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Web Directories and Search Engines

• Bing - Microsoft's alternative web search engine.
• Google - The most frequently used web search engine.
• TinEye - A search engine that uses pictures for input.
• WebRing - Lists of web rings made of web sites linked together.
• Whois - A useful website for looking up IP addresses.

Astronomy

Observatory Information

• High Energy Observatories
  • HEASARC - Scientific and general information on NASA's X-ray and gamma ray observatories.
• Optical and Near-Infrared Observatories
  • Space Telescope Science Institute Home Page - The operation center for the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • National Optical Astronomy Observatories - The national organization that runs public observatories in the US and Chile.
  • ESO - The European organization that operates telescopes in Chile, including the Very Large Telescope.
  • UKIRT Homepage - One of the oldest infrared telescopes on Mauna Kea.
  • NASA Infrared Telescope Homepage - One of the smaller infrared telescopes on Mauna Kea.
• Mid-Infrared and Far-Infrared Observatories
  • IPAC Home Page - Information on a number of infrared telescopes and observing programs.
  • Herschel Science Centre - The webpage for the Herschel Space Observatory, the currently-operating far-infrared space telescope.
  • Spitzer Space Telescope - The NASA infrared space telescope launched in 2003.
  • Spitzer Science Center - The professional website for the Spitzer Space Telescope.
  • Infrared Space Observatory - The far-infrared space observatory that operated from 1996 to 1998.
• Submillimeter and Radio Telescopes
  • Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array - The website with information on ALMA for the general public.
  • ALMA Science Portal at ESO - Information on ALMA for European astronomers.
  • JCMT Homepage - One of Mauna Kea's older submillimeter telescopes.
  • Submillimeter Array - A submillimeter telescope on Mauka Kea made up of multiple antennae.
  • Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics - An organization that provides most observing support for radio astronomers in the United Kingdom.
  • National Radio Astronomy Observatory - Scientific and general information on the NRAO's radio observatories.

References

• Journals and Other Publications
  • The ADS Abstract Service - A large index of abstracts for scientific articles.
  • arXiv.org e-Print archive - Preprints of scientific articles on physics and related sciences.
  • The Astrophysical Jornal - The most widely read scientific journal in astronomy.
  • The Astronomical Journal - Another well-respected American journal in astronomy.
  • Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society - The most prominent astronomical journal from the United Kingdom.
  • Astronomy & Astrophysics - A scientific journal based in Europe.
• Databases and Scientific Image Archives
  • NED - The NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database, a database of information on galaxies.
  • SIMBAD Astronomical Database - A detailed database of stars and other objects.
  • VizieR Service - Access to most astronomical catalogs.
  • NASA - Eclipse Home Page - Extensive information on past and upcoming lunar and solar eclipses.
  • Earth Impact Database - Data, including maps and tables, about impact craters on Earth.

Software

• The IDL Astronomy User's Library - Useful IDL programs for astronomy data processing.
• CASA - The software package used for radio astronomy data reduction.
• Starburst 99 - Produces synthetic spectra of galaxies with star formation activity.
• Astronomy Tools - Produces useful almanac information for amateur and professional astronomy.
• SunCalc - A tool that overlays the position of the Sun on Google Maps.

Images

• FITS Support Office - Reference information on the file formal used for astronomical data.
• The STScI Digitized Sky Survey - Digitized versions of scientific photographic surveys of the entire sky.
• SKY-MAP.ORG - An easy-to-use graphical interface for viewing constellations and Sload Digital Sky Survey images.
• Astronomy Picture of the Day - Features photos from both amateur and professional astronomers.

Profession Information

• American Astronomical Society - The American organization for professional astronomers.
• AAS Job Register - Professional astronomy job listings.
• International Astronomy Meetings - A thorough list of all professional astronomy meetings.
• AstroBetter - Tips and tricks for professional astronomers.

General Science

General Reference

• ScienceWorld - Reference pages on physical sciences and mathematics from Wolfram Research.
• ARKive - Information about, photos of, and videos of animals around the world.
• WebElements - A useful web version of the periodic table of the elements.
• The Wooden Periodic Table Table - A website about a table with a sarcastic name that won the IgNoble Prize.
• HowStuffWorks - The sceince and engineering behind everyday things.

Medicine and Psychology

• NHS - Information on both the United Kingdom government medical services and general health issues.
• WebMD - General health and medicine reference information.
• NetDoctor.co.uk - Information on diseases and medications as well as other health information.
• DreamBank - An archive of people's notes on their dreams.
• Try It Yourself - A small collection of interactive psychology experiments.

Pseudoscience and Urban Legends

• James Randi Educational Foundation homepage - The organization run by James Randi, a popular skeptic of paranormal claims.
• Urban Legends Reference Page - An archive of analyses of urbal legends.
• Hoax-Slayer - A website devoted to debunking email hoaxes.
• Skeptical Science - A website devoted to debunking claims that global warming is not happening.
• Circlemakers - The people who have made the most famous crop circles.

