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A solid regular bookmark page (by “Pudgy”).

I have heard that other Internet denizens do not mention or link to these bookmark pages, not because of what I link to, but because my full name appeared up front. This has to do with “doxing”. I keenly believe in security and privacy on-line, but being identified for these bookmark pages is something I accept, if not encourage. I stand behind the World-Wide Web sites to which I link. If you look at the Source Code here, my name remains in the metadata.

I have removed the JavaScript code which kicks you out to Firefox.com if I detect you surfing here with Microsoft©® Internet Explorer® (because MsIE is no longer in support). There is a problem with Chrome as well as Edge. Other World-Wide Web browsers track your on-line movement, ostensibly to target which ads it will show you, which you most likely do not glimpse because you also utilize an ad-blocker extension. But it would have to comply with a court order to turn over all your World-Wide Web browsing history to an investigating agency.
Have you noticed that people have written “advice” columnists relating that he | she was snooping around on a companion's computer, and being shocked by what the browsing history supposedly showed? Besides that the snooper should be dumped immediately (He | She is looking for ammunition for a future break-up, and has just created it.); this is a common incident which could lead to real-life problems for people who use Chrome and Edge.
Firefox has a setting which will automatically clear your browsing history, download history, cache, and cookies when you close it.
Flash: I saw another “advice” columnist tell a letter writer she should be suspicious of her companion because the browser history had been cleaned! How did these dolts actually get their columns (and so-called “authority”)?

Internet

Investigate I. P. Addresses
This is the W-WW page extracted from above which will do a domain registration and host location on a registered domain name or I. P. Address. Its drawback is that you have a maximum of fifty addresses which you can search per your own I. P. Address every 24 hours. [If you need to get around this limit, configure a proxy in your browser. That shall get you another fifty.]
Ad Hoc I. P. Tools
This is a collection of TCP | I. P. [Internet Protocol] and Internet tools gathered from around the World-Wide Web for anyone interested in tracking down DNS, HTTP headers, traceroutes from various backbones, and more.
This is a significant W-WW site. I was disquieted it went off-line. So, I send you to the Internet Archive's [c.v.] last capture of it: 21 August 2018.
I. P. Whois lookups
Here is a Japanese W-WW site where you can lookup the domain record of an I. P. address without it counting against an external limit [such as Ad Hoc's lookup function]. But it also seems to be inaccurate for some of them.
Netcraft's I. P. Address lookup (uncounted)
This is not a left-clickable link. To use this, right-click on it; select "Copy Link Location"; paste that into the 'Location' line; and then type in the URL about which you want to inquire.
Smart Whois
Here is one site which can obtain the owner of an Internet domain name; and do a forward or reverse DNS lookup.
MX Toolbox
This is a World-Wide Web site where you can check the block status of another W-WW site (including those for which only an I. P. Address is known).
Broken link checker
Enter the URL of the World-Wide Web page whose links you want to check into the query box and click 'Submit'. This site will save you a lot of time; however, I recommend clicking on the URLs it shows to be broken. Some sites do not want to be remotely spidered, so there is a possibility for false positives.
Internet Storm Center
This is a World-Wide Web site with informative expositions on its backbone. You can click through to its tools via a link on the left side.
Net Tools
This is a hub W-WW site with information about on-line applications and software programs to secure your computer. There is also a forum for which you may register.
Porkbun Domain Name Registrar
For my new Domain Name, I utilized this. It offers the lowest price for domain registration and renewals. HTTPS | SSL certificates are included at no extra cost. Many other TLDs are also available for low prices (Click on ‘SALE!’ atop this page.).
Orange Website Hosting
This is a webhost located in Iceland which maintains ultra secure hosting, with strident DDoS mitigation systems. It guarantees that your World-Wide Web site will remain online and uncensored, as long as it does not violate its Terms of Service or the laws of Iceland. Anonymous service (with merely a valid E-Mail address) via Bitcoin is offered. It also accepts a credit card, PayPal, eChecks, wire transfer, and cash by mail. For Pqrs-Ltd.Xyz, I pay $26.98 for six months hosting.
Tiny Apps
Tiny Apps is a depot of applications for Windows®-based computers. All of these applications (and programs) are scripted in tight, concise code. The webmaster also maintains a weblog, and offers a free E-Mail newsletter.
Broadband Reports
This is a very informative and comprehensive site. It has an informative forum where subscribers with broadband connectivity relate their experiences. You need to accept cookies to use this site.
This is a very rare W-WW site where I have lurked for years. I will not register. The persons responding to each entry seem to be right-of-center, and the one respondent [from Texas, with a crying cat avatar] who seemingly is more central or left has blinders to the reality of the situation. His pathetic rebuttals are insufficient to sway anybody else landing on the site to the left-of-center. If you stay away from the forum posts relating to the articles of the day, there is solid cognitive information, especially pertaining to networking and maintenance.
Speedtest by Ookla
This is the easiest and most reliable tester of broadband Internet service providers. Its accuracy and performance is made possible through the 11,000+ servers around the world that host its server daemon.
F a s t [Netflix]
This is another broadband internet speed tester. It is powered by Netflix™ and concentrates on downloading speed. Uploading speed and “bufferbloat” may optionally be tested.
Public access newsservers
This is a cracking forum's page with free NNTP newsservers. You can search for a specific newsgroup on the twenty-two newsservers it currently has. Keep in mind that most of these newsservers will not carry all the newsgroups in which you could be interested.
Internet Country Codes
Here is a W-WW page which identifies each country's geographic domain code. [South Sudan is SS.]
Search IRC (Mibbit)
Mibbit features the most complete, up to date and relevant IRC search on the web. Its IRC search engine monitors scores of IRC networks to bring you more live IRC channels, more active IRC users, and thousands of pages of information on IRC networks, their services, and their servers.
mIRC homepage
mIRC is the Internet Relay Channel program I recommend for all users with Windows®-based computers. The current version is v7.75. It has been downloaded over 220 million times.
Anti-Twin duplicate detector
This is a concise freeware program (Do not succumb to guilt tripping by a party seeking to monetize their placement on the weekly "Ask Woody" [c.v.] newsletter!) by Jörg Rosenthal which, similar to Dup Detector, will search for duplicate or similar files on a specified disk drive.
Be a web hound [archive]
This site teaches you how to refine your searches to hone in on exactly the material which fulfills your quest. It will take some time initially, but you will know how to find information very swiftly thereafter. Inexplicably, this W-WW page went off-line, so I am retrieving it from the Internet Archive [c.v.].
