Nature Research “is here to serve the research community by publishing its most significant discoveries—findings that advance knowledge and address some of the greatest challenges that we face as a society today. Our journals publish not only primary research but also reviews, critical comment, news and analysis.”

I was recently digging around in my books for something to read when I came across Trout Fishing In America by Richard Brautigan. That led to some research and I found a good site about him here, and an article about him here.

“Recently relaunched, American Heritage is the oldest, most widely known and respected popular U.S. history magazine. Central to its mission is making top-tier scholarship accessible to a wide range of audiences, proving that history can be lively, interesting, even spell-binding.”

Wise Bread “will help you discover savvy shopping tips to keep you stylish, sassy, and solvent. Financial advice that is easy to understand and easy to apply. Career and money-making ideas that’ll add zeros to your bank account. General adulthood know-how your parents forgot to tell you.”

Many Tracks is the online home for Sue Robishaw and Steve Schmeck, who “live and work in our home, studio, and shop in the northwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Our art, our work, our lives, and our play interweave and blend to such a degree that it is often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, which is how we like it to be. Our interest in a sustainable lifestyle and world permeates our life and work. The sun provides our electricity, the wind pumps our water, and the woods and the sun heat our home and cook our food. We strive to live a non-disposable life.” Take some time to explore their site.

Inspired by 1950’s paint-by-number kits, Easy 123 Art, Inc. creates custom paint by number products generated from digital photographs. Visit the site to see how it works.

Popular Science in some form has been around for over 140 years. The website offers easy reading on science topics for those of us who are not scientists.

The Dollar Stretcher is one of my favorite personal finance sites. It has been around since 1996 and continues to offer timely, well written articles. From the About Us page: “While all of our articles can help you live better for less, some are more about personal finance topics that can help you gain control of your finances and build wealth. And then we have our frugal living articles that can help you do just about anything for less money, such as remodel your kitchen, take a much needed vacation, or feed your family for less.” Founder Gary Foreman was gracious enough to write several guest posts for a previous blog of mine, which you can read here.

Have a good weekend!

With the holiday baking season upon us it’s a good time to highlight Joy Of Baking, a comprehensive site that offers much more than recipies. The site founder states “to become a good baker all you need are good ingredients and some time and patience in the kitchen. Practice does eventually lead to excellence so I encourage you to start easy and as your confidence builds you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.”

Stephen Shore’s work “has been widely published and exhibited for the past forty-five years. He was the first living photographer to have a one-man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since Alfred Stieglitz, forty years earlier. He has also had one-man shows at George Eastman House, Rochester; Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Jeu de Paume, Paris; and Art Institute of Chicago. In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art opened a major retrospective spanning Stephen Shore’s entire career.”

The Museum of Hoaxes “was established in 1997. It explores deception, mischief, and misinformation throughout history, playing host to a variety of humbugs and hoodwinks — from ancient fakery all the way up to modern schemes, dupes, and dodges that circulate online.” Warning: this site is addictive!

With Black Friday right around the corner it’s a good time to visit The Black Friday.com.

Have a good weekend!

Wild Edible “is about merging primal roots and instinct with a passion for preparing and eating good food. It’s about foraging for wild food and medicinal plants and herbs, and it’s about locally and sustainably grown veggies, as well as humanely raised meat, and how they all mesh together to nourish and sustain our bodies and souls.”

“Since 1980, Guitar World has been the ultimate resource for guitarists. Whether you want to learn the techniques employed by your guitar heroes, read about their latest projects or simply need to know which guitar is the right one to buy, Guitar World is the place to look.”

The Creation Research Society “is independent and unaffiliated with any other organization, religious group or church body. The CRS advocates the concept of special creation (as opposed to evolution), both of the universe and of the earth with its complexity of living forms. Membership in the Society requires agreement with the CRS Statement of Belief. Members of the society include research scientists from various fields of scientific accomplishment who are committed to full belief in the biblical record of creation and early history.”

BookScouter “helps you sell textbooks and used books for the most money by comparing offers from over 30 book buyback vendors with a single search.”

GRIT “offers practical advice, product reviews, livestock guides, gardening, cooking and other do-it-yourself information, humor and the inspirational stories of folks who moved to the country and love it. Each issue covers topics related to country living, land management, wildlife, gardening, livestock or pets, skills and techniques, seasonal food, community, machinery or tools, and lifestyle events.”

Use GoWatchIt “to discover where the movies you want to see are available on the services you care about. Keep track of your movies and receive alerts when they become available. You can also see what your friends are watching, and plan a movie night. GoWatchIt brings you the movies of your choice the way you want to watch, whether in Theaters, on DVD or Blu-ray, Online or On Demand.”

