The Funky, Indie Web Is Beautiful!

Despite the many awful things going on in the world, I feel a sense of urgency to discuss topics such as the publications I'm reading or the digital tools I've discovered lately and started using. I believe writing about the indie web is, for me, a form of resistance, my own way to fight against what I don't agree with. But, above all, it's a way to share how the Web can be–and still is–a beautiful place, made of (and by) beautiful people!

The aim of this article–which might eventually become part of a series–is to retrace and document my latest findings, help others discover them, and celebrate the beauty of the World Wild Wonderful Web.

Publications

Imagine choosing what you read, and the content you digest, instead of being exposed to what the algorithm proposes. Why not starting with some nurturing readings?

Aeon

Aeon.co (and their weekly newsletter) is a source of interesting pieces of content that quite feel like a balm for the mind. I enjoy every step of the way: finding the articles, bookmarking them, going back to the list and pick either a reading or a video depending on the time I dispose of (there are clips as short as 6 minutes long, while experts-written essays might take longer to read).

This week I've watched this 20 minutes video on the Geometry of Colour, an interesting topic for me as I prepare my first teaching lessons in Digital Art at University of Strasbourg this fall. Yes, I'm planning on starting from the foundations 😊

After centuries of trying, we’ve yet to arrive at a perfect way to map colour | Aeon Videos

From Newton’s circle to Schrödinger’s curved geometry, we’ve yet to arrive at a perfect way to map colour

Aeon

Noēma

Noēma magazine, published by the Berggruen Institute, also offers a wide range of rich, detailed, long form essays dedicated to explore global issues. From one of the founder's social posts:

In ancient Greek, noēma means “the object of thought.” And that is our intention: to delve deeper into the issues, at greater length and with more historical and social context.

The essay that first brought me to their website is one that I find quite in line with my article's purpose:

We Need To Rewild The Internet | NOEMA

The internet has become an extractive and fragile monoculture. But we can revitalize it using lessons learned by ecologists.

NOEMAMaria Farrell

Nice tools

The existence of a variety of digital services and tools is, in my opinion, the open window ensuring a democratic digital world. Close that window, and you'll grasp the risks. I've always loved to try new tools, but in recent times I'm growingly aware of the implications of sharing too much personal data, becoming attentive and careful about the whole context:

• The company and purposes behind the service–as well as the business model they've chosen (because there always is one).
• How the company, which surely has to face a set of costs, survives. Especially if they propose free services.
• Their stack of priorities. Making stakeholders happy is the investors-powered company's first and foremost goal.

The Web is not what's stuck behind walled gardens. The Indie Web is the biodiversity of the digital world.

Obsidian

Note taking
You can download Obsidian on your device and start using without even providing an email address. It's 100% local, and free. You'll only pay if you want either to sync with other devices, or to have your notes publicly available online (and make a website out of them, for instance). I found out about them on The Verge, in a brillant interview by Casey Newton.

Letterbird

Contact form
To quote them, it's "a free contact form on the web that's good enough". Good Enough is the name of the company behind the project, and have already created other quite nice tools (see below). I've discovered Letterbird on Chad's website, where I landed through the exploration of the Obsidian Publish page.

Jelly

Shared inbox
Good Enough has created many little interesting tools, one of which is Jelly. A shared inbox. I must be hones: I might be living on another planet, but I have never heard of such a thing before. And I find it highly interesting. Oftentimes, teams get caught in the spiral of the many tools their organisation uses, and I have the feeling that something like Jelly might actually be of help.

Bear

Website/Blog
Another tool I stumbled upon a while ago, while looking for a lightweight CMS to build my mum's website, is Bear. Not the note taking app, but the blogging platform. I've not ended up using it, but it might be worth considering, depending on one's needs.

Mataroa

Website/Blog
If you're into lightweight, minimalist blogs, Mataroa could be your tool. To quote its founder Theodore: "When starting a blog, there is a dizzying amount of platforms to choose from. If you know what you want, go with that. But, if you're not exactly happy with the well-established choices and you want to try something new, try mataroa. We aim to be that breath of fresh air."

Yay.boo

Website/Blog
I see Yay.boo as a sort of public FTP uploader. Send to the web up to 10Mb of content in the form of folders and files (with an index.html), choose a subdomain name, and publish online! So fun! I'd love them to add a random button to their website, and see what others have created with the tool :)

Hello, I'm Simona, and this is my happy place on the web (more on that here). I am an Italian designer and illustrator based in France, my happy place on Earth.

Illugination is where I gather my thoughts on topics ranging from education and philosophy to open web, sustainability, and sometimes even physics. It's also where I like to share, from time to time, case studies for projects I've worked on and creations I’ve brought to life in the last 10 years or so.

Thanks for being around,
Simona

💌 sym at simonacasolari.com
🐘 Daily-ish thoughts (Mastodon)
🖍️ Visual experiments in a grid
🧚‍♂️ Casolina nel livello segreto (🇮🇹)