links

software

Mac OS X…: list of useful software for OS X
MS Windows…: list of free and useful software for Windows
Plan 9: the successor to Unix; see also Plan 9 from User Space which runs under Linux, BSD, &c.

Edge: promotes inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues
TED: video lectures from fascinating people around the world

Visible Earth: a catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet
Edward Burtynsky: remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes
rotten.com: the kind imagery, of a documentary and degenerate nature, which is generally not available publicly (due to possibly disturbing content, the site is not linked; you’ll have to type it in yourself, now that you’ve been warned)

audio stream of humpback whale vocalisations from Maui

high-bitrate, ad-free audio streams (direct links)

whole list
Canadian Classical – often very interesting
Classical
Jazz
Canadian Songwriters
Radio 1 & Radio 2 – standard Vancouver broadcast delayed by a few seconds
Espace musique – from French-Canada, all kinds of music, playlist log (find out what played when)

cowboy culture, not Nashville fashion

secret agent tunes interspersed with charming clips from James Bond movies

Tree of Life: information about the diversity of biological organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics
~~BadCorp.org~~: domain has been abandoned; I wonder what happened…
learn more about the consumer-corporate complex: who owns what, where your money goes, what it supports…
Ryan Drum: interesting articles on various plants affecting human phsiology
Atlas of the Biosphere: interesting maps and other information in four general categories: Humans, Land Use, Ecosystems, and Water Resources
FamilySearch.org: the largest collection of free family history, family tree, and genealogy records in the world

BugMeNot: user-maintained database of usernames/passwords for accessing otherwise free information on websites which require account registration
GasBuddy.com: local (Canada & USA) realtime gasoline price information
craigslist: local (worldwide) community classified ads and forums
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation: recycle your (rechargeable) batteries in North America; collections locations at many popular retailers
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: more interesting, and probably more useful, than Greenpeace

Lions Gate Bridge traffic: real-time (when working) information including several camera feeds
Vastech Computer: there are many inexpensive Asian-operated computer stores in Vancouver; I prefer this one because I like the people who have been (over several years) exceptionally honest, competent, and generously helpful
FreeGeek: accepts all computer equipment, free of charge, in any condition (working or not), for ethical recycling within North America; they also run an excellent computer thrift store
Recycling Council of BC: some useful recycling information, especially the Materials Exchange
Vancouver weather: 5-day weather forecast from Environment Canada
weather, IR+visible: animation for west coast
weather, precipitation: measured by radar from Aldergrove

These choices represent much research in the especially difficult and dubious realm of Internet-related services.

WebFaction: my present host; good for technical users (not recommended for the technically unfamiliar); I remain very pleased with their service and support
~~DreamHost~~: has an easy interface (not cPanel), lots of features, and fast hardware, but I left them for technical reasons (I think they acquired too many new customers and are busy trying to catch-up; maybe they will but I’m not waiting); searching for “I left DreamHost” is a good way to find an alternative
Linode: friends recommend Linode if you need a virtual server, though WebFaction does allow users to compile and run software in their home directories
DomainSite.com: preferred ICANN-accredited domain name registrar; DNS tools/options are included with registration