Links
This page contains links to online locations I frequent and tools I find handy. Think of a curated and annotated copy of the bookmark menu of my browser. I created it primarily for my own convenience, allowing me to access these links on shared and new devices without needing to set up syncs. Hopefully some of the links would also be helpful to visitors. The currentness is checked as of the date herein and may change over time.
News
- The Wall Street Journal Print Edition
- I find The Wall Street Journal's reporting generally more balanced (excluding the opinion section, of course) and succinct than that of The New York Times and The Washington Post. I prefer the print edition because it is more organized than the front page of the digital edition.
- The Paper (RSS) | Sixth Tone (RSS)
- The Paper is the only Chinese domestic news site I find tolerable. Its main feed aggregates posts from various “mainstream” sources, saving you the effort to go elsewhere. Sixth Tone, which shares the publisher with The Paper, offers the best English articles among state-sponsored news outlets, particularly on cultural and social issues.
- Techmeme (newsletter)
- Tech news aggregator that groups similar articles and social network discussions for each entry. I particularly appreciate their concise and informative rewriting of link titles.
- Hacker News Best Comments (RSS)
- Highest-voted recent comments on Hacker News. Technically not a news source but perfect for discovering thoughtful tech-themed essays and hacker projects.
- EveryCRSReport (RSS)
- Work products of the Congressional Research Service. These encyclopedic research reports explain a wide scope of current issues with implications on U.S. politics and policies. While intended for legislators, they are written impartially, approachably, and with rich context, making them perfectly readable for everyone.
- Money Stuff (RSS)
- I have zero chance of understanding all the jargon and quirks of financial news without Matt Levine’s tongue-in-cheek explanations like I’m 5.
- Weibo Watch (RSS)
- Help me to keep updated with current events over the Chinese internet without following the distasteful timeline of Weibo myself.
- Whitelisted News Search
- Google Custom Search targeting news outlets licensed to operate in China (current as of October 2021). Made by me. (See methodology.)
Editing
- AutoCorrect
- Online playground of AutoCorrect, a library for adding spaces between CJK and Latin characters.
- Apple Services Marketing Tools
- Create share links, badges, and widgets for Apple services.
- pandoc online
- Online playground of pandoc, a library for converting between multiple markup formats.
- r12a apps
- Tools to inspect and convert Unicode characters.
- qwerty.dev
- Transform latin characters to quirky alternatives.
- Redline
- Compare texts in a lawyerly way.
- StackEdit | Typo
- Open-source online markdown editors. StackEdit is more established but kind of outdated, while Type is newer and more actively maintained.
- Shots.so
- Create framed screenshots or device mock-ups.
- Table Convert Online
- Edit and convert tables in HTML and markdown.
Dev
- AppleDB | EveryMac
- Database of Apple software and devices.
- CleanIcons
- Find, customize, and download icons from FontAwesome.
- CyberChef
- Open-source web app for text manipulation, encryption, encoding, etc.
- DevDocs
- Developer documentations in a clean and organized web UI with instant search and offline support.
- HTML Arrows
- All sorts of arrow-shaped symbols, ready to copy.
- HTML Online Viewer
- Does what the name says. Can be used with Google’s SEO test tool to get around various registration walls.
- iOS Ref
- Quick references for the designing and development of iOS apps.
- IP tools on skk.moe
- Collection of IP and CDN detection tools, oriented for users in Mainland China.
- jq play
- Online playground for jq, the command-line manipulation tool for json files.
- LMSYS Chatbot Arena
- Crowd-sourced open platform for LLM evals.
- Open Hub
- Discover, track, and compare open-source software.
- OpenRouter
- Directory and bridging API for latest LLMs.
- RegExr | Regex Vis | Nodexr
- Tools to build and test regular expressions, with traditional, visualized, and interactive UIs, respectively.
- vscode.dev
- Online version of VS Code.
- WebBrowserTools
- Collection of tests for browser fingerprints.
Media
- Book Marks
- Review aggregator for English language books.
- DownSub
- Download subtitles from YouTube and other video streaming services.
- ePubViewer
- View EPUB files online.
- FFmpeg Explorer
- Visually explore ffmpeg filters.
- Heart Playlist Helper
- Migrate playlists between Apple Music, Spotify, QQ Music, etc.
- Listen Notes
- Full text search of podcasts.
- Metacritic
- Review aggregator for movies, TV series, games, and music.
- Podcast Search by David Smith
- Full transcriptions of popular English language technology podcasts.
- PreDB.me
- List of scene releases.
- Stirling PDF
- Open-source collection of tools for PDF editing.
- SVG Viewer
- View, edit, and optimize SVGs.
Life
- Good To Run
- Check the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of the current location to determine whether it’s a good time to run.
- gpx.studio
- Online GPX file editor.
- Hiking routes in Shenzhen
- Turn-by-turn routes with previews; downloadable as GPX files.
- Shenzhen Weather
- Official Shenzhen weather information and forecast.
- SMS activate
- Get throwaway phone numbers for online service registrations.
- World Time Buddy
- World clock, time zone converter, and online meeting scheduler.
Legal
- Cornell LII
- Acknowleged online database of U.S. law primary sources.
- CourtListener
- Search through PACER documents and dockets of U.S. lawsuits.
- FCCID.io
- Searchable FCC ID database, the information resource for all wireless device applications filed with the FCC.
- HKEX News (English | Chinese)
- Official search portal of filings of Hong Kong listed companies.
- SEC EDGAR
- Official search portal of filings of U.S. listed companies.
Misc
- EIZO Monitor Test
- Full suite of display quality tests for uniformity, defective pixels, color, refreshing rate, etc.
- Farside
- Actively maintained list of privacy-oriented alternative frontends.
- Scaife
- Digital library of Greek and Latin classics.
- Shakespeare’s Words
- Online library, glossary, and research resources of Shakespare’s works.
- Webster’s 1913
- Praised as a “connoisseur’s reference to American English” and “dictionary for writers and wordsmiths.” (See rationale.)
- WikiTranslator
- Translate terms by querying linked pages across multilanguage versions of Wikipedia. Made by me. (See methodology.)
- YunoHost Apps
- Catalogue of self-hostable software available on YunoHost.