The websites are divided by their categories, as I see them. All of the categories and websites links can be found on this page. For easier navigation, use the category links to jump between them. I will try to keep in pace with my tight daily schedule and add one new website every few weeks. If you have websites that you feel like might be worthy of inclusion, don't hesitate to Contact me.
Enjoy!
This section is all about computer gaming resources. Online games, Flash, huge repositories of games for Linux, this sub-section treasures the best sites for gaming fans across all categories and genres. Finding these is not easy, but I'll keep them coming as I roam far and wide across the Web.
The general category covers pretty much anything. You can call it the default gateway. But it's really about big website with a wide scope of knowledge and topics. Be it literature, Linux, Windows, coding, or anything else, I've placed the best of the best here. Websites that should not only provide you with just a tremendous wealth of information; websites that you will enjoy immensely along the way and come back to many times over.
My humor revolves mainly around inane, pointless, dry, black British stuff, so that's what you mostly see in the hither sub-section. But not only. If you're into Maddox or fancy renting a German over the weekend or would like a painful, sado-masochistic perspective on Linux usage, then you've come to the right place.
The Security Hall of Fame is dedicated to computer security, as really good security websites are far and few in between. You won't find many entries, but you will definitely find useful resources that should help you achieve the desired goal while maintaining sanity and functionality.
This section is all about websites that dabble in science and para-science, but NOT scientology. Science can be great inventions, super geeky math stuff, world-end scenarios, anything that sparks the mind. As a man of science, I'm on a hunt after splendid science websites, so drop a line if you find any.
This section is all about unique websites. They do not have to be very functional or useful, just plain unique. Different from anything else you can find. Just as Zanger Bob, the fat Dutch singer kid is unique, not really talented or anything, simply unique. Um, did I say unique?
Armor Games is all about Flash. And games ... Flash games. Armor Games contains a wealth of Flash games that you can play inside any browser on any operating system, making it extremely appealing to non-Windows users, people who frequently travel and cannot lug along a case full of game installation discs or computer users with weak machines who cannot afford high-end graphics for classic, full-blown titles. Armor Games will also appeal to less avid gamers and hobbyist looking for simple entertainment.
What makes Armor Games special is the quantity and quality of content offered. You will have a choice of hundreds of games to play, across a range of genres. Most are done with style and care, with attention to details, including reasonable visual appeal and good sound effects. Armor Games has its own community of developers, making it more than just a hosting site.
I have discussed Armor Games in my sixth Linux gaming article, where I presented some of the many fine titles you can play, including the highly popular and addictive Crush The Castle, the War of the Worlds style, melancholic Arrow of Time, and the multiplayer Armor Wars.
I would like to thank Searching_ _ _ for exposing me to Armor Games!
If you're a Linux user and like to game, there's no better place to start looking for games that run in Linux than Ubuntu Gamers Arena. The name is slightly misleading, as you may wrongly assume the games listed on this site are for Ubuntu only. In fact, most games will run without any problems in any distro - and quite a few are cross-platform, too. This makes this site a lucrative source for Windows users looking for free games, as well.
The site contains a wealth of information, neatly arranged into categories. Every game entry includes a brief description, a number of screenshots, a link to the game site, and some additional notes regarding system requirements and installation.
The site lists approx. 500 games, offering you enough choice to keep you occupied for a long time.
NationStates is a web-based nation-building simulation game. You begin playing by building a nation. The nation template asks a number of questions, upon which the principles of your fledgling state are based. You are allowed to choose the type of government you want, going from Liberal to Psychotic. You can also select the flag for your country, the national animal and the motto. After these, you are asked a few character questions, which will define the spirit of your country. And then, you begin to play.
The "play" consist of daily challenges, brought before your parliament. As the ruler, you need to decide what stance your government will take. The questions may be benign or even silly, asking for more rights for penguin vegetarians, but they can also concern serious matters of war, foreign policy, censorship, and much more. The way you handle these questions will reflect on all aspects of society of your country.
You can also apply for membership in the United Nations, ally with other countries and participate in the game forum. While NationStates is not the typical game, it is unique and interesting and will sweep you, even though you may spend only a few minutes pondering your daily issues.
