Nick Quaranto's blog post discusses several notable projects and tools that have caught attention in the tech community. It highlights the jQuery UI component library, which has transitioned to GitHub and offers new features such as an autocomplete widget and reduced file size. The Scala-based framework Gizzard is introduced as a solution for data sharding by allowing custom data stores to integrate seamlessly, handling partitioning and replication. The post also mentions awesome-buttons, a CSS3-based project for creating attractive buttons, and storevil, a natural language testing framework for C#/.NET inspired by Cucumber, which uses reflection to link feature files to code. Additionally, Lightning is presented as a command line tool that simplifies file path autocompletion in bash or zsh by organizing files into 'bolts'. Lastly, Reggie is featured as a level editor for Super Mario Bros. Wii, enabling users to create custom game levels with ease using an SD card and the original game disc, supported by cross-platform compatibility through PyQT.