Amazon Web Services – this is the management console for Amazon EC2, where I’ve been working on a cloud-hosted linux postgreSQL installation for the last few weeks. After many years of having to mess around with cables and hardware, EC2 is a revolution! I can create drives of any size out of thin air and attach them to the computer with a few clicks, and when I’m done with them I can make them disappear just as easily, no more worrying about wasting unused hardware! The same thing goes for the servers themselves. Even though 8.5 cents per hour for a linux instance sounds cheap, the cost still builds up quickly over time, that’s $60/month to run a server, almost as much as my home internet.
citysounds.fm – this is a music site that scrapes music from soundcloud all day, every day, from independent artists all over the world. These are mostly people who know how to use software to make music, so the tracks are filled with lot of cool effects if you listen through headphones. Citysounds organizes the recent uploads by city, so you can get new music from the city of your choice. Los Angeles is my favorite, but I also like Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires.
MAGMA This is a video aggregation site that shows a dashboard of the latest videos from a lot of popular providers… since it shows about 50 thumbnails it’s easy to find at least one video to watch quickly while taking a break or eating a snack.