The Stash · Curated link directory

Interesting Websites to Visit When Real Life Gets Boring

We curate this list against one rule: would you actually text the link to someone? These 30 sites pass. Updated monthly.

8 hand-picked links · independently reviewed · no sponsored placements · last reviewed by the editorial team July 2026

Maps That Aren't Maps

Every undersea cable, who owns it, what it carries.

The actual physical internet, laid out in front of you.

Every commercial plane in the air right now, in real time.

Zoom in over your house at 11pm. Find something.

Live planetary wind, ocean current, and CO2 visualisation.

The closest thing to standing on the moon and looking at Earth.

Look at any website as it existed on any date.

The single most important link on the internet.

Search 400,000 historical maps from 60+ libraries.

Find your city in 1860.

Public domain photos, music, video — all free to remix.

If you make anything, this is your art supply store.

Type your email. Find out which breaches leaked your password.

Run by Troy Hunt as a public service. Trustworthy.

Is the site broken or am I?

Older than most of the sites it checks.

What makes a website 'interesting' for this list?: Three filters: (1) it does one thing well, (2) the thing it does is novel or quietly excellent, and (3) you'd voluntarily text the link to someone. Anything optimised for engagement metrics is automatically out.
Are these the same as 'useless websites'?: No. Interesting sites teach you something or hand you a tool. Useless sites exist for no reason. Both have their place; we maintain separate stashes for each.
How is this list different from a Reddit megathread?: Reddit threads accumulate links until the rot rate exceeds the curation rate. We re-test every link monthly and drop anything that's gone bad, gone behind a paywall, or gone dark.