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 a lot fewer purple gradients, gray-and-white minimalistic squares, and just overall boring software.

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

Screenshot from the iBeer app store listing

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 actually 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.

Welcome to 2026

If you’re anything like me, 2025 came with a lot of highs, and also a couple of lows. Leave all your Ls from last year behind with the L hole.

Tiny silly apps

Silly software doesn’t have to be huge or overly complex. Let’s take a look at some tiny apps that add a little more whimsy to your day.

Drag the cloud around and watch it change shape. Slide to change the weather.

Next up is a couple of fun Mac desktop apps.

This one just poofs when you close a window. Silly!

The author of this project described it in a comment as “wimsy maxxing,” which we obviously love.

The next one lets you play Beyblades on your Mac. Sometimes you just gotta let it rip.

Nostalgia is so in nowadays. Carmen Ansio made a sticky hand—like the kind you’d get out of a gumball machine in Godfather’s Pizza in the 90s if you behaved during dinner.

I for sure didn’t smack my little brother in the face with one of those and make him cry. That was definitely my sister.

Throwback tunes

Lately I’ve been on a nolstalgic music kick. I bought a purple 4th gen iPod Nano on eBay and have been loading it with my Purchased library from iTunes. Ngl there are some bangers on there.

I also recently acquired a tape recorder and a custom cassette tape, which has been super fun.

So in honor of my recent obsession, let’s explore some nostalgic music projects.

This cassette tape player is a fun way to listen to your favorite music. You can link it to your Spotify account for more features.

Next up is a SwiftUI prototype that allows you to explore history through music. Turn the dial back in time and enjoy tunes from the good ole days.

And thirdly, Oscar made an app with Three.js that allows you to explore his record collection.

Pure art

Let’s take a break from silly software and appreciate some other kinds of creativity on the web.

This beautifully-illustrated website compares the relative sizes of living things, from the smallest DNA to massive animals.

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