StartPage™ [settings | secure]
StartPage is a search engine which claims it is "the world's most private search engine". It does not record your I. P. Address, or surreptitiously place any cookies on your hard drive. So a law enforcement agency will have nothing to obtain from it. It feels its search results are more comprehensive, and more accurate than other search engines. Its unique capabilities include an advanced search, a global search, and power refinement. I send you to the page where you can specify technical searching parameters. StartPage goes via Google™. I thus alert you that there are W-WW pages Google™ removes from its database.
For all the links here to Google™-based W-WW sites, I am unenthused with its data mining, telemetry, and user-tracking proclivities.
YandEX search
Yandex is a technology company which strives to deliver a world-class, locally relevant search. It appeared online in 1997.
Give this a try. I dislike that it keeps placing a bunch of cookies in your W-WW browser, and it does not maintain its settings unless you register for it and logon.
Metager search engine
This is another privacy-keeping search engine which allegedly has a ‘no-removal’ policy toward what it may find. It is available in English, German, and Español.
Duck Duck Go
This search engine goes via Bing. Its foundation is that it does not record your I. P. Address, or surreptitiously place any cookies on your hard drive. It is also available on Tor.
Frogfind search
This is a search engine for “vintage” computers. Its search functionality is basically a custom wrapper for Duck Duck Go [c.v.], converting the results to extremely basic HTML that old browsers can read.
Google™ link search [advanced | secure]
Google™ is a search engine and portal. You are not mistaken: It has gotten worse in recent years. It has been reported the first genuine result to your search term is the fourteenth. But I leave this on here because you can still find the comprehensive information which you seek. You just have to be more perservering in how you seek.
This link sends you to the TLS version of the ‘Advanced Search’ page.
Gibson Research Corporation
Gibson Research Corp. (Steve Gibson) offers this site for all computer users. I originally recommended this W-WW site for its "Shields Up!" service, where you can securely test your computer's shields and probe your computer's ports. If you use portable USB stick drives, a new utility called Validrive can check if that stick drive delivers all the capacity it promises. (Many sold on Amazon do not.) There are also other solid services for protecting your computer.
Ask Woody
Woody was Woody Leonhard, but he is no longer in charge here. He retired, moved to Thailand, and placed Susan Bradley in his stead. S. Bradley has also inheirited his World-Wide Web presence at Computerworld.com. There is a forum affiliated with this weblog, to which I am registered, and I keenly recommend.
Windows® 7 and 8.1 are still being supported by Microsoft©®, which you will observe browsing the on-topic threads in this forum. There are numerous telehealth appliances that run on Windows® 7 ‘embedded’ [Including the "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" program.] I am not converting to Windows® 11 to become another unpaid beta tester for its buggy "Windows as a service" operating system. I will switch to a Linux distribution before doing that.
Router Security
This site, maintained by Michael Horowitz, focuses on the security of routers. It covers configuration changes to make a router more secure, and picking a router that is more resilient out of the box. If your router gets infected with malware, or re-configured in a malicious way, most people would never know. There is no antivirus for routers.
Defensive Computing
This is another W-WW site maintained by M. Horowitz. It is a list, both of things to be aware of, and specific defensive steps that we can take in response to the computer threats of 2024. Neither of these two W-WW sites have ads (If an ad appears on your screen, either your browser, computer, or router has been infected.). Hardly anybody (besides me) links to them.
Schneier on Security
Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist. He has composed numerous print publications, including fourteen books, alongside on-line articles and essays. He is a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation [c.v.]. He distributes the free on-line newsletter "Crypto-Gram". The archive of his posts, going back to the early 2000s, is fascinating. The persons responding to each entry seem to be left-of-center.
Dedoimedo
This is a comprehensive W-WW site webmastered by Igor Ljubuncic, who has a long experience of working in high tech. He has 15 patents, 20 books - on both technical matters and science-fiction, and several open-source projects. I added this page because he provides easy-to-understand processes for dealing with computer hassles. Inspect his "greatest_sites" W-WW page. Dedoimedo has been online since 2006.
Pluralistic
This is a weblog by Cory Doctorow. He is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. He also has a presence at craphound.com. His latest book is THE INTERNET CON (September 2023), a nonfiction book from Verso about monopoly and radical interoperability. He is the author of the international young adult LITTLE BROTHER series. He is also the author of HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM, nonfiction about conspiracies and monopolies; and of RADICALIZED and WALKAWAY, science fiction for adults, a young adult graphic novel called IN REAL LIFE; and other YA novels like PIRATE CINEMA. His first picture book was POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER (Aug. 2020). His newest novel is THE BEZZLE (a followup to RED TEAM BLUES ~ Feb. 2024). He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the U.K. Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles, CA. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 2022, he earned the Sir Arthur Clarke Imagination in Service to Society Awardee for lifetime achievement.
Password generator
This is a World-Wide Web site which provides random passwords which you can use on a particular W-WW site, or a .rar file. You can choose between a weak, good, or strong password. Nonetheless, a good password is one you can remember, and many of the passwords generated here are just a vomited bowl of alphabet soup. Choose two dictionary words, use mixed case, and splice in a number. That will be a password you shall recall.
Public DNS Servers [#1]
I read reports that some Internet Service Providers have configured their provided DNS servers to deny access to select World-Wide Web sites. This is a site which provides freely available DNS servers, for both IPv4 and IPv6 connections, which may be utilized instead of the controlling DNS server by the ISP.
Public DNS Servers [#2]
Here is a contingent DNS server W-WW page for the above. It claims to be checked continuously, and is available for download in plain text, CSV, and JSON. I send you to the page for the U.S.A. Other countries are available.
Spybot Search and Destroy
Spybot Search and Destroy is a program which digs deeply into the workings of your computer to find (and eradicate) programs that are stealthily tracking your W-WW surfing behavior. It is available in 32 languages. This site has gone missing at times.
How to bypass internet censorship [Wikipedia]
This is a Wikipedia page which provides information about the different methods of blockings and ways to bypass them.
Free Network Project
Freenet is a peer-to-peer network designed to allow the distribution of information over the Internet in an efficient manner, without fear of censorship. Freenet is completely decentralized, which means that it cannot be attacked or blocked.
A group is its own worst enemy [archive]
This URL has a review of a book authored by Clay Shirky, published by Penguin Press in 2008, on the effect of the Internet on modern group dynamics and organization. It astutely describes a problem still affecting on-line fora, communities, and social media platforms.
Essentially, what he states is that World-Wide Web venues need a constitution in order to be able to deal with the online users who will perform uncivil acts there.
