WTF is Startyparty?

May 13, 2025

Welcome to what I hope is your new web-based start page. A start page is just a web-based application that is used as a launcher pretty much.

If you’re passionate about the latest news, tech, podcasts, videos, livestreams and more, startyparty is designed for you. It’s the ultimate privacy-first launchpad for power users and avid readers, offering a comprehensive view of the web.

This project, a labor of love developed over many years, has transformed into a streamlined homepage that aggregates top-tier articles, news, social, podcasts, videos, games, and more into a unified launcher-style application. startyparty is dynamic and continuously evolving, always incorporating the latest and greatest articles, media, tech, features, and content.

For years I've sourced what I consider to be the on of the best journalism, news, media, educational, technical and entertaining content indexers. With over 5,000 sources, there's always something new and timely to discover and dive into.

Index

Notes

  • You'll notice the background image is different in every scrrenshot. By default the background is randomized on every visit, but can be configured to be fixed for members. More on that later.

  • I mention members and membership in a few places. This is a one time $25 membership (via Stripe) that grants you an account with the ability to customize your start page and save settings and content. I'll go more into further down in the article but will mention it along the way per feature. More info below in the Membership section.

Privacy

startyparty is a privacy-first web-based app. There are no analytics, no phishy third party libraries, no cookies (minus Youtube or Stripe's (on the signup page)), and no tracking.

No data is collected, stored, shared, nor sold. Members only have their settings data stored in a private databse. Their data is never shared with anyone else.

This is important to me and I value your and as well as my privacy.

The only exception to this rule is rotating error logs, but there's no identifying information in those logs beyond IP address and timestamp and request headers. These are wiped every 24 hours.

Extensions

You can find links to optional extensions for startyparty below. The extensions just make it so when you open a new blank tab or new blank window in your browser, startyparty will open as your start page.

  • Github Currently this is the only way to install the extension in Chrome as Google no longer allows extensions that redirect a new tab to a webpage.
  • Firefox for Firefox based browsers
  • Zen Same as Firefox
  • Raycast Tech news feed for Raycast

You're welcome to use it as a homepage instead. The website URL is https://startyparty.dev or https://startyparty.news if you prefer that one.

There's so many ways to navigate around the site.

Nav

  • Clicking links in the dock/navigation
  • p to go the the podcasts feed
  • m to go the the music feed
  • v to go the the videos feed
  • shift + click the news, podcasts or videos feed to open a list of all sources for that type of content

Media Controls

  • shift + s: stop all media and clear the playlist
  • shift + ← to rewind 5 seconds
  • shift + → to fast forward 15 seconds
  • shift + ↑ to increase volume
  • shift + ↓ to decrease volume
  • space to play/pause
  • shift + click the player to copy the song's URL
  • shift + m to toggle mute/unmute
  • t theatre mode - which removes all UI elements, dims the background, so you can focus on just the video. only available when a video or livestream is playing.

Scrolling

  • ↓ scroll down 1/3 of the page
  • ↑ scroll up 1/3 of the page
  • home scroll to top
  • end scroll to bottom
  • click top edge of container scroll to top
  • click bottom edge of container scroll down 1/3 of the page
  • click top half of side edges of container scroll up 1/3 of the page
  • click bottom half of side edges of container scroll down 1/3 of the page
  • ↑ scroll up 1/3 of the page
  • ← previous page
  • → next page

other

  • b change background
  • g games feed
  • i shortcuts
  • y youtube.com
  • u bluesky.app

Now, let's dive into the features and functionalities of this web-based start page.

News

The News feed provides a comprehensive view of the latest news, trends, and updates across various platforms, including tech, business, entertainment, and more. It offers a curated selection of articles, podcasts, videos, and more, making it an ideal hub for staying informed and up-to. These article links will open in a new tab when clicked.

Currently, startyparty tracks approximately 3,500 publishers, journalists, and media outlets. This diverse array (lol, get it?) of sources enhances its news aggregation capabilities, allowing users to discover relevant and timely information that caters to a wide range of interests and preferences.

