LinkPeelr is a URL expander that takes a URL and "peels" it to show you the URL that you will actually be taken to. It works on any website with any link or URL shortener service. It's basically a web service built with App Engine and a companion Chrome extension that pops up a tooltip with the target URL when you hover over shortened links.
I've been meaning to make something like this for my own use for a long time as I find short URLs slightly irritating because they hide the real domain, which often informs the quality of content. LinkPeelr was also small enough that I could finish it over a couple of weekends and get a feel for some new tools I intend to use in future projects. I've uploaded everything to Github so if you are interested, you are welcome.
Please check it out and let me know what you think. Do you find it useful? What would you improve?
App: http://linkpeelr.appspot.com Chrome extension: https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/ahhcmjnfhbpgagklnjhlcabnbcdgipje?hl=en Github: http://github.com/ibagrak/linkpeelr