VFEMail™ [secure]
This is the W-WW-based free E-Mail service I recommend for new accounts. I have an account here. It scans each complete email, including attachments, for virii and spam. If a virus is found, it is blocked at the gateway, and is not even allowed onto its servers. It utilizes greylisting, public, and private block lists, and SpamAssassin to detect spam. If detected, it is then discarded and will only appear in your spam folder if it is potentially legitimate.
Proton E-Mail
This is another World-Wide Web-based E-Mail provider. Its E-Mails are encrypted end-to-end. It was founded in 2013 at the CERN research facility. It is open source, and hosted in Switzerland. As such, it is subject to that nation's strict privacy regulations. It is also available on Tor.
SpamGourmet E-Mail proxy service
For some good news associated with Spring 2020, SpamGourmet was revived. This is a free E-Mail “proxy” service which you can use to protect your real E-Mail address. The concept here is that when you encounter a situation where you need to provide an E-Mail address (a forum, an on-line travel price quote, someone who you do not know), you give it a disposable E-Mail address which, if you do not subsequently permit the sender, will die after a limited number of E-Mails.
Its shared largest drawback is that a variety of situations where you would prefer to sign up with an E-Mail proxy will not accept a four-part E-Mail address, which is absurd contemplating how many persons have workplace E-Mail addresses formatted "firstname.lastname@officedomain.com", and that an “anti-spam” software suite [e.g.: Barracuda] may consider an E-Mail bearing a "spamgourmet.com" or "xoxy.net" domain to be spam and bounce that E-Mail with an "Address is not allowed to send E-Mail to <recipient>." error message.
The reality is that spammers know how to forge an E-Mail header to appear to be from "gmail.com", "hotmail.com", "outlook.com", "apple.com", or "yahoo.com". If the “anti-spam” suite bounced all the E-Mails with those domains, it would eliminate ~96% of all the E-Mails sent by anybody.
I have utilized SpamGourmet since May 2005. Since then, I have never given out the direct address at Fastmail.com. In this span, SpamGourmet has eaten 53,047 spam E-Mails.
“Anti-spam” software corporations should also be interrogated about their associations with spammers.
33mail E-Mail proxy service
When it appeared that SpamGourmet was going off-line, I was testing the free level at 33mail. You are welcome to experiment with it. It is not as instinctive as SpamGourmet.
Free E-Mail services
Need an E-Mail address to attach to a music or video clip which you are sharing (to comply with state law)? Or do you just want to avoid being spammed when you register for a forum? One method is to use a disposable E-Mail account. This site offers hundreds of companies which will allow you to not use your primary E-Mail account. View its forum.
Very Good URL shortener
Frequently, as you surf the W-WW, you may encounter a URL which you would like to refer into a forum, weblog, or E-Mail message, but which is so lengthy that cutting and pasting it will result in the URL being extended beyond one line, or you running out of characters in your text message. This is designed to correct that. It will snip the long URL into a much shorter URL which serves as a seamless “gateway” to it. If you tick the specific box here, it will count how many surfers have clicked on it.
Its hazard: A URL shortener can be used for evil as well as good [i.e.: hiding affiliate codes, or standing in for malware domains]. I certify to you that I shall always only use them for good.
Tiny URL
Tiny URL is a redundancy for v.gd; except that you cannot register here.
RingSurf
RingSurf offers easy access to thousands of member World-Wide Web sites organized by related interests into easy-to-travel rings. If you seek other persons who share your hobby, link here. RingSurf is completely free and does not require you to identify yourself in order to maintain a site thereupon.
10Ten Japanese reader {formerly Rikaichamp}
This is an add-on for Firefox 57 and newer browsers. Download it, restart Firefox and click on the button in the location bar to enable it. Then, when you mouse over a character in Japanese, a bubble will appear giving the definition of that character in English.
I submit that all erotica enthusiasts will need to at least learn how to comprehend Japanese. This reader will help.
Translate Web Pages [Firefox]
This Firefox add-on will translate the current page without having to open a new tab. Upon installation, its avatar will appear inside the URL box. You can choose either the Google™ or Yandex translation engine. You may optionally set to automatically translate that W-WW site, or the specified language.
Pig Latin translator
The World-Wide Web is truly universal, now that it has this phenomenal service. This page will translate your designated text into Pig Latin. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.

Resources

Internet Archive
This is the most amazing resource you shall ever find on the World-Wide Web! The Internet Archive is a U.S.A.-based 501(c)(3) public nonprofit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering free and permanent access to historical digital collections for researchers, historians, and scholars. I found my “lost” Chicago POWER results and statistics pages archived here, there are a lot of Grateful Dead [c.v.] concerts, and the entire library of "Psychotronic Video®" zine issues as well. I have donated to it.
Wikipedia
You have probably heard about this. Wikipedia is the free on-line encyclopedia which any registered user can edit. This is the main page of the English-language section.
WikiLeaks
I have known about this Wiki-styled webpage since 2008, when it released a caché of data about the questionable money-handling procedures of multi-national banks. You probably heard about this thanks to the release of documents and cables collated by the U.S.A. This is a very important resource for whistle-blowers and investigative reporters, amongst others.
The proponents of legislation or regulation aimed at "rogue foreign websites" may drape their argument with the cloak of protecting “Intellectual Property”, or children, but you should realize that WikiLeaks would be one of the first W-WW sites which would be attempted to be delisted and removed from DNS registers!
WikiLeaks' mirrors
It is one thing to go after multi-national banks. It is another thing to go after republic nations. Going after both will result in a massive cyberattack on both the legal and “illegal” fronts.
Cyberattacks are undertaken continuously by nations, botnets, organizations, and individual persons who will go very far to victimize those who present vistas with which they contend.
Censorship, or terrorism, is never the best answer. It engenders a “chilling effect” such that differing viewpoints are not expressed. This is wrong. The response to ‘bad’ speech is more speech.
The best quote I viewed about WikiLeaks: "When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are ruled by criminals."
Library of Congress digital collections
This is a revised, comprehensive site from the Library of Congress. It has documents of America's past, including Sanborn Maps.
Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™
Saving Illinois History, One Story at a Time is a weblog maintained by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph. D. He presents information in a comprehensive, educational manner. The preponderance of the blog entries orbit around Abraham Lincoln.
American Civil Liberties Union
This is the W-WW site of the U.S.A.'s most important voice on behalf of individuals. You do not have to agree with all the positions it supports in order to understand its importance. I deduce traffic to this site is being monitored by any number of agencies and | or persons.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The E.F.F., one of whose founders was John Perry Barlow [R.I.P.], is an organization promoting freedom of expression in digital media. It is the leading civil liberties group defending your rights in the digital world.
