Tiny software inspo

Hello, world! As I expand my online presence, I’m thinking about parts of the Internet that inspire me. Here are some sites (sights!) that have filled me with wonder and informed my decisions as a software user.

Tiny tools

I love this directory of tiny tools, which includes a website carbon calculator and 70 tools for working with colors alone! I was particularly amused by the text color fader, so I’ve included a sample output below.

Alternative software directories

If you’re willing to venture off the beaten path, you may be interested in alternative software. Privacy tools is probably the most concise; it focuses specifically on software you might choose for privacy. There’s also a list called Awesome Privacy, which is probably the most extensive. Switching.software takes a broader approach and lists software with various ethical advantages. Alternative.to lists software by function, with less of an emphasis on ethics but more comprehensive coverage. There’s also Privacy Guides, which has a more polished feel.

The Ergo

The “Things we liked” section of the newsletter The Ergo often has likable, obscure, and/or useful links, and the interviews often contain product recommendations. Here’s a sample issue. I’m especially grateful that it led me to playingcards.io, a free online board and card game platform I’ve been using to play chess with my grandma.

Decentralized social media

I sometimes see people posting about interesting software on the fediverse, a federated network of social media sites. You can learn more over on fediverse.party and browse a recommendation account that’s embedded below through mastofeed.

DONGs

For more chaotic, less curated content, you can search the web for DONGs. Many can be found here. Apparently the name is an initialism for “do online now, guys.” Mostly they seem to be games, but offerings also include dreamlike digital art, a recursion toy, and a delightful ascii font generator. That’s all I have for now, hope you have fun exploring!

            .-') _  ('-.                ('-. .-.
           (  OO) )( OO ).-.           ( OO )  /
         ,(_)----. / . --. /   .-----. ,--. ,--.
   .-')  |       | | \-.  \   '  .--./ |  | |  |
 _(  OO) '--.   /.-'-'  |  |  |  |('-. |   .|  |
(,------.(_/   /  \| |_.'  | /_) |OO  )|       |
 '------' /   /___ |  .-.  | ||  |`-'| |  .-.  |
         |        ||  | |  |(_'  '--'\ |  | |  |
         `--------'`--' `--'   `-----' `--' `--'