A digital archaeology project reviving the spirit of web curation
In 1994, Glenn Davis launched Cool Site of the Day, one of the web's first curatorial projects. Every day, he handpicked a single website that represented the best of web design, creativity, and innovation.
At a time when search engines were primitive and social media didn't exist, CSOTD was a vital discovery mechanism. Being featured could bring thousands of visitors overnight. It was the web's first taste of viral fame.
The project ran for over a decade, featuring thousands of sites and shaping web culture during its most experimental era. It celebrated the weird, the artistic, and the pioneering—everything that made the early web magical.
The original CSOTD ended in 2006, but its spirit lives on in archives and the memories of those who experienced the web's golden age.
The modern web is dominated by algorithms, infinite feeds, and platforms that homogenize creativity. Independent sites—the kind that made the early web vibrant—are harder to discover than ever.
This revival is an act of digital archaeology: unearthing, preserving, and celebrating the independent web. It's a monument to sites that dare to be different, beautifully crafted, and unapologetically niche.
Unlike the algorithm, a curator has taste, context, and intention. This project embraces that human element—each site is chosen not because it's popular, but because it's cool.
This project uses an automated queue system powered by Firebase. Sites are curated in advance and queued for daily rotation at midnight Pacific Time.
Every featured site receives a digital badge they can embed on their own site— a nod to the classic web tradition of 88x31 buttons and award badges.
We curate through the lens of Archive & Anvil—celebrating sites that both preserve wisdom and forge new paths. We're not interested in nostalgia for its own sake, nor innovation without roots.
Sites that create new infrastructure, tools, or formats—not just galleries of the past. Neocities rebuilt hosting for personal sites. Low-Tech Magazine created solar-powered publishing. They learned from history, then built something new.
If a site curates, it must have a thesis. We value sites where the curator's perspective creates new connections and meanings—where the curation itself is an act of creation.
Sites that demonstrate real engagement with their subject matter. Built by people who've done the work, not just aggregated links. Authority earned through practice, not just observation.
Sites worth preserving as digital monuments. Intentional design, human voice, clear vision. The kind of work that would matter to a digital archaeologist 50 years from now.
We Skip: Pure nostalgia projects, engagement-optimized platforms, sites without authorial voice, and anything that treats the web as just a distribution channel.
This isn't about being "retro" or "modern"—it's about celebrating work that's grounded and generative.
Original Cool Site of the Day: Created by Glenn Davis (1994-2006)
View in the Internet Archive
This Revival: Curated and preserved by unearth.im
Built With: Firebase, Firestore, Cloud Functions, and a deep reverence for web history