:" (under a cmdshell run with administrative
privilidges) on all source drives (for NTFS drives), or run fsck
on linux partitions, or backups may not be recoverable. (Once in a while,
and before your first backup, you may also want to run chkdsk/b on your destination drive.)
If Clonezilla still fails
with an I/O error, despite this, you can go into expert mode, and try the -rescue
and -z6 (lzip) options. Old Clonezilla fails on Windows 8 and Windows 10, but it is
possible new haved fixed this - or at least I see people used it.
Clonezilla is sometimes used to Clone hard drives as well as back them up - but
beware that Microsoft doesn't approve of multiple PCs running the same licensed
copy of Windows. It may also not work.
Instructions for Clonzilla
Windows Command Line Windows Commands, Batch files, Command prompt and PowerShell
Command Line Commands for Control Panel Applets
Zone Alarm from Zone Labs I don't use this anymore, because it slowed
everything down. Windows Security Essentials is mostly sufficient, if kept
up to date, and you regularly use Windows Update.
Quick View Plus Views many file formats, including non-crippled
power point - 30 day trial
Sample ddrescue + gzip call:
(ddrescue is on systemrescucd)
ddrescue /dev/sdb1 | gzip -9 > /hdd2/bkup/sdb_1.img.gz
PortableApps.com Free software configured to run out of a single
directory - e.g. a USB memory stick.
Open source software: An all-star lineup Out of date - used to describe
OpenOffice
word processing, drawing, presenting, database;
Out of date - largely replaced by LibreOffice
LibreOffice OpenOffice replacement
Firefox web browser
Waterfox A more private version of Firefox, not discussed in this article
Thunderbird email
Audacity sound recording, podcasting; (tutorials are listed
here)
CD Burner XP CD/DVD burning
Gimp image editor
7-zip zip format data compression/archiver
Clonezilla hard drive cloning
DoISO make bootable CD for Clonezilla
Filezilla FTP client or server
Microsoft Download Center
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
File Formats
Operating Systems and such
Introduction to Linux: A Hands on Guide by Machtelt Garrels
Bash Guide for Beginners by Machtelt Garrels
Guide to Linux distributions and Unix like OS's (forum post)
Redhat Linux (Commercial version)
Fedora (Redhat's latest free Linux distribution)
Cygwin (Redhat's Linux inside windows)
Be sure to get wget, to download webpages with things like:
wget -r -k --follow-ftp --random-wait -l2 -e robots=off -H --convert-links
-o wget1.log www.hostname.com/webpage.html
wget -r -k --follow-ftp --random-wait -l0 -e robots=off --convert-links
-o wget2.log www.hostname.com/webpage.html
Note: "-e robots=off" is impolite, but is needed to mirror stuff.
See also.
MingW Variation of Cygwin, compiles executables that don't need Cygwin DLLs
MinGW for First Time Users HOWTO
loadlin - load linux from dos E.g., To install Redhat through a
USB CDROM, copy
loadlin.exe together with the contents of images\pxeboot from
Disk 1 of the
Fedora 3, reboot into MSDOS mode, type
loadlin vmlinuz /dev/sda1 ro initrd=initrd.img
ntfsresize Resize NTFS partitions from linux
Linux Mint An easy to use windows-like linux distribution
Info on using NTFS partions from linux
Suze A common workstation Linux distribution
OpenBSD
Ubuntu Linux distribution - the most popular at current?
LUbuntu Lightweight Ubuntu, sufficient for Kodi
Installing VMware tools / (actually open-vm-tools)on an Ubuntu guest
How to Install (most recent) Kodi in Ubuntu
Set Windows as default OS when dual booting ubuntu
May be outdatted - edit /etc/default/grub instead of /boot/grub/menu.lst, to set "GRUB_DEFAULT=4" instead of 0, then run "sudo update-grub".
Adding swap space on Ubuntu 20.04
Increasing swap
FreeOS.com Resource Center for Free Operating Systems - includes list of official download sites; Is not kept up to date
ReactOS Free Open Source Windows XP Clone
VMWARE free player PC emulator, good idea for browsing?
Bochs PC emulator
QEMU PC emulator
Virtual Box PC emulator
Virtual boxes for same
Flex86? - another emulator
VMWARE provided virtual boxes
OSBoxes More virtual boxes
bootable Live [linux] system on CD or DVD (for disk recoery)
DDRESCUE Data Recovery Tool (associated with above)
Damaged Hard Disk (recovery info)
Software Download sources and reviews
Softpedia A great source!
CNET Note: I like their reviews, but you may accidentally click on
a "downloader", which is a lot like malware.
CNET www.download.com free software Note: See above.
CNET Reviews
GNU free software directory
ZDNET
Tucows (reviews software, including free
software -- click on downloads)
Some Yahoo Services (listed because they kindly used to
host this site)
DejaNews Usenet Archive
Geocities - No longer available - see here
Yahoo Groups (discussion groups)
Yahoo Mail
Switch back to classic yahoo mail
Yahoo Search
DMOZ Directory of Internet links
Yahoo Babelfish web page translations
Other Useful Internet services
www.archive.org Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Internet FAQ Archives
Symbol Hound Search engine that includes special characters
Google Verbatim searches Closer to a real Exact match than normal google
Programming Languages: Assembly
Jergerlehner Intel Assembler 80x86 CodeTable
Intel Assembly webring
NASM assembler
Int80h.org Unix Assembly
FreeBSD Assembly Language tutorial
Assembly Language resources, (including Intel documentation)
Intel manuals
Intel stuff relating to instruction sets
Programming Languages: Fortran
Fortran Standards documents from gcc WIKI
Fortran 2008 Draft Standard
Fortran 2003 Final Committee Draft
Fortran 77 Standard
J3 - Fortran Standards
ACM Fortran "Forum" (plus Fortran Standard Committee activities)
Fortran-lang.org Fortran
High-performance parallel programming language
Advanced Fortran Programming
The Fortran Company
Fortran Library (with links)
Intel® Software Documentation Library: includes Visual Fortran
TEK-TIPS Fortran Forum
comp.lang.fortran Google/Usenet group
Introduction and Basic Fortran from Michigan Tech CS201 course
Fortran 90 Tutorial from Stanford ME200C course
WikiBooks Fortran;
Categories
Wikipedia: Fortran
Fixed to Free Form Fortran Conversion programs
Numerical Methods for Fortran Programmers Many resources
Using Gnu Fortran (gfortran compiler)
Installation of GFortran in Windows 10 by Yutaka Masuda
Installation of GFortran in Windows 10 by Yutaka Masuda
*** This DID NOT WORK - MSYS2 is broken, can't compile Fortran programs statically***
Specifically I made did this:
Visited https://www.msys2.org
Clicked on the installer to download it.
I used msys2-x86_64-20230318.exe
Ran the downloaded file using default options.
Inside the opened URT64 terminal:
pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-gcc
Answer yes
pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc-fortran
Answer yes
pacman -Su gcc-fortran
Answer yes
pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc ????
Answer yes
To compile foo.f in way that will run outside MSYS64:
gfortran -static -static-libgfortran -static-libquadmath foo.f -o foo
*nbsp; Copy a link to \msys64\urt64.exe to your desktop.
Programming Languages: J (from APL developer)
MingW-64 Downloads can I make this work?
Or this
JSOFT
EbooksDownloadFree.com Lots of free eBooks about software development
(but check whether copy is legal first)
Programming Languages: Java
Dr. Daniel Wolf's Howard Community College Java course
Sun Java Documentation List of documentation - a bit confusing
Sun: The Java Tutorial Good starting point, but hard for beginners
Index to same
Sun API Applications Programmers Interface - lists classes, packages
The Java Language Specification Very detailed info
The Java[tm] Tutorial Books Other free online Sun books
Programming languages: Other
David Fanning's Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming
IDL Libraries Browser
Using IDL to Manipulate and Visualize Scientific Data
An online tutorial
IDL Programming Resources
Harris Aerospace Provides IDL, ENVI
Using IDL User Manual
Rogue Wave Provides PV-WAVE
OnlineDocumentation
Gnu Data Language GDL = Open Software IDL clone
Matlab Clones including
Octave and
Scilab
The Free Country Free compilers and software
Guide to Computer Training: Resources for Programming Language
Shopping
NOTE: Not all sold software is legit. I'm not sure how to tell, but any
legit company should provide address and phone contact info
New Egg (discount electronics)
Printpal cartridges
www.atomicpark.com
PC Mall
CheapSoftware.com Note: web page includes no address or phone.
ANSI webstore - buy ANSI language standards
Calibrex comparison software shopping
Tiger Direct (Computer and electronics sales)
Fry's (Computer and electronics sales)
MarketPro - runs computer shows in some areas
Handheld PCs that run normal windows...
