recommendations

this is just... sort of a grab bag of things i think are cool, interesting, or important.

Cool People
here's my button if you'd like to link back to me!

History
Going Medieval	Dr. Eleanor Janega's blog on medieval history and its connection to modern life.
The Victorian Book of the Dead	Victorian culture around death and mourning.

Just for Fun
sandspiel	create a little ecosystem in your browser.
This Cat Does Not Exist	images of cats generated by a neural network.
Image Glitch Tool	add visual glitches to any photo.
Pixel Art Converter	convert any image to pixel art.
Blue Maxima's Flashpoint	archive dedicated to preserving flash games.
Interactive IPA Chart	an interactive chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that lets you hear each of the sounds that the letters represent.
cOOl & EMO tEXt cOnVERTer xXX by Melon	tool to convert normal text into c00l & EMO tEXT xXX.
Blinkies.cafe	browse and customize blinkies.

LGBTQ+
"Cyberqueer Manifesto" by Queergrrrl79	probably this belongs in the online life section too, but i like the way this piece talks about what it means/can mean to be queer online.
Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP)	digital archive of queer zines from 1974-2012.
Strange Sisters	archive of lesbian paperback covers from the 1950s and 1960s. explore by title or theme!
"A History of Leather at Pride" by Aphyr	keeping this here for when the discourse starts this year.

Online Life
Internet Manifesto by Sadness	Sadness's work is actually what spurred me to make my own site!
"Line Goes Up -- The Problem with NFTs" by Dan Olson	an excellent piece that uses NFTs as a way in to talk about why the whole project of "web3" is rotten.
"How to Surf the Web" by Sadness	getting out of google's orbit to find what's actually cool online.
"The Anti-Social Network" by Obsessive Facts	"We seek not to destroy but to deconstruct and recreate, to inspire the strong and strengthen the weak. We believe this pursuit is virtuous, because at its core, humanity is basically good." this line knocked me down.
"The Web Is Fucked" by Kev Quirk	Quirk details the shift from 1.0, what we lost with the rise of social media, and how we can try and get it back.
"Web3 Is Going Great" by Molly White	schaedenfreude is an essential nutrient, for me.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)	nonprofit defending civil liberties since 1990. good resources on privacy and security, especially the Surveillance Self-Defense guide.
Tech Transparency Project	hub for journalists, researchers, and members of the public to hold large tech companies accountable.
"Goodbye Corporate" by Auzzie Jay	guide to leaving the corporate web.
Wiby	a search engine for the personal web.
Digital Ephemerality	project demonstrating the fragility and impermanence of digital media.
Pluralistic	daily link roundup and commentary from Cory Doctorow, typically tech-focused.

Podcasts
Knowledge Fight by Dan Friesen and Jordan Holmes	two comedians debunking and mocking Alex Jones and other conspiracy dickheads. Episode Rec: The "Formulaic Objections" series
Qanon Anonymous	do you want to understand the specific ways your family members' brains are melting? the folks at QAA do a really great job of tracing the extended cinematic univers of conspiracy weirdos back to their roots (anti-Semitism and misogyny, for the most part) and tracking their consequences in the real world. Episode Rec: "#114: Undercover at QCon"
Faculty of Horror by Andrea Subisatti and Alex West	two scholars talking about horror films. Episode Rec: The "Witches in Film" series
The Magnus Archives	horror fiction anthology series with a wider plot that unwinds over all four seasons. Episode Rec: "#15: Lost John's Cave"

Reproductive Rights
"National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF)"	building power by removing financial and logistical barriers to abortion access.
Abortion Fund of Ohio	statewide organization providing financial assistance and practical support (transportation, housing, childcare, etc) so that people in Ohio can access abortion care. Formerly known as WHO/O. love this change for them!
Aggie Fund	assists people in Toledo and surrounding areas in access to abortion care.
Plan C	this site collects information on the abortion pill, including a directory of where to access the medication.
Women on Web	international online organization connecting people with abortion services.
Women on Waves	international organization connecting people with abortion services, especially in countries where abortion is illegal.
I Need An A	research clinics and their legal status.
Trigger Bans at the Guttmacher Institute	details on which states have trigger bans and when/how these bans go into effect.
M + A Hotline	information and support for people self-managing their miscarriage or abortion.
Support Abortion Funds by ActBlue	make one donation and have it split between 92 abortion funds in the United States.
Aid Access	organization that provides information and access to abortion medication.
If/When/How	lawyers, advocates, and organizers working for reproductive justice.
Repro Legal Defense Fund	If/When/How's fund for bail and legal defense for people criminalized for self-managed abortions or miscarriages. this is already happening around the US and is extremely likely to get worse.

Spooky Things
Forgotten Ohio	this was one of my favorite websites as a kid. i used to spend literally hours on it, reading ghost stories and looking at Henderson's photos. the domain expired in 2019, but fortunately, the Wayback Machine saved the day.
Your Ghost Stories	people share their experiences of ghosts and hauntings here.
Folklore and Mythology Texts by D.L. Ashliman	tons of folktales and their variants collected by Ashliman. hint: D, G, and H will take you to the spooky stuff.
This Man	creepy but fun hoax.
Anomalies: The Strange and Unexplained	database of paranormal events throughout history; i especially like that the author traces each one back to its earliest known account.
The Occult Museum	online museum collecting paranormal stories and images.
"When cameras captured ghosts" by Jeanette D. Moses	brief article on the history of spirit photography.
The Bell Witch Site	information on the Bell Witch of Adams, TN compiled by Pat Fitzhugh.
Ghost Stories of North Carolina	ghost stories of NC compiled on the most delightfully 1998 site you've ever seen in your life. an unparalleled masterpiece.
Hungzai.com	ghost stories from Singapore.
The Moonlit Road	audio recordings of folktales from the American South, as told by master storytellers.
Mysterious Michigan	ghosts, legends, and lore of Michigan.
West Virginia Ghosts	ghosts and hauntings in West Virginia.