Hello everyone, I’m pleased to open this new blog named Discovelist (geddit, like a playlist of discoveries) where I’ll post updates weekly about some of my discoveries, hobbies and work I’ve done on projects! But wait, why am I making a blog, of all things?

Well first things first, I want to improve at English, as casual discussions on Discord won’t help me enrich my vocabulary much and I feel like writing detailed and thought-out sentences could get me to improve my mastery of the language. Secondly, I was looking for a solo activity where I can take some time away from coding, while not doing something unproductive like games or social media. Lastly, sharing stuff that I find may pique your interest, and it will also help me pinpoint some of the greater things I would’ve otherwise forgot…

Ultimately, what made me start this blog is David Pierce’s Installer newsletter, which is full of great software and media resources, and that I now diligently read every Sunday. Think of this very blog as my own take on the formula, with maybe more developer and designer oriented bits!

New from the Internet

Last Friday, The Browser Company started a very interesting series named We might not make it, which dives into the problems that come with developing a web browser in a generally well-occupied space. I’m not a user of their Arc browser myself, even if I’ve given the Windows beta a try, but the Browser Company’s videos and launches are always very fascinating, so I’d recommend to give their first episode a watch.

This week, I’ve decided to care more about my health since I’m desk-bound and lack much sport. Being a fan of Hatsune Miku (take this information as it is, thank you), recent Switch release Fit Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku struck to me at the right time. It is a delight for any fan of VOCALOID music, as it includes fan-favorites like The Vampire or God-ish, and new ones like Let’s ミクササイズ. Though, the game hasn’t been exported outside Japan, so no English localization is available (but that won’t matter much when it comes to actually playing). Happy exercising!

Picks and stories

Following this path to healthiness, this week I’ve given the Fitbit app a try. Pros: design is inline with what I use on my Pixel phone, and the free tier seems simple but plenty enough for what I need (a steps counter and exercise tracking). Cons: there is a premium tier, the app cannot refresh your walking info without connection, and I do not trust Google with handling my health data, at all. So I will probably look for other apps, maybe even open-source ones!

This week, I’ve also rediscovered cobalt, a simple downloader for most mainstream video social media. Its design is very minimal but its configuration options are pretty extensive. It’s fully open-source, has no bullshit ads or business model, and it will work just fine for 99% of users. I don’t know if it will replace yt-dlp for me yet, which is the very power user tool for downloading YouTube content (the one thing I want to download), but it is very promising and always up to date, so keep on eye on it.

Words I’ve learned

Ever since I became a subscriber to the New York Times two weeks ago, I’ve been crazy about their word games. From the universally known Wordle to the more recent Strands, word games have been teaching me more words this week than I ever have in the past years.

This section is home to words I only recently added to my repertoire and that you too might’ve not known about! (Definitions are from the Merriam Webster)

lather (noun)
a foam or froth formed when a detergent (such as soap) is agitated in water

tryst (noun) especially British
an agreement (as between lovers) to meet

star-crossed (adjective)
not favored by the stars (synonym: ill-fated)

LMK what you think of this section, if this is useful, if you’d like more or even in other languages (I speak French and learn Japanese too!)

Personal shenanigans

This week, I’ve continued work on my souped-up bookmarks manager Bookmarks (working title), adding keyboard shortcuts and polishing the general feel of the app.

Jules has been giving me a lot of feedback this week about how to make things feel and look right, and I’m definitely thankful for that.

Bookmarks is still at its early stages and nothing is finished yet (the roadmap is still very long), but nailing down things like app feel is a huge step into completion.

Next, there is this website I’m making for an exposition at school with some friends, about how the tech industry evolved from a hardware-centered business into mostly software. It will showcase various tech products and apps going all the way from the late 1800’s to predictions on what the future of software could look like.

I’m really pumped about this exposition in general, and I wanted to craft a very unique looking website that cleverly pays homage to ancient to recent user interfaces.

Not everything is finished so I’m only showing you the parts I’m the most proud of. I can’t wait to hear your feedback, please let me know what you think in the comments!

Now presenting: you!

This final section is about your discoveries, your projects, your art, your shout-outs, your whatever!

Morgan (@morganlabs) recently got back to osu!:

i rediscovered how great osu! is and everyone should play it
osu is great and if you disagree then kill yourself
it’s fun, its addictive and it’s like just amazing
not at all infuriating

Théo (@professordio on Discord) discovered skateboard legend Vincent Nava:

i discovered him by accident on youtube because of his mfing rad hair and his mfing tricks
he recently died and it felt very mfing sad because he can’t do any more mfing tricks

Paul (@ailath_arkkigon) listened to the latest Red Velvet album:

i especially loved Underwater because it felt very erotic

Thanks to everyone who participated and if you’d like to submit something for next week’s article, send it in the comments, @ me on Mastodon at [email protected] or email me at [email protected]!

See you next week!

Thank you for reading through the first edition of this new newsletter!
It’s the first time I’m doing anything like this, so if you have anything you liked or disliked, make sure to let me know in the comments. If you’d like to subscribe, simply email me and I’ll add you to the list!

Clembs, out.