One of the biggest challenges that Windows users are facing daily is finding the right sources of information on the right topics. The online world of Windows data is prone to abuse. For every benevolent howto, there is a hundred others, either badly written or offering semi-tested advice or even deliberately proposing irrelevant suggestions, wrapped around allegedly free solutions and shady marketing. Being able to focus the information into a single, reliable channel is very difficult.
Gizmo's Freeware Review is a website that should solve this problem. It started as a site listing reviews on best freeware for Windows and expanded into a wiki-style operation with contributions from dozens of writers. The information is sorted into categories, like Games, System Tools, Programming, Security, Desktop & GUI, and others, usually featuring one or more "best XYZ" articles. Plus, there's a forum, too, where you can learn valuable information from a wide community of users.
If you're a Windows user and have a need for lots of useful tips and tricks, recommendations, reviews, and links, Gizmo's site is a good choice. The wide variety of articles on a range of topics will satisfy newbies and experts alike.
Raiden's Realm is a community tech site dedicated to Linux, BSD and open source software. The website is geared toward all users, from beginners to pros. Among the featured material, you will find distro reviews, news articles and software recommendations, contributed by a number of authors. The site also has a forum, where you can share ideas with fellow members. Last but not the least, the site owner, Steve Lake is a self-proclaimed prose writer, just like me! On Raiden's Realm, you will also find a wealth of short sci-fi stories and novel teasers, which gives you yet another reason beyond strictly technical and geeky stuff to stop by and visit.
For open-minded people who like to take it easy and still learn something new, Raiden's Realm is an excellent choice.
DistroWatch is the de-facto UNIX/Linux portal. The website maintains a long comprehensive database on hundreds of UNIX-based operating systems, mainly Linux distributions, but also BSD, Solaris, and others. Each operating system is listed on a separate page, with links to the official site and forums, downloads, reviews by third parties, screenshots, documentation, and more. Additionally, a brief summary and a list of packages is given for each title. It is a tremendously valuable site, with tons of excellent information on just about anything to do with non-Microsoft systems.
DistroWatch also features a highly popular weekly news bulletin, bringing news on distro releases, development in software and the open-source world, and other interesting items. You can also buy software on DistroWatch, in case you do not have available Internet resources for big downloads. Furthermore, the DistroWatch Page Hit Ranking list is considered one of the most accurate popularity meters for UNIX/Linux distributions.
If you like the world of open-source, Linux, BSD, and related, DistroWatch is the best source to start looking for help, information, and well-written, impartial reviews. The website is available in 20+ languages.
This may sound like a boring choice, but think about it. Many people spend hours of their life typing all kinds of documents. Quite often, many of us, even native English speakers, will reach for a dictionary to see if their choice of wording and phrasing is appropriate - or perhaps look up an alternative meaning for a word, to make their sentence sound posh - or even check if they made some horrible spelling mistake somewhere.
Dictionary.com is an excellent source of all this information, delivered in a simple and precise fashion. The site is effective and non-obtrusive. Furthermore, this online dictionary also offers a Thesaurus and encyclopedia entries, which makes it a very useful interactive tool for both improving your documents and learning new things ... in English.
Who said the Communism has lost? It's alive and kicking. But not in its original incarnation, though. Communism has been made true by the Open Source Community. SourceForge is the web's greatest development and download repository of open-source software. This is one place where money and greed are not the champions; rather, cooperation, transparency of information and just cause are.
SourceForge offers a huge choice of excellent, FREE software in virtually every field of computing. If you ever have a need for a certain application, your wisest choice would be to check out SourceForge first before heading off elsewhere and bleeding off your hard-earned money. Sometimes, quite often actually, small and out-of-spotlight little programs that you can find on SourceForge will prove worthier than the big, mainstream stereotype-ware we have been brainwashed to use. Great projects like a variety of Linux distributions, Mozilla, Open Office, and many others are the offspring of the Open Source Community.
tuxmachines.org is an excellent place to get your news about the open-source world. The site features rich content, submitted both by its staff and people all over the world, resulting in a mixed bag of blog entries, how-tos, detailed tutorials, news entries, and other bits and pieces of information. Most importantly, tuxmachines grants you a virtually unlimited access to the hearts, minds and technical skills of thousands of people across the world. It is definitely only of the more well-balanced and efficient intellectual repositories I have come across. Do not be fooled by the simple design; each link hides a world of goodies.
