Links to other Fun/Interesting/Useful Sites

Categories
Miscellaneous	Friends' and Family's Web Sites	Astronomy & Science
3D/Stereo	Fun and Goofy Stuff	Computer Esoterica

Fun/Interesting/Useful Sites to Visit

Miscellaneous Links
www.wsdot.wa.gov/ traffic/seattle	Need a Seattle or Tacoma metropolitan area traffic report "Here, you may view images from cameras located along many of the major freeways in the Puget Sound area", and get a schematic diagram of the traffic, too.
www.seattlegasprices.com	Looking for the best deal on gas for your car in Seattle? This site has results from research already done.
www.csicop.org/si/9012/ critical-thinking.html	Think critically. This page provides a good lesson in how to evaluate information and how to draw logical conclusions from it.
www.cmep.org/documents/ MitchellReport.html	The Mitchell Report - a plan for peace in the Middle East.
www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/ go.asp?MFAH0fo30	The Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, referred to in the Mitchell Report.
bigcharts.marketwatch.com	Look up stock prices, get charts about their past performances and trends.
Friends' and Family's Web Sites
dieterwgombert.com	My Dad has published his autobiography, is writing some fiction books, and is offering them at his web site.
www.jestersfuneral.de	This is the home page of a cousin's heavy-metal band.
www.nwgis.com/greg	Greg has also done some pioneering and world-class astrophotography with a digital camera. Check out his home page.
www.nwgis.com	NWGIS, Inc. is a business that a colleague (Greg) and I started up to provide computer-based geographic services.
www.freebies2go.com	Tired of paying for stuff? Get something free! This is an award-winning site authored by a friend and colleague.
www.weertman.com/ bruce/TableMountain /orig/pano2.jpg	Bruce caught me on film at the 1999 Table Mountain Star Party while I was contemplating tearing down (I did. It later rained. Good choice.).
Astronomy/Science links
Reference
www.ess.washington.edu/ recenteqs	Did you feel the Earth move? Do you live in the PNW? Check here to confirm whether it was an earthquake.
saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/ home/index.cfm	Imagery and news from the Cassini mission to Saturn.
www2.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar	JPL has a wonderful calendar of events at this site. There are some historical events noted, but mostly it lists upcoming space and related events. If all you want is historical events, try my own calendar.
www.time.gov	Can't seem to get the right time? Here's the definitive site for setting your watch over the Internet in the USA. You could also visit the rest of the National Insitute of Standards and Technology (NIST) site for way too much detail.
www.jpl.nasa.gov/news	News from NASA.
photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov	From the NASA news site mentioned above, this is a collage of images of various types of celestial and space-related objects, captured by the best available instruments. Very educational.
evolution.berkeley.edu	Still don't understand the theory of evolution? This site has exhaustive explanations.
www.badastronomy.com	Along the lines of debunking mythology, we also have Phil Plait's classic site devoted to bad astronomy. It has grown substantially, and now exposes bad science in general. There's no shortage of charlatans!
www.crank.net	Heard some silly theories lately? Maybe the promoter of it is a known crank. Find out here.
sec.noaa.gov/pmap	Looking for the aurora borealis (northern lights)? Go to this web site and see if there's activity, and whether you're under it.
Ooooo ... Pretty Pictures! (Professional) ...
www.noao.edu/image_gallery	Grand, sweeping views from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO, Kitt Peak, AZ).
hubblesite.org/newscenter	Grand, sweeping views from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST, in orbit above Earth somewhere), and their associated news releases.
www.eso.org/outreach/ gallery/astro	Grand, sweeping views from the European Southern Observatory (ESO, which has several facilities, most famously on Mount Paranal, in Chile). Note the list on the left, when you get there. You can see images of the telescopes, too.
micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/ java/scienceopticsu/powersof10	A takeoff on the old Physics 101 classic. The site has other tutorials, information, and education as well.
www.astr.ua.edu/ keel/space/apollo.html	Was it possible to have used a telescope to see any of the Apollo mission? William C. Keel assembled all the info he could, and posted his findings on his web site. He also has links to more such sites.
antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/ apod/astropix.html	"Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer."
