~ Early Web Links ~

Alan Levine, known online as CogDog, is a veteran web educator and consultant who has been building open web tools, storytelling projects, and digital learning resources since the early 1990s. His landing page showcases a career devoted to connected learning, open education, WordPress-based tools like SPLOT, and creative web storytelling experiments such as ds106 and 50+ Web 2.0 Ways To Tell a Story.

Toolman Mike offers beginner-friendly tips on home repair, covering essential starter tools like screwdrivers, hammers, tape measures, and utility knives with practical buying advice. The site also includes miscellaneous household tips such as caring for cut flowers and other DIY guidance aimed at newcomers tackling basic repairs.

Chapter 7 of Chris Pine's 'Learn to Program', a beginner-friendly Ruby programming tutorial covering arrays and iterators with clear explanations and hands-on code examples. The guide is available in over ten language translations and walks complete novices through core programming concepts step by step.

The Creative Idea Generator is an interactive random word and image tool designed to spark creativity through brainstorming, flash fiction, word clouds, freestyle rap, and other creative exercises. Users can drag, resize, and rotate randomly generated words and images on screen, making it a playful and flexible resource for writers, gamers, and anyone looking to train their creative thinking.

Lucky Uke is a beginner-friendly ukulele learning site created by Defazed, offering self-written articles on getting started and chord work for aspiring uke players. It positions itself as a handy self-learning tool rather than a full course, making it a great complement to lessons or solo practice.

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.

KidsThinkDesign.org is an educational platform created by Kids Design Collaborative to introduce young people ages 9-14 to the wide world of design disciplines, from fashion and architecture to animation and product design. Certified by the kidSAFE seal program, the site aims to engage students in creative thinking and 21st century skills through interactive, design-focused content.

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.

Sandra Dodd's expansive personal site is a deep resource on radical unschooling, offering thousands of short inspirational posts, essays, interviews, and interlinking pages designed to guide parents and learners toward child-led, curiosity-driven education. With books, audio files, a daily inspiration feed called 'Just Add Light and Stir,' and years of accumulated writing, it reads like a passionate lifelong mission to rethink how children learn.

JJMK focuses on electricity saving tips and energy conservation, offering guidance on the best ways to reduce power consumption at home. The site covers energy saving devices and practical strategies for cutting electricity costs.