For anyone looking for a pleasant, well-founded, high-quality trip into the world of computing, tuxmachines.org is the place.
W3Schools is one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly sources for learning web design. The site is well structures by topics, including HTML, XML, Browser scripting, Server scripting, Multimedia, and others. All of the categories are sorted in chapters, accompanied with rich tutorials, beginning with basic concepts and simple example, slowing evolving and becoming more complex, allowing novices and veterans alike to find the required material. I must confess that I have acquired a fair deal of my web design knowledge from the W3Schools.
Unlike many online tutorials trying to teach you web design, W3Schools aim at doing it right. Proper use of code and compliance with international standards is no less important than good layout and quality design. You will be surprised at the sheer number of sites that do NOT conform with W3C standards.
Whether you merely wish to refresh your knowledge or start from the scratch, W3Schools is probably the best place to start building websites.
Rent A German new!
Fancy some international culture? So why not rent a German over the weekend? Yes, that's right. There's a website that lets you rent Germans. They don't come cheap, but they are definitely worth it.
rentagerman.de is a website that specializes in the German [sic] rental service. It offers a wide range of Germans for your personal and social needs. You can select Germans for all sorts of activities. You may want to take them to a party, take them to a hike in the mountains or lodge them over at your house. You can even bring them to your workplace and impress your co-workers. You may also rent entire families. Whatever you choose, you are in for a treat. Germans are curteous, punctual and great with anything mechanical. Your satisfaction is guranteed.
Native Germans who join the program as rentees will also receive a hefty discount in the rental fees. What more, Rent A German community is a happy and vibrant one and will come to your aid should you need any assistance with hosting your rented Germans. This includes tips and howtos, including a support package with poems and sauerkraut.
The website also offers T-shirts for sale. Feel like being unique and friendly, buy one and wear one.
Top Gear new!
Top Gear is a British car show, the best rated and most popular in the world. For a very good reason. It's a blast. You get tons of great cars, truckloads of humor and stunning camera work. What more could a man ask for, except maybe studio audience composed entirely of hot women?
With the brick-faced charm of anti-environmentalist scousers, the show's three hosts, Jeremy, Richard and James do a fanastic job of roadtesting cars across the globe, with not a single boring moment. While most people may assume Top Gear is mainly about cars, the truth it is, it's mostly about cars. The show is, first and foremost, one titanic standup show. Imagine Monty Python, only done entirely in the back of Austin Metro. That's what I'm talking about.
Seriously, for any petrol/diesel head, Top Gear is the ultimate form of entertainment. Make sure you check out the official website. It has years of video footage and breathtaking imagery, lots of excellent reviews spiced with sophisticated humor and tons of tips for the international car driver. Must see.
Sometimes, the best way to explain or prove something to someone is by showing them the exact opposite of what they are looking for. For instance, how do you explain white to someone? You show them black and tell them that white is the other way around.
Linux Hater's Blog is a website that deals in polarity. While most of us grumble about software we use, Linux Hater's Blog (LHB) categorically hates everything that has to do with Linux, which both makes it funny and offers an interesting perspective on what Linux is.
The LHB's anonymous editor (or editors) is mostly likely a diehard Linux fan who seeks to educate on peace by preaching war sermons. Furthermore, the radical attitude is also a tremendous traffic boost, as I have eloquently explained in my Website traffic guide, but the irony of this is lost of many excited and offended Linux users who simply can't refuse to take the bait.
Because of this, taking LHB seriously is somewhat difficult, although he raises many valid points overall. Better yet, the extreme tone turns the entire affair into an extremely pleasurable ordeal. Nevertheless, no matter what is said and how it is said, you have to give the author credit - and lots of it. Persisting in so much hatred takes a lot of effort and staying funny along the way even more so.
If you're looking into some politically incorrect education on Linux sprinkled with cunningly sophisticated humor bordering between lame and genius, LHB is the place you should go. You may get angry or learn little, but at least, you will laugh long and hard.
Monty Python is probably the main reason why British are the greatest nation on Earth. They have created the finest piece of comedy EVER - Monty Python. When the humble team of six smart British guys aired their first sketch of Flying Circus in 1969, the history was made. Monty Python became the pillarstone by which modern comedy was made and judged.