Free Speech Internet TV
Free Speech Internet TV is the first audio | video hub on the World-Wide Web created and defined by the people who use it. Free Speech Internet TV's commitment is to offer services. It is available on Dish Network® direct broadcast satellite (channel 9415).
FCC National Broadband Map
Here is the Federal Communication Commission's broadband map of 6 August 2024. It has multiple variables you can select, including the method of how the broadband access is delivered. The FCC defines broadband at the minimum of 100 Mbps down & 20 Mbps up. I keenly encourage you to opt for Fiber to the Premises 1000 Mbps down. I believe you do not need anything faster (some addresses have 5000 Mbps capacity); however, take note at how fast you can upload. XFinity® | Comcast® generally offers 1200 Mbps down, but only 35 Mbps up.
Best Neighborhood's Fiber TV & Internet Connectivity map [Chicago, IL.]
This is a World-Wide Web site which assists you in finding amenities including television and Internet connectivity for a geographic area. It is available for the entire contiguous U.S.A. I send you to the page for Chicago. Back-parse for other cities.
Internet service providers [ISPs]
Here is a comprehensive World-Wide Web site listing scores of ISPs, including dial-up | v.92 modem ISPs (which I recommend having as a contingency should your broadband connection fail). This page is for the U.S.A. Other countries are available.
The FreeSite
Here is a site which collates all types of freebies on the World-Wide Web.
National Address ZIP + 4 server [secure]
This site will yield the ZIP + 4 ZIP Code for virtually any address serviced by the United States Postal Service. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.
Currency converter
Here is a good interactive site which will provide the exchange rate between your home country and the recipient country. This displays U.S. Dollar to Japanese Yen. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX® to use this site.
On-line hoaxes and urban myths | legends
This is Snopes. Since 1995, it has been a W-WW site which debunks the mentioned topics.
Before you forward that E-Mail, or recirculate the URL which purports to disclose a life-changing message, please check here.
Cease receiving “pre-approved” credit solicitations
Are you tired of getting mailings from banks offering you another credit card, mortgage, or line-of-credit offer? This TLS W-WW site, maintained by the U.S.A.'s “big four” credit reporting bureaux, is where you can terminate receiving those offers in the mail. This may not be 100% effective; because there are some financial institutions which do not use the big four's services; but it should significantly curtail the onslaught.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Across the U.S.A., some houses of religion are dabbling into something expressly prohibited to them by the U. S. Constitution: Partisan politics. This organization exposes which ones are, and offers actions which can be taken to cease this.
Who's A Rat?
The World-Wide Web has many sites on which miscreants are annotated. Here's a site which identifies the miscreants whose “day jobs” are being paid snitches for entrapping other individuals (who may not be contemplating any “illegal” activity). It strives to be the largest online database of informants and agents. There is also a forum for which you may register.
Police Misconduct
Via the Tor Project [c.v.], this is a World-Wide Web site maintained by the Cato Institute, a libertarian organization, documenting genuine instances of when law enforcement personnel have abused their position of authority.
Mother Jones
This is a W-WW site espousing progressive ideas for dealing with today's world. However, subscribing to this magazine may result in you being refused a U.S. Governmental security clearance (including T.S.A. PreCheck®).
Block Club Chicago
When “DNAinfo” ceased operation in November 2017, this became where many of its reporters wound up. It is an online newspaper that reports local and neighborhood news in Chicago. It operates as a non-profit, subscription-based service. Its mission is to deliver reliable, essential, and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods.
Boing Boing
Boing Boing is an aggregator of both blog postings and W-WW v2 websites across a vast spectrum of topics. It has been consistently rated amongst the top World-Wide Web sites.
VideoHelp forum
This is a comprehensive forum with many dedicated members which should help you (and I) discern how to accomplish a particular quandary. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies to post or respond here.
Consumer Reports
This is the World-Wide Web location of the U.S.A.'s most esteemed organization rating products and services. (The magazine was first published in May 1936.) It is a member of Consumers International, a federation of more than 220 consumer organizations from over 115 countries.
mySimon
mySimon is a service of C.B.S. Interactive. It is a World-Wide Web site which turns its shopping bots loose on the Internet to find prices of items for which you are seeking. For something eminating from a W-WW behemoth, it is quite good.
Reseller Ratings
This W-WW site allows you to compare product prices across a spectrum of on-line purveyors. It also has a keen forum where you can learn about the sites surveyed herein, as well as technical aspects of computing and the Internet.
Amazing Bargains
Here is another W-WW site which compounds discount and free offers on the Internet.
Deal Genius
This is a purveyor of discontinued merchandise sold at closeout prices. It has opened its outlet store at 4249 W. Diversey Ave. in Chicago. [Park kitty-corner from it on the northwest corner of Diversey and Kildare.]
Cook Brothers
Cook Bros. is a warehouse store not charging a membership fee. Its prices may not be the lowest, but the spectrum of what it stocks in its store at 1740 N. Kostner Ave. in Chicago is something you should check.
Flipp flyer application
This is a World-Wide Web site which collates a large number of supermarket and other stores' weekly advertisement flyers and presents them in one space. I send you to the grocery list for 60641. Change to your ZIP Code and the types of stores in which you are seeking on the left side.
Craig's List [Chicago, IL.]
Craig's List began as a cooperative forum in San Francisco, CA. It matured into an on-line campus compounding social and business spheres, for communities across the U.S.A., and around the world. The communities are on the right side of the screen. Despite the negative coverage it has attracted from “mainstream” media, there are solid deals and valuable services available here. Craig's List prefers you browse with Firefox.
Community Savings Bank [Chicago, IL.]
This is the W-WW site of the financial institution in which an amount of my funds are deposited. It has been in business since 1944. (It moved to the corner of Belmont Ave. and Cicero Ave. in 1953.) It is FDIC insured. It is a bank I can highly recommend to everyone in metropolitan Chicago, especially those not wanting to entrust their money to a multi-national corporation. It offers many banking services for free; and has consultants who speak English, Español, or Polish.
Little Three Happiness Forum
This is Chicago's most astute forum discussing food, both domestically and commercially. I am registered here. I recommend doing so also. (Requires JavaScript|ActiveX® on, and cookies accepted.)
However, as I scribe below, the COVID-19 pandemic should cause all the LTHF Great Neighborhood Restaurants (GNR) to be delisted and have to re-prove they are worthy of recommendation.
