The internet is a great way to pass time, in fact it has a sneaky way of eating up way to much time! One of the things I have found on the net that helps pass the time and is fun to boot, is the wealth of free games. Now some folks I know go for games like Hearts, or Mohjong, but I prefer the more complex role playing games. My favorite so far is a game called CyberNations, found at http://www.cybernations.net. Here is the short blurb from the CyberNations default page.
Welcome to Cyber Nations, a free persistent browser-based nation simulation game. Create a nation and decide how you will rule your people by choosing a government type, a national religion, tax rate, currency type, and more. Build your nation by purchasing infrastructure to support your citizens, land to expand your borders, technology to increase your nation's effectiveness, military to defend your interests, and develop national improvements and wonders to build your nation according to your choosing.
I've been playing this game for almost 2 years now, and still play every day. The great thing about most of these online role playing games is that they don't take much time. They are a great diversion, and give you something to think about as you plot to take over the world. ;-) But most can be played in a few minutes a day. Here's a link to my nation page... http://www.cybernations.net/nation_drill_display.asp?Nation_ID=66091