Dynamism (Japanese market extremely portable computers, including
Sony U101, U1, U3)
Alternate sources:
conics.net,
HFT Direct From Japan,
iCube,
Kemplar,
Kurns & Patrick,
Sonibee.com
Antelope MCC small computer plugs into desktop or portable cradle
Handtops.com about hand-held pcs
www.umpc.tv The Home Of UMPC - (Ultra Mobile PC) Video Reviews
1 src forums
(US) Compact TV Tuners for UMPC
Hauppauge WinTV HVR 950 UMPC TV Tuner/DVR
Review
Artec T14A Mini USB 2.0 Digital TV Tuner
Fuji PLUS USB HDTV ATSC/NTSC TV Tuner For PC&Notebook FD-USB728 USB 2.0
Interface
Pinnacle PCTV 1080i USB TV tuners
Other Computer Hardware
Ultimate Chart of Computer Connectors and Ports
Dance
(See Ice Skating for ice dance)
Folklore Society of Greater Washington (FSGW) (dance)
DC Dancenet
DC Dancenet's Regular Dance Party Events
Waltechs Dance links in Baltimore (and vicinity)
Yahoo Directory of Dance
Folk dance association (lists regional dance locations)
Singlesonthego.com Washington D.C./Baltimore MD Dance
Glen Echo National Park activities
Written and Historical Data for Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo
A General History of Glen Echo Park, Richard A. Cook (1997)
salsanewyork NY style Salsa on two/ourdancemusic.htm
salsanewyork Same web site, about Basic step
Salsa dance patterns (for salsa on 1) (fairly detailed)
Dance notes: salsa
Click for lessons List of studios teaching lessons
DanceDanceDance.com
Dancer.com (mostly commercial)
Henry's Dance Hotlist
Dance TV Learn to ballroom dance online
Folk dance association (U.S. and Canada Dance groups)
www.contradancelinks.com
Ted Cranes Dance database
The Dance patterns database (also includes program for creating
patterns)
Dance steps from EZ 30 minute dance course
Elements of English country dance
History of dance; other articles on dance on health, including steps
SCA Dance page (very old dances)
Renaissance dance and music
Worldwide Internet Music Resources: Dance and Ballet
American Ballet Theater Dictionary (of ballet terms)
Joe Body Dance Links
Physics of dance
Yahoo dance categories: because I got tired looking
Meetup.com
Internet forums and meetings, by area
Dates and times
Time.gov Official US time of day - requires Java
US Naval Observatory time (nominally the same as above)
time.is (Iceland); also lists computer clock error; but is sometimes off
from above
OPM government status
U of Maryland Academic Calendar
Calendars, yearly and perpetual
Federal holiday calendars
DC Metropolitan Area
Communities near College Park, MD:
Adelphi, MD
Beltsville, MD
Berwyn Heights, MD
College Park, MD
Greenbelt.com
Silver Spring, MD
Source of the Spring Website
University Park, MD
Public Transportation:
WMATA Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail, Metrobus
WMATA Maps
WMATA PG County Transportation Map
DC Metro trip planner (works badly outside DC itself)
(Other) Regional Transportation links e.g., other buses
Buying metro passes;
Same for Commuter & Marc
Google map Best way to figure out Metrorail, Metrobus routes - at high zoom, click on stop, select "directions", select other stop, select Metrorail symbol.
The Bus (Prince George's County)
Regional Transportation Authority: Laurel, Savage, Columbia, elicott city, Jessup, Hanover, Elkridge;
System Map
Link: Reston Town Center Line
Prince Georges county Transit Information (In upper right)
Shuttle UM (University of Maryland); free pass links for College Park,
Greenbelt, Hyattsville residents
TheBus (PG County; free to seniors and disabled)
Call-a-Bus
Maryland Regional Tranportation Agency
University Park, MD bus schedule to & from PG Plaza Metro Station
Maryland Trip Planner: Maps & Schedules
MTA (Maryland Transit Administration): Links to Trains and buses, mostly from Baltimore
MTA Commuter Buses - centered around DC and Baltimore, but includes distant parts of Maryland
Greyhound bus line; They go to many cities in the U.S., including College Park, MD
Map of bus routes showing major cities (very incomplete)
List & map of bus stations (a very hard to find page; does not include all stops)
Trailways bus lines Another bus system owned by Greyhound); lists other stops, I think
List of bus stataions & stops (a very hard to find page)
BusBuster 3rd party Bus ticketing service
Bus Line Companies in the U.S.; Click on Maryland for list
Public transportation Options in Your Community Very good links from
APTA
Other:
DCpages.com
Meetup.com
Internet forums and meetings, by area
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Geology
MD, DC and Virginia geology
Prince Georges County Atlas
Maryland Geological Survey
Sea Kayak Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Science on the Internet for Educators
Downloadable charts of Chesapeake Bay area
York County, VA Blueways Map of water routes
Virginia Rocks and Ridges
Virginia Dept of Mines, Minerals and Energy
The Geology of Virginia (Colelge of William and Mary)
USGS Water Resources for MD, DE and DC
List of state geological survey web sites
Another such list
NOAA Nowcoast gis mapping - includes guage mapping and data
Software, hardware, including GPS
DeLorme Mapping and GPS Software
Center for Advanced Spatial Tech: Starting the Hunt
MapCruzin.com FREE: GIS Data & Map Layers
Yale Map Collection
gpsinformation.net info and sales links - very informative
Just GPS Links
Garmin - manufactures GPS
Magellan - manufactures GPS
Lowrance - manufactures GPS
TomTom - manufactures GPS
Anglers Electronics - discount GPS (cheaper if buy through Yahoo
shopping)
Adventure GPS
Pocket GPS World
teletype.com (PDA GPS plug ins)
Caution Most Watch sized GPS's run out of battery power fast
Timex/Garmen GPS watch - needs separate GPS device
Garmin Forerunner, Foretrex GPS watches;
also here
Suunto: x9i GPS watch GPS Watch with 5 hour battery time
Panbo: The Marine Electronics Weblog Portable Amerigo portable nav,
open source
Map sources
Topozone
GAIA GPS Map is free to explore online. Some extra maps and download versions cost extra
Getting Started in the App (GAIA's own instructions
COMPLETE Beginner's Guide To The Gaia GPS App, How To Get Started
AvenzaMaps Free. Offline. Above beginner's guide says includes info on free National forest campsites.
CalTopo
(MapTech) Mapserver
MapTech navigation software, charts, GPS
Mapping Tools, Distance and Coordinate Calculators, Atlases, Outline Maps,
Satellite Imagery, GPS, and GIS Datasets.
recreation.gov US Government parks and recreation facilities
USGS Geographic Names Service Search for a name, find maps, images
HSU Library Maps and Atlases: Topographic Maps
gpsinformation.org Shows major sources of digital maps in the U.S.
Mapsurfer tiger.census.gov
MapQuest
Garmin City map viewer online map viewer
Yahoo maps;
API
Google maps;
API
Google earth
Open Street Map Free open source street map
Open Sea Map Similar for nautical charts - not much detail in U.S. last I checked
Waze a good Free Street navigation app
Wikimapia A free, complete, multilingual, up-to-date map of the
whole world
Map for above
Hiking Project Free open source hiking maps
Traillink Trail Maps
Maps on Us
maporama.com
Globe Explorer
MapBureau
mcwetboy.net/maproom
1D03 Map Collections
NLA Cartographic Links
USGS links
USGS main site
USGS FTP site
USGS Eros data center
USGS Node of the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
mapservice.blogspot.com
Freegis.org
Microsoft Terraserver
Another Terraserver link
USGS Geography: Viewing USGS Maps and Aerial Photo Images Online
LandVoyage unlimited use memberships available
TerraFly
Free Geodata
NOAA Oceanservice - includes nautical charts stuff
NOAA Nowcoast gis mapping
OpenCPN OpenCPN chart navigation (free) (I couldn't make this work on Android - totally unclear how to download charts; maybe because of warning that it was designed for older Android versions??)
