Tell HN: 48 absurd web projects – one every month
A year ago I posted here about a small experiment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44162363 I build one absurd web project every month and publish it on https://absurd.website I kept going. There are now 48 projects. The idea is still the same - I build mostly unnecessary web projects that sit somewhere between experiments, jokes, products, and art. But over time they’ve started moving more toward net art than just experimental web. Some recent ones: VandalAds - a banner format you can destroy instead of just viewing Type Therapy - instead of talking affirmations, you type your thoughts to change them Slow Rebranding - branding changes so slowly you don’t notice it Guard Simulator - a crime appears for 15 seconds per day, if you catch it you win I also started releasing some projects only to members, so not everything is public anymore. What I like most is the rhythm: one public project and one private project each month. It forces me to realize ideas instead of leaving them in notes. The core is still always the idea and concept - not polish, not execution, not even usefulness. It’s also interesting to see whether people understand the thought inside a project, discover something else in it, or see nothing at all. I’m still going, and at this point absurd.website has become a big part of my life. Thanks.
Discussion Highlights (11 comments)
absurdwebsite
Hey, happy to answer any questions about the projects.
absurdwebsite
... and would love to hear which projects you liked most.
ritzaco
I tried and enjoyed the typing one, very slick. Curious if you have any paying members? Not something I would pay for, but also there didn't seem to be enough information to convince anyone to pay?
hmhrex
I love this. Great work. Huge fan of digital experimentation. It's an art form I feel isn't as popular these days. I've had an idea on the backburner for a bit now of doing a digital quarterly with contributions like this. Kind of a digital experiment punk zine. Maybe it's too niche, but I feel like it could be a good time.
Esophagus4
VandalAds was fun (and subversive!). I wonder if you’ve hit on something interesting… are interactive ads a thing? I don’t know much about adtech but it seems like it could be a good idea. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered one.
axeldunkel
Great site! I once created muelltonne.de (german for "trashcan") where users could send (spam) mails which they did not like - and got poems or jokes in return that were made from exactly the same letters (plus some remains that could not be used). Reading tweets nowadays cries out for a new enhanced version...
Aany1420
This looks cool!
efilife
How much of this HN submission was written by an LLM, and how much influence do they have in your projects?
vunderba
Nice job. Feedback: Eyes Dating Site I used to joke that an Afghan Tinder would just be swiping left or right on pictures of eyes because of the niqab. Sexy Math This is sort of a variation on the classic NSFW jigsaw/Rubik’s cube-style puzzle, and of course a number of old ’80s PC games where you revealed a risque picture. If you want to make this more amusing, you should really include some saucy pictures of actual mathematicians, kind of like a play on the “sexy scientists” calendar in The IT Crowd. Spot the Differences There’s a great episode of The Office where Pam distracts Creed, the new acting manager, from destroying the branch by giving him two pictures from corporate and asking him to find the differences. Of course, they’re the same picture.
tuo-lei
The monthly cadence is what makes this work. I recognize the feeling of having ideas rot in a notes app because you keep waiting for the "right" version - a fixed shipping rhythm kills that problem. Favorites: VandalAds (the spray-painting origin story you mentioned makes the whole concept click) and Slow Internet Simulator (there's something real about nostalgia for imperfection). Trip to Mars at 210 real-time days is also wild - has anyone actually completed it?
tbreschi
https://absurd.website/microtasks-for-meatbags/ This became a real startup. https://rentahuman.ai/