The Python guys also made a number of films, including Life of Brian and the Meaning of Life and also individually participated in dozens of other films, series and sketches, including legendary titles like Fawlty Towers (see below) and A Fish Called Wanda.
The heroic deeds of Monty Python across four decades of work are documented on the official site called Pythonline, maintained by Eric Idle. Pythonline has it all - most importantly links to most popular and highest rated Monty Python sketches like the Ministry of Silly Walks, Argument Clinic, Galaxy Song, the Parrot Sketch, and others, all of which you can also be downloaded from Youtube. Furthermore, there's lots of music, a crazy forum, and more superb stuff. If you consider yourself a member of human race, ergo ipso facto you like Monty Python, therefore you should visit Pythonline.
John Cleese, one of the fantastic six of the Monty Python cast created new definitions for obnoxious and misanthrope when we created the character of Basil Fawlty, the owner of the Fawlty Towers hotel. The sheer snobbish stubbornness with which Basil gets into trouble every minute of every episode makes for some of the finest moments in human behavior ever screened. Three decades later, Fawlty Tower is undoubtedly one of the funniest British comedies, alongside 'Allo 'Allo, Only Fools and Horses, and Black Adder.
Fawlty Towers website pays tribute to this great show. The site details the history of how Fawlty Towers began , apparently based on a true story, details the episodes and casts, has an A-Z Fawlty guide, quizzes, trivia, and other interesting stuff. Like other websites dedicated to predominantly dark British humor featured on this page, Fawlty Towers is about self-indulgence, nostalgia and quite a bit of fun.
We must thank Charles Darwin for two things: one, his contribution to science; two, the above website, which probably would never have come into being without Charles Darwin. Well, what is it all about? Well, it's about Evolution, of course! Only, it takes a rather unorthodox approach to basic natural advancement of the most advanced species, homo sapiens.
Darwin Awards is dedicated to all those people unique enough to remove themselves from the evolutionary cycle by taking revolutionary actions. In other words, it is dedicated to people whose stupidity is only surpassed by their somewhat sad if humorous demise. If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, Darwin Awards documents deaths. However, not just any deaths. It chronicles the most bizarre, unbelievable and improbable deaths, so stupid that they actually border on genius. We are talking about people juggling live hand grenades, people falling off rooftops while engaged in intercourse (the so-called Luftwaffen Grotesque), people bringing the roof down while still inside the building, and other most merry occurrences.
So, if you're in for a treat that so politically incorrectly reminds us of our finality, you should step a few moments reading Darwin Awards. After that, you will realize that evolution also includes a by-product, the so-called regression, in which case the present exemplars only lived (or rather, died) to prove Darwin's theory even truer.
Cafe Rene is the first place you should go to if you have any questions or doubts regarding 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is one of the great classic British comedies, which, like most others, came to life following the Monty Python revolution in the early 70s. Alongside Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, Black Adder, Yes Minister, and many others, 'Allo! 'Allo! dominated the humor scene of the 80s and still remains one of the wittiest and funniest pieces ever made. It tells the story of a cowardly French café owner, René Artois, who leads a very brave life. He cheats on his wife with both of his waitresses, promising both to marry them after the war - but he stays with his wife Edith because she owns the café. To make things even more complicated, René is fancied by the German lieutenant Gruber. He collaborates with the Germans, in trying to steal ancient paintings while simultaneously helping the French resistance rescue downed British pilots. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
'Allo 'Allo! tells the war story in a very different light from what one might expect. The Germans are more interested in drinking and getting rich than actually fighting. The de Gaulle resistance hate the Communists more than the Germans. And the British are charmingly dumb. Don't forget the sex innuendo on almost every occasion.
The sit-com ran 9 series, with 82 episodes, plus numerous Christmas specials. Everything you might want to know about 'Allo 'Allo! can be read on Cafe Rene. It might not be the prettiest or the most up-to-date site, but it is definitely fun and well-written.
This is truly one of the finer websites ever made, definitely not because of its crappy design but because of its excellent, masterpiece contents. The site is all about the personal, egocentric, egomaniacal, narcissistic super-obsession of one guy's love with himself, Mark Maddox. However, every single work on his website is written with utter brilliance. It's raw, funny and extremely cunning. It's no small wonder it's one of the more popular websites out there. Be warned though, it's not for the feeble-hearted, overly-cultivated, extra-refined, weak, or enlightened souls.