You can explore further by selecting a publisher or one of the tags associated with each article. Clicking on a tag will direct you to a page that displays all articles related to that specific tag, while clicking on a publisher will lead you to a page listing all articles published by that publisher.

Clicking publishers in the top right corner on the news page will take you to a page that displays all publishers alphabetically. Members can toggle on and off publishers they don't want in their news feed.

Members can also save articles to read later. They can also view a feed of articles they've viewed/clicked on (history). Read articles's image is faded out and greyed out.

Podcasts

On the podcasts page, you'll find a curated selection of podcasts from various genres, including news, politics, comedy, tech, science, education, and more. Each podcast is accompanied by a short description, a link to the podcast's website, and a thumbnail image.

You can explore further by selecting a series. Clicking on a series will direct you to a page that displays all podcasts by that publisher/series.

Currently there's about 260 podcast series available to choose from.

Clicking series in the top right corner on the news page will take you to a page that displays all series alphabetically. Members can toggle on and off series they don't want in their news feed.

If you shift + click a podcast (or click the + over the image) it'll add it to the playlist. This will then play up next. Super useful for when you want to rapidlly build a playlist before a coding session or something.

For media controls and keyboard shortcuts, see Playlist & Shared Music/Podcast Features.

Members can also save podcasts to listen to later. They can also view a feed of podcasts they've listened to/clicked on (history). Listens, unlike videos or news which are instant on click, podcasts require you listen to 10% of the podcast minimum to be able to have it marked as listened to. Listened podcasts's image is faded out and greyed out.

Music

Music contains music from trending and popular artists and playlists through YouTube Music. I aimed to maintain a broad and eclectic spectrum while incorporating trending elements, designed to cater to diverse interests and preferences, ensuring users can access the most relevant and timely information.

You can explore further by clicking an artist name (sometimes its a channel name instead). Clicking on a artist will direct you to a page that displays all songs collected by them. Clicking on a tag will direct you to a page that displays all songs related to that specific tag.

Audio Player

If you click a song it'll trigger a tiny little player (in the screenshots above) to spawn in from the right side of the dock/navigation. If you click the little player on the bottom right of the screen it'll toggle play/pause the current audio. This also works for podcasts.

If you hit \ on your keyboard it'll play a random song. Hit it again if you don't like what it picked.

If you shift + click a song (or click the + over the image) it'll add it to the playlist. This will then play up next. Super useful for when you want to rapidlly build a playlist before a coding session or something.

For media controls and keyboard shortcuts, see Playlist & Shared Music/Podcast Features.

Music Playlists

Members get access to a few curated playlists:

  • Vibes - Chill, relaxing, and uplifting music
  • Metal - Heavy and aggressive music
  • HipHop - Rap and hip-hop music
  • Lofi - Low-fi and chill music, usually instrumentals

Playlist & Shared Music/Podcast Features

You can mix and match songs and podcasts in the up next playlist. The playlist will appear at the top of the podcast or music page above the feeds.

If you shift + click a song or podcast (or click the + over the image) it'll add it to the playlist. This will then play up next.

If you want to remove a song or podcast from the playlist, click the x over the image in the playlist.

Shared keyboard shortcuts:

  • s to skip to the next song
  • shift + s: stop all media and clear the playlist
  • shift + ← to rewind 5 seconds
  • shift + → to fast forward 15 seconds
  • shift + ↑ to increase volume
  • shift + ↓ to decrease volume
  • space to play/pause
  • shift + click the player to copy the song's URL
  • shift + m to toggle mute/unmute
  • p to go the the podcasts feed
  • m to go the the music feed

Videos

Probably one of my most used features on startyparty is the Videos feed. It's a curated selection of videos from YouTube. It offers a comprehensive view of the latest videos, including music, comedy, tech, and more.

Currently, startyparty monitors approximately 2,000 channels from a variety of publishers, journalists, thought leaders, creators, programmers, and media outlets. This diverse content range is complemented by its videos aggregation features, which are tailored to meet a broad spectrum of interests and preferences, helping users discover the most relevant and timely information.

Hovering over each thumbnail of a video with trigger a muted preview of the video where the image was.