Chicago restaurant surcharge list
This is a Google™ document noting the above. In many instances, the percentage being added is inferred to be the substitute to a tip, but is not. This also notes which venues add the surcharge after taxes have been included. There are also annotated examples of when a surcharge is designated for the benefit of employees [e.g.: for their health care plan], but said employees note they do not qualify for health care because they are not assigned enough hours. Information on how to add a venue to this document is indicated on the page.
Chicago italian beef document
This is | was a phenomenal Google™ document produced by the LTHF's [c.v.] member "eating while walking". It displays thirteen variables about the italian beef shack where he dined. Nine of the thirteen apply to the sandwich itself. He has been to ninety-five shacks. For ‘E Giard Type’, Standard equals serrano peppers, olives, celery, carrots, and cauliflower.
This was very valuable circa 2018, but many of the shacks listed here have closed - but are not shown as closed, and the ones which remain have not been visited since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the U.S.A., such that the ratings can no longer be fully trusted. However, recently I espied a number of previously unannotated italian beef shacks on here, so perhaps he might renew his coverage.
Chicago italian beef map
This is a compatriot to the previous link. It is a custom Google™ map displaying where are the italian beef shacks where he has dined.
Grease Freak's images of Chicago-style food
This is a World-Wide Web page with hundreds of pictures of various courses of Chicago-styled foodstuffs. All foods on Grease Freak appear exactly how they were intended to look by the folks who prepared them. He does not touch-up the food to improve appearances. The methodology: He orders, gets the food, shoots, and eats.
He does not claim to be an expert on fast food, but he is well aware of the merits and pitfalls of Chicago's staple meals. He has eaten countless winners and, all too often, some real stinkers that made him physically ill.
Chicago restaurants taken out from during the COVID-19 pandemic
This is a Google™ map constructed by me where I depicted the restaurants along the Chicago Transit Authority [c.v.] bus routes #54 Cicero and #77 Belmont which I visited in person and bought food from there back to the abode.
Chicago BBQ King weblog
This is a weblog maintained by somebody who was associated with a barbecue joint. He does not limit himself to posts about B-B-Q. He began this weblog in September 2008. But I did not learn about this until a Google™ map he compiled about venues in Tokyo, Japan [c.v.] turned up on another foodie weblog.
He has threatened to turn this blog into a Substack entity. If he does, I do not recommend you pay for it.
E a t e r [Chicago, IL.]
This is a national food, beverage, and venue collator, similar to the Little Three Happiness Forum [c.v.]. I send you to the Chicago branch of the operation.
Emoticons | Emoji
This is a distinct World-Wide Web page displaying all the above which are extant. If you back-parse, other symbols are available.
Groupon [Chicago, IL.]
Groupon began as a side project of a progressive political organization along the lines of Moveon.org. But its ability to negotiate pricing deals with local restaurants, and stores, swiftly overtook the original intent. You sign up with an E-Mail address in order to access the site [It will send you a daily E-Mail.]. As for the deals it has been able to purvey; I think they are good. It helps if you know someone with whom you can enjoy the deal. Most are overwhelming for one person alone. I send you to the Chicago page.
Edward R. Hamilton, bookseller
I ordered books from Edward R. Hamilton, of Falls Village, CT., for over 30 years. It started out as a remaindered-only, mail order company. It keeps its prices low by not accepting credit cards or doing any billing. The ultimate payoff is at the conclusion. It charges only $4.00 for postage and handling, regardless of the number of books which you order.
RockAuto
Obtaining parts and supplies, including air filters and carburetors, for the 1987 Chevrolet Sprint might have been a much more expensive foray were it not for RockAuto.
Voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] providers and plans
Here is an advertising-supported World-Wide Web site comparing residential and business VoIP providers. It is maintained by Slashdot Media.
In North America, the telephone number you dial to learn who is your default long distance carrier for that line is 1-700-555-4141.
Usenet via your browser
This W-WW site has completely revamped. It is a purveyor of uncensored Usenet access. Rates are $12.00 | month, or $99.00 | year. Data downloads are capped at 635 GB | month. The service is offered in six languages. It is registered to somebody in, and hosted in Germany, but its corporate headquarters are in San Marino.

Travel

MapQuest
MapQuest provides driving directions, maps, and live traffic reports. It includes much searching criteria. It is affiliated with America on-Line.
Open Street Map
This is an open source map of the world, user-maintained and free to use. There is a learning curve involved with it. Its base is much more intricate than that of Google™. It emphasizes local knowledge. It may be utilized for any purpose as long as you credit it and its contributors.
We Go Here maps
Here is another on-line map purveyor. It allows you to sign on and save your maps off-line.
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago is one of the easiest cities (in the U.S.A.) to traverse without an automobile. Unlike some cities, its system does not shut down completely at midnight. Link here for routes, maps, and schedules.
The Authority has implemented a fare payment system called Ventra [linked from here]. As you may know, I am keen about privacy; but being tracked while riding transit in order to save money is a worthy exception to my policy. There is no longer an excuse to not utilize Ventra, which is now also valid on Pace suburban routes. The cost of a one, three, seven, or 30-day pass ($5, $15, $20, $75) will swiftly undercut what funds one would expend if not utilizing Ventra. (The 30-day Reduced Fare pass is being slashed from $50 to $35.) The cash | pay-as-you-go fare is now essentially a gouge. There are no transfers included. If your travel involves two other bus routes in merely that two-hour span, you would spend $6.75 then and there. {How much is that one-day pass?}
The one exception is if you start at the O'Hare “L” station; the fare is $5.00. I am disappointed by this; however, many other cities [e.g.: St. Louis, MO.; Vancouver, BC., Canada] also hit travellers with an airport transit surcharge.
There is now a Flickr® account in which it posts photographs from its library.
CTA Bus Tracker
The Authority has overhauled the Bus Tracker application. Now, both the stop location and the map displaying where a bus is operating are both under this URL. This page is also available en Español.
CTA Train Tracker
Here is the CTA W-WW site which attempts to communicate when a train shall arrive at a specified station.
Locating CTA buses
This is a swift and informative W-WW site which searches the Authority's ‘Clever Devices’ application to locate its buses currently in service. It has been upgraded to tracking all buses, broken out by model. It is updated every ten minutes.
Locating Pace buses
Here is a similar W-WW site to that of the above. It locates all Pace suburban Regional Transportation Authority buses. It is in numerical order. Pace does not number a vehicle to end in 13. It is updated every ten minutes. For vehicles with a five-digit number, the first two digits are the last two digits of the year they were delivered.
