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Link Dumps

Link Dump #47

This week I apparently bookmarked things that make me think, which is frankly exhausting but here we are.

Protection or Free Trade – Online Library of Liberty
Classic economic text on free trade vs. protectionism. It’s the kind of thing that sounds incredibly dry until you realize these debates are literally shaping global politics right now. The Online Library of Liberty is a treasure trove of this stuff.

Shrimp Welfare Project – FarmKind
Yes, this is real. Someone is seriously working on shrimp welfare, and honestly, good for them. If you’re going to have effective altruism, might as well go all the way down to crustaceans. The fact that this exists says something profound about human moral expansion.

101 Rules of Effective Living
Life advice condensed into bite-sized rules. Some are profound, others are obvious, most are somewhere in between. It’s the kind of thing you bookmark thinking you’ll refer back to it, then forget about until your next browser cleanup.

TikTok is a Time Bomb – The Prism
A deep dive into TikTok’s potential as an information warfare tool. Whether you buy the argument or not, it’s a fascinating look at how social media platforms can shape culture and attention spans. Makes you wonder what we’re optimizing for as a society.

Sometimes the internet makes you think. Other times it makes you wish you could stop thinking. Today it’s doing both.

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Link Dumps

Link Dump #46

Today’s collection is a grab bag of “how did I live without this?” and “why does this exist?” in roughly equal measure.

News Minimalist
News, but stripped down to just the essentials. No autoplay videos, no algorithmic rage-bait, just clean headlines and actual information. It’s like news for people who want to stay informed without feeling like they’re being assaulted by information.

ChessFish
Analyze chess moves with both Stockfish (the brutal computer) and Maia (the AI trained on human games). It’s fascinating to see how an AI that plays like humans differs from one that plays optimally. Chess nerds will love this; everyone else will wonder why this needs to exist.

Firefly Fitness Trainer
A virtual fitness trainer that I’m assuming works better than my actual motivation to exercise. Clean interface, probably effective, definitely more patient than I am with fitness routines.

Pila Energy
Some kind of energy/battery company with a surprisingly sleek website. I’m not entirely sure why I bookmarked this, but their branding is on point and they seem to do energy storage solutions.

Polar Mass Advanced IP Blocker
For when you really, really don’t want certain people visiting your website. The fact that this exists suggests there are stories behind its creation that I probably don’t want to know.

The internet: solving problems you didn’t know you had while creating new ones you never wanted.

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Link Dumps

Link Dump #45

Sometimes the internet surprises you with its creativity. Other times it surprises you with its absolute commitment to documenting terrible things. Today’s links span that entire spectrum.

Museum of Bad Art
“Art too bad to be ignored” is their tagline, and they deliver. This is a real museum dedicated to preserving spectacularly awful artwork. Their collection is genuinely impressive in its commitment to badness. It’s like the internet before the internet existed.

Imgur: Gadsden Flag Memes
A surprisingly extensive collection of “Don’t Tread on Me” memes. Regardless of your political leanings, some of these are genuinely clever. The internet’s ability to meme-ify literally everything continues to amaze and occasionally terrify me.

BeddyStories
A global library of classic bedtime stories for kids ages 0-12. Clean interface, well-organized, and probably going to save some parent’s sanity at 8 PM tonight. Sometimes the internet is actually helpful and wholesome.

Dungeons & Threes
I’m honestly not sure what this is, but the name is fantastic and it exists in my bookmarks, so here we are. Sometimes you bookmark things in a moment of enthusiasm and then spend months wondering what past-you was thinking.

The internet: equal parts museum, meme factory, and mystery box.

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Link Dumps Random Links

Random Unnumbered Link Dump

btxx.org/posts is a treasure trove for anyone interested in technical writing with substance. The blog showcases an impressive range of topics, from detailed OpenBSD tutorials to web development insights. What sets this blog apart is the author’s commitment to practical, actionable content.

The site features comprehensive guides on setting up Mullvad VPN, building routers, and VM configurations. There are thoughtful posts on minimalism in web design, including “Making a Website Under 1kB,” along with real-world solutions like “Building rbenv on OpenBSD” and “Fixing Jekyll’s dart-sass Dependency.” Posts like “Deliver the Bare Minimum” and “Stop Using Custom Web Fonts” offer refreshing perspectives on modern web development.

ciechanow.ski/archives represents some of the finest interactive educational content on the web. While the archive page shows relatively few posts, each one is a masterpiece of interactive visualization and explanation.