Palm Awesome Apps for Paddlers
Remote sensing data
Pertaining to SAR:
Radar Remote Sensing - including tutorial on Radar polarimetry
epsilon.nought.de
Tutorial on Radar Polarimetry
dweb.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/db/polarim/chapter1/chap1_1_e.cfm
Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca
Alaska SAR Facility
www.asf.alaska.edu
JPL pages on imaging radar
southport.jpl.nasa.gov
SAR references
southport.jpl.nasa.gov/science/SAR_REFS.html
JPL distributed active archive data
podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
Some more such JPL data, including AIRSAR
podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
Radar sensors and techniques
www.geog.nottingham.ac.uk/~mather/useful/radar.html
Alaska satellite site www.images.alaska.edu
Remote sensing in general:
Remote Sensing.org
remotesensing.org
Professor Paul Mather home page, including Remote sensing and
GIS links www.geog.nottingham.ac.uk/~mather
Interesting WWW addresses
ceos.cnes.fr:8100/cdrom-98/ceos1/infosrc/website.htm
CEOS Committee on Earth Observation satellites ceos.cnes.fr:8100
GRASS grass.itc.it/intro/general.php
Arun's other links www.wild-a.com/ajain/links/bookmarks.html
JPL remote sensing bookmarks
Astronomia database
Old (English) DLR page
New (mostly German) DLR page
Other remote sensing information
Software
Radar tools for linux
linux.softpedia.com/get/Science-and-Engineering/Image-Recognition/Radar-Tools-2100.shtml
Softpedia engineering tools linux.softpedia.com/get/Science-and-Engineering
Other
GISDataDepot - General GIS Information
Health and Fitness/Injury Prevention/Anatomy
General
My
A Short Treatise on the Art of Falling Gently
American Red Cross Courses in first aid
Red Cross On-Line Training
Price list from Susquehana Valley Red Cross
American Heart Association CPR & First Aid classes: includes list of 3rd party training centers
Wilderness Medical Association Courses in Wilderness First Aid
Center for Wilderness Safety
Stretching FAQ
About.com sports injury prevention page
Cramer Injury Location Diagram
Fitness Connection
Misc. Athletic Training & Sports Med Links
WebMD Medical Symptoms
Mayo Clinic - look up diseases, symptoms, treatments
Some other medical search links
Healthtap.com
Free and $10 on-line physician / specialist consultations
American Academy of Family Physicians
You can search their journal archives
Dancer.com Click on Health and safety (mostly commercial)
National Center for Biotechnology Information
U.S. National Library of Medicine; National Institutes of Health
Includes health information
Nureyev Medical Website
Information on injuries due to dance
USFSA Official Sports Science and Medicine Volunteer Network
info and links, such as
SPIN!
"Skating Injuries And Their Treatment"
"How To Evaluate Figure Skating Injuries"
Virtual Sports Injury Clinic
Medscape Drugs & Diseases - peer reviewed comprehensive reference
NIH Drug Information Resources
Emory University: The Best Free Drug Reference Apps
DrugDangers.com Dangerous Drugs and Medical Devices (a lawyers' group)
Patient Assistance (pharmacy discount) for uninsured patients
Walmart & other pharmacies
goodrx Stop Paying too much for your prescriptions Get Multiple quotes
Shop Costco for drugs (members only; mail order prices only)
Safeway Discount Prescription Card
Target S4 Generic drugs (May disappear from screen if you don't
stop it.)
Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)
USDA page, lets you search for food ingredients; results may be highly technical
QuackWatch Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions
by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Wikipedia: Weight Training
Cheapest Internet Glasses; I found the first 2 provide excellent optical and frame quality, comparable to high end stores, take 2-3 weeks.
(If your eyes are equally far-sighted, try Dollar store glasses instead!)
(Also - some customizations, like bifocal segment height, may not be available.)
Zenni Optical
EyeBuyDirect
The following have not been tested by me:
Abbe
DiscountGlasses
GlassesShop
Goggles4U
Lenskart
MarvelOptics
Payne Glasses
SmartBuyGLasses
Swimoutlet Prescription Swim goggles
Exercise Music & Fitness Videos
The swiss ball workout that's made Jess Fox the best paddler in history
www.turnstep.com Aerobics
www.allspiritfitness.com instructions on aerobics
www.celticmerchant.com various celtic music
free-music-now.com
www.workoutmusicvideo.com
www.webaerobics.com organization index
www.webaerobics.com music index
Music video
Jumpybumpy: lots of music, but U.S. people must mail order from UK. I like
some of their selections.
Multitrax: Big Europian music and video publisher
http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Fitness/Aerobics
WaterWorkout tapes, music
carol largo water exercise tapes
ricierecordingstudio Aerobic Water Workout Fitness Training
Maui motions water workout
Dancelessons.net
www.balletlessons.org dance and exercise videos
How To Exercise At Home: The 50 Best Free Online Workout Resources'
Great Resources!
Centralhome Dance, Exercise, Sports and Fitness Videos & DVD
Fitness Video and DVD Superstore
healthandfitnessforums.com workout videos, music...
Activevideos dance, exercise, sports videos, music
AliMed Discount medical supplies
Falling: I believe in practicing gentle falls, but am still
collecting info on this
CDC: Falls and Hip Fractures Among Older Adults
Doctor Healthy Net: Falls and Hip Fractures Among Older Adults
www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/injepi/InjuryinColorado/falls.pdf
Analysis of movement strategies during unexpected falls
(Medical anatomical vocabulary is completely without value, but is
needed to read tracts on injury prevention)
Gray's Anatomy (a classic text on anatomy; perhaps replaced by Moore
and Daly)
Musculoskeletal Atlas by Carol Teitz, MD and Dan Graney, PhD
Yahoo Anatomy directory
Emuseum Human Anatomy
Enchanted Learning: Human Anatomy
Human-anatomy.com
Human anatomy in cross section
PSU Biology 29 Human Anatomy
Java Applets to view Visible Human Data
(more future promise than present)
Medical Mnemonics
Upper Extremity Muscle Atlas
Lower Extremity Muscle Atlas
Human Anatomy Web Links by Dr. Karen E. Petersen, U of Washington
clinicaltrials.gov (Mostly paid medical studies
Greenbelt.com (Click on Recreational Facilities)
Greenbelt Recreational Brochure
Greenbelt Aquatic and Fitness Center
Additional info
Planet Fitness (Greenbelt Plaza) Gym - occasionally charges $99/year,
as of 2016; open all the time
OpenBarre Studios In person and online exercise classes
Adele H Stamp Student Union Art & Learning Center
University Recreation & Wellness
University of MD Eppley Recreation Center
Non-credit classes and workshops and social (University of MD from graduate
student life handbook)
Training at Maryland (University of MD)
Maryland State Gym (Upper Marlboro, MD) Child and adult fitness
and gymnastics programs
MNCPP Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
PGCPR Prince Georges County Dept of Parks and Recreation
PGCPP Community Centers
PGCPP Community Centers closest to College Park, MD:
Beltsville Community Center
Berwyn Heights Community Center
Bladensburg Community Center
College Park Community Center
Deerfield Run Community Center (Laurel)
Fairland Sports and Aquatics Complex
Good Luck Community Center (Lanham)
Greenbelt Community Center
Hamilton Splash Park (outdoor) (Hyattsville)
Prince Georges Plaza Community Center
Prince Georges Sports & Learning Complex (not so close, but comprehensive)
Rollingcrest / Chillim Community Center;
Splash Pool
Vansville Community Center (Beltsville)
PGCPR Senior Activities
Langley Park Senior Activity Center (Hyattsville)
Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center
PGCPP Aquatic Centers
PGCPP Sports Complexes
Application for Individual Fee Assistance (PG County residents with low income)
See also
Local
Montgomery County Adult Education Classes
Montgomery County Recreation Senior Centers
Montgomery County Recreation
Montgomery County Recreation (Seniors)
Laurel Springs School K-12 Distance Learning
Annenburg Learner Teacher professional development and classroom
resources across the curriculum
PGCPR County Elegant Settings (Rentals)
Chains
Crunch Fitness Starting at $9.95/month
Fit4Less $4.99/2 weeks; Only in Canada
Fitness Revolution Maryland, Virginia, DC; Starting at $20/month
Planet Fitness starting at $10/month+$39/year; many, many locations, but limitations on using other locations (e.g. $20/month plan allows 10 such visits/month); open all the time
RetroFitness Starting at $19.99/month
Snap Fitness Starting at $4.99/2 weeks
XSportFitness Starting at $9.95/month
World Gym Starting at $15.99/month?
YMCA Not cheap - but discounted memberships available at some clubs for low income people, or with some health insurance plans or in other orgs; many have pools
YWCA Similar, but just for women
YouFit Starting at $10/month
Other cheap gyms: Try community centers (see above), community pools, other local fitness clubs
The five largest American fitness chains
11 Great Fitness Chains and What You Can Learn From Them
11 Biggest Fitness Chains in America
Well+Good: 13 Gyms That Cost Less Than $100 Per Month
The Great Outdoors (No fee to join)
Your favorite sports facilities (Choose your own)
Also - see gyms listed by the following plans.
Many fitness centers are expensive to join or take classes from in person or online, so are many wellness & alternative medicine providers. You can often join for less through another organization. E.g., health insurance companies, employers, and other organizations. It is sometimes cheaper to sign up for the insurance than to join privately. With some of these programs, you can go to any of the facilities they cover at different times - it's like joining many gyms, though in some cases there is a time consuming procedure to switch. Be cautious - verify the participation of the fitness centers you are interested in by calling the fitness center, and observe my online shopping warnings.
Note: I do not know if the # of BBB complaints for these large companies is unusual or of concern.
