Cool links

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Jay Graber Steps Down as Bluesky CEO, WeDistribute. She remains in the company, now as director of innovation (CIO). Replacing her on an interim basis is Toni Schneider, former CEO of Automattic and venture capitalist.

A brief history of domains. Today I learned that the domain system preceded the web.

Why I put my life in a database. This psychopath… I mean, guy compiled almost 400,000 data points about himself, collected since 2019, and published several charts. I found it funny when he said he wouldn't give details about months when his mood varied “for privacy reasons.”

Share on Mastodon. A new official share button that remembers your instance. Should we use it here in the Manual? 👀

Services on the AT protocol. A non-exhaustive list of services built on top of the AT protocol, the same one used by Bluesky.

Synthsational. Make music by pressing the keys on your keyboard. (The visuals are very nice.)

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

A new look is coming to Firefox on computers. Codenamed Nova, the visual redesign is very colorful and features rounded corners. I don't know… It’s weird. The work is in its early stages and there is no release date yet. (I don't even know what language this blog is in; click for the screenshots.)

“Desktop mode” comes to Android. In the newly released Android 16 QPR3, just connect your phone to a display, keyboard, and mouse for an experience similar to Windows or macOS. Now that macOS officially runs on an iPhone chip (in MacBook Neo), why not do the same, Apple? (We know why: because then the company would sell only one device instead of two.)

What you give up (and to whom) when you verify your LinkedIn profile. Spoiler: a lot, and to dozens of unimaginable “partners.” At this point, it is recommended to at least be wary of anything that big tech platforms offer. Hot tip from Marco.

digiKam 9.0. An update that lives up to the jump from the 8.x line to 9.0, with tons of new features and improvements. digiKam is a photo manager and editor, similar to Lightroom. FOSS, for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Ensu. The folks at Ente have launched a “private AI” that runs on the device. It's not even close to commercial/cloud-based AI, but it's an alternative to chatbot therapy with ChatGPT or Gemini.

List of public/open Jitsi instances. Jitsi is video calling software, an alternative to Zoom and Google Meet, that works surprisingly fine.

imbored. A website with lots of micro-experiences to alleviate boredom.

your ai slop bores me. A website where you pretend to be an AI and respond to and draw things that other people request. (You can choose whether you are the AI or the person asking the questions.) Hot tip from Luz Clarita.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Google and Epic announce settlement to end app store antitrust case, Ars Technica. The 30% fee reduction charged to developers comes with several caveats. The changes stem from an agreement with Epic Games, which had beaten Google in court after accusing the company of monopolistic practices with the Play Store.

For adults only. Apparently, you must be over 18 to use the Zed code editor.

ActivityPub for WordPress 8.0.0. The big news is that you can like and boost a blog post without leaving it. It's a bit of a hack, but it seems to work.

NetNewsWire with backward compatibility. It's not every day that a new version of an app highlights compatibility with the previous operating system (15  Sequoia, in this case). Those who didn't like Liquid Glass and are still using the old version are grateful.

Escargot. They're trying to resurrect the old MSN Messenger.

PersonalSit.es. A directory of personal websites. (I wasn't sure if I had already shared this in the links of the day, but I guess it doesn't hurt to repeat it, right?)

MacBook Neo. Apple has announced a new entry-level MacBook. Colorful and equipped with an iPhone chip (A18 Pro), it starts at USD 599 (without Touch ID, available only in the most expensive version). Will it be a hit?

Vykar Backup. The creator of BorgBase and Vorta has launched a new backup app. Vykar promises to be a complete backup solution, something that Manu says is lacking in the market. For now, he asks that Vykar be used in parallel with other more traditional solutions — errors can happen with newly released software.

Lock Scroll With a Vengeance. If you've never known what this key is for, this post has videos demonstrating how it works. It's a key created for spreadsheets. It still works today — as it was designed — in Excel.

Snake on the terminal. Just run the command ssh snakes.run and start playing. (Apparently it's multiplayer.)

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

A phone that’s also a lighter, Engadget. Oukitel’s WP63 is one of those bulky cell phones that people take into the woods, with a giant battery (20,000 mAh), flashlight, and a loud speaker. New this year is that it comes with a lighter, like the ones that used to be in cars. For USD 500.

Motorola Razr Fold announced. Motorola already had foldable phones, but they were small. The Razr Fold is the first large one, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7, and features a massive 6,000 mAh battery with new silicon-carbon technology. In Europe, it will cost € 2,000. The device will also have a commemorative edition for the Men's Football World Cup.

