This is the first of a semi-regular feature we're going to post on the Webjam blog linking up a bunch of crazy work we find that really pushes the web app envelope. The kind of stuff you gotta right mouse click on to make sure it's not Flash. So here's the first edition of HTFDTDT? We've picked up three items to feature -- feel free to add your own in the comments.
Yahoo! Pipes
Pipes has been getting a lot of exposure lately. Tim O'Reilly had been waiting 10 years for it. Yep, Yahoo! really dragged their heels heels on that one. Indeed, life must be tough for Tim, having to wait a decade for the rest of the world to catch up to his brain.
Basically, Pipes lets you combine RSS feeds in interesting ways. There are a bunch of filtering rules, data extraction tools and various other widgets you can run feeds through. The brilliant thing about the project is the way you wire the processing of feeds together by dragging "wires" from each of the widgets... OK I'm going to give up on trying to describe this in words -- go take a look and be amazed. Very nice use of Canvas drawing for the wires.
3D Rendering in JavaScript
OK, this is just sick in both senses of the word. It doesn't even use images to create the shaded polygons. Instead it uses some bizarre border-joint hack that only 3 people in America and one Russian know.
Schillmania
This guy has been doing amazing things with JavaScript long before the recent Web2.0-spurred resurgence in the language. Amongst other acheivements: DHTML Arkanoid, a Flash/Javascript sound manager for playing audio in JavaScript apps and a photoviewing app. All silky smooth in operation.