Measurement

• time and date.com - Gives the time worldwide and generates calendars.
• TheConverterSite - A website with very sophisticated unit conversion tools.
• www.statman.info - Another website with multiple unit conversion tools.
• Units of Measurement - Information and historical background on almost all units of measurement.

Miscellaneous

• What's New by Bob Park - A weekly column by a physicist that comments on science and the government.
• Emilio Segre Visual Archives - Historical photos of famous physicists and astronomers.

Language and Literature

English Language Information

• Merriam-Webster Online - An online dictionary run by the premier American dictionary publishers.
• Cambridge Dictionary Online - An online version of the university's UK English dictionary.
• Bartleby.com - A collection of very good online books that includes classical literature and frequently-used reference books.

Other Language Information

• General Langauge Information
  • Babel Fish Translation - A universal translation tool provided by AltaVista.
  • Omniglot - A guide to alphabets and other writing systems.
  • Native American Langauge Net - A guide to Native American languages that includes other cultural information.
• Japanese Language Information
  • Japanese - English Dictionary - An excellent Japanese/English dictionary.
  • The Kanji Site - Lessons for learning kanji.
  • Japanese Engrish - Mistranslations of the English language on Japanese products and signs.

Software

Web Page Writing Tools

• W3 Schools - Excellent tutorials and information on a plethora of web development topics.
• W3C Markup Validation Service - A tool for ensuring that webpages are written correctly.
• JavaScript Source - A collection of JavaScripts useful for enhancing web pages.
• GRSites.com - A repository of graphics and other files for building web pages.
• Open Clip Art Library - A collection of free graphics.
• Tartan Maker - A utility for making custom patterns of plaid.

File Editors

• GNU Emacs Manual - The manual for the GNU version of the popular Linux text editor.
• VI Helpfile - Information on using this old text editor.

IDL Information

• Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming - Useful tips on writing good IDL programs.
• U of W Astronomy IDL Page - Information on using IDL.

Miscellaneous

• ProcessLibrary.com - Easily-accessed information on various Windows processes.
• SourceForge.net - A repository of open-source software.
• DOSBox - An MS-DOS emulator.
• Python Programming Language - General information and software related to the Python programming language.
• The Jython Project - Information on jython, a version of Python implemented on a Java platform.
• The Java Tutorial - Lessons on learning the object-oriented programming language.
• LaTeX Project - A popular document preparation system.
• The Improved Sorting Algorithm Demo - Shows Java code and graphical representations of various sorting algorithms.
• Fight Spam on the Internet! - A web page devoted to campaigning against spam, with reference information on dealing with spam.

News

World News

• BBC News - The news from the United Kingdom's government-sponsored broarcasters.
• CNN - Web pages with news stories from the popular cable news network.
• Reuters - The news source for major news networks and newspapers.

U.S. Politics

• Politico - A non-partisan political news website.
• Taegan Goddard's Political Wire - A website providing frequent but short political news updates.
• FiveThirtyEight - A website run by a sports staistician that tracks United States presidential elections.
• electoral-vote.com - A seasonal poll tracker with maps for presidential and congressional elections in the United States.
• Voting America - Maps and information about previous United States presidential elections.

Weather

• World Weather Information Service - Weather reports from the World Meteorogical Organization.
• Met Office homepage - The webpage of the UK government office for weather monitoring and forecasting.
• National Weather Service - United States weather information provided by the NOAA.
• U.S. Drought Monitor - Weekly drought information for the United States.

Travel

Maps

• OpenStreetMap - Online maps made by volunteers.
• BBC Dimensions - Maps that show how large some objects are when transposed to other locations.
• Defra Noise Mapping England - Maps showing the typical noise levels in urban areas in England.
• National Atlas home page - Pre-printed and interactive maps of the United States.
• State and County Outline Maps - County outline maps for each state in the United States.
• Blank and Outline Maps - A directory of outline maps from About.com.

International Travel

• US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs - Advice and warnings for Americans traveling abroad.
• TripAdvisor - Reviews of hotels and resorts around the world.
• OANDA - Currency conversion tools.
• World Airport Codes - A search engine for airport codes and other information.
• License Plates of the World - Photos and historical information on license plates from almost everywhere on earth.
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre - A list of important natural and cultural sites around the world.
• Atlas Obscura - A compendium of unusual sites located around the world.
• Skyscraper News - News articles about skyscraper construction and redevelopment, with a focus on the United Kingdom.
• A View On Cities - Tour guide information for several major cities on multiple continents.
• japan-guide.com - Tourism and relocation information for Japan.