Tivity Health programs
BBB rating
SilverSneakers (The best known widely respected such plan) (on some Medicare Supplement and Advantage plans (including some plans from
here and
here, some employers and orgs; use many gyms free, get alternative medicine discounts)
Prime Fitness
WholeHealth Living; Gyms+discounted alternative medicine; insurance company list
Fitness Your Way $10/month plan for people on some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans
American Specialty Health programs
BBB complaints
Active&Fit Direct (also called Active and Fit Direct) (on some insurance plans, and other organizations, such as AAA. [BTW, in metro Washington, DC, AAA itself is worthless, because you need to stay on the phone 5-6 hours to use it]; you can only join one facility at a time, but can switch online. $28/month. There is an unlisted enrollment fee, and reports say you pay for 2 months up front, one of which only includes 1 day. I list it anyway because you can get it through AAA even if your health insurance company doesn't have a fitness benefit.
This review alleges misrepresentation and problems.
Active & Fit - same company, different plan, but you must have a fitness benefit to sign up. I haven't looked into it.
Active & Fit Now Anyone can join for $32/month)
Silver&Fit (also called Silver and Fit) (on some Medicare supplement or
Silver&Fit Now (also called Silver and Fit Now)
advantage plans)
ClassPass Attend fitness classes or use gyms. (Like Active&Fit Direct, does not require you to have a health insurance plan with a fitness benefit.) More studio classes than standard gyms participate.
a review
BBB listing
Renew Active (with some AARP/United Healthcare Insurance; website you can join a gym; but a non-authoritative source says you can go to different gyms on different days)
Is Renew Active Replacing Silver Sneakers?
RallyHealth programs
BBB profile
One Pass Medicare
PeerFit
BBB reviews
Healthy Contributions A reimbursement fitness program; Partner list)
Mutually Well with Mutual of Omaha insurance, $25/month extra
BTW, many private fitness centers negotiate on price if you push - or they have discounted plans they don't tell you about unless you appear uninterested after hearing the initial price. Some facilities have major discounts for low income people and/or seniors. Some local governments let low income people and/or seniors join government subsidized facilities or classes at a discounted price.
Many colleges and universities have highly discounted class prices for senior citizens. (BTW some professors let seniors do informal audits for free.) Sometimes that gives you access to their recreational facilities.
Public Shower Directory
Project Vanlife: Showering on the road
VanLife (I'm not a vanlifer, but sometimes car camp on trips
Project Vanlife
Project VanLife courses
BearFootTheory Van-Life
CamperVanLife
ExpeditionPortal
FarOutRide
GnomadHome
Parked in Paradise
TwoWanderSoles campervan-life
Van Life App App for Van lifers
Project Vanlife
The Dyrt Forums
VanDwellers.org
VanLifeRx
Van Living Forum
VanLife Outfiiters.com (a business site)
Outside Magazine
BearFootTheory
The Packable Life
Other lists of Vanlife forums and groups
Wide Open Roads: Find Your Road Family with these Online Vanlife Communities
Top 10 Van Life Forums, Discussions, and Message Boards
Recommended forums, blogs, vendors and other resources for vanlife or for converting a van into a camper.
The Dyrt’s Favorite Van Life Blogs
My
Various Free (or cheap) camping sites
Ice Skating Links
Rinks
My
Washington, DC Area Ice Rinks with Links
General Info on Ice Skating
My
Short Treatise on the Art of Falling Gently
My
Why it's hard to skate in the Spring: Hockey Tournaments and the Economics
of Ice Rinks
Modifying Skate Fit and Balance for Health, Longevity and
Performance
www.skatejournal.com
Journal of an adult figure skater; includes a novel
home.pacbell.net/anamga Recreational Figure Skating FAQ
www.frogsonice.com/skateweb
SkateWeb: The Figure Skating Page (many skating links).
Reference Material
includes publication lists, dance patterns and music, ice physics, etc.
News
includes many forums, mailing lists, webzines, etc.
Coffeeskate Ice Dance Patterns and video links
Kseniya and Oleg Official YouTube Channel Shows Ice
Dances - Great resource
Glenburg Figure Skating Club (NZ) Figure Skating Elements Move
videos, descriptions
Iceskatingresources.org/FigureSkating.html
USFSA (U.S. Figure Skating Assoc) support materials, including
rulebook OUT OF DATE
(ordering paper copies) (The USFSA Basic Skills Instructor's Manual,
with info on how to do basic moves up to single jumps, is only given
to instructors registered through a USFSA Basic Skills program.)
New location of
USFSA Rulebook
More USFSA rulebook stuff
USFSA Rulebook (on-line)(Check all the tabs!)
USFSA Basic Skills outline
USFSA Singles/Pairs Judging Manual for Test Judges' Training
(April 2008)
USFSA Moves in the Field:
Move-By-Move Analysis~Common Errors and Test Standards;
Reasons for Development (feb 2002)
USFSA Judging Manual for Ice Dance Judges' Training (Oct 2008)
USFSA (ISU?) Grade of Execution (out of date?)
Dance OD & FD 2009-10,
CD 2008-9,
2009-10,
,
FD(short)
Singles 2008-9,
2009-10,
Pairs 2008-9,
2009-10
United States Figure Skating
Members only page for same
USFSA pattern marking forms, with patterns
2004 USFSA Rulebook
Figures portion of same
USFSA
SPIN! Skating Practioner's Information and Idea Network Includes
exercises
USFS Club List by State
LearnToSkateUSA.com
Teaching arm for basic USFSA and USA hockey skaters
USFS SafeSkate Handbook
IceNetwork.com
Event videos - mostly USFSA
Canadian
Ice Dance patterns
Australian
Ice Dance Patterns
Canadian Broadcast Company (CBC) Sports (including live video)
Universal Sports NBC Sports TV Channel (includes some ISU skating
competitions)
ISU (International Skating Union)
ISU Components videos on YouTube - very good
ISU Single and Pair Skating, Scale of Values, Guidelines for marking GOE
and Levels for 2008-2009
ISU Single and Pair Skating GOE and Levels of difficulty for 2009-2010
ISU Ice Dance
ISU Publications Most of the ISU rules are in the Communications
section
ISU Links Page Really nice links page. e.g. Various nation's discussion
forums, many other useful links
ISI Ice Sports Industry (formerly Ice Skating Institute) sells cheap "Skaters and coaches handbook"
and a "Test Standards DVD" that gives many detailed instructions
PSA (Professional Skaters Association
Entryeeze Helps skating clubs host competitions;
charges a small per-skater-fee, but also a few percent "merchant fee" to accept credit cards
ISA (Ice Skating Australia): ISA Rulebook, ISU judging system
Reference Links for Skaters and Coaches
from skatingforums.com (excellent list)
Roller and Ice Dance Patterns from zzbarneg site
Notice also the
ice dance videos
!
Jeff Goldsmith ice dance patterns (requires Netscape, Java, click on
edges, label, draw rink)
IceDancers.com : Products, articles, social event schedule
Cheryl Richardson's Skating Ahead of the Curve e.g., Training exercises,
History of Skating
Practice Exercises On-Ice & Off-Ice Training plans
Sk8Strong: The #1 Off-ice Training Resource for Figure Skaters and
Coaches
(sells training DVDs, manuals and
equipment)
Youtube FLEXAFIT channel: Sport-Specific off-ice training to help you achieve and exceed your skating goals (assocated with Figure Skater Fitness Magaine
Figure skaters off the ice (exercises)
The Off-Ice Edge (exercises that advertise their equipment
Plyometric / Calisthenic Workout - 10/12/2008 by ngstylez
Diet.com workouts blog
e.g.
Plyometrics
Suricati's YouTube page of figure skating elements
Review Of
"US Figure Skating's Skate Coach App For iPhone or iPod Touch or iPad"
Review of "SK8 Sports Figure Skating iPhone/iTouch/iPad App"
Michelle Kwan Figure Skating demo
XSENS full body capture clothing that might be used with software...
