I have become so information-hungry in recent months that I will spend hours at night researching things that intrigue me online.

It’s easy to get lost on sites like StumbleUpon, Wikipedia, and Tumblr with the power of their Star-Trekkian hyperlinks, but it’s also about finding something cool before anyone else does. In this case, it’s become sort of like an online, viral stock market.

What can I buy into first?

So, for those wishing they had a crystal ball into the future-viral things of 2013, here are a few places I like to launch my curiosity from, and ways for you to explore yours:

1. Viral Video Chart , in my opinion, is better than YouTrends, as it measures the hottest vids by the sharability of a video since it was released. It’s a great spot to find internationally viral videos before your friends do.

2. Although dead as a doornail, Kim Jong Il still makes appearances online, including here on: Kim Jong Il Looking at Things. The formerly alive North Korean dictator, whose equally attractive son now rules, sure knows how to make a face, right Tyra? Watch for other political figures making waves online this year.

3. Mean Girls fans can relive the best lines from the movie in memes generated to match the faces and expressions of politicians on Capitol Hill in Washington. Guaranteed to grow like a fiscal weed.

4. When people find unique pieces of art, photography and design, it just gets me all giddy! Both Grow House Grow and Spooky Home never cease to amaze.

5. Ever think that people in really old photos all look the same: pasty, doll-like and boring? Well, you’ve never seen My Daguerreotype Boyfriend where the author finds hot people in old photographs and posts them. *Sigh… how Downton Abbey, which thankfully returns Jan. 6.

6. This one is like dog shaming for kids: I hate my parents is a take on parents neglecting or over-protecting their children. What will be next?! I vote for kids who use their parents’ iPhones to snap unwitting photos of their parents doing funny things.

7. There’s something so cool about old photographs, and this one collects real, vintage photos from parents . But will the printed photograph go extinct one day soon? Dodo bird anyone?

8. And finally, for the Simpsons fans out there, we have Eye on Sprungfeld… oops, I mean Springfield… reliving all the greatest moments from seasons 1-9.

Leave your comments below or tweet me @MelanieReiff to join the discussion: what’s your favourite site to visit to find the hottest stuff first?