North America Travel

• GasBuddy.com - Gas price information for individual US states and Canadian provinces as well as specific metropolitan areas.
• Road Trip USA - Travel guide for several notable highways in the United States.
• Roadside America - A guide to tacky tourist attractions and other highway oddities.
• America's Byways - Guides on scenic drived from the US Department of Transportation.
• Lighthouse Friends - Information for individual United States lighthouses.
• Grain Elevators Canada - Photos of grain elevators in Canada and the United States.
• Cheapo Vegas - A sardonic travel guide to Las Vegas.

United Kingdom

Government Information

• British Embassy in the USA - Includes documentation information and other information for United States citizens traveling to the United Kingdom.
• Embassy of the U.S. London - Includes information for United States citizens living in the United Kingdom.
• Home Office Statistics on the Internet - Government information on crime in England and Wales.

Travel

• Britain Express - A comprehensive guide to travel and tourism in the United Kingdom.
• Transport Direct - A journey planner for the United Kingdom.
• National Rail Enquires - Information on the United Kingdom's rail network.
• The Heritage Trail - A comprehensive directory of major historical sites in the United Kingdom.
• Waterscape - Detailed information about canals and waterways in the United Kingdom.
• Britain's Best Buildings - A showcase of modern architecture in the United Kingdom.
• Blue Plaques - A guide to the markers commemorating historic individuals who have lived in the United Kingdom.
• Pubs Galore - A guide to pubs and beer festivals in the United Kingdom.
• beerintheevening.com - Reviews on pubs and bars in the United Kingdom.
• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds - Information on the United Kingdom's birds and other nature information.

Manchester

• Tourism and Transportation
  • Visit Manchester - Manchester's official tourism website.
  • Manchester's Countryside - Tourist information on rural and nature areas within Greater Manchester.
  • Pride of Manchester - Information on restaurants, bars, hotel, and recreation in Manchester.
  • Metrolink Home Page - Information on Manchester's tram system.
  • Manchester Airport - The official website for Manchester Airport.
• News
  • Manchester Evening News - Manchester's most prominent newspaper.
  • Manchester Confidential - News about culture, entertainment, food, and drink in Manchester.
  • Mancunian Matters - Manchester news provided by people training in journalism.
• Miscellaneous
  • Manchester City Council - The official website for the local government.
  • The University of Manchester - Manchester's largest university.

Recreation

Humor

• Comic Strips and Single Panel Cartoons
  • Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonist Index - Political cartoons from a wide range of cartoonists.
  • GoComics - Popular comic strips from several syndicates.
  • RingTales Cartoons - Features animated versions of Dilbert and New Yorker cartoons.
  • The Book of Biff - A single panel comic strip about a man with long eyebrows.
  • Buttersafe - Inane comics updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
  • Em Cartoons - An autobiographical comic strip about a graphic artist living in London.
  • Evil Inc. - A feature about a corporation run by supervillians.
  • Jill Lorraine Turpin - An autobiographical comic journal about a stay-at-home mom.
  • Mark Fiore's Animated Cartoon Site - Pulitzer prize-winning political cartoons previously banned by iTunes.
  • Savage Chicken - Cartoons on sticky notes.
• Scientific Humor
  • Chicken Chicken Chicken: Chicken Chicken - A journal-formatted PDF paper using almost nothing but the word "chicken".
  • Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster - A spoof religion created in response to the intelligent design movement.
  • The Ig Noble Web Page - The official web site of the prize for unusual science and pseudoscience.
  • Peep Research - Experiments with marshmallow easter candy.
  • The Pop vs. Soda Page - An informal study showing where either "pop" or "soda" is used in the United States.
  • The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project - Scientific experiments with the classical dessert cakes.
  • Will It Blend? - Experiments in destroying everyday things sponsored by a blender manufacturer.
• Other Humor
  • Conversational Cheap Shots - Examples of bad debating techniques.
  • The Daily Humorscope - Determined by spinning a carrot.
  • Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey - Satirical inspirational messages.
  • Kaiju Big Battel!!! - People in costumes that look like goofy Japanese movie mosters.
  • Lee's (Useless) Super-Hero Generator - Try it with the Kewlifier.
  • McSweeneys Internet Tendency - Humorous creative writing.
  • News of the Weird - Bizzare yet true news stories.
  • RinkWorks - Assorted oddities, including Book-A-Minute.
  • Talk Like a Pirate Day - Celebrated September 19.

Webcomics

• The Adventures of Dr. McNinja - A webcomic set in Cumberland, Maryland.
• Edmund Finney's Quest to Find the Meaning of Life - A surreal travel adventure story.
• Flaky Pastry - A webcomic featuring a strange juxtoposition of fantasy themes.
• The Hero Business - Comics focused on marketing superheroes.
• Honor Brigade - Another superhero team webcomic.
• Love and Capes - A superhero-based romance webcomic.
• Magellan - A superhero webcomic that follows an Australian teenager.
• A Redtail's Dream - A fantasy story inspired by Finnish folklore.
• Selkie - A story about an adopted amphibious humanoid girl and her human father.
• The Specialists - A story about WWII-based superheroes.
• Spinerette - A webcomic about a biology graduate student transformed into a spider-based superhero.
• Unlife - A story from the perspective of a zombie.