The Black Vault is “the largest privately run online repository of declassified government documents anywhere in the world. With more than 2 MILLION pages of documents to read, on nearly every government secret imaginable, The Black Vault is known worldwide for getting down to the truth… and nothing but. Every document in this archive was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Begun in 1996, at the age of 15, John Greenewald, Jr., began hammering the U.S. Government with FOIA requests to obtain information. The Black Vault is the result of that more than two decade effort.”

FreeWill “is an award-winning social venture founded by graduate students at Stanford University in 2016, with the help and support of many of the world’s leading experts in law, design, and philanthropy.” Use the site to create your last will and testament for free.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation “is your source for current research-based recommendations for most methods of home food preservation. The Center was established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES-USDA) to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods.”

PoemHunter.Com “aims to spread the effects of poems in the social and individual life of people, where a continuous change is undergoing with the Internet. PoemHunter.Com without a pause, continues its activities with the active participation of thousands of members around the globe.”

Curious Cosmos is a “paranormal research community for those with a severe passion for the absurd, strange, and outlandish. We’re about IDEAS and DIALOGUE, doing battle in the realm of logic and wit to get to whatever kernel of truth lies at the bottom of the fringe. We love discussing weird, crazy, and impossible things, but those unwilling to have their ideas challenged should turn back now.”

Founded in 2007, MakeUseOf is “an online publication that issues tips and guides on how to make the most of the internet, computer software, and mobile apps. Our mission is to help users understand and navigate modern trends in consumer technology.”

Fall is here so it’s time to dust off the crock pot. Crockery Pot Cooking offers a huge array of recipes to try in your slow cooker.

ThriftBooks stated purpose is they “believe reading empowers people, offering them empathy to live for a moment in someone else’s shoes, offers them education, a critical asset to improving one’s life, and offers an occasional escape to fantastic worlds inhabited by interesting characters. Yes, we save millions of books every year from being destroyed, but our mission goes beyond the environment. We save these books and make them accessible to readers for the chance to shape another mind, share another story, and teach a bit of wisdom.”

The Poorhouse Story provides “a clearinghouse for information about 19th century American Poorhouses for … history buffs, genealogists, teachers/students, and others with a similar interest.”

Rather-Be-Shopping.com “is an online coupon and deal finding site where our mission is to find, sort, and post the best online coupons and free shipping codes available to help you save money when shopping on the Internet. We currently have over 5,000 coupons in our database, good at 800+ online stores.”

Homesteading.com “is a place for information and ideas to be shared about homesteading, skills, craftsmanship, and sustainability. We strive to help people of all experience levels take steps towards happier, healthier, and more holistic lives with a natural and thoughtful approach to a safer and more effective way of living. Whether on or off the homestead, we believe in making and growing, harvesting and raising, creating, and doing.”

Wassily Kandinsky is one of my favorite artists and this site has to be one of the most comprehensive compilations of his life and work on the web.

Live Science features articles about space and physics, history, health, animals, culture, tech and, my favorite, strange news. They also offer a free email newsletter.

“Since 2008, RepairPal has provided Fair Price Estimates to millions of users. These estimates are developed by Master ASE Certified mechanics and based on both manufacturer and aftermarket parts. For labor pricing, we rely on labor guides and expert input.”

Food Routes Network, “provides communications tools, technical support, networking and information resources to organizations nationwide that are working to rebuild local, community-based food systems. FRN is dedicated to reintroducing Americans to their food – the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it, and the routes that carry it from the fields to their tables.”

“Since 1982 the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest has challenged man, woman, and (very precocious) child to write an atrocious opening sentence to a hypothetical bad novel. We’re honored to receive thousands of odious entries from around the world each year.”

Gangrule “is a look at the emergence of organized crime in New York through 1900–1920, leading up to the well documented prohibition era. The database of historic events, family histories and photographs is based on research from primary sources including police, federal, court, immigration, business, and prison records.”

Check out 999 Ideas by Steve Gillman for “ideas for inventions… political theories… mental experiments… new business concepts… story outlines… philosophical thoughts… essays… and much more.”

Wilderness Connect is a great resource to to learn more about protected public wilderness areas, “found in most states, but concentrated in the west, they protect lush forests, arid deserts, snow-capped peaks, dank swamps and sandy beaches. Yet, the reasons Americans love wilderness are even more diverse than the areas themselves.”

“As a permanent home for spontaneous art, Doodlers Anonymous is a modern art blog featuring a vast archive of creative inspiration, hand-drawn interviews by contemporary artists, doodle challenges and prompts, giveaways, and a catalog of art-based goods.”

StarDate offers a constellation guide, moon phase calculator, sunrise and sunset calculator, meteor shower schedule, lunar and solar eclipse schedule, when to view planets, a primer on the solar system and much more. A good resource.

Kanopy partners “with public libraries and universities to bring you ad-free films and series that can be enjoyed on your TV, mobile phone, tablet and online.” My library began offering it for free last month and I have really been enjoying it. If your local library does not offer it yet put in a request.