Maddox thinks he's a pirate, although I cannot image what Utah has to do with pirates, unless they have found a way to sail a boat across the Salt Lake. He's recently written a book, called The Alphabet of Manliness, which has instantly become popular and ranks very high in book sales. So there you go, Maddox, you got a free spitshine from me, even though you never answered my emails. Sniff.
EDIT: He did answer me, so I humbly retract my last sentence. You're the man.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the funniest British comedies of all times. It's about Del Boy and Rodney Trotter brothers, played by David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst, a pair of small-time, small-money crooks / peddlers living with their grandfather, and later, their uncle in a council flat in Peckham. The sit-com revolves about their fishy business endeavors as they try to get rich from one episode to another, usually inspired by Del's crazy ideas, but never quite succeeding.
The first series met with mediocre enthusiasm from the audience; nevertheless Only Fools and Horses quickly became one of the most influential TV show on British television, resulting in seven series and numerous Christmas features and becoming a social and cultural icon. The reason for this is that it had elements of everyday life that just about anyone could relate to. Apart from phenomenal, typically dark British humor, Only Fools and Horses mixes emotions and situations so well that it's become a timeless, priceless piece of art.
If you even remotely like British comedy, Only Fools and Horses is a must.
CastleCops is more than just a collection of forum rooms. It is an in-depth security central offering a variety of computer related services to a broad range of users, in several languages. However, I would like to focus on the forums. The forum offers a wealth of information so extensive that new users might find the navigation a bit daunting. CastleCops hosts a number of forums specially dedicated to specific products, like WinPatrol, Proximitron, Returnil and others, but it also deals in general subjects. Most of the topics are focused on the Windows operating system, but Linux users also have a place to share their ideas. Another upside of the CastleCops forums is the malware cleanup section, where unfortunate (Windows) users can ask for help, as well as the malware reporting and prevention forum. It's a good place to learn about computers and security.
EDIT: Sadly, CastleCops has closed a few months ago. This great site is no longer available.
Wilders Security Forums is probably one of the more versatile security forums on the net. It is rather quite balanced. On one hand, it offers quite a lot of useful information in a number of forum rooms; on the other, it does that without overwhelming and confusing clutter. The forum is clean, intuitive and easily navigable. Some of the sub-forum rooms on the site are official support forums for a number of leading computer security products, like Acronis, Eset, ewido, and more. Other rooms are dedicated to general security topics like firewalls, anti-virus software, privacy issues, and other. Wilders Security Forums has a great staff and a vibrant community that will offer help and advice to any newcomer. For a typical computer user - most of us really - it is probably the best overall security-conscious informative and support site on the web.
If you're into science, quasi-science, demi-science, and pure nonsense that goes beyond the ordinary and have a taste for conspiracy theories, you may like anomalies-unlimited.com. The site offers insight into the world of crazy, scary and weird stuff taking place behind the curtains of the world. While authenticity of some of the content is a bit dubious, it makes for a fun reading nevertheless. You don't have to be into paranormal and alien abductions to enjoy the website.
The site seems to be no longer actively updated, but it has quite a bit of material to get you started into the occult. Or just plain enjoy the fact that some people really need an excuse to wear a tinfoil hat. Oh, it's not pure science per se, either, but it more or less broadly fits the category.
Exit Mundi: A Collection of End-of-World Scenarios
Exit Mundi is a very interesting site. The site is all about all possible ways to destroy Planet Earth. Sounds sinister, but it's actually written in a light, funny style that makes the threat of a Gamma Ray Bursts apocalypse and similar calamities sound rather melancholic. The scenarios are divided into groups, like space threats, technological threats, religion-related events etc. Each catastrophe is described with a good proportion of science, facts and humor and is accompanied with lots of nice images. If you like aliens, robots, huge explosions, doomsday thingies, and whatnot, you can surely enjoy yourself reading this website. The material on the site is written by Maarten Keulemans, a science and technology journalist from Holland (Netherlands).
