Fathom is an alternative to Google Analytics and similar web analytics software. It provides information about top pages, referrers, devices, browsers, and country of origin, without using cookies or otherwise violating users’ privacy.

On top of that, Fathom is an independent, bootstrapped company. It’s not free, which means they don’t have to compromise on the things needed to run a “free” service.

Google Analytics was the very first thing I blocked using uBlock Origin (which I’ll talk about soon, I’m sure), but I’m going to add a blanket whitelist for Fathom’s servers, out of respect for site owners who choose to use it instead of Google Analytics.

Web analytics without user tracking is possible!

Hey is a (relatively) new email service by the makers of Basecamp that’s rethinking how we use email.

One of the least flashy but, in my opinion, most important features is blocking so-called “spy pixels” that can track when, where, and how many times you open an email.

I haven’t tried Hey out just yet (I’m waiting for the custom domain support that will be coming with Hey for Work), but it’s good to see some innovation in a technology that is fundamental to a lot of digital life but hasn’t seen much love in years.

1MB Club is a collection of sites with a simple criteria:

The one and only rule for a web page to qualify as a member:

1. Total resources downloaded client-side must not exceed 1 megabyte

Reducing bloat on web pages is a noble goal, but 1MB is pretty generous.

As of right now, this site fits well within that budget. But of course, there’s not a lot here yet. ;-)

(h/t @JoshMock)

What is this?

This is my attempt to collect projects, sites, people, and organizations that are making the Internet a better place.