MotionPro Video Analysis and motion analysis software
The Virtual Library of Sport - Skating
Sports/skating/books
Biomechanics I:
Principles of Movement
Physics of dance - doesn't mention skating, but some relationship
Jump Physics
The Physics of Ice Skating
Physics of Skating
More skating physics from a hockey web site
[Glenbrook] The physics of sports
The physics of figure skating
The Science of Jumping and Rotating
The physics of dance
The Mathematics of Figure Skating
http://pusdmail.pleasanton.k12.ca.us/~bdixon/calculus/projects/Ice_Skating.ppt
Figure skating spins http://www.bsharp.org/physics/spins
The Physics Of Figure Skating http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/physics-of-figure-skating.html
YouTube video about jumping & spinning sports medicine http://skatingforums2.com/index.php/topic,904.0/topicseen.html
home.achilles.net/~cmacd/sk-lnk.html
Charles MacDonald's Skating Links
http://www.acforums.homeip.net/index.php
@cforums Figure Skating Discussions
Washington Figure Skating Club (WFSC): Other Figure Skating Web
Sites
Technical Figure Skating by Kevin Anderson
www.jacksonskates.com
Jackson Skates--includes description of spins, jumps, short program
elements
www.sk8stuff.com
Figure Skaters Website: sitemap, including pictures and descriptions of
moves
www.skatejournal.com/techindex.html
Related definitions and instructions on skating moves
www.skategrrl.com/ice
Nice set of links + on-line lessons on How to Ice Skate -- oops, this is
now a roller site, no lessons
ICoachSkating.com More on-line lessons on ice skating
MySkateCoach.com More on-line lessons on ice skating
OnlineSkateSchool.com Similar British site
Skateclass.ru Videos on how to skate (text is Russian, but videos
are clear)
Figure Skating Tutorials, Exercises & Tests
SkatingJumpSecrets.com How to just barely
pass jump tests under USFSA rules - but not be graded well
(not so) Basic jump moves
Skating Ahead of the Curve Cheryl Richardson, figure skating coach
and choreographer, offers fresh insights on free skating training.
Element Recognition How to recognize skating moves
Figure Skating Jumps Explanation of all jumps in figure skating.
Originally uploaded by z4mboni to YouTube.
dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Sports/Skating/Ice_Skating
Yahoo skating directory
Iceskatingaddict.com : includes list of dance weekends
www.ice-dance.com: ice dancing, including partner search
IcePartnerSearch.com
I SkateMagazine Partner Search (in Britain)
Figure Skater Finess Magazine
637 human selected ice skating links
EHow Figure Skating Videos
Ice Dance Music Exchange: A source of ice dance music
Gerry's dance music and patterns
Dance Skating Music
Dance Music Getting dance music for U of MD dance classes
members
DancePlus
The Information Source for Ballroom Dance Music (sells CDs)
Skate Sharpening Information for Freestyle and Dance Skaters.
(some things controversial)
Skate Sharpening for Figure Skaters FAQ
Skateology Technical info on sharpening - including sharpening equipment,
manual
ScienceOfSharp Straight Razor sharpening experiments,
lots of electron micrographs
www.iceskatingworld.com forums, info, ads
Article on shoe and boot modification
SportsFansOfAmerica Ice Skating Links
Encore Skating Apparel (Used skating clothing)
An eBay skating dress store
US Ice Wear New and custom skating outfits
Sewing for figure skaters Make your own soakers, over-boot tights, boot
covers, skirts...
Grassroots to champions: Young Artist Showcase
Mr. Edge's website
Questions to Mr. Edge through USFSA site
His book: Anatomy of a Figure Skating Injury
Ice Skating Forums
Usenet archive for rec.sport.skating groups
Other Yahoo ice skating groups
Yahoo Ice Dance Groups E.g.,
Ice dancers,
ICWDC:
Ice Club of Washington, DC
compadultsk8s ~ Competitive Adult Skaters (CAS)
UKskaters primarily for skaters in the UK
Ice Skating World forums
AdultEdge Mailing list for intermediate to advanced adult figure skaters
SkatingForums.com (Forums for skaters, parents, coaches, fans)
All Unread topics
Archive of old forum
More of same
The British equivalent
USFSA Skating forums
The Michelle Kwan Forum The "On The Ice" forum is about technique
Sasha Fans forum
Figure Skating Universe (Forums mostly for fans)
Golden Skate
"The largest portal on the internet for figure skating resources";
includes many forums
SkatingCircle.com free skating videos
Universal Sports.com Live and recent sports (including skating)
broadcasts
Dancing on Ice TV show - UK only
Heather's Figure Skating TV Schedule
Organizations for ice rink managers
FOMA Facility Operations Managers Association (Associated with NHL)
ISI Ice Sports Industry (formerly Ice Skating Institute)
Ice Rink Managers Association (UK)
MIRMA The Metropolitan Ice Rink Managers' Association
Minnesota Ice Arena Managers Association
NEISMA Northeast Ice Skating Managers Association
ORFA Ontario Recreation Facilities Association
Rocky Mountain Rink Association (not sure if this is active)
US Ice Rink Association
WIAMA Wisconsin Ice Arena Management Association
Ice Skating: Shopping
Ice Skating Suppliers
Pro-filer Ice skate sharpener I've used this
Pro-Filter info on skate blades
Instructions for Pro-Filer
Someone else's notes
Ice Palace Catalogue info on blades lists more info on blades;
click on blades
Recreational Figure FAQ Skating - section on blades
Sweetstick sharpener Haven't tried it
USA Skates discount skating store
Discount skatewear
Magic Skate Clearance priced skates
Caravan Skates The store is closed, but proprietor Don Giese did a good
job of fitting me for one pair of skates, does great sharpenings, and helped
make someone else's job of fitting skates fit me better. He plans to operate
at a smaller scale out of Bowie, MD: call 301-262-8042. Plans to sell at
discount over the Internet. Other people mention other local stores and
people as good, like Mike Cunningham of Skater's Paradise (Waldorf, MD), and
someone near Bel Air Ice Arena (MD).
Ice Skating Equipment and Supplies in Maryland
Skate City, Temple Hills, MD
Rainbo Sport Shop
Discount Dance Supply
Dance clothing that someone in skatingforums liked
Skate Connection
Skate-Buys.com
Discount skate store in Delaware, keeps many skates in stock
Discount skates
Northern Ice and Dance Discount skating equipment.
Dante Cozzi Sports
Discount skating equipment
Ultimate Skate
Low price guarantee on Instructional Videos and Paramount blades
Kinzie's Closet Discount skates
Figure Skating Store Has some high end close-outs
Midwest Skate clearance blades
MySkatingMall.com New and used skate stuff
Ice And Roller Skates
A British company, with discount boot and blade prices.
Demon Xtreme Another British company, with discount prices.
Hockey Monkey (also sells figure skates)
www.emocs.com Shoe Stretchers (boot press, ball and ring, rub bar)
Montana Leather Shoe Stretchers
Tognar Toolworks Ski & Snowboard tools for modifying boots
Silipos gel filled products (for your feet)
Skating Safe gel and fall protection products
Angel Prosthetic Gel Sock I wonder if this would work over your feet
Bunga Pads gel filled products (3 pages)
The Honourable Cordwainers' Company Shoe & Bootmakers - includes
The Crispin Colloquy (forum) and a good links page.
Yahoo Medieval-leather group
Facebook forums:
ShoeMaking,
BootMaking,
Leather Work,
UK Leather Workers,
Middle Kingdom Leather Workers Guild
Mahi Leather News Blog with general info about leather - Interesting;
includes
info on leather care and repair. (I have a leather duffel from Mahi - it is of good quality)
My page on leather skate boot care
Supplies for your own rink - ice and synthetic surfaces
(synthetics may not work as well as ice.)
Back Yard Rinks (ice)
The Back Yard Ice Rink
Kwik Rink (synthetic)
ColdProducts (including ice and EZglide synthetic)
Ice-Nook (synthetic)
ArenaWatch.org The One Million Dollar Enclosed Ice Rink
Custom Ice Rinks - (real ice) including estimated costs
Professional organizations for ice rink managers
US Ice Rink Association [USIRA]; publishes Rink magazine and runs the North American Rink Conference & Expo (NARCE)
Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers / Society of Professional Hockey / Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society sPHEM / Phats
North American Rink Conference & Expo
Wood Shops and clubs that you can use
Howard County Woodworker's Guild (Columbia)
Annapolis woodworkers guild
Annapolis Woodworker Guild
Fort Meade Arts and Crafts Center (Looks wonderful, but not open to
most of us.)