CTA Buses on a route
This is a rubric of a transit inspection World-Wide Web site by Darwin O'Connor that provides real-time bus (and now train) tracking and next vehicle predictions for multiple metropolitan areas, including the CTA. It is a significant W-WW site, but its misspellings are disappointing [e.g.: "broweser", "shink"]. I send you to the routelist. A CTA system map is also available. Back parse for the other systems it inspects.
Streetsblog [Chicago]
Streetsblog is a daily news source connecting people to information about sustainable transportation and livable communities. It has covered the movement to transform our cities by reducing dependence on private automobiles and improving conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. There are Streetsblog World-Wide Web pages for six other metropolitan areas, as well as a national one for the rest of the U.S.A. There is an e-mail list for which you may register.
CTA Reliability
This is an interactive W-WW site maintained by Brandon McFadden. It examines the current service levels of the Authority's “L” trains at selected key stations. This accurately depicts the number of actual arrivals compared with the number scheduled.
Chicago transit forum
This is a forum with both operators and riders of metropolitan Chicago posting frequently. It still has a number of unsubstantiated and irrational opinions, too many ‘replies’ reading "thanks" or "ok", and people not reading other people's replies, but it is worth monitoring.
My transit content is now generally posted on the Skyscraper City forum [c.v.].
Chicago “L” history
This is the World-Wide Web's largest resource for information on Chicago's rapid transit system. It encompasses transit history; advocacy; and technical data. It is a member of the "Chicago and Northern Illinois History Ring".
Central Electric Railfans' Association
I have been a member (#4645) of C.E.R.A. since 1978. It is the longest-lasting conglomeration which has not yet dissolved, or extruded me from its membership rolls. C.E.R.A. has been around since 1938. It is a railfan organization orbiting around the metropolitan Chicago area. Monthly {except July and August} meetings of the organization are held at its downtown office space @ 400 E. Randolph St. 7th floor. The meetings are on the fourth Friday of each month (at 19:00 hours [UTC-6]).
C.E.R.A. is also conducting videoconferencing meetings via Zoom on the second Friday of the month.
C.E.R.A. needs new members. It is jarring when I attend the physical meetings and sense I am the youngest person in the room. If you are intrigued by trains, or Chicago, please join C.E.R.A.
Railroad videoconferencing shows [UTC-6]
Here is a user-compiled list of future railroad presentations, both electric and steam, via the Zoom program. You can adjust the beginning times of each for the four time zones of the contiguous fourty-eight U.S. States, plus a selection of other time zones. There is a Google™ Calendar frame embedded within.
The Trolley Dodger weblog
The webmaster | janitor here is David Sadowski. It orbits around photographs of traction vehicles, mainly in Chicago, but including a number of other areas in the U.S.A. I have contributed to it, and I appear in his photographs.
His books, published via Arcadia Publishing, are interesting, but when he boasts that the number of pages was increased; if you are used to the dimensions [H × W] of a C.E.R.A. Bulletin, or Shore Line Dispatch, Arcadia is a mere 9¼" × 6½".
He has made three posts in 2024: One in January, one in April, and the third in mid-August. After all these years, I feel he has lost the initative to maintain this blog. He seems to be putting more effort into his Arcadia books, which are as I mention smaller in size to the publications released by C.E.R.A. or Shore Line, yet cost the same.
Illinois Railway Museum
The "Hicks Car Works" name commemorates a Chicago Heights train car manufacturer (1897-1911). It constructed Chicago, Aurora, & Elgin car #309 in 1907. (CA&E #309 continued in service on the CA&E until the railroad's abrupt end of passenger service on 3 July 1957.) It is still operated sporadically at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. (McHenry County - northwest of Chicago). This weblog orbits around the preservation activity @ I.R.M. It has three regular contributors.
I. R. M.'s CTA history archive
This is an expanding World-Wide Web site which is scanning and uploading print publications issued by the CTA, for both the public and its own employees. The documents are in .pdf format.
Aircraft flight tracking
Is your flight delayed? Are you at the airport right now wondering if the airline's gate agent is telling you the complete truth? Link here for the real answer. FlightAware collects data from air traffic control across the U.S.A. Select by specific flight, airport, or aircraft type. You may register for it to obtain additional information; but if you did, you now need to alter your profile definitions - it was hacked in July 2024.
FlyerTalk Forums
This is the travel forum which I found most educational when researching my trips to Tokyo, Japan. This forum began as a resource for airlines' frequent flyer program members to provide key data. It has expanded to include specific recommendations within popular destinations. I am registered here, and I can recommend you do so. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies. There is a rubric here which you will not view until you have been on the forum for a specified number of days and made a number of posts and replies.
Frommer's
Frommer's has been in continuous annual publication since the 1957 debut of Arthur Frommer's revolutionary "Europe on $5 a Day", which changed the way the world traveled. It helps you experience your travel destinations the way locals do. It offers a free newsletter. I was derelict in not having this on this page.
Hotwire®
Hotwire® has been overhauled. It now does the search work for Expedia, Orbitz, & Travelocity, which is why those W-WW sites have been removed.
All these travel reservation sites work swifter if you use a direct connection to the Internet, turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies.
Agoda travel platform
Agoda is an online travel platform that brings high-value and rewarding travel experiences to people all over the world through the Agoda website. Its mission is to empower everyone to be a traveler by offering affordable deals on hotels, flights, activities, et cetera. I have used this to book hotel rooms in Tokyo, and will investigate other cities where I seek to travel. You may register for this W-WW site should you want it to retain your data.
Momondo | Kayak
Momondo [now encompassing Kayak] is an airline searching W-WW site endeavoring to locate and identify the least expensive flight on the route in which you are interested. It also has a “trip finder” aspect allowing you to find new destinations from your home city. In a few instances, it may not find the lowest rate, but it will put you far enough along the path for you to obtain the lowest rate: I.E.: An air flight will almost always be less costly to book at that airline's own W-WW site. It has won awards, and been recommended by CNN, the New York Times, and the Daily Telegraph. I send you to the U.S.A. site. It has websites in other languages and countries.
Sky Scanner
This is another W-WW site comparing flights to find you the cheapest deal, fast. It also attempts to find the cheapest hotels and car rental for the trip. I send you to the U.S.A. site. It has websites in other languages and countries.
Cheapo Air
Cheapo Air is a travel portal where a budget-savvy traveler can search deeply for prices for airlines and lodging, enabling a result with an ability to book it. Cheapo Air is promoted by Fare Portal.
