10 Things On The Internet I'm Thankful For
Feelings.js
Feelings.js is my favorite Twitter bot, which is saying something special because Twitter bots are one of my favorite things on the internet and among my favorite poets. Feelings is made by brilliant botmaker Katie Rose Pipkin, and its language is mysteriously, perfectly beautiful and very often shockingly applicable to my moment. "now and again, i feel like a jinxed viscosity"
Bikke the Chipmunk
Bikke is a chipmunk who lives in Japan. I have mixed feelings about exotic pets, but Bikke seems to live a pretty rad life and he's cute as fuuuuuuuuuuuuck and should be way more famous. He's also on Vine if you prefer your videos short and loopy.
Reply All
This brand new podcast from my internet friends and recent IRL acquaintances PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman is the first of a new podcast networked called Gimlet Media, the conception of which is being chronicled on its own podcast, Startup. Whew, that's an exhaustingly meta explanation for something that is actually quite simply great radio: Reply All, like Alex and PJ's previous show, WNYC's TLDR, is ostensibly about "the internet" but is really about the complex crannies of the human experience. It's touching and funny and smart and if you start listening to it now you'll be cool and ahead of its inevitable success.
A Song A Day
If you sign up for this newsletter, my friend Alex will send you a song every weekday. His taste is impeccable and distinct and surprising, but the best part is what he writes. His short and sweet email is the best thing I get to read in my inbox, pretty much every single day. A quick example: "What I'm trying to say is: a great melody can be moving, a great performance can be moving; a great production can be moving; a great set of sounds is a great set of sounds and fer chrissakes life is beautiful." Treat yourself to a little extra joy by subscribing.
The Web Archive of the boys section Makeout Club circa 2001
OMFG, so many forgotten internet crushes and emo lyrics snippets, my heart can't even handle it. P.S. I have spent literally hours searching for my own former MOC profile and I always come up short, so LMK if you can find me on the girls section, I will owe you my life.
Yo, BFF Raps!
I am biased since Michael Hinson runs this Tumblr as part of my team at BuzzFeed. Still, I promise, I'd be obsessed with these illustrations either way. Mike's work is as playful and alive as the ridiculous, perfect lyrics he brings to life. Bow down.
#Dudetime
Lily's periodic hashtag inviting dudes of Twitter to share selfies makes me deliriously happy. I want the internet (and my life) to feel like #dudetime, all the time: fun, positive, flirty, foxy, open, and so, so sweet.
Yo
I fucking love Yo. Plz Yo me @ saacls.
Oh, and, obviously: TILDE.CLUB
Remembering that we each have the potential ability to make the internet we want to see in the world ourselves, one "a href" or "img src" tag at a time, has been an important and empowering reminder for me and for a lot of other people. Here's to a better internet y'all.