See more local guild and club lists,
(e.g., Maryland: Baltimore, Crownsville, Ellicott City, Forest Hill,
La Plata)
(e.g., Virginia: Alexandria, Arlington, Burke, Christiansburg, Fairfax,
Farmville, Herndon, Mclean,
Midlothian, Narrows, Portsmouth, Roanoke, Salem, Springfield, Vienna,
Virginia Beach, Waynesboro)
at
www.angelfire.com/va2/nvacarvers/guilds.html
www.foxchapelpublishing.com/client/client_pages/resources/clubs/woodworking.cfm
Woodmagazine Woodworking Clubs List
www.woodburning.com/clubs.htm
Woodworking classes, resources
Rockville, MD Woodcraft In-store Woodworking classes
Woodcraft of Springfield, VA In-Store Woodworking Classes;
Associated wood shop
Rockler Another wood tool store
Thomas Jefferson Community Center (Arlington, VA)
Reston Community Center (Hunters Woods) has a wood shop
Montgomery County Adult Education Classes
Maryland Adult education courses in general
Maryland Adult Education
Maryland Adult Education resources by state
Fairfax County Public Schools
Same, instruction
Lowes free home improvement classes (select zip code 20784,
New Carrolton)
University of Md ENBE 200: Fundamentals of Agricultural Mechanics
(usually "restricted to required majors")
Wood Working Schools list at www.woodworking-news.com
Tiny Workshops Best woodworking classes for beginners and up (online resources)
My
Making your own boats; Classes, Resources
Other Tool and Do-It-Yourself related stuff
MAS Epoxies;
How to Videos and Guides
Wood Magazine, including free videos
Klein Tools high end hand tools, used by electricians and others
Tools A-Z
Klein Tradesman-TV
Klein [mostly construction] industry links
PracticalMachinist.com Has tool tech, forums
James Madison University: Hand Tool Safety
Hand Tools Institute
Essentials of woodworking: a textbook for schools By Ira Samuel
Griffith
www.howcast.com Hand tools videos
www.HandyManTeacher.com more videos
HandyGoddess videos at www.howcast.com
ToolGirl videos
Homier Very cheap tools (Note: Cheap tools are not always good)
Harbor freight Very cheap tools
Northern Tool More cheap and not cheap tools
Wood By Wright; Video: Basic Tools For a Hand Tool Woodworking Shop - Starter Tool Set for the workshop
Tiny Workshops; Best woodworking classes for beginners and up
Wood
World of Hardwoods
Free state Timbers
Libraries
(See also My Books links)
Prince Georges County Memorial Library System
Movie download
Anne Arundel County Public Library System
Montgomery County Public Libraries
Enoch Pratt Free Library (Baltimore)
Pratt RBDigital eBooks and Audiobooks
Baltimore County Public Library
Howard County Public Library
The National Archives Lots stuff to look at
WorldCat - Find items in libraries near you
Open Library
The Free Library
HaithiTrust Free Library Wikipedia says HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally by libraries.
The Internet Archive Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
The Verge: The Internet Archive has lost its first fight to scan and lend e-books like a library (under appeal as of March 2023)
Overdrive Read eBooks and audiobooks through your library
RBDigital Similar: (Internal page - Each library has a seperate page)
Kanopy Movies - Sign up through your public library
Hoopla Movies, Music & EBooks, through your public library
Free Academic Databases (search, books, journals...)
Google Scholar
Yahoo Learning (Kids) Homework Help
CiteSeerX Scientific literature digital library and search engine
ELearning Learning Collecting the best information about ELearning
Elsevier
Information on journals in a wide range of academic fields
getCITED
Publication and citation information on academic articles whose information
is entered by members
SCIRUS
Science Specific Search Engine
Wikipedia list of academic databases and search engines
many of which are free
Major Paid Subscription Academic Databases (search, books,
journals...)
Ohio State University Library Research Databases List
Lexis Nexus
EBSCO
Minor Paid Subscription Academic Databases (search, books,
journals...)
Emerald
Factiva
Business news and information
Gale Information solutions for libraries, schools and businesses
JSTOR[/u]
LION Literature Online
ProQuest
Questia The Online Library of Books and Journals - humanities and
social sciences
Wharton School
Music, Video and TV
My Music, Video and TV moved to another web page
News
Note: Virtually all news media show bias, including these. I personally view Associated Press and BBC as the most reliable sources - but they are both somewhat liberal. Many of the others sometimes carry fake news, or at least poorly verified news.
Associated Press news In some ways my favorite source, but only carries a few major stories.
BBC British; sometimes tries to be unbiased. My other favorite souce.
WTOP News headlines DC Area radio station; What I like: includes several
day old news, and includes a lot of DC area news.
Google News Reasonably well organized on-line News source - for now. But has a lot of fake or poorly verified news.
CBS News; somewhat liberal; lots of stories
U.S. News and World Report Somewhat conservative; limited # of stories
Washington Post Mostly a paid service. Rather liberal bios
ARS Technica Mostly Science & Tech News
Internet Archive You can look at some
news sites to see old news
Cryptome
Computer security; monitoring technology; intelligence leaks
bugmenot.com - visit newspaper sites without private info
Phone number and/or address lookup;People search, Business Search
Verizon (local phone company) phone, address lookup
Yellow Book phone lookup with map of many businesses
Yellow Place Similar
Whitepages.com Is only free for listed numbers
Phone Lookup
Genuinely Free Reverse number lookup, as of May 2017
Spydialer Another one
Switchboard.com Another one
www.usphonebook.com another one - includes phone carrier
www.telcodata.us link to search for phone carrier
Morman Church free ancestry and people search page
Intellius Some info free
USSEARCH (Not Free)
HomeTry Gives data on real estate properties: data, pictures, people who have lived there...
Inexpensive Cell Phone services; Wireless Internet Service Providers
CellGuru comparison chart of prepaid cell plans. Some prepaid plans give you
cell phone service for as little as $2 - $3 / month. But you pay extra if you make
or receive too many calls, receive too many messages, or use too much Internet
(especially video).
Cell Phone Deal Similar
PagePlus Cellular I use it. A Great service; everything works;
great technical support; uses the Verizon service network; also sells cheap used compatible phones. I
highly recommend it. The only issue is that they drop support on most some phones
that are more than two or three years old (a problem shared by most cell phone
services).
To forward Verizon or PagePlus voice mail to Google Voice, dial all
3 below on your Verizon or PagePlus phone:
*71[Google Voice number] (Conditional forwarding:
transfers to Google Voice if Verizon phone is busy or unanswered)
*90[Google Voice number] (Busy Transfer:
transfers to Google Voice if Verizon phone is busy)
*92[Google Voice number] (No Answer Transfer:
transfers to Google voice unanswered calls
Smartphone apps can forward text messages while the original target phone is on; See here.
Caution Pageplus has been bought out by Verizon. Since that switch, it is no longer as easy to get the cheap (Pay-As-You-Go "standard" plan). If you try to do it automatically, or online, it switches you to the more expensive monthly plan. You have to call customer service to renew the Pay-As-You-Go plan, every time. Also, I think Verizon's technical support is not as good as Pageplus's was.
LifeLine "Free" (government paid) cell phone and broadband
(See also)
Internet service
providers for low income people. Someone I know tried
one provider (Safelink), had unresolved technical support issues, and
gave up, but tried again later, asking Safelink for one of their free phones, and they did better with that. As with prepaid,
costs extra if you use too much data. If your service uses the Verizon network, *71,*90*92 work just like for PagePlus.
NOTE Safelink has been bought out by Verizon. I don't know the consequences, but would not be surprised if they try to switch people to paid Verizon plans. When you call Safelink technical support, you may connect to Verizon technical support.
Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB); US Governement subsidized (sometimes free) broadband Internet
Transitioning to Affordable Connectivity
"Free" phone and Broadband Internet services
broadband Internet service (sometimes free)
Note: As with free and prepaid cell phone service, you pay extra if you use it too much. This surprises and makes some people very upset.
Freedompop A "Free" cell phone and wireless data service (after device
purchase) available to everyone.
"Freedompop's free wireless would be cool if it wasn't so shady"
someone who got upset when they found out "free" had limits.
"FreedomPop free plan is a bit dishonest"; another such person
NetZero
Another "free" wireless Internet service
$9.95/month Comcast (wired) Internet Essentials
Spectrum Internet Assist $15/month - their low income equivalent
Charter/Spectrum Everyday Low Priced Internet (ELP) $20 or $25/month available to everyone who doesn't get cable TV, but not advertised, is hard to sign up for;
See also
Free computer to computer/phone services (there are many others)
(are these spyware?)
Google Voice Get a permanent free phone number to use with the google
voice app, or through your home computer, which can make free calls (in the U.S.), forward
calls to other phone numbers, and take voice mail. You can also listen to voice mail from the Google voice web page or mobile device app, or by calling your google voice number from another phone. A bit complicated to set
up, but a great Free service.
About Google Voice
Google Voice Contact list
Blocked # list for google voice
Google Hangouts isn't needed anymore, except for video calls, and multi-party calls; now that Google voice can make calls.
if you leave a mobile device on near you all the time, that has Google voice, in your WiFi zone, you don't need a land-line, because Google Voice calls in the U.S. are free. But once in a while, if you turn off Google Voice call forwarding, Google Voice makes you verify that you can use another number - a cell phone number will do.
MagicJack An Ethernet fed jack that you can plug a corded or cordless landline phone into; cheaper than a land-line; unlimited calls.
Used to be reliable, but now often gives bad connections, and you
don't hear the first first few seconds of calls. I use it so I don't have to leave a mobile device on all the time for Google Voice.
You could use a cell phone instead of a MagicJack - but don't forward Google Voice to it when you are home, if your cell phone costs money to use - use Google Voice on it instead.
My MagicJack (manage account - click on "call features to configure")
(I don't like the
MagicApp Smarthphone app.)
To hear MagicJack voice mail, use MagicJack to call your MagicJack #.
