# What do you do while waiting for a page to load?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 5, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844 "2005-04-05T14:46:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/1 "2005-04-05T14:46:58Z")
I have my own weird little rituals to perform, so I was wondering if anyone else had them too.
I usually minimize and maximize the page often. I think I did this once about 8 years ago, and the page had loaded when I maximized–making me think it actually worked.
I also left click on the desktop and try to highlight everything on the screen as quickly as possible, or make perfect squares.
Obviously, I still use the antiquated dial-up :eek: Please don’t throw those rocks too hard.
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### Author:  [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/2 "2005-04-05T14:48:17Z")
Hi. I’m DeVena… [sup]Hi, DeVena![/sup] And I’m addicted to Freecell.
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/3 "2005-04-05T15:22:46Z")
Surf other web sites in another broswer window.
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### Author:  [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/4 "2005-04-05T15:31:44Z")
> [@DeVena](#):
>
> Hi. I’m DeVena… [sup]Hi, DeVena![/sup] And I’m addicted to Freecell.
Hi DeVena, My name is Rock n Roach and I’m a freecellaholic
If the page takes more than a second, you can be sure I’ll start another game of freecell.
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### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/5 "2005-04-05T15:39:04Z")
… do?
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### Author:  [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/6 "2005-04-05T16:33:24Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#):
>
> … do?
Ah, the classic “waiter”. No multitasking for Ponder, I guess.
You see, Ponder, some of us are gyperactive, and can’t wait even a second or two without doing something else. You know, the old “microwave generation”–everything has to be done quickly.
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### Author:  [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/7 "2005-04-05T16:38:38Z")
Scroll through the current page for as long as I can, because it makes the text that much more interesting if I think that suddenly it will be gone.
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### Author:  [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/8 "2005-04-05T16:42:05Z")
I use FireFox, I go down the list opening each thread in a new tab then I hit reload or new posts. I have 8 tabs open currently SDMB(4), Geocaching(1), [H]ard|OCP(1), NewEgg(1), Rocketry Online(1). multitasking! 🆒
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### Author:  [@LilCutie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilCutie)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/9 "2005-04-05T19:05:10Z")
I flip between my other windows open. Wierd thing about this, is that earlier while waiting for this thread to open, I was scanning the other windowns and forgot all about this one. Huh.
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### Author:  [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/10 "2005-04-05T19:18:11Z")
Surf other sites, type random stuff into Notepad, play computer games. Or twiddle my thumbs and bug other people next to me. Fun stuff. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/11 "2005-04-06T00:16:26Z")
I usually keep two windows open, along with spider solitaire. I used to be a Freecellaholic, but ever since I started using windows xp spider solitaire is my new addiction.
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### Author:  [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/12 "2005-04-06T00:18:27Z")
I sing. I’m trying to force out an earworm that way. So far the only thing that has happened is that I’m learning the song really well. Sowing the seeds, sowing the seeds of…AAARRGGHH! I also play a bit of Spider.
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### Author:  [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/13 "2005-04-06T00:41:09Z")
Solitaire. MSN chats. Anything. I always have at least two windows/tabs open (unless I’m on the crappy work computer, which usually freezes when I do that), but my parent’s dial-up is so sad that often than won’t keep me occupied–instead I just have two pages loading at once. At least until it disconnects.
[sup]I wuv my cable modem.[/sup]
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### Author:  [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/14 "2005-04-06T02:38:26Z")
Read one of the other already loaded pages in another tab.
See if anything interesting is happening on IRC at that moment.
Fiddle with WinAmp.
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### Author:  [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-page-to-load/297844/15 "2005-04-06T02:47:56Z")
No one else paces frantically while shouting obscenities at the computer?