Computer Games

• Computer/Console Games
  • Game Rankings - A comprehensive list of computer game news and reviews.
  • GameSpot - Useful PC computer game news, reviews, and previews.
  • GameFAQs - Advice and information on playing many popular video games.
• Web Games
  • Armor Games - Web games with an off-beat style.
  • Line Rider - A sledder rides along lines drawn on the screen.
  • Nitrome - Games from MTV.
  • Orisinal: Morning Sunshine - Cute flash games created by a web development expert.
  • Shockwave - A broad collection of online games.
  • Web Sudoku - A Japanese logic game.

Video, Film, and Television

• YouTube - Assorted video clips from anyone with web access.
• EarthCam - Live video cameras on the web.
• The Internet Movie Database - An extensive database of movies, actors, etc.
• National Film Preservation Board - Lists of great American films being preserved by the Library of Congress.
• The Bad Movie Review Website - Humorous comments on B-rated movies.

Art

• Anish Kapoor - The official website of a modern artist who specializes in large geometric sculptures.
• Slinkachu - Photography of miniature figures in urban scenes.
• Erwin Wurm - The website for the surrealist sculptor and performance artist.

Sports

• SI.com - The website for Sports Illustrated, the leading American sports news magazine.
• Indian Premier League - The official website for India's premier twenty20 cricket league.
• NBA.com - The official website of the National Basketball Association.
• NFL.com - The official website of the National Football League.
• Football 101 - Information on football rules, terminology, formations, and other concepts.

Toys, Board Games, and Card Games

• BoardGameGeek - A large database and discussion board for board and card games.
• The Art of the Brick - Information about and photos of lego sculpturescreated by artist Nathan Sawaya.
• LUGNET - A website for the online lego fan community.
• Peeron LEGO Set Inventories - Includes catalog and instruction scans.
• Seibertron.com - Information on Transformers toys and forms of entertainment based on the toys.

Food

• Nutritional Information
  • USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page - A USDA website that provides nutritional information about food.
  • Zeer - A website that lists ingredients and other information for brand-name food items.
• Recipe Archives
  • All Recipes - A large archive of recipes.
  • RecipeSource - Another archive useful for cooking.
  • Greek Recipe - A collection of Greek recipes.
• Food Items
  • cheese.com - Reference information on cheese.
  • Cockta - The official website for the Slovenian soda.

Miscellaneous

• Metacritic.com - Compilations of critics' scores of movies, TV, music, books, and games.
• TopTenREVIEWS - A broad range of reviews with a heavy emphasis on computers.
• Metrolyrics - Lyrics for classical and contemporary pop, rock, and hip-hop music.
• The Freesound Project - A webpage with user-comntributed sound effects.
• Freesfx.co.uk - A large assortment of free sound effects of varying quality.
• PacDV Free Sound Effects - A collection of high-quality sound effects.
• The Mod Archive - An archive of computer-generated music in various module formats.
• Wordle - A device that converts text into artistic word clouds.
• Paper Sizes - Straightforward information on paper sizes and formats
• Biography.com - Biographies of people provided by the Biography Channel.
• Yahoo! Finance - Yahoo's information on the stock markets.
• BBC - Religion & Ethics - Guides to world religions - Information on many world religions.
• Encyclopedia Mythica - Information on myths and legends from around the world.
• Nobelprize.org - The official website of the Nobel Foundation.
• The Nobel Prize Internet Archive - Includes quizzes on the Nobel Prizes.
• EUROPA - Gateway to the European Union - The official website for the European Union.
• PhotographyREVIEW.com - Consumer comments on both film and digital camera equipment.
• The Human Clock - An online clock with the time shown in creative photography.
• KIDDofSPEED - GHOST TOWN - Chernobyl Pictures - A Ukranian woman's personal photos of the nuclear disaster area in the Ukraine.
• Unseen. Unforgotten. - Photos of the civil rights movement that were not published by The Birmingham News until 2006.
• Fashion Japan - Photography of Japanese street fashion.
• Random Name Generator - Generates random names from US Census data.
• Active Fire Maps - Maps and information on wilfires throughout the United States.
• The 50 State Quarters Program of the United States Mint - A guide to the popular quarters being minted to commemorate the 50 United States.
• Beat The Car Salesman - Advice on buying a car.

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To email questions or comments, send email to username george.bendo(at)manchester.ac.uk.
This page was last updated 08 Mar 2013.