HrefHunt!

UPDATED, 27 May 2019. Here we are again—it seems that every month there is a new thread out there, bursting with blogs previously hidden in the thicket. Today’s blogs come from readers out there and the hash tag #LongLiveTheOpenWeb on Twitter.

And while I’m glad to be discovering these blogs, it still sucks that these kinds of transmissions are originating on Twitter, which is generally a hostile force when it comes to the survival of the ‘open web’. For instance, compare the thread linked above to the layout of the directory below. Which is the better avenue for collecting these precious links? I had a hard time actually seeing all of the links that were collected on Twitter.

I did like that this specific tag was focused on blog posts rather than whole blogs—maybe that’s a better route into someone’s work.

  • The Neo-Babbage Files Linux tips—many surrounding StumpWM and GuixSD. If you’ve never played with little distros or tiling window managers, you should try them! I used to have a blog just like this, but for dwm and Ruby stuff. Screenshot

  • B Slade A linguist’s home page, with links to recent publications and talks. This post on the relationship between the number 7 and ampersands on typewriters is just the kind of tangent I like to be on most days. (Thank you to the kind anonymous person who dropped this link in my e-mail box.) Screenshot

  • Giles Turnbull One of the oldest blogs I’ve covered! (Posts dating back to 1997, maybe 1995.) Personal observations and photos—stories written out carefully. Too often with personal blogs the posts don’t make sense because some things are left vague or a feeling or thought isn’t explained well enough. If you write a personal blog, you should read this for some inspiration—every post reads like a good introduction to Giles. Screenshot

  • Daniel Jaljut’s 'Blog a Little’ This post instigated the hash tag above. (Via Mr. K.) Screenshot

  • Freeform Goodness This is a PyBloxsom blog that goes back to at least 2004. It’s cool to see some of that original tech still running today! Blogs about Macs and cats and stuff—but I really am enjoying reading some of the posts that took place during the rise of RSS. Screenshot

  • rtyler’s blog Tech howtos and news opinions. Since 2007. I picked up something from the post on HTTP streaming from Postgres actually. Talks about biking in the AIDS/LifeCycle trek on the California coast. Cool domain! Screenshot

  • The Missing Quests Game review blog focused entirely on little releases on itch.io. I love itch.io—it’s one of the best spots on the Internet right now, so this is great. Nice design, generous posts, cool name—looks great! Screenshot

  • Illtron.net “I’m writing about all the games featured on the covers of Nintendo Power in the 8-bit era.” Massive post on Super Mario Bros 2—I appreciate that. Screenshot

  • Cocktails & Coffee A personal blog focused on Apple and everyday events, hiking. Impressive for a handmade Jekyll site.

  • John Wilker, Writer Thoughts on writing science fiction books and life in general. This blog goes back to 2005. I confess an irritation though: this person is a member of a writer’s group in Denver—but somehow doesn’t link to any fellow writers. Screenshot

  • Dirty Feed Blogs about working in television and favorite films, discussion about TV history and design. Running since 2010. I like that there is a page of ‘best stuff’. Screenshot

  • Kirkville Enormous blog on Apple products, photography, books, music. Active since 2004. I like that there is an ‘etc’ category. This is appealing. Screenshot

  • Tyler.io Technical tips for Apple platforms. This is cool: this blog has some topical pages (like the Productivity & OmniFocus one) where posts are collected, almost like chapters of a book. Screenshot

  • Victor Agreda Jr New blog—possibly about a fellow making games with a child. Anyway, this is what a micro.blog looks like if you need some hosting. (Another micro.blog was posted: The Omni Group.) Screenshot

  • Numeric Citizen A Wordpress blog mostly focused on Apple news, some photography and other tech-related posts.

Href Hunt Archives

  • January 2020: Just random personal pages - 24 of them I came across.

  • November 2019: 22 personal and pro sites from linked lists on the blogs I follow.

  • May 2019: 15 personal sites from Twitter etc.

  • April 2019: 24 personal sites from Hacker News. Four or five wild designs. One Google parody that’s quite good.

  • February 2019: 15 neat personal sites, plucked from HN and Twitter.

  • November 2018: A few sites from tweets and Pinboard. 10 blogs and web pages.

  • September 2018: Plundering graphic design forums and Reddit. 19 home pages and portfolios.

  • August 2018: A whole lot of stuff from Hacker News. 59 home pages and blogs.

  • July 2018: The first attempt. 1 home page, 1 podcast and 11 blogs.