Telegram update brings WhatsApp features. Looks like the tables have turned, right? Tags for group members and stickers from photos are two of the new features “inspired” by WhatsApp. There are others, including the use of Telegram for authentication in apps and websites (don't do this).

AI slop images on the Standard Notes website. Riding on the news about the end of Simplenote's development, someone recommended Proton's Standard Notes. I visited the website and… what are those terrible images?

FairScan. A simple, no-frills app for capturing documents with your phone's camera and converting them to *.pdf or image. Free, FOSS, for Android.

10-year anniversary of Stardew Valley. I had no idea it had been that long. Development began in 2012, four years before its release. This video, presented by the game's creator, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, shows footage from the beginning, when it was still called “Sprout Valley.”

Walkman.land. A tribute website to the pioneer of music on the go, the Walkman (and similar devices).

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Apple announces iPhone 17e. With the 17 series chip (A19), double the storage (256 GB), and finally, magnets on the back (MagSafe). Suggested price is the same as the previous model, USD 599.

Microsoft bans the use of the word “Microslop” on Copilot's Discord server and then shuts it down, Windows Latest. I know some readers are fed up with AI, but this is too funny to pass up.

/e/OS 3.5. The new version of the European “degoogled” Android brings security fixes from LineageOS 22.2, WebAssembly support in the web browser, and improvements for the Fairphone 6.

Splittio. An app for splitting expenses, similar to Splitwise and Splid, for Android and iOS. Free, with paid AI features.

WalletWallet. Don't worry, it's not a rerun. Alen, who develops this web app that creates cards for the iOS Wallet app, sent an email to let us know the new features: real-time preview, barcode scanner, logo uploading, and an API for developers. And it's still free.

Glyph Navigator. A beautiful website with original navigation featuring various glyphs.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Meta: Parents will be alerted if their children search for suicide and self-harm. The alert will be triggered if the minor searches "repeatedly in a short period" for terms related to these subjects. It will begin "in the coming weeks."

HBO Max’s password-sharing crackdown will expand globally in 2026, The Wrap. The practice has already been curbed in the US since last August. We can't have good things, can we…

Samsung’s redesigned Galaxy Buds 4 lineup has retooled sound, improved ANC and new features, Engadget. The slap on the wrist given to Samsung's designers had the desired effect and, unlike the Buds3 Pro, the new model is not a copy of Apple's AirPods Pro. (The features are identical, however.)

Typhoon. This weather forecast app has been rewritten in Qt 6. The look hasn't changed, but it's become more flexible (window resizing, transparency effects) and now has a Windows version in addition to Linux.

Random colour. A color fills the screen. Each time the page is reloaded, the color changes.

Movie Game. Watch the trailer and try to guess the movie's IMDb rating.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Samsung unveils Galaxy S26 series. The main new feature unrelated to AI is the Galaxy S26 Ultra's “Privacy Screen,” which obscures the screen at wider angles, on demand. Even notifications (and only notifications) can be obscured. All three models are now available, and more expensive than S25 series.

Age requirements for apps distributed in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana. Brazil is the most affected by this round of changes, as a result of a new law (“ECA Digital”) that takes effect in March.

Projectivy Launcher. Alternative launcher for Android/Google TV, with no ads or recommended content.

Mixflow. Music streaming to listen to in the background while you work or study. It supports account creation; I don't know what the difference is between that and just listening without signing in.

Dither Image Online. Another image editor with the dither effect. In the Tool menu, there are more similar effects.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

AI kill switch in Firefox. As expected, Firefox 148 comes with a button that turns off all AI features in the browser. Now available.

I played it. App to manage your “backlog” or the list of video games you want to play. Free, for iOS/iPadOS, and developed by reader Hugo dos Anjos.

Letters to a young creator. The Steve Jobs Archive has released a new free book, Letters to a young creator, featuring letters from public figures telling “What it takes to make something great.”

Experiment with Pixels. Neal's new game is a simulator of everything, with materials that react like in real life, with a pixelated appearance.

Hacker Typer. A fake terminal that is filled in from any key pressed. Except for F, which (de)activates full screen. Press Alt three times to receive an access granted message.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Wikipedia blacklists Archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links, Ars Technica. The people behind archive.today did some nasty things to a blogger who tried to identify them: they launched a DDoS attack against the blog and altered archived pages to tarnish his reputation. When an archive becomes susceptible to tampering, it ceases to be reliable.

