~ Early Web Links ~

EmergencyDude.com is a comprehensive guide to emergency preparedness covering natural disasters from earthquakes and tsunamis to blizzards and volcanoes, with practical advice on water, food, first aid, and evacuation planning. The site takes a friendly, approachable tone to walk families through building survival plans and understanding their specific needs before disaster strikes.

Critical Thinking Web, maintained by Joe Lau of the University of Hong Kong's Philosophy Department, offers over 100 free tutorials covering logic, argument analysis, fallacies, scientific methodology, statistics, and more. Used by schools and universities worldwide, it is a comprehensive and well-organized hub for developing reasoning and thinking skills at any level.

ICanWorkThisThing.com is an online directory and repository of manuals, cheat sheets, and quick guides for consumer electronics, amateur radio equipment, and assistive technology. Maintained by Bibles for the Blind, Inc., the site specifically serves the blind and visually handicapped community with resources like VoiceOver guides for Apple devices and instructions for radio scanners.

Created by Doug Simms, this free online math tutoring site offers video lessons covering elementary through high school mathematics, organized by grade level from 7th through secondary V. Students can follow along with printable example sheets, exercise worksheets, and answer keys covering topics like algebra, geometry, statistics, and optimization.

Stephen Downes is a Canadian researcher at the National Research Council specializing in e-learning, networked learning, and educational technology, and this hub collects his extensive publications, newsletters, presentations, and commentary spanning decades. Best known as co-originator of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) concept and author of the widely-read OLDaily newsletter, Downes covers topics from connectivism and open access to AI in education.

A curated index site by a language and gaming enthusiast, linking out to two main projects: a resource directory of free tools, pirated content, and links for Thai and Japanese language learning plus console hacking and emulation, and a personal blog with code snippets and templates. The landing page is minimal but points to a thoughtfully built collection of practical resources across language study, gaming, and site building.

A beginner-friendly Ruby programming tutorial that introduces core concepts like objects, classes, and methods using clear tables and plain-language comparisons to familiar ideas. Hosted on ruby-doc.org, this lesson walks newcomers through Ruby's type system, class notation conventions, and type conversion methods with concise code examples.

Created by Arjan Westerdiep, this comprehensive pixel art tutorial covers everything from basic concepts to advanced techniques including scaling, pixel fonts, voxels, isometric art, and converting pixel art to vector formats. Step-by-step examples, how-to videos, and tool-specific guides for Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, and Illustrator make it an invaluable reference for anyone learning pixel art.

A deep-dive technical tutorial site covering every aspect of NTSC color television, from scanning and sync to color encoding, digital TV graphics, and VCR circuits. With over 300 URLs spanning 90 subjects, it walks through the full signal chain from antenna to CRT with historical context including the original 1953 NTSC standards.

Dr. Fred Bortz is a children's science writer and educator whose site showcases his books on topics ranging from subatomic particles to planetary astronomy, school visit programs, and a Q&A section where kids can ask science questions. With approved science education credentials and a catalog spanning the Higgs Boson to Mars exploration, this site serves as a friendly gateway connecting young readers, teachers, and librarians to accessible science literature.