Part of what makes the Internet so great is that it’s changing more every single day, usually in ways that only makes our lives easier. Yesterday’s Facebooks and Googles are today’s Dropboxes, Slacks, and Upvoteds. While we’re excited to see how our favorite sites are tweaking and improving, what about the websites that are truly game changing and innovative, but haven’t gone mainstream yet? There are a lot of unsung heroes out there and it’s high time they got the publicity they deserve. Here are nine cool websites you’ve probably never come across.
Listen to Wikipedia
The concept is admittedly strange, but the execution is fascinatingly beautiful. This website tracks Wikipedia updates in real time, in the form of soothing ambient music. Every time a user makes an edit (which is surprisingly frequent, believe it or not), a sound is made—from bells to guitar twangs. The coolest thing about it is the sounds aren’t just broadcast as random noises. Rather, as they bang, twang, and whistle, each edit comes complete with a clickable article title and bubble. Aside from being distracted by some surprisingly tranquil music, you can also keep up with new article edits—learn while you listen! Link
Mixtape.moe
There are a lot of great file sharing websites out there right now, including Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, RapidShare, and plenty of others. But sometimes you really just want to share one or two pieces of info in a hurry without having to jump through hoops. Mixtape.moe is the answer to your filesharing problems. Simply drag and drop the file of your choice into the window, and Mixtape.moe spits out a custom shareable link. Max file size is 100MB, and it supports .mp4, .gif, .jpg, .srt, and just about everything else. Link
GetHuman
Customer service is the absolute fastest way to totally ruin your day. Seriously, there are few things in life more irritating than having to keypad your way through a series of unnecessary and completely ambiguous menu options that almost always lead you in circles. Well, that’s why GetHuman exists. GetHuman is a service that provides the best contact information for thousands of companies the world over, with phone numbers and email addresses for real-life humans. You could also pay money to have their consultants take your query and handle all the bullshit for you, or even have one of their bots “stand in line” for you, rather than have you wait on hold for God-knows-how-long. It’s an incredible resource that nowhere near enough people know about. Link
Pixlr
This one is a bit of an oldie, but still remarkable that far, far too few people know about it. Pixlr’s photo editor is similar in a lot of ways to Adobe PhotoShop, but it’s 100% free to use and functional on both desktop and mobile platforms. It’s certainly not as good as PhotoShop, but it’s still an incredible resource if you can’t afford the real deal. It’ll do everything from cropping and cleaning up photos, to full-on graphic design work. Even though there are a few hiccups to report, it’s still pretty awesome stuff. Link
Supercook
Point blank, Supercook is one of the most valuable websites on this list. Let’s say you’re bored at home on a Wednesday, but the stores have already closed and you don’t get paid until Friday. The only ingredients you have are pickle brine, chicken, flour, milk, and some Corn Flakes. You aren’t really ready to make a killer burger or some tasty chili, are you? Well, with Supercook, you enter your list of ingredients, and Supercook will spit back all the recipes you can make utilizing some and/or all of your ingredients. The entries can be a little silly from time to time (IE: suggesting “perfectly cooked grilled chicken breast” instead of displaying actual useful recipes), but it’s still an awesome resources for everyone from beginners to more advanced cooks. Link
Freepik
We looked at several reviews and testimonials about this site, and not a single one had anything bad to say about it. In fact, it was considered a best kept secret in the graphic design business, according to three or four separate reviews. Freepik is incredible because it offers high quality vector images, PSD’s, JPEGS, etc., but is 100 percent free. Its library is so thorough and diverse that it really does make us wonder how they get away with offering so many free resources. If you’re a graphic designer and haven’t yet heard of it, prepare to have your mind blown. Link
Repair Clinic
Any homeowners out there? For people who can’t fork over the cash every single time something is on the fritz, Repair Clinic is a website dedicated to the DIY’ers among us. Washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, garden machines, etc.—you name it, Repair Clinic most likely has not just step-by-step instructions on how to fix it, but also an expansive database for just about every single part for every piece of equipment ever made. It’s actually pretty remarkable, and those who recommend it say it has saved them hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars in repair costs. We can vouch for this one personally. Link
10 Minute Mail
Junk mail is the worst, and it’s super difficult to avoid when every single time you want to sign up for anything you need to provide an email address. If you’re only looking for a temporary sign-up throwaway email, 10 Minute Mail is your best bet, and does exactly what the name suggests. It’s a temporary email address that receives email and, unlike many other proxy email services, doesn’t get blocked, because they’re constantly changing their domain names. Link
Have I Been Pwned
Have I Been Pwned? is a website created by Troy Hunt, a regional director at Microsoft and expert on web security. Free to everyone, Have I Been Pwned? allows users to enter in email addresses, usernames, etc. they’ve had. Have I Been Pwned? searches a database of accounts that have been exploited in data breaches over the years, including LinkedIn, Adobe, MySpace, Tumblr, and several other massively popular hacks, to see if your emails or usernames have been compromised. Rather than wonder and hope you haven’t been taken advantage of, know for certain with a simple, free search. Link
