Web Distractions: What's Interesting on the Web in June

Web Distractions is our monthly column of all the strange, weird and wonderful stuff happening on the internet. This month we’ve got a man-made whirlpool, illustrations of true love, and a look at what makes a word. It’s a real grab-bag of weirdness.

Read on for all the links - I hope you don’t have any deadlines today!

I saw these illustrations by Korean artist Puuung that attempt to show the day to day manifestations of true love. The vignettes capture incredible, beautiful moments of care and kindness and joy, and they are real - moments that we all experience.

Hilarious tumblr of the life of a stock photo model.

Acclaimed and beloved science fiction author Terry Pratchett died recently, which was very sad if, like me, you are a huge fan. If you’re not, but want to be, looking at his body of work can be a bit daunting, especially considering the 40 books that make up the Discworld series. iO9 have created a guide to Discworld for beginners, and it’s fantastic.

On Problogger, learn how to prevent black hat SEO attacks against your website. Scary stuff.

Learn about the amazing Little Free Library movement - thousands of tiny libraries across the world made from recycled materials where patrons are invited to take a book and leave a book. Library creators make unique, fun and whimsical designs. Each library receives its own registration number, and there are now more than 25,000 registered across the globe.

Read about the environmental disaster that is Lake Peigneur, the biggest man-made vortex ever. Lake Peigneur was once an unremarkable freshwater lake near the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana. It covered 1300 acres and was only 11 feet deep with a salt mine underneath. Now it’s a 1300 foot-deep saltwater lake that caused more than $45 million dollars in damage.

A fascinating TED Talk from linguist Anne Curzan on What Makes a Word Real. I am now using “recombobulation zone” in everyday conversation.

Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg wrote a beautiful post about grieving. Worth a read.

Anyone growing up in the 80s and 90s will remember those never-ending young adult series like Fear Street, Sweet Valley High, and the Baby-Sitters Club. After so many books, it often seemed as if the authors were stretching for ideas, which actually resulted in some of the more interesting books in these series. Read about spontaneous unparalysings, cult brainwashings, murder plots and double doppelgangers in 12 Sweet Valley High Books with Ridiculous Plotlines.

I sent this to a friend the other day who was in desperate need of cheering up. The Ten Best Cat Videos of all Time.

The Hand of Man: Bonsai Tree Hangs Inside Abandoned Power Plant. Beautiful images.

I really, really can’t wait to see this movie next year:

That’s my favourite links of the month. What are yours?