.  This Scottish band has hit with this passionate song.  The video is great too as it tells a story in slow motion.

Did you find a new song you like here?  What was your favorite song of 2012?  Leave it in the comments below.

To see last year's list of the 10 best songs of 2011 go here.

Also check out the 10 Best Songs of 2013. 

10 Best TV Shows of 2012

It's time to recap the best tv shows of the year with the annual top 10 list.  These are my favorite shows that aired this year.  Note, these are all major network shows so if your favorite cable show is not on here, that may be one of the reasons.  Here are the 10 shows from 2012 you should watch:

1. Big Brother
The number one spot this year goes to the reality show Big Brother.  This show has the drama, excitement, and suspense to keep you tuned in for 3 new episodes every week.  This year had a coaches theme where former house guests returned to help out the new house guests.  There were tons of great moments including this one where there was almost a fight between Willie and Joe.


2. Master Chef
I'm not really into cooking shows all that much, but Master Chef really hooked me in this year.  It stars Chef Ramsey and a group of unknown contestants who want to prove themselves as the next great chef.   Each week they compete in challenges and one person goes home.  This season was made by some great participants such as Monte and Christine who despite being blind, holds her own in the kitchen.


3. Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss is a show that puts CEO's in the shoes of their employees to really get a feel for how the business is going and what the morale of the workers is like.  They go in disguise and work alongside their employees to see how they can make the company better.  At the end, they revel themselves and reward the exceptional employees who are doing a great job.  It is always heartwarming and emotional. 
4. NY Med
NY Med is part of a series of documentary style shows that take the viewers inside hospitals and introduces us to the nurses and doctors and what they deal with on a daily basis.  There is plenty of drama and excitement that goes on each episode.  It also makes you appreciate good health after seeing the situations of some of the patients on the show.


5. Secret Millionaire
Another feel good show to check out is Secret Millionaire.  Much like Undercover Boss, the show takes a real life millionaire and sends them to a poor area to get involved with organizations in need.  Their true identity is hidden as they interact with people who are working to make a positive impact on less fortunate communities.  At they end, they reveal who they are and donate money to those who need it most.


6. American Ninja Warrior
This is a physical competition show that has been around for a while in countries like Japan, but is relatively new to the US.  Athletes compete on obstacle and skill courses to get the best time.  People from all over the country can try out, but only one will make it to the end and be named American Ninja Warrior.


7. Rules of Engagement
Even though it is not one of the most talked about shows out there, Rules of Engagement continues to be one of my favorite comedies on tv.  This year it has gone into syndication so you may be able to catch the re-runs along with the new episodes when the next season starts.

8. Parks and Recreation
Another one of the best comedies still going strong is Parks and Recreation.  The show continues to be funny even as settings and characters change.  The cast is great and the writing is very good.  They even got vice president Joe Biden to guest star on the show this season.


9. Shark Tank
Here is a show that I didn't really watch the first couple seasons it was on, but now I am really into it.  You have 5 wealthy "sharks" who are looking to invest money into ideas they think show promise and will be profitable.  Regular people pitch them their products and companies in hopes of getting some financial support.  The show is very entertaining and it's fun to see these new companies and products come to life.


10. Last Resort
This is one of the few dramas that caught my interest this year.  And while it is only half way through the season and will in fact only have 1 season as it stands now, it is still worth checking out.  The show is about a crew on a US submarine that gets attacked by it's own country, or so it seems.  There is lots of action and drama along with some powerful characters and an interesting story line. 

What was your favorite show of 2012?  Leave a comment below.

Also check out the Best Shows of 2013 and last year's list of the best tv shows of 2011.