Google™ flights [secure]
Back in 2011, Google™ bought ITA, a travel industry software developer. This semi-obscure W-WW site [Can anything affiliated with Google™ be considered obscure?] utilizes that technology to create an easier way for users to find better flight information online. It makes it easier to search for flights, compare flight options, prices, and get to a W-WW site swiftly to buy the ticket. (If you have a Google™ account, you can save potential itineraries here; but it will almost always involve booking the airfare elsewhere.) I found the lowest airfare for my flights to Tokyo in April 2014-2017, September 2017, and April 2023 via here.
ITA Matrix
It was bought by Google™, but this URL is still extant. Its termination date has been publicized. It is aimed at savvy frequent flyers who know how to tweak airline booking searches to specify a route, cabin section, airline alliance, and a number of other variables. Should you want to delve into this, there is a rubric on the FlyerTalk forum [c.v.] under ‘Travel Tools’ offering key information.
Airfare Watchdog®
This is a W-WW site, in the format of a weblog, which believes it is the only airfare alert and comparison site that includes fares on all airlines, including Southwest, Skybus, Allegiant, Spirit, Frontier, and JetBlue.
Fare Compare
Fare Compare is an airline ticket comparison shopping World-Wide Website. It is an independent airfare shopping site with the all the tools necessary to help consumers find the best deals available quickly, easily, and first. Ticket prices often change dramatically from hour-to-hour, day-to-day and week-to-week. Fare Compare believes that no one site has the cheapest price, nor the best deal, at any given moment. Less than 10% of passengers on each flight pay the cheapest price for the same seat. Online travel agencies and metasearch sites want to sell you a ticket. Fare Compare wants to help you find a cheap flight deal.
Secret Flying
This is a World-Wide Web site striving to save you a significant amount of money on airfares worldwide. It emphasizes itself on "error fares", which are extremely temporary.
Skiplagged
This is a W-WW site focusing on “hidden city” flights; which is an airline flight that makes at least one stop before landing at its final destination [e.g.: Chicago-Albuquerque-San Francisco]. Sometimes, the cost of the flight from Chicago to San Francisco will be less than any flight from Chicago to Albuquerque. Skiplagged finds itineraries which match this description and books that flight.
Airlines do not like this. You have to book one-way fares because if you had booked a round trip to San Francisco and did not land there, the airline would cancel your return flight reservation from there back to Chicago and capture your funds.
Google™ hotels
Similar to Google™ flights [c.v.], here is its hotel room search platform.
Trivago hotel room search
This is a search engine specializing in hotel rooms. The precept is that the same hotel has different prices for its room depending on which World-Wide Web site it appears [E.G.: The “budget” W-WW site v. the city's Chamber of Commerce W-WW site]. Trivago searches over 317 W-WW sites [1,000,000 rooms] daily, and collates the data here.
Priceline®
Priceline® was a pioneer in online travel booking back in the 20th Century. The concept of naming a price for an airplane ticket, hotel room, or rental car upended the marketplace. Its opacity was key in its transformation. The individual “name your price” paradigm has modified to “express deals”, which expound on what is the lowest price a purveyor will accept for its property or service.
Hotels Combined
This is a collator of hotel rooms. It observes Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, & Hotwire's rates and proclaims them here. It offers special pricing to persons who register and logon.
Motel 6®
Motel 6 is the U.S.A.'s lowest-priced national motel chain. I began staying at Motel 6 in 1987. On-line reservations are available. You may register if you wish it to save some of your data.
Hotel Coupons
This was formerly "Roomsaver". It is a collator of hotel and motel coupons. This site also allows you to print out coupons from its guides on-line. This corporation publishes the “green guide”.
Hostelling International
When you travel, staying at a hostel puts you in touch with people who are very interested in sharing their journeys with you. It is also one of the least expensive ways to sleep. I am a Life Member of HI-AYH. This is its central site, available in four languages. You don't have to be under 30 years of age to stay here. Bring a towel.
Hostel World
Here is the most vast World-Wide Web site disclosing hostels around the globe. There is also a weblog here. Its aim is to feed and water your wanderlust. It shares its best travel tips with the help of favo(u)rite travel writers; such as where to find those authentic, soul-filled places, in any particular city.
Southwest Airlines
This is my favorite airline. Other air carriers may match its airfare prices, but then they will snipe you with any number of nearly unavoidable fees. Sign up for Rapid Rewards®. The program has been revamped, so I can't swiftly tell you how to earn a free flight. It now requires a certain amount of points. However, you will be able to book and find a seat when you attempt to claim your award flight.
Travel Channel
I do not have cable | satellite television here at the abode. But I did enjoy watching selected shows on this channel. Specifically, "No Reservations", "Bizarre Foods", "Booze Traveler", "Hotel Impossible", and "Man v. Food". This page includes much multimedia.
For 91 Days
Here is a fascinating travel weblog by Jürgen and Mike, from Germany and the U.S.A. They love learning about new cultures and have decided to see the world slowly. They travel the globe, photographing and annotating their experiences. When not travelling, they live in Valencia, Spain.
TV Food Maps
This is an independent, unaffiliated W-WW page which compiles all the venues which have appeared on a panoply of cable | satellite television shows revolving around food and beverage.
M e g a b u s
I leave this World-Wide Web site on here although Chicago no longer has service. (The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc with intercity motor coach providers.) You may register if you wish it to save some of your data. I send you directly to the page where you can investigate the cost of your trip.
Speed Trap Exchange
If you're out on the highway, you see them everyday. Traffic is moving safely and expeditiously, but not legally according to the posted speed limit. Link here to learn where are the speed traps out on the highways of the U.S.A. It is sponsored by the National Motorists Association.
Gas Buddy gas prices
Gas Buddy has a sufficient number of reliable gasoline price posters throughout the U.S.A. and Canada. Use it to deduce where to refuel as you motor. You can search via state, city, or zip code. The potential hazard is mendacious gas station operators entering a price lower than what they are charging in an attempt to influence motorists to visit their station.
I-95 exit guide
Interstate 95 [I-95] is the main highway on the east coast of the U.S.A. Portions of it are a toll road. (I do not drive on toll roads | turnpikes.) If you do drive I-95, here is a World-Wide Web site which lets you know about food, lodging, gasoline prices, shopping, and more along its route.
Skyscraper City forum
This is a forum orbiting around urban areas across the globe. It serves as a repository for planners and the people who live or travel there. I am registered here, and make my transportation posts and replies here. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies.
SkyscraperPage forum
It is not affiliated with the above; but this forum orbits around development news and construction activity on projects from around the world, alongside discussions on urban design, architecture, transportation and many other topics. I am registered here. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies.