One of the reasons we have websites and read all manner of stuff on the Internet is our curiosity. Just like energy and entropy are opposed, so are the laziness and curiosity, the two prevalent characteristics of the human nature. Without curiosity, we would still probably be living in caves. But as it is, we have CFC-free air conditioning, vaccination, online petitions, and lots of sites telling us how things work. One of the best such sites is definitely HowStuffWorks. There's very little you won't find on this remarkable site, dissected into tiny details, with simple explanations and lots of images. It's a great start on almost any subject, technical or humane.
MathWorld is a very extensive online source of mathematics. It was made by Wolfram Research, the creators of Mathematica scientific program. The site contains lectures, citations from books, thousands of terms and examples, 3D applets for interactive geometry, and more. The layout is simple, clean and intuitive.
This site might not appeal to someone who think of mathematics as forced labor, but it can be of great use for people with scientific background or inclinations.
1337arts new!
1337arts, or rather, Leet Arts, is a website created by a pair of MIT students, showing off their artistic aspects of science with others. And what a share it is. For a meager budger of about one high-end laptop, the two gentlemen assembled a high-altitude balloon and sent it flying int the space, strapped with a digital camera. Not really amazing, you might say.
Except their camera landed back safely. The two fellas had the smarts to equip the camera with a GPS beacon so it could be retrieved safely. Speaking of safety, they had to take into account lots of parameters, including the camera damage and the skull damage of innocent humans not expecting a camera falling on their head from high orbit. So the two diligent students created a crash-proof rentry capsule with low terminal velocity that was safe for both the electronics and human cranium. They tested with eggs tossed off the five-story building to make sure their package was gentle enough. On top of that, they made sure they complied with FAA regulations.
The end result? More than one hour of HD video and close to a thousand stills taken at about 30km altitude. Spectacular on so many levels. First the idea, then the implementation of the idea. Simply splendid. Hop by and drop them a word of encouragement. It's always refreshing to see such astute minds making good use of their potential. Reminds me of me.
The Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT
If you think Building a Balancing Scooter is a feat of geeks, then you should probably take an inhalation before you read this one. The Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC) is a 60-year-old club dedicated to railroad funs and hackers, who together help create, maintain and improve the largest mini-scale railroad network in the world.
You all remember the three-box plastic model running on batteries that you all had in your childhood? Well, think about something a thousand times bigger. TMRC is all about running a realistic railroad network, with thousands of feet of tracks, hundreds of rail models, dozens of buildings, bridges and staging yards, all built to scale and in great detail and governed by a super-station computer programmed by the TMRC geeks.
If nothing, the website is worth visiting for hundreds of spectacular photos of the TMRC network. I also warmly recommend you spend time reading everything. The Wikipedia article will also give you more info on what to expect from TMRC.
Best of all, you can visit TMRC and drive your own train around, be it diesel, steam or electric. Talk about boys with toys. TMRC is a must. It's an incredible accomplishment of history, dedication, cooperation, friendship, fun, and great skills.
I was thinking about adding this site to the Science section, but I thought it fits here better. Building a Balancing Scooter is a very simple, very unique site. It teaches you how to build a self-balancing scooter, i.e. a Segway like thingie, in about two weeks, using off-the-shelf parts, some C coding and less money that you would spend on buying the real thing.
Trevor Blackwell, the ultra-geek behind the contraption, demonstrates in fairly simple terms his work on the Scooter and its upgraded version 2. His Scooter Mark II is faster and lighter than Segway, by the way. Must see for anyone with even 1 part-per-million geekiness in their blood.
The Deep Sky Frontier (does not seem to work recently; will keep you updated)
Warning: this page will work properly ONLY in Mozilla Firefox or similar Gecko-based browsers.
This page has no special purpose, except one thing - it's absolutely huge. How huge, you ask. Well, I don't want to spoil you the experience of trying it for yourself, but if you used the arrow keys to scroll, it would take you 500,000 years from one end of the web page to another. Yes, I'm not joking. 500,000 friggin' years! The page is HUGE!
If for some reason, you have trouble getting started, here's the link to the site's How BIG is this page?. If you click on the scroll bars and move around, you will never be able to find that How BIG is this page again. I'll give you a little hint, the link to get back to the start position can be found in the right bottom corner of this webpage.
Explore it and enjoy!