To recieve Google Voice calls on MagicJack, but use Google Voice's Voicemail:
- Set up Google Voice, using your MagicJack as the forwarding number.
- Tell people to call your Google Voice phone #, not your MagicJack #.
- Call from Google Voice on a mobile device, not your MagicJack, if you want the caller ID to be for Google Voice.
- Don't install MagicJack on mobile devices; just use MagicJack at home.
(You can install Google Voice on your mobile devices.)
- On a web browser, login at MagicJack.com
- Click on Your Account, Account Home
- Turn on Filter Spam (so you get fewer robocalls)
- Click on Call Features, VoiceMail On/Off/Delay; Turn Voicemail off.
- Click on Caller ID Name, type in the name you want for caller ID.
- Log off.
- Login at voice.google.com.
- Click on gear icon.
- Add your MagicJack # to Call Forwarding, if it isn't already there.
- Log off
- If your smartphone is on, pick up on Google Voice, not Magic Jack - quality is better.
- The problem with this approach is that the phone connected to your MagicJack rings forever if you don't answer - so it may make sense to set the voicemail delay to 25 seconds, and set your voicemail to forward to an email address. But I sometimes find Google Voice -> Magic Jack calls don't get through.
Skype (I used to use. Erratic connection quality; maybe spyware.)
netTALK A Skype competitor. (Not tried by me.)
PhoneScoop.com Info on cell phone features
A cell phone repair center 2538 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, DC;
near Watergate Hotel, 202-298-6104, 240-464-9091, 443-889-6665
SatPhoneStore
GMPCS Satellite phones
Global Comsat Phone
www.donotcall.gov Do Not Call advertisers list; or call 888-382-1222 from your phone
NoMoRobo - Stop robocalls and telemarketers
What is the Android code *#*#4636#*#* used for? you will know everything about your mobile Get detailed info about your Android phone
*#*#4636#*#* not working after update; use ForceLte if *#*#4636#*#* disabled (I'm not sure is safe)
Politics of conservation
League of conservation voters
Realtor.com
Zillow
apartments.com
rent.com
Reference Works: Dictionaries, Encyclopedia, Grammar
Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia
Simple English Wikipedia
Sister Projects (all free):
Wikibooks textbooks
Wiktionary dictionary
Wikiquote quotations
Wikimedia Commons
images, photographs, videos and music files and counting
Wikisource source texts and
historical documents, including poetry, government documents, constitutions
of many countries, general literature
Wikiversity learning resources,
learning projects, and research for education
Wikidata
database of collaboratively edited structured information
MediaWiki
software for Wikipedia
Wikivoyage travel guides
Meta-Wiki project coordination software
Encyclopedia Britannica online - mostly not free, but more scholarly
Scholarpedia The peer-reviewed open access encyclopedia
Uncyclopedia
encyclopedia.comSearch over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries
The Digital Universe (effort to create a refereed equivalent to
Wikipedia
Merriam-webster dictionary and thesaurus
Cambridge Dictionary Includes British and American pronunciation sound
Dictionary.com
Reference.com
British Academy Portals and subject-specific information gateways
Mostly copyright expired texts, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.
Yahoo reference
Writer's Digest; Write better, get published
IXL Language Arts
Grammarly - browser extension for grammar checking Does not work in private or incognito browser mode; Spyware??
Grammar Girl
Writing Explained
Daily Writing Tips
Chicago Manual of Style
Grammarbook
Englishgrammar.org
Spoken English characteristics: Prosdy, Speech Melody, Intonation, Rhythm, Emphasis
A Musical Approach to Speech Melody (very academic)
Prosody (Britannica.com)
Prosody: The Rhythms and Melodies of SPeech
Intonation and Speech Melody
American English Pronunciation
Google Translate
Math
Eric Weisstein's World of Mathematics (encyclopedia)
Prime Encyclopedia
Planet Math
Suitcase of Dreams Get in one place Mathematics, Mathematical modeling and Mathematical research, Database design, Programming, Graphics, Exclusive Web Design.
Mathematics
Cartage Themes, including science : mathematics
ATT Netlib Master List (free math software)
Kahn Academy: Math
How Stuff Works
Shopping, general
Caution I've recently had bad experiences ordering stuff from
China. All the sellers had 97%+ positive feedback from eBay. Many others now
tell me that you should only buy from 99.6%+ positive feedback sellers
listed by eBay as top rated sellers - and read all the negative feedback. If
anyone says they didn't get what they ordered, or that the seller delayed
and delayed, or told them not to give a negative review, or had bad
English - stay away from them. Make sure they have been selling through eBay
for a few years, with 10,000 or more sales. Oddly enough, this didn't used
to be true. I wish the Chinese government regulated merchants more
carefully.
eBay.com; Possibly the biggest online shopping broker. I used to love eBay, and still frequently use it to look for low prices. But eBay no longer offers contact information to discuss problems - they only get involved if you need to return an item, or it never arrives. E.g., if the seller denies that you paid them, eBay's web page recommends you contact Paypal or your credit card company. That said they are a real biggie, and even that limited policy can be a very good thing.
eBay Member Profile Search
eBay's money back guarantee; info on returns and failures to arrive
Paypal Pay by credit card for things at eBay and elsewhere. Paypal has recently been more helpful to me than eBay.
GeekBuying; Some people prefer this over eBay, for electronics. However, I only have personal experience with eBay and Payapal, and personally trust them more.
GearBest
Somewhat similar to GeekBuying. Similar comments on trust
Amazon.com sells almost everything, gives descriptions and buyer reviews. Another online biggie - I frequently go here to read item reviews.
Note: web page includes no address or phone.
Amazon.com sells almost everything, gives descriptions and buyer reviews, excerpts.
Crutchfield.com Reviews and sells new and older audio and video products
Home Audio Outlet
Big Lion Comparison shopping
Pricegrabber.com price comparison shopping
Salvation Army DC (thrift store) eBay store (Big store - eBay doesn't list everything)
buy.com
Odyssey Auctions Searches eBay?
Overstock.com,
Sell.com
iOffer.com Smaller than eBay - less reputable?
Craigslist Local shopping (ads for free) - like Classifieds
Freecycle Offer or take items for free from other local members
BuyNothingProject Local Facebook/mobile groups similar to Freecycle
GoodWillFinds.com Online thrift shop
ShopGoodWill.com Similar
State-wise shopping directory
McMaster-Carr General hardware supplies
Foreign import product lists Mostly wholesale; sellers not rated
AliExpress - Consumer buys through Alibaba (I think); (I have little
experience with it)
List of competitors to AliExpress, from MoreOfIt.com
Reviews of businesses
Better Business Bureau Rates businesses by customer reviews
Yelp Business reviews
Angies List More business reviews.
Checkbook Magazine (subscription required, but libraries carry)
Washingtonian magazine,
Maryland Attorney General office Has some consumer info
Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection
Sitejabber Reviews of online businesses
TrustPilot More of same
Tired of Yelp? 15 Alternative Business Review Websites
Reviews of Shopping Items
Amazon.com Reviews everything they broker sales for.
Crutchfield.com Reviews audio and video products.
CNET Reviews hardware and software
Softpedia Reviews software
Student discounts
edu.com Student Advantage Tech
Gradware Academic software
Medical and Dental
WARNING Many online insurance and medical and discount discount plans are scams. In my opinion, always sign up for insurance or discount plans,
or anything financial, through the main company, not a broker. Use
large well respected companies, and find their web site or other contact info
through a respectable source. (I sometimes use Wikipedia to find companies - not perfect, but much better than a search engine.) Also, most insurance
and discount plans explicitly bar your having other insurance and discount plans.
Incidentally, many colleges and universities that train doctors, nurses, dentists, dental hygenists, etc., offer free or discounted care, by the students, under the supervision of experts. They may not be as fast, and they may make initial mistakes (which the experts will hopefully find).
If you use two insurance companies, neither will pay or apply. I have not verified either of
the next two sites below - do so yourself before buying anything.
Health insurance and medical discount plans; may be useful for comparison
shopping, but I suggest you go to the main insurance company to buy; don't
go through them.
Cinergy Health Insurance that covers the expenses you are most likely
to need, but not catastrophic care. Perhaps because some
health providers only work with insured individuals?
FairHealth Estimate Your Health Care Costs
Free discount drug card
Actually points to 50% drug discounts from Canada - legit?
