Sometime back I saw a tweet by @pervocracy (the account has since been locked):
types of websites that exist anymore:
- algorithmic feed of whatever makes the rat keep pushing the lever
- we hope you enjoyed your 3 free articles
- ENABLE NOTIFICATIONS? SHARE LOCATION?? GET NEWSLETTER???
- labor of love by an actual person, last updated 2009
Fortunately, some websites from the last category still exist. And some – praise be! – are even updated.
Here's an off-the-top-of-my-head list of labours of love by an actual person:
- Pink Floyd's The Wall: A Complete Analysis by Gerald Scarfe
- The Fish List (fisheye lenses database) by Luca Vascon
- Coconut Stamps by Lin Yangchen
- Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info (now maintained by others)
- Typography for Lawyers by Matthew Butterick
- Ian's Shoelace Site by Ian Fieggen
I focused on websites made solely (or primarily) by just one person, as opposed to, say, Wikipedia, which is a collective effort. I also didn't include resources which are not websites per se, like this Google Sheet about mini PCs. And finally, the list reflects my own interests, but I'm sure there are many such labours of love which are still out there. If there are any that you know of – whether existing, or late lamented – let me know in the comments!
