Wait But Why
Very long illustrated essays on artificial intelligence, procrastination and the Fermi paradox, drawn in deliberately bad stick figures.
Opens in a new tab. We do not control this site and it may have changed since we catalogued it.
How to get the most from it
Wait But Why sits in Interactive Explainers under Learn, filed as rabbit hole.
- Open it when the evening is free. It has no natural stopping point.
- It works on a phone or a desktop, so open it on whatever is nearest.
- It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
- No account needed — you can start without signing up.
- Go in expecting something brainy and funny.
About this category: Explainers that use motion, interaction and scrolling to teach what a paragraph never could. The clearest teaching on the internet lives here.
Good for
- A long evening with nothing planned
- Giving your brain a workout
- A reliable laugh
- A quiet break at your desk
- Killing time on your phone
- Trying it with zero commitment
Wait But Why: quick answers
Is Wait But Why free?
Yes. Wait But Why is free to use and needs no account.
Do I need an account to use Wait But Why?
No. You can use Wait But Why without signing up for anything.
Does Wait But Why work on a phone?
Yes. Wait But Why works on phones as well as desktop browsers.
Is Wait But Why safe for work?
Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.
How long does Wait But Why take?
We file it as "Rabbit hole": Clear your evening. We warned you.
More in Interactive Explainers
All 15 in Interactive ExplainersGrant Sanderson's maths lessons, plus the written versions of the animations that made linear algebra look like geometry.
- 10 min
- Sound on
Engineering essays with live diagrams you drag — gears, lenses, GPS, sound — each the clearest thing ever written on its subject.
- 1 hr+
- Desktop
Maths explained by intuition first and formulas second, by someone who clearly resented how he was taught it.
Machine learning journal where every paper is an interactive diagram; publication has stopped, the back catalogue has not aged.
- 1 hr+
- Desktop
Same mood: brainy
All brainy sitesRisk against real people across hundreds of maps, played in one sitting or over weeks of daily turns. Formerly Warzone and WarLight.
Climate averages for any city as gorgeous year-round charts: sunshine hours, muggy days, wind, and precisely when the good weather ends.
- 10 min
Screenshots of thousands of websites from 1991 onward, arranged so you can watch entire interface conventions appear and die.
Billions of generated puzzles in a layout untouched since 2005, which is precisely why it still loads before you finish blinking.
- 10 min
- Desktop
Keep exploring
Category
Time and mood
Have a site of your own? Suggest it for Detour or browse the AltFTool backlinks hub.