Another, from www.caremark.com
Skiing - Cross Country
(Thanks to Aavedal and Westernik for contributing many of these)
Ski Clubs
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Ski Touring Section (PATC STS)
Mailing list: patc-sts@4gh.net
Ski Club of Washington DC (SCWDC) - mostly downhill skiing
Tug Hill Ski Club: includes conditions for Winona Forest, TUG Hill, NY
Meetup.com
Internet forums and meetings, by area
Weather (for skiing)
Weather.gov
PATC STS ski conditions
NOAA Weather Service Watches and Warnings
West Virginia and MD weather
Garrett County (western MD) ski reports
alternate
On the snow
www.weather.com find the snow
SkiAmercaCanada.com ski and snowboard resorts, XC skiing, snowshoeing
and snow sports
Weather Underground
Pennsylvania XC Ski areas cross-countryski.com
Pennsylvania XC Ski Areas Skisite
Pennsylvania XC ski Areas A1 Trails
Pennsylvania XC ski areas dcnr
White Grass (Canaan Valey) resort weather
Weatherbug hourly reports, by zip code; requires download, security
risk?
Nat'l Weather Service Main Web page
Pennsylvania XC Ski Club web pages, has weather
wwwlrealconditions.com: Select State and click on XC ski button
met-www.cit.cornell.edu Click on a county to get forecast
AccuWeatherR5-Day Forecast by city
NOAA weather forecast by state
tuckercount.com WV road reports
Intellicast Highway/Driving conditions
WV road condition reports
Weather
Nasa Earth Science Office: Goes Interactive Global Geostationary Weather
Satellite Images
XC Ski Places (MD)
Catoctin Mountain
Cunningham Falls Not certain if they ski there
Deep Creek Lake
Elk Ridge Nature works: near Savage River Lodge
Greenbelt National Park
Herrington Manor and Swallow Falls State Parks
New Germany State Park; Ranger office: 301-895-5453
Rock Creek National Park
Savage River Lodge; phone for New Germany/Western MD conditions:
301-689-3200
Sugarloaf mountain
Swallow Falls State Park
Directory of MD state forests and parks
MD Dept of National Resources
XC Ski Places (NH)
Jackson Ski Touring
XC Ski Places (NJ)
High Point
XC Ski Places (NY)
Osceola Tug Hill X-Country Ski Center
Tug Hill Ski Club: includes conditions for Winona Forest, TUG Hill,
NY
The 1880 House B&B, in the heart of Salmon Country, Pulaski, NY;
alternate
Hidden Acres Lodging near Tug Hill
More Tug Hill area lodging from MexicoTrailTriders
More Tug Hill area lodging from www.fishusa.com
More Tug Hill area lodging from www.highhookguideservice.com
Tug Hill Area Super 8 motel
Cross Country Ski Areas of New York
NY Times article mentioning 44 ski areas - downhill or XC?
CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREAS ASSOCIATION
Map and Directory of Member NY Cross Country Ski Centers
CCSAA directory
Welcome to the Tug Hill Region
I Love NY tourist site: includes ski places
NY Wildlife Management Areas; some include skiing
XC Ski Places (PA)
Allegheny Nat'l Forest Northern PA 814-723-5150
Blue Knob State Park (Claysburg) phone (800)-458-3403 or
(814)-239-5111
From DC: PA turnpike west to Bedford (exit 11). North on US 220 to
Osterburg. North on PA 869 to area.
Crystal Lake, Hughesville PA (northern PA);
other site (out of date?)
Crystal Lake Ski Center, 1716 Crystal Lake Rd
From Harrisburg go north on US 15 to I-80. East on I-80 to PA 147.
North on 147 to US 220. Follow 220 north to Tivoli.
Ski touring center 570-584-2698
Conditions and Ski Info 570-584-4209
Hidden Valley, Somerset, PA
near One Craighead Drive, Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania 15502
From DC: PA Turnpike west to Somerset (exit 110). West on PA 31 12 miles
to area.
Snow report: 814-443-2600 or 800-443-7544
Laurel Mountain State Park; (Jennerstown)
See also
state web site same as for laurel ridge?;
Downhill portion web site
Snow conditions at Laurel Ridge STC, Rockwood PA;
State Forester, Rockwood, PA: 724-455-3744 or 724-455-7303
Mount Davis, Grantsville
From Cumberland go west on I-48 to US 219 North.
US 219 to Salisbury, then north to St. Paul. Watch for signs.
Nemacolin
North Woods of
Southern Forbes State Forest
From DC: PA Turnpike West to Somerset (exit 110). West on PA 31, 12 miles.
Across from Hidden Valley.;
Map
Seven Springs (Downhill ski resort)
Susquehannock State Forest 814-274-3600
PA Tourism site extremepa.com lists lots of resorts
www.Laurelhighlands.org includes restaurant coupons
XC Ski Places (VT)
Craftsbury Outdoor Center
Mad River
XC Ski Places (WV)
Blackwater Falls; nordic center: 304-478-5005
Canaan Valley State Park; phone 304-866-4121
Cranberry Nordic STC, Marlington 304-653-4826 or 800-225-5982
Cheat Mountain Club
Elk River Touring Center, Slatyfork WV; phone 304-572-3771
Timberline (Canaan Valley, WV) phone: 800-snowing, 304-866-4801
White Grass; Phone: 304-866-3114
White Grass's links to many other resorts.
White Grass's links to lots of other resorts
White Grass's links to lots of other resorts
Note links to many other
resorts.
XC Ski Places (WA)
Mount Washington Hotel and Resort
XC Ski Places (Canada)
Cross-country Skiing in Canada
Quebec government site on cross country skiing
A Cross Country Ski Directory
Ski Info
CCSAA XC ski directory
CrossCountrySkier.com Journal of Nordic Skiing
REI: Learn & Share -- Snow Sports
Travel
(See also My GIS and geology links)
Hotel coupons
www.hotelcoupons.com;
Their
"Complete guide to Hotels"
travelcoupons.com
Reservations
Cheap Hotel Rooms
1800CheapSeats
Expedia
Fairbeaters airfares
Letsgo.com (student travel)
Priceline.com air fares (name a price, it may be met)
Travelocity
TripAdvisor.com
VIPFares
TravelZoo top 20 deals
Megabus.com Discount bus fares
Discount Airlines (flights usually not listed by above sites)
AirTran
America West
ATA Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Independence Air
Jet Blue
Song
Southwest Air
Spirit Airlines
Other travel links
Trafficland.com Traffic cameras
Wego Here Traffic
travel.state.gov → Students Abroad →
Before You Go → Health → Vaccination
Click on "Learn About Your Destination" for country specific info
Vaccinations to travel to the U.S.
The Essential Guide to Travelling with a Medical Condition
TV (Television) grew too large and has been moved
to another page
University of MD
Main University Site
University Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Associated
OIT helpdesk
Testudo - records and registration
Group Fitness schedule
mailbox.umd.edu
Library sign in
helpdesk.umd.edu
U of Maryland Academic Calendar
UMD Student Affairs Events Catalog
UMD parking restrictions
Active Student Groups
SU list of groups
Terrapin Trail Club (TTC) (e.g., kayak rolling)
Mailing list list@ttc.umd.edu
Campus Directory Search
terpunderground course and teacher evaluations
Pickaprof.com professor evaluation for all schools
RateMyProfessors.com
Weather alerts and closings
Hoff theater
Science in the evening program
University of Maryland Television schedule (not sure is up to
date)
University of Maryland Global Campus (was University College)
Montgomery County PEG schedule (Other such TV channels)
Area bookstores
U of MD discounts on Dell computers
U of MD Alumni Association: Potential savings
U of MD employment
U of MD Career Center
U of MD Returning Students Program of the Counseling Center
POLICY ON WAIVER OF TUITION AND GRANTING OF OTHER PRIVILEGES
FOR SENIOR CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND
Golden ID program More specific information for University of Maryland
Other
Identity theft (www.consumer.gov)
Free annual credit report
OptOutPrescreen.com Run by credit card companies: opt out of
pre-approved credit cards & insurance
DMAChoice.org Stopping junk mail & email
www.DoNotCall.gov Government Do Not Call site; or call 888-382-1222 from your phone
NoMoRobo - Stop robocalls and telemarketers
NPS historic leases
dogpile multiple engine search
metacrawler multiple engine search
www.searchengineshowdown.com/multi
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
standards group for stuff like HTML
W3C technical reports
HTML validator
Webmonkey The web developers resource
lynda.com education by creative professionals
Despair.com antimotivational poster website
W3Schools
tutorials on HTML, etc.
jkorpela's IT and communication page
WDB Web Design Group: Web Authoring Reference, etc.
Haxe web design language
www.sacred-texts.com
Lots of religious text, lots of religions, folklore, philosophy
ancient-origins.net Reconstructing the Story of Humanity's Past
somewhat similar
NOCR.NET Multilingual Multiversions Of Bible
E.g., click on English to see English translations
http://nocr.net/bexpo/english/engtnk/index.php
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Early English Books
National Endowment for the Hummanities: Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Philosophy Collection on the eServer
SmartScholar Philosophy Education Resource Guide
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Wikipedia List of Online Encyclopedias
BestBatt
Info on batteries
"Experimental Analysis of Batteries under Continuous and Intermittent Operations"
RadioShack's On-line Battery Guidebook
Battery University Learn about batteries