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If there's anything that annoys me about being at work for eight to nine hours every day, it's the strict lockdown on the Internet. While I certainly don't envy the job of the network administrators tasked with the job of filtering and policing Internet use, it seems that the level of filtering varies significantly from company to company.

One thing that should be said is that the network security team at any company has a pretty tough job - they have to protect internal IT resources from a myriad of external and internal threats. However, some security groups clamp down everything so tight that you're lucky if you can get through the Internet firewall at all.

While this is perfectly fine during the workday, during your lunch break when you're taking a moment to relax, it would be nice have a few places to visit that are interesting and fun. You could follow Ben's tips and try to bypass the filter.  That might get you in trouble, so maybe finding appropriate sites for work is a better alternative.

10 Safe For Work Websites

The following ten websites are some of the coolest places I found to just unwind for half an hour while eating lunch. Aibek offered a list of cool websites to procrastinate at work. While reading tech sites and news is awesome - it can get old after a while. Sometimes you just just need a good laugh to unwind.

The first website is one of those places you'd want to visit if you've just suffered through a meeting run by those types of people that are insufferably "inspirational." They talk about passion, drive and perseverance like an Army drill sergeant talks about duty and honor. When you're through with the meeting, visit Despair.com.

One of my favorites is the one for "Customer Care" that reads, "If we really cared for the customer we'd send them somewhere better."

Another website that an MUO reader mentioned in the comments area of my Bizarre Websites article was People of Walmart. This website has been gaining in popularity quite a bit in the past few years.

Mostly all content here is PG and accepted by most corporate filters. So enjoy a grin or two at the expense of others!

Now, for those of you that feel the workday can get you stressed out and down - a useful site to visit during your break is Things are Good. Here, you can read about positive news and things that are, quite simply, good.

Read about kind things people have done in the world. Things that will just make you feel good about the world, even in the midst of a really hard day at work.

Don't feel like reading - but would rather play games? Check out Free Rice, a highly addictive English vocabulary game where you need to answer various questions that increase in difficulty in each level.

For each correct answer, Free Rice will donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme. Have fun and help the world at the same time during your 30 minute lunch. How cool is that?

If you're the type of person that loves to travel, and you feel confined to your office - try visiting EarthCam.

Earthcam is an impressive collection of webcams around the world that let you travel from the comfort of your desk. Check out Times Square, Aquariums, Monuments and much more.

Next up is Passive Aggressive notes. This is a blog with frequent updates featuring...well...passive aggressive notes. I visit this one often. Being rather passive aggressive myself, I think I get a little too much enjoyment out of these posts!

Another great safe-for-work site that is well suited to read in an office environment is a website called Overheard in the Office.

This is an absolutely hilarious site where visitors submit real-world conversations they've either had or overheard where they work. Trust me, some of these will have you doubled over in pain from laughing.

Another one for those of you that enjoy traveling or exploring different places is Walk Score.

This is a really interesting online resource that lets you type in any address and find out how appealing that city or town is to people that prefer walking. Any score over 90 is a place you could live without really owning a car.

One of my favorite sites to visit on those days where I just want to let my mind wander is Magnetic Poetry.

You can play an online version of the real-world magnetic poetry kit. This is a great "zen" like activity for those days when you're feeling particularly harried at work.

Finally, I've saved one of my favorites for last. It isn't always easy to find funny photo gallery sites through the company firewall, but no need to worry, Awkward Family Photos will give you some of the biggest laughs you've ever had.

Hopefully, these ten websites provide you with plenty of material that you can bookmark for a little bit of lunchtime relaxation and fun. Work can be stressful sometimes, but that doesn't mean you can't take a break every now and then to sit back and enjoy a laugh or two.

Do you have any other fun safe-for-work websites that would make it through pretty much any firewall? Share your own suggestions in the comments section below!

Image credit: Stephen Davies