My Cool Weblog
Before search engines, personally-maintained weblogs were how most internet users found their way around the web. Human curation (not algorithms!) shaped the flow of web traffic. This page is a practice in oldschool web logging: a collection of my favorite links and resources.
Educational Resources
- Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't: Botany videos, photography, and education.
- Technology Connections: Informative videos on this history of household technology.
- EVNautilus: Livestream of deep-ocean research from the perspective of an underwater research vehicle.
- How They Watch You: Project by Nick Briz explaining the tools, techniques, and ethics of surveillance capitalism.
- Abortion Cafe: Need an abortion? Here’s everything you need to know.
Databases
- Internet Archive: The internet’s premier cultural archive.
- Wikipedia: It’s Wikipedia. You know Wikipedia.
- Jepson Herbarium : Useful resource for California native plant identification
- CNPS CalScape: California Native Plant Society’s plant life database.
- CalFlora : Resource on California native plants and gardening practices.
- iNaturalist: Massive database of user-generated observations of natural life. Useful tool for identifying plants and animals.
- Serebii: Long-running encyclopedia of Pokémon data.
- NASA Horizons: API for gathering precise data on celestial bodies, including stars, planets, moons, and satellites.
- NOAA: Resource for nationwide oceanographic and weather data.
- Densho Encyclopedia: Detailed information about American concentration camps in WWII.
- Bricks In Motion: Archive of stop-motion animation videos using LEGO as a medium. Long-running community forum with helpful tips and tricks.
Web Tools
- 12 Foot Ladder: Useful for sidestepping paywalled content on the web.
- Modular Grid: Tool for visualizing and organizing Eurorack synth arrangements.
- MarineTraffic.com: Live visualization of public maritime tracking info.
- FlightAware: Live visualization of publicly available flight data.
- LiveATC: Livestream of Air Traffic Control communications.
- Broadcastify: Livestreams of thousands of HAM radio frequencies.
- FCC.io: Simple search tool for FCC ID info.
Networks & Communities
- cohost: A young (nonprofit!) social media platform. Very Good Posts.
- The WELL: Real people, real conversation since 1985.
- neocities: Hosts thousands of “old web” style pages generated by users from around the world.
Blogs
- BoingBoing: A directory of wonderful things. Classic blog.
- The Brothers Brick: Long-running blog showcasing LEGO creations and news.
- MediaPost: Digital advertising news.
Organizations & Research Bodies
- MBARI: California’s premier research aquarium.
- The Online Creators Association: Ongoing organizing effort for video creators, especially on TikTok
- Surfrider Foundation: Environmental organization.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: Organization advocating for privacy rights and a better, safer, freer internet.
Cool Internet People
- Fran Blanche: Explorations of vintage technology and DIY electronics.
- The Carpetbagger: Informative videos and reflections on American life.
- mikeno62: Detailed repair videos for SLR cameras and lenses.
- Zoe Blade's Notebook: Musician and technology researcher hosts useful information about hardware, software, and more.
- Big Soy Naturals: 300 IQ geniuses with a podcast.
Software
- LittleSnitch: Customizeable network filter.
- BlockBlock: Monitors for installation of persistent startup components.
- QGIS: Open-source alternative to ArcGIS.
- Octave: Open-source alternative to MATLAB.
- GQRX: Open-source software-defined radio.
- SyncTerm: GUI for connecting to oldschool BBS.
- DiskInventoryX: Treemaps visualizer for drive space and storage management.
- WireShark: Capture and observe network traffic.
- HandBrake: Open source video transcoder.
- Lumen: Analog video synthesis emulation.
- WS4000 Simulator: oldschool Weather Channel report emulator.
- Rockd: Geological maps for mobile.
- OpenEMU: open-source emulator for various vintage consoles.
- OBS: Open-source video recording and streaming software.
- Helm: Open source digital synthesis instrument.