Each post features interactive learning through engaging visualizations that transform complex topics into accessible experiences. The quality over quantity approach means each post is meticulously crafted with months of development, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in web-based education. Though updates are infrequent, each post is worth the wait and demonstrates how technology can enhance learning in profound ways.

zapier.com/blog/best-ai-social-media-management/ delivers exactly what it promises: a thorough analysis of the best AI-powered social media management tools. This guide stands out for its hands-on testing approach and practical insights.

The author tested apps over the course of a month, connecting actual social accounts and evaluating features. The guide reviews 8 major platforms from FeedHive to StoryChief, emphasizing time-saving features, automation, and analytics rather than just AI buzzwords. Each tool is matched to specific use cases and needs, successfully balancing technical detail with accessibility for both beginners and experienced marketers.

opoulos.com showcases the portfolio of a Creative Director/Copywriter with an impressive client roster. The site itself is a testament to clean, effective design.

The portfolio features work with major brands like Liberty Mutual, AT&T, NBA, and Pepsi, demonstrating creative range from “AT&T Just OK is not OK” campaigns to “The Doomsday Alarm Clock” side projects. The clean, minimalist design lets the work speak for itself, while side projects like “The Productivity Blocker” and “The Dark Web Gift Shop” show creative thinking beyond commercial work. The portfolio demonstrates both commercial success and creative innovation, making it an excellent example for creative professionals.

bigthink.com/health/american-men-may-have-a-beef-problem/ presents a fascinating analysis of American beef consumption patterns. This article exemplifies data journalism at its best.

The piece reveals that just 12% of Americans account for half the country’s beef consumption, mostly men aged 50-65 eating at least four ounces daily. This level of consumption exceeds dietary guidelines and increases risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The article also explores environmental impact, noting that beef results in eight times more greenhouse gas emissions than pork and ten times more than poultry, while examining the connection between beef consumption and masculinity in Western culture. The article successfully combines scientific research with cultural analysis, making complex health data accessible and engaging.

especiales.eldiario.es/spain-lives-in-flats/ offers a compelling data visualization exploring Spain’s unique housing patterns. This multimedia piece excellently combines urban planning analysis with historical context.

Spain has one of the highest percentages of apartment dwellers worldwide, with only South Korea having more people in collective dwellings. The shift to vertical living intensified during Franco’s dictatorship (1950-1975) to accommodate rural-to-urban migration. Different eras produced distinct building types, from 4-story blocks without elevators to H-shaped blocks with elevators. Interactive maps and charts make complex urban planning data accessible, demonstrating how effective data journalism can illuminate patterns in urban development and social change.

rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-this-person-does-not-exist-alternatives/ provides a comprehensive guide to AI face generation tools beyond the popular ThisPersonDoesNotExist.

The guide reviews 15 alternatives including Generated Photos API, ArtBreeder, and specialized tools like Night Cafe Face Generator. It discusses use cases from social media avatars to business profiles and product design mockups, with detailed analysis of customization options, pricing plans, and unique features of each platform. The guide also addresses the benefits of AI-generated faces, including avoiding exploitation of real people’s images, serving as an excellent resource for anyone needing AI-generated imagery for legitimate business or creative purposes.

Categories
Link Dumps

Link Dump #44

Welcome back to another link dump, where I share the digital breadcrumbs I’ve been collecting while procrastinating on actual work.

Bluesky Trends
Someone built a trends tracker for Bluesky, because apparently we need to gamify every social platform. It’s actually pretty neat though – clean interface, real-time data, and mercifully free of the algorithmic chaos that makes Twitter feel like a digital fever dream these days.

Privacy Tests
Ever wonder which browser is actually keeping your secrets? This site runs comprehensive privacy tests on all the major browsers. Spoiler alert: your browser probably knows more about you than your therapist. The results are both fascinating and deeply concerning.

Cover Your Tracks
The EFF’s tool that shows you exactly how trackable you are online. It’s like a mirror, but instead of showing you that you need a haircut, it shows you that you need better privacy settings. Take the test, then spend the next hour falling down a rabbit hole of browser fingerprinting techniques.

Kagi Search
A premium search engine that promises no ads, no tracking, and actually good results. It’s like Google from an alternate timeline where they didn’t decide to become an advertising company. The fact that you have to pay for it somehow makes it feel more trustworthy.

PPP Loan Map
Remember those PPP loans from the pandemic? This site maps out where all that money went. It’s the kind of government transparency tool that either restores your faith in public accountability or makes you question everything. Depends on what you search for, really.

Transparency in government: it’s like vegetables – good for you, but sometimes hard to digest.

Remember folks: if the product is free, you’re probably the product. Stay paranoid out there.