Meta director of AI safety allows AI agent to accidentally delete her inbox, 404 Media. This is the person responsible at Meta for ensuring that AI does not do things that are harmful to people.

Ente Locker. New app from Ente for storing important documents. The code is open source, and you can store up to 100 items for free. (Paying subscribers have a higher limit of 1,000 items.)

Cine. A new, attractive player for Linux (Gnome/GTK). Under the hood, it's the reliable mpv that does the heavy lifting.

Global Animal Consumption. Using data from official sources, this website displays the growing numbers of animals slaughtered for human consumption. (The numbers are frightening.)

Accessibility for Everyone. This and other books from the late A Book Apart are being distributed free of charge by the authors. They seem to be a little outdated, but there are some timeless titles.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

AsteroidOS 2. There is a Linux-based operating system for smartwatches. And the second version has just been released.

Chrome gets split viewing and PDF annotations. Does anyone here still use Chrome?

Hello, Mario! A Nintendo app for kids to play with the face of the famous Mario. (Reminiscent of the Super Mario 64 home screen, right?) Free for Android and iOS.

CleanSweep. Private and offline app to review photos from your gallery in a Tinder-style UI. FOSS, for Android. I haven't tested it; use at your own risk.

CSS optical illusions. They're kind of obvious (I guess?), but it's cool to see them implemented in CSS.

WikiCommute. Enter your commute time (or anywhere else) and this site returns Wikipedia entries that can be read in that time. Just don't do it while driving!

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

KDE Plasma 6.6. One of those updates full of small new features, fixes, and improvements. Coming soon to your favorite distro.

Apple begins testing end-to-end encryption for RCS in iOS 26.4 beta. e2ee messages will be identified by a padlock, which will also appear in iMessage.

macOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 bring back compact tab layout in Safari. Yes, please! We've been missing this layout. (Thanks for the tip, Gabriel!)

Current. The RSS feed app from the guy who asked a few weeks ago why all apps of this type look like email apps. Behind the scenes. For iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, one-time purchase of USD 9.90.

Searching for birds. One of the most beautiful and well-designed pages I've seen in recent times. “An interactive story about the birds that capture our curiosity, told through data, visuals and illustrations.”

Reaction time test. My record was 55ms. Tip: it's easier to lower your time using a computer keyboard.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Facing tougher competition (in English), Engadget. Billy Steele, from Engadget, was not impressed with the new version compared to its competitors. And it got more expensive, USD 330.

App for Google Messages. Clarissa (my business partner at Célere) created a wrapper around Google Messages that puts it on system tray to monitor unread messages and opens the service's website in a window outside the browser. Tested only on Windows 11.

Voice on duck.ai. DuckDuckGo's private AI chatbot, duck.ai, can now receive voice commands.

Roomy. An open alternative to Discord, compatible with ATproto (Bluesky) and, soon, ActivityPub. Still in alpha, though.

Mouse Finder. Set the parameters and this site will return mouse models compatible with the size of your hand. (The recommendations are for the US market, but some are available in Brazil.)

Fediverse Near Me. A filter for OpenStreetMap that displays instances of the fediverse (ActivityPub) around the world.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.3, MacRumors. I’ve heard those silly misaligned anchors to resize windows are fixed. All other Apple’s OSs were updated as well.

Information Superhighway. A super simple app that displays random Wikipedia entries for you to read. Just words, nothing else. Free for all Apple platforms.

Backgroundese. A typographic font that makes no sense, suitable for use in games. Free and with a permissive license, even for commercial use.

The Startup Graveyard. A directory of startups that would change the world, but went bankrupt before they could.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Selfie video: a new, simple, and secure way to recover your Google Account (pt_BR). Is it worth handing over your soul, I mean, your face to Google to make it easier to recover your account if something bad happens to it? Brazil is the first country to get this new feature.

Telegram: New design, gift making, and more. The “massive redesign” is for the Android app, which has been given a Liquid Glass revamp. The gifts, on the other hand, have to do with the NFT scheme — the questionable part of Telegram. If you can, avoid it.

Digital Carrot. Another app that promises to tame digital compulsions, but with a different approach: it grants access upon completion of tasks, such as walking a certain number of steps or finishing your daily to-do list. Available for various operating systems.

CSS Stats. Enter a website URL and the system returns a super detailed objective analysis of the CSS files. (My goodness, the Manual's is a mess!)

Tone3310. Web editor for composing and recalling ringtones from the old Nokia brick phones.