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running commentary

The internet is filled with things. Here are some of them.

#internet

2026

WORDS.ZIP 2026 Jan 10    words.zip
WORDS.ZIP is an "infinite collaborative word search game" that you play right in your web browser, and although in my opinion it works best on a computer, it will work on your mobile device. But what's interesting, is the meta aspect of it. Zoom in and you search for words, but zoom out – way out – and you will find patterns carved into the grid. Crude drawings, peoples' names, graffiti – all the usual nonsense that comes from any online anonymous collaborative artwork.

I love that the internet does this to people. It's glorious

2025

Lowtax is (still) dead 2025 Sep 10    vice.com
I just stumbled across a reminder that, back in 2021, lowtax died. Founder of somethingawful, lowtax was always a jerk, as this Vice article reminds us. But it's still strange to me that lowtax is no longer with us.
Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar 2025 Feb 19    friedstuffwithcheese.com
Remember that time in 2013 when Guy Fieri started a new restaurant but didn't buy the domain name matching the restaurant's name and then someone else did and used it to put up the most amazing menu? Well, I do, and I'm sharing it here because I want to.

2024

Deep into YouTube 2024 Dec 8    astronaut.io
YouTube is known for famous channels that post videos earning millions of views. But YouTube wasn't ever really about fame – it was about sharing video. So what's in all those everyday videos that people upload? The anonymous, random, untitled stuff that gets maybe 1 or 2 views ever? That's where Astronaut.io comes in:
These videos come from YouTube. They were uploaded in the last week and have titles like DSC 1234 and IMG 4321. They have almost zero previous views. They are unnamed, unedited, and unseen (by anyone but you).
Or, if you're looking to step back in time, there's also IMG_0001 which operates a similar mission:
Between 2009 and 2012, iPhones had a built-in "Send to YouTube" button in the Photos app. Many of these uploads kept their default IMG_XXXX filenames, creating a time capsule of raw, unedited moments from random lives.