If anything, this app is a testament to how far the browser has come: “Work together in ways that go beyond video chat: co-browse and co-edit any web app, share files, take notes, whiteboard, screen share, video chat, and more. All in a single browser tab.”

This Android-only app “helps you minimise distractions, by holding your notifications until a time that suits you. Simply choose how often you’d like your notifications to be delivered. When they arrive, they’ll be neatly organised for you to go through.” A warning though: a friend reported a very buggy experience.

A more playful and enjoyable way to monitor your screen time, set limits, and monitor your progress towards more phone-free time.

Instead of worrying about spam on your web forms, simply add a few lines of code and run the submissions through Formcarry. It does all the heavy lifting for you and connects with a range of apps to help you process the incoming data.

2020 Planner →

The sustainable living calendar

“Meant to be read regularly – but in small doses that will remind and uplift throughout the year – each week reveals tips on how you can easily change some of your habits [toward a greener lifestyle]. Depicted in a playful way through a miscellanea of charts, games, comics, exercises, and quotes, this planner will subtly guide you toward a more sustainable way of living.” (Other colours available)

Mudita Bell →

E-Ink alarm clock

I love this idea of a ‘calmer’ alarm clock: powered by a beautiful E-Ink display (readable at night through a ‘warm’ frontlight) this clock comes with a built-in air quality sensor and a meditation timer. The alarm tones are “natural and appealing” to gently nudge you out of bed. (Pre-order only)

In this funny, thought-provoking talk, digital creator Dylan Marron shares an unexpected coping mechanism: calling the people who leave him insensitive, hateful comments and asking a simple question. “Empathy is not endorsement. Empathising with someone you profoundly disagree with does not compromise your own deeply held beliefs and endorse theirs. It just means acknowledging the humanity of someone who was raised to think differently.”

We certainly can’t consume our way out of the environmental crisis by buying metal straws, vegan shoes, and electric cars. But what conscious consumerism has to offer (speaking from personal experience) is a constantly growing awareness of the impact our daily lives have on the environment: “It’s a surprisingly engaging and enriching process to think more deeply about each product that has been made or grown for us by considering the chain of events that brought it about.”

To change the system that led us down the path of ecological collapse, we urgently need to decentralise power – one of the promises of the early web. Sadly, tech has done the opposite; it has consolidated power (once again) into the hands of a privileged few. “Though many have used technology to further democracy and participation, big tech doesn’t want us to be citizens. It wants us to be consumers. To address the climate crisis we need to be citizens – free, powerful, with our private lives private and our public lives vivid, energised and safe.”