【erotice monky】

This post is erotice monkypart ofHard Refresh, a soothing weekly column where we try to cleanse your brain of whatever terrible thing you just witnessed on Twitter.

When I'm seeking feelings of peace and tranquility, the internet is not the first place I look. But if I absolutelyhave to stay online, I open a tab for LookingAtSomething.com, a website created five (yes, five) years ago by artist Rafaël Rozendaal.

It's an unassuming website. In fact, the only thing on it is an animation of a rain shower. Move your cursor down toward the bottom of the window and the shower will turn into more of a storm. (You'll even see flashes of lightning.) Move your cursor up and the rain will stop entirely, replaced by chirping birds and blue sky. If you'd like to create a brief gust of wind, move your cursor to the right or left.

SEE ALSO: Trust us: Play this national parks audio on loop and close your eyes

That's all you can do, and it's more than enough. Despite its incredibly simple design and limited functionality, it manages to be one of the most relaxing places I've ever come across online.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Via Giphy

I believe this is for two reasons. The famously soothing effects of rain sounds, of course, is one of them. But as a person with middling anxiety, the interactive element is what seals the deal. Yes, it's an incredibly simple function, but the act of toggling the (virtual) weather -- turning the rain on and off; making the sun come out, then disappear -- makes me feel pleasantly in control. When my life feels like it's perpetually tumbling away from me (since it's 2018, this happens often!), there is solace to be found in controlling the precise pace and noise level of the mechanism I've chosen to make me feel better.

For a pleasant mini-reset, here's how I recommend using the site. To start, close all your other tabs. Put in some headphones. Create a situation where that rain animation is the only thing in your line of sight. Set a timer for two to three minutes -- it'll go by more slowly than you think.

Then just play around for a while. Decide how hard you want it to rain and make it so: a full-on thunderstorm, a sprinkle, a light drizzle. Think about whether you'd bring an umbrella if this was happening IRL, then stop because it's not real rain and you can make it stop whenever you want. Create tiny gusts of wind onscreen. Crank the volume up.

If all goes well, you'll feel a little more centered when the timer goes off, if just for a few moments. Here, it's not so much about the longevity of the relief -- what matters is that you've sought it out at all.

Let the (fake) rain fall down, everyone.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Keep calm and carry on with this spaceship-shaped incense pod

---

• Science
• Games
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Social Good
• Life

• Best monitor deal: Get $350 off the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor at B&H Photo
• United stopped serving tomato juice on flights and people were FURIOUS
• This tweet about the only 3 types of British crime show is spot on
• Loads of delicious cookie dough spilled onto a North Carolina highway
• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• Remembering the forgotten Star Wars films that were all about Ewoks
• Yanny or Laurel? IT'S TEARING THE INTERNET APART.
• The original Yanny vs. Laurel audio will finally settle this once and for all
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Save $20 on Amazon Echo Show 5
• Man gets hilarious response after pitching astroturfed window boxes to garden show

• Where to buy Samsung Galaxy Book 4 series laptops
• If you're buying the Kara Swisher book on Amazon, make sure it's not an AI
• Sinner vs. Djokovic 2025 livestream: Watch French Open for free
• What the Luddites can teach us about AI replacing workers
• Unlearning loneliness: How TikTok is rewriting the rules of connection
• Best fitness tracker deal: Get the Apple Watch Series 9 for $50 off at Amazon
• Meet the mayor leaving politics to fight climate change
• X launches live video for Spaces
• Xiaomi's $3,000 CyberDog 2 can do backflips
• Tech worker wore an Apple Vision Pro at his wedding

• Secret commands found in Bluetooth chip used in a billion devices
• Twitter tests a way to minimize the voices of trolls
• In audit update, Facebook says it has suspended 200
• Mysterious blockchain
• Your 'wrong person' texts may be linked to Myanmar warlord
• An analysis of James Delos' creepy speech in 'Westworld'
• This tweet about the only 3 types of British crime show is spot on
• Why researchers think Hawaii's Kilauea volcano could erupt explosively
• Researchers map the koala genome in the name of saving the species
• Harrison Ford crashed an interview with new Han Solo Alden Ehrenreich

• Panthers vs. Sharks 2025 livestream: Watch NRL for free
• Twitch streams 48
• Yanny or Laurel? IT'S TEARING THE INTERNET APART.
• Activists respond to Russia's misappropriation of their causes
• How to Reboot and Reset Android Devices
• That Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Lifetime movie has landed, people
• Butt rip jeans are the latest terrible jeans trend that we definitely never needed
• Ryan Reynolds went on a South Korean singing show disguised as a unicorn and just wow
• Auburn vs. Creighton 2025 livestream: How to watch March Madness for free
• Facebook launched a "youth portal" to win back teens (and parents)