Railroad forum
This is a comprehensive forum orbiting around all aspects of railroads in the U.S.A. and Canada. There are rubrics for all classes of extant freight railroads, passenger rail, equipment manufacturers, as well as railfanning and modelling. I am registered here. In order for me to logon, I had to turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection in Firefox. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies.
Train Board
Here is a railroad discussion forum which is one of the oldest railroad-orbiting World-Wide Web sites (online since March 2000). It has been integrated with Rail Images, which launched when image hosting was rare on the W-WW. It estimates it hosts over 100,000 railroad and model railroad images. For the latter, it has a rubric titled “Special Runs”. You need to register in order to view the full-sized images. It requires JavaScript|ActiveX® on, and accepting cookies.
Industrial History
Here is a scintillating weblog I wish I had found years ago, especially when my dad was alive. It is by Dennis DeBruler, and features railroads, bridges, and the businesses served by them. He takes photographs of them, which are Creative Commons - BY - 4.0, and shares them here.
Towns and Nature
This is a corollary weblog to that of the above. It is also maintained by Dennis DeBruler.
Forgotten Railways, Roads & Places
This is a weblog maintained since February 2018, which delves into abandoned transportation routes, ghost towns, and forgotten places.
Philadelphia Trolleys
This is a user-maintained W-WW site informing people about the streetcars which ran, or in a few instances, are still running, in Philadelphia, PA. However, it has not been updated since March 2020.
San Francisco underground travel
It's a lot different being shown around by a friend in San Francisco than navigating the foggy maze on your own. This is the best independent guide to what is worth seeing, and what is just a tourist trap.
Market Street Railway
It is overshadowed by the city's cable cars, but San Francisco also has a fleet of electric streetcars running along Market Street seven days a week. Here you can learn more about San Francisco's transit history, the postwar P. C. C. (Presidents' Conference Committee) streetcars used to provide service, and how to become a member of the organization.

Japan

Japanese <-> English dictionary [#1]
Did you link to a page which seemed to have the information for which you were looking, but it had those unfamiliar Japanese Kana characters on it? Here is a World-Wide Web page which can come to your assistance.
Japanese <-> English dictionary [#2]
This is Jisho, another Japanese to English dictionary. This page is where you can enter an English word, tick the box that reads ‘Kana as romaji’, and view the output in both Kana and a pronouncible English word. There are additional translations options at the top of this page. Jisho is maintained by Denshi Jisho.
Japanese telephone numbers
This is a URL I posted here to assist you in finding specific venues in Japan by using one of the few elements you can read and write from a Japanese-language [Kanji] World-Wide Web site on your western keyboard: Its telephone number. Enter the number in the box atop this page. The output display will include the Kanji characters with the street address of the venue. You can then use the copy and paste function of your computer's operating system to transfer that street address to your map program.
Japanese Yen - U.S. Dollar exchange rate {Yahoo!®}
A dynamic table illustrating what the trading range is for these two currencies. This shows the current month. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.
Daikokuya exchange shop
This is an English-language translation of a chain of shops in metropolitan Tokyo, Yokohama, and other cities in Japan, which offer a higher [| better] purchase rate for a U.S. Dollar (and subsequent conversion to a Japanese Yen).
World currency exchange shop [English]
This is another currency exchange corporation which I learned about via a poster on FlyerTalk [c.v.]. Compare and contrast the two shops' exchange rate. This seemed a little better. It appears many of its shops are in MUFG bank branches.
Zen Market shopping proxy service
After trying since 2017, in January 2020 I finally located a service which would purchase an item sold only in Japan and ship it to the U.S.A. In my case, it was a P145/80R-12 tire for the 1987 Chevrolet Sprint. I recommend it to you as well. I placed it precisely here because you will have to convert your U.S. Dollar to Japanese Yen when depositing funds into your account to obtain whatever you order, and your own credit card issuer will give you a higher exchange rate (which you will glimpse by checking one of the above exchange rate links) than this W-WW site's own. (You can also use X-Rates, which is the "Currency converter" link in Resources above.)
PhotoGuide Japan
You will find much informative data here. I point out to you the Japan Photos section. As you proceed, you may opt for a framed or non-framed presentation. It has been online since March 1996.
Tokyo Pinball Organization
This is the English-language home page for the above named organization. There are more pages in Japanese which refer to the general history of pinball.
Beer Club Popeye
This is Tokyo's (and probably Japan's) number one beer bar. It has one hundred taps (but not all of them are connected at any one time), including real ales. It is off the beaten path in Ryögoku, an east-central area [Sumida-ku] of Tokyo. The closest train station to it is the JR Sobu Line's "Ryögoku" stop [west exit]. (If you catch it at Akihabara or Ochanomizu, it will cost ¥140.) If you order designated beers (indicated on the menu with a crown) during “Happy Hour” (15:00 - 20:00 hours Mon.-Sat.), you receive a free pub snack (Try the pizza.). Do note some of its print ads and links from other W-WW pages still display an erroneous opening time of 17:00 hours.
Thrash Zone
This is a bar in a neighborhood just north of downtown Yokohama, which has two things going for it: Very low prices on “extreme” craft beer, all of which are on draft and; recorded music, and music videos, of hard rock and metal bands playing in the background. Koichi-san is the proprietor.
Its hours are limited. Its beers are brewed at another location, which has both limited capacity and opening hours.
Beer Tengoku
Here is an English-language weblog which I forgot about. The bloggers here delve into multiple aspects of craft beer in Japan (not just Tokyo & Yokohama) and beyond. It also has a Patreon component.
Tokyo Beer Drinker
Our craft beer blogger (Neil) is English, a soccer fan (Kawasaki FRONTALE), a non-smoker, and a vegetarian. His objective is to provide the information you could possibly want about bars such as opening hours; an idea on prices; if they have a cover charge; beer selection; how to get there if you can't read Japanese; et cetera. He also presents guest reviews.
Craft Beer Establishments in the Kanto Area
This is a comprehensive World-Wide Web site annotating venues in Kanto [i.e.: The area of Japan in which is Tokyo.] It is updated frequently. A Google™ map of the selected venue(s) is available. It has recommendations for other areas of Japan if you back-parse.
Japanese craft beer bars I recommended (2012)
I nearly had an article printed in the Lumpen Organization's "Mash Tun" magazine which was put out during Chicago Craft Beer Week 2012. My article was cut. This is a Google™ map which displays the bars about which I wrote. Some of these bars no longer exist.
Deep Japan
This