Welcome to the club

The pilot episode

Welcome to the Silly Software Club!

We’re here because we remember a time when the internet was better.

It was artsy. It was fun. It was whimsical. It was… silly.

There were fewer purple gradients, gray-and-white minimalistic squares, and otherwise uninspired software.

When the Apple App Store first came out, you could download an app that let you pretend to drink beer. The reason? Nobody really asked.

Or, remember when Frutiger Aero-style UIs were everywhere?

That’s the web we miss. And that’s the web we’re going to bring back.

And guess what? It’s here already. You just have to know where to look.

So welcome to the silly side of the internet. It exists. The Silly Software Club is really only your portal and launching pad.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Whether you have a Valentine this year or not, there’s an app for that.

This Girlfriend Guide went viral a few months ago. It’s a sweet vibe-coded journal that someone wrote. It’s chock full of tips their friends gave them about having a girlfriend.

Relationships can be complex. When the Girlfriend Guide doesn’t have the answer, Alli is here to help.

Every time I type something in, the answer is a resounding “no.” Am I doing something wrong, or do I just have zero rizz?

Now, I’m sure there will be a time or two when you disobey Alli’s advice and say something stupid to a woman.

In such cases, MewTru will save the day with gfGPT. Input what your girlfriend just said and it’ll give you a more appropriate response than whatever you had in mind.

And inevitably, you’ll still mess up sometimes. The fix? Digibouquet.

Design a digital bouquet and send it to someone you love.

Maybe they’ll forgive you. No guarantees.

Bonus: Silly Hardware

The Kilopixel

Something physical, in my office, controlled by the internet. What could go wrong?

Ben Holmen built a 1000-pixel art display that anyone could control.

It went viral on Hacker News, and got tons of submitted designs. When you requested a design, it’d post a video to Bluesky showing the machine drawing out the image, pixel by pixel. It was also livestreamed 24/7.

Ben says:

I knew I’d get tired of babysitting a 24/7 livestream. It’s a hassle!

He took it down after 200,000 pixel changes, and now it’s hanging in a coffee shop in Wisconsin, where customers can control it with their phones.

A lot went into this project. Ben spent 6 years building it! Read the intro blog post to learn about the technical details.

You’re not tired of listening to me blab yet?

I was on my first-ever podcast episode, where I discussed how making silly software is a great way to learn new dev skills. Check it out!

Love you guys! Talk soon.

xoxo, Christina