All media plays in-app on startyparty. You can click a video to play it. By default the video will fill the container, but if you hit ] (or click the maximize button on the top right of the feed container, it will resize the video to fill the entire browser.) Hitting [ returns the video to its original size. Hitting escape will stop and close the video. If any music or podcasts were playing, the video will replace them.

You can explore further by selecting a channel or one of the tags associated with each video. Clicking on a tag will direct you to a page that displays all videos related to that specific tag, while clicking on a publisher will lead you to a page listing all videos published by that publisher.

Clicking channels in the top right corner on the news page will take you to a page that displays all channels alphabetically. Members can toggle on and off channels they don't want in their feeds.

Members can also save videos to view later. They can also view a feed of videos they've watched/clicked on history. Viewed videos' image is faded out and greyed out.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Most of the keyboard shortcuts are the same as on the music and podcasts feeds seen above in the Playlist & Shared Music/Podcast Features section.

  • s stop video
  • escape stop video
  • shift + s: stop all media and clear the playlist
  • shift + ← to rewind 5 seconds
  • shift + → to fast forward 15 seconds
  • shift + ↑ to increase volume
  • shift + ↓ to decrease volume
  • space to play/pause
  • shift + m to toggle mute/unmute
  • v to go the the videos feed
  • t is theatre mode - which removes all UI elements, dims the background, so you can focus on just the video. only available when a video or livestream is playing.

Twitch

Twitch also provides a comprehensive view of the latest twitch streams, offering a curated selection of streams from various platforms, including live coding, gaming, creators, and more. It offers a unique way to discover new content and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the world of live streaming.

Currently, startyparty tracks about 100 or so streamers, providing a diverse range of content. Its twitch aggregation capabilities are designed to cater to a wide range of interests and preferences, ensuring users can access the most relevant and timely information.

Hovering over each thumbnail of a stream with trigger a muted preview of the stream where the image was.

Clicking on a live steam will play the steam in-app on the Twitch feed. By default the stream will fill the container, but if you hit ] (or click the maximize button on the top right of the feed container, it will resize the stream to fill the entire browser.) Hitting [ returns the stream to its original size. Hitting escape will stop and close the stream. If any music or podcasts were playing, the stream will replace them.

Hitting shift + click on a live stream will open their official twitch profile page in a new tab.

Below the live streams feed is a list of all followed streamers. Clicking these will take you to their official twitch profile page in a new tab. The list is sorted by the last time they streamed.

Games

Feeling bored at work? Looking for a fun way to pass the time? Check out the Games feed, which offers a curated list of around 100 browser-based games.

Clicking on a game will play the game in-app. All of these games can be played directly in your web browser, but those marked with a link icon will open in a new tab due to CORS restrictions.

Social

Blue Sky & Mastodon

The Blue Sky feed also provides a comprehensive view of the latest social posts, offering a curated selection of posts from various platforms, including Twitter, Reddit, and more. It offers a unique way to discover new content and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the world of social media.

Currently, Blue Sky tracks approximately 2,000 accounts, while Mastodon features around 1,500 accounts. This diverse collection includes publishers, journalists, thought leaders, and creators.

You can explore further by selecting a user account. Clicking on a user will direct you to a page that displays all posts by that user.

Clicking the actual article will open it in a new tab.

Note: A long time ago, pre-Elon, startyparty also offered a Twitter feed, but it was removed due to extraneous Twitter's API changes.

This is simply a curated list of links and tools that I've found useful. They're loosely categorized for quick access. There's plans in the pipeline to massively expand this feature. For now these are static links.

Lemmy

Lemmy is a decentralized social platform that allows users to create their own communities and interact with each other. It's a great place to share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions with a diverse group of people. It's like what Reddit used to be.

I aggregate about 300 or so of the most popular lemmy instances. Clicking these links will open them in a new tab.

Media Calendar

The Media Calendar shows upcoming data on movies and shows from Trakt. It's a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest releases and movies/shows that are coming out.

Clicking on a movie or show will open it in a new tab to the official Trakt site with futher details on that particular release as seen below:

Github

The Github feed offers a streamlined overview of the latest commit activity from the most popular Github repositories. It provides a distinctive way to explore new content and keep informed about the latest trends and advancements in software development.

You can explore further by selecting a author to see that person's individual github activity.

Clicking a commit will open it in a new tab to the official Github site with futher details on that particular commit as seen below:

Steam

The Steam feed provides a curated selection of the most popular games from Steam. There's about 900 games tracked so far. You can view changelog posts from the publishers and game developers clicking on the news tab.

Hovering over each thumbnail of a game with trigger a slideshow preview of the game where the image was. There's 4-5 links per game, from left to right:

  1. Launch the game
  2. Official store page
  3. SteamDB info page
  4. SteamCharts info page
  5. Official game website (optional)

Shortcuts

On startyparty shortcuts I list all keyboard shortcuts available on the site. Def take a look, there's 37 power user shortcuts available to users.

startyparty offers a search feature that allows users to search for content across various content types, including news, podcasts, videos, music, and more.

Hit / or click the magnifying glass icon in the dock/navigation to open the search bar. Hit enter to search for a term. Hit esc to close the search bar.

Search results display associated post types. Videos, podcasts, and music play in-app, while other types open in a new tab. Currently, searches are limited to the last 30 days, except for music.

Under the search bar, you'll find bangs a DuckDuckGo feature that allows you to search for content unrelated to your search term. For example, using the bang !acro {SEARCH} will search for the term on the Acronyms website. Bangs provide a more direct search experience. I've listed some of my favorite and commonly used bangs; clicking any of them will append the bang to the search bar and initiate the search in a new tab.

Settings & Features

Members get access to a settings page where they can customize their start page and save settings and content. I add new features all the time, particularly to the settings page; love building 'power user' features.

View Counts and Saved Content: Members can view the saved and view counts for videos, podcasts, and news. This feature provides you with insights into your interaction history, showing how many times you have engaged with specific content.

Change Display Name: Use this option to change your display name. Your chosen display name will be shown wherever your profile is visible on the platform, such as in comments or activity logs.

Change Avatar: This setting allows you to update your avatar image. Choose an image that represents you and enhances your profile presence on the platform.

Change Email: Use this feature to change the email address associated with your account. Ensure that the new email is valid to receive important notifications and updates from the platform.

Change Language: Select your preferred language from the available options (English, German, Spanish). Changing the language will update the interface and content to match your chosen preference.

Change Password: Enhance the security of your account by changing your password. Choose a strong, unique password to protect your information and access.

Set Default Feed: Customize your initial view by setting a default feed. This determines which category or type of content will load first when you log in, making it convenient for you to start with what you enjoy the most.

Tint Background Image/Website: Use the color picker to tint the background image or website. This feature allows you to customize the visual theme by adding a color overlay to the background, enhancing your browsing experience with personalized colors.

Set Fixed Background Image: Opt for a fixed background image instead of a dynamic one. This setting lets you choose an image that remains in place as you scroll through different sections of the website, providing a consistent and visually appealing backdrop.

Playback Speed for Podcasts: Adjust the playback speed for podcasts to better fit your listening preferences. You can increase or decrease the speed to make it easier to follow along or to save time, without affecting the pitch of the audio.

Default Volume for All Media: Set a default volume level for all media content, including videos and podcasts. This ensures that your preferred sound level is used across all types of media, providing a consistent experience with less manual adjustment needed.

Hide Read Articles: Automatically remove articles you have already read from your main feeds. This keeps your feed fresh and reduces clutter.

Hide Listened Podcasts: Remove previously listened podcasts from your main feeds to ensure you only see new episodes.

Hide Watched Videos: Hide videos you have already watched from your main feeds to focus on new content.

Hide Footer: Remove the footer at the bottom of the screen to give you more space for content.

Hide Resize Controls: Hide the buttons used for resizing containers to simplify the interface.

Hide Notifications: Suppress notifications that appear in the top right corner to maintain focus on your current activity.

Lock Fullscreen Mode: Lock the container into fullscreen mode for an immersive viewing experience.

Lock Vertical Full Height: Set a fixed vertical height for containers to ensure consistent and full-screen utilization.

Lock Small Article Size: Keep small article size mode active for news articles to quickly scan through multiple articles.

Use Custom Cursor: Use a custom mouse cursor icon from my favorite game, Path of Exile, for a personalized experience.

Hide Back Button: Remove the back button from the interface. You can still use the Backspace key to navigate backward.

Hide the Search Button: Remove the search button from the interface. Use the / (slash) key to perform searches.

Hide Icons in Dock/Navigation: Toggle each icon in the dock/navigation to hide them and minimize distractions, focusing on content.

Mobile & Desktop, Responsive & Alternative View

So you may have noticed that all the screenshots have slightly different sizes, different layouts, etc. This is because there's a few different ways to view startyparty on different devices and screen sizes.

Aside from that, the site is suuuuuuuuuuper responsive. It's designed to work on any device, any screen size and is extra optimized for desktop and large screens. It provides a consistent and visually appealing experience across all devices.

Primary View

The primary view (this is the video aspect ratio view) is the default view that you see when you first open the site. It's a simple, clean, and easy-to-use interface that's optimized for desktop and laptop screens. It provides a consistent and visually appealing experience across all devices. For news its list mode. For video based content its a grid view.

List View

Only available on the news page, you can press 0 on your keyboard to switch between list view and grid view. This feature allows you to quickly browse multiple articles or videos, providing an excellent alternative to the default view. For music, social, and github feeds, list view is set as the default.

Resize Controls

On the top right of the feed container, you'll find a set of buttons that allow you to resize the container. Personalize how you want your content to be displayed.

Horizontal Tile View

This was the default view for news before the list view was introduced. It's a great way to quickly scan through multiple articles or videos. It's a great alternative to the default view for news. Horizontal tile view is the default view for lemmy and search feeds.

Full Height View

This view works with any layout, it simply breaks the feed out of the aspect ratio of the container and makes it full height. See more at once. You can toggle this hitting + or - on your keyboard. You can still toggle between list and grid view by hitting 0 on your keyboard on the news page.

Full Screen Mode

Hitting ] or [ on your keyboard will toggle full screen mode. This is an alternative view that switches most views to a grid view and utilizes the full width of the browser window. See the most at once, I typically use this view for exploring video/podcast feeds.

Membership

Members get access to a bunch of unique features and settings. The settings page seen above is only available to members. I'll go over some of the features below.

  • Hide Viewed Content (videos, podcasts, news)
  • Hide Footer
  • Hide Resize Controls
  • Hide Notifications
  • Lock Fullscreen Mode
  • Lock Vertical Full Height
  • Lock Small Article Size
  • Use Custom Cursor
  • Hide the Clock
  • Hide Back Button
  • Hide Change Background Button
  • Hide the Search Button
  • Hide Icons in Dock/Navigation
  • Set default Volume
  • Set default Feed
  • Set default Language (English, German, Spanish)

(all listed in Settings)

Members also get access to unique sorting, unique features, and subfeeds such as:

  • Additional sorting options for videos
  • Stats on saved content
  • Stats on viewed content
  • History states on viewed content (videos, podcasts, news)
  • Access to 60 day search
  • Access to lemmy feed
  • Access to manga feeds
  • Access to github feed
  • Access to media calendar feed
  • Access to custom music feeds (vibes, lofi, hiphop, metal)
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Custom avatar
  • Full pagination
  • Access to staging (beta) site
  • Reader View for News articles
  • Follow/Unfollow video channels, podcast series, and news publishers
  • Lowest cache settings for feed views. Default cache is between 10 minutes and one hour for signed out users and music at one day. Members get on average 5 minute cache or no cache at all.
  • Access to new custom feeds and features
  • Eternal gratitude

Membership is a one time $25 purchase. You can join here. Payment processing is handled by Stripe. Once joined, you'll get access to all these goodies and more.

I'm always adding new features, content, sources, and more. On the Discord you can chat with me and the small community of startyparty users. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. You can request specific features or sources to be added to the site. I'll do my best to accommodate your requests.

Main Feeds

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© 2008 - 2025 Marko Bajlovic
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