digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Use the free websites covered in this video (10MinuteMail, Fotor, How Long To Beat, The Odin Project, JustWatch, AlternativeTo, Print Friendly, Is There Any Deal?, The New Boston, and Open Library) to replace paid, time-wasting, or cluttered alternatives in everyday tasks like spam, photo editing, game shopping, learning to code, finding streaming content, and reading books. Each site is presented as a simple fix for a common frustration the speaker experienced.
Key Points
- 1. 10MinuteMail: Generates a temporary email address for sign-ups and verifications so your real inbox stays free of spam.
- 2. Fotor: A free browser-based photo editor for quick edits like brightening, cropping, and blemish removal, without needing Photoshop.
- 3. How Long To Beat: A community-driven site that shows how long games take to finish (main story, main plus extras, completionist).
- 4. The Odin Project: A free, open-source coding curriculum covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node, databases, and APIs through real projects.
- 5. JustWatch: A search engine that shows which streaming services carry a title, including free, rental, and purchase options.
- 6. AlternativeTo: A user-voted database for finding free and paid alternatives to existing software across major platforms.
- 7. Print Friendly: Strips ads, sidebars, and clutter from web pages so you print only the content you need.
- 8. Is There Any Deal?: Tracks game prices across many stores, showing current prices, historical lows, and price alerts.
- 9. The New Boston: Free, short coding tutorials created by developer Bucky Roberts, built up over more than a decade.
- 10. Open Library: A project of the Internet Archive offering over 250,000 free, legal ebooks to borrow or download.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- For spam: when a site asks for your email for a coupon or free download, enter a 10MinuteMail address instead, complete verification, and close the tab.
- For photo edits: open Fotor in your browser, upload the image, make adjustments (brighten, crop, remove blemishes), then download the result. No account or installation is required.
- Before buying a game: search it on How Long To Beat and check the main story, main plus extras, and completionist times against the time you have available.
- For learning to code: follow The Odin Project's path in order (fundamentals first, then back end) and build the listed projects as you go.
- For streaming: type the title into JustWatch, then filter by price, quality, or service to find free, rental, or purchase options.
- For replacing software: enter the program name on AlternativeTo and filter results by platform, price, features, or license.
- Before printing a web article: paste the URL into Print Friendly, adjust font size or remove sections or images, then save as PDF, email, or print.
- For game deals: search the game on Is There Any Deal?, check the historical low, and set a price alert or wait for a sale.
- For borrowing books: search Open Library, then read online or download as PDF or EPUB.
- The speaker says The Odin Project takes months and requires discipline and patience.
- The speaker describes Open Library as a legal alternative to pirate sites, not a shadow library.
- The speaker says Print Friendly works with almost any website, including news sites, blogs, recipes, and forums.
- The speaker reports spending over $60 a month on five streaming subscriptions.
Bottom Line
Most of these tools cost nothing and solve small but recurring problems, so checking them before paying, downloading, or spending time searching can save money and effort.