www.ssec.wisc.edu/ data/g9/latest_g9vis.gif	Want to try your hand at forecasting weather? Here's a close-to-realtime posting of raw images from weather satellites. Note the "vis" near the end of the URL. That's "vis"ible, as in wavelength. You can substitute "wv" (water vapor) or "ir" (infra-red), too.
www.ssec.wisc.edu/data	This will get you to the main site, where you can check up on other satellites (such as GOES-8 for you east-coasters) and and wavelengths.
Ooooo ... Pretty Pictures! (Amateur) ...
www.astrophoto.com	Tony and Daphne's web site of astounding quality astrophotos. Many photos here are edited composites to form surreal skyscapes, most are genuine stand-alones.
www.astrosurf.com/cidadao	Antonio has been doing cutting-edge amateur astrophotography for years, and still has some of the best amateur shots around. He also shares some tips on digital astrophotography.
www.astro-nut.com	Paul Hyndman's display of enviable talent in astrophotography.
www.koyote.com/users/ bobm/astro1.htm	Bobby Middleton's site was the one that made me pause in the pursuit of astrophotography. His work is both inspirational as well as daunting, setting an exceptionally high standard to attain.
www.ghg.net/egrafton	Ed Grafton's CCD astroimaging page has astonishing examples of what a CCD imaging system on a serious amateur telescope in the hands of a knowledgable user can accomplish.
eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ sseop/clickmap	What would you do, if you were allowed a trip aboard the Space Shuttle? I'd take pictures of the Earth. Gee... astronauts do that, too. See some of their travel photos! Look for your town.
www.weatherman.com	Todd Gross, a meteorologist in Massachusetts. Very nice guy, very nice photos.
3D (Stereo) Information and Galleries
www.dddesign.com/3dbydan	With a web site about 3D imaging as comprehensive as Dan's, there seems little need for me to have a large listing, too.
www.Stereoscopy.com	Lots of good info on 3D imaging and display equipment, techniques, events, and more. You can also buy almost anything related to 3D/stereo imaging.
www.stereo3d.com	More 3D shopping, more info.
www.ringsurf.com/netring? ring=2eyes;action=list	This is a listing of all the sites in of one of the larger 3D/stereo web rings. If I ever find that other ring, I'll put its address here, too.
www.steve3d.co.uk	Comprehensive 3D site from Britain, with galleries, links, and 3D stuff to sell and even give away, if you're in GB.
www.the-planet-jupiter.com	More of an astronomy site than 3D, there are pages here with some very nice 3D renditions of Jupiter and its moons. You'll also find similar sets of shots for Mars and Saturn by subbing their names for "jupiter".
www.vrseattle.com/ html/about.php	Wow! A comprehensive virtual tour of Washington state and Seattle in particular. These are 360-degree views from various points around the state, compiled (must have been painstaking) with Apple's Quicktime Virtual Reality. Not exactly stereo, but we share some places in common, such as the Jack Block park.
Fun and Goofy Stuff
www.privacyinternational.org/ activities/stupidsecurity	Privacy International's "Stupid Security" awards and runners-up. The organization has serious side, too - try their home page.
www.notworksafe.net	Huge collection of downloadable short movies, trailers, animations... More if you subscribe.
www.pocketmovies.net	Great collection of downloadable short movies, trailers, animations...
arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap	Ever thought about sending your camera up on a kite to get an aerial view of your house? You're not the only one.
www.newsoftheweird.com	"Proof that true stories are weirder than made-up stories." If you've never read News of the Weird before, you really should start now.
www.obscurestore.com	Obscure stuff, yes. And diverse, and fun, and strange.
www.theonion.com	The classic satirical page (but ad windows pop up from this site).
www.satirewire.com	More satirical news to keep you on your feet.
www.airplanehomes.com	This is a serious, astonishing idea! Just as the URL implies... Beware, they play music when you get there.
Computer Esoterica
www.rinkworks.com/stupid	I wasn't sure whether to put this into the "Fun & Goofy" section. It has to do with what can happen when the unthinking try to use electronic brains. Unfortunately, ads will pop up from this site.
catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks	Just how risky is it, to depend on technology to "take care" of us? Read about obscure but sometimes serious snafus, contributed from a large number of subscribers.
www.howtofightspam.com	Tired of getting junk e-mail (who isn't)? This site may give you some tips on how to curb it, but don't get your hopes up too high.
www.slashdot.org	"News for Nerds. Stuff that matters", says it all.
www.pricewatch.com	Shopping for a computer component? Find the lowest price available. Probably.
housecall.trendmicro.com	This is one of the best on-line virus scanners I've tried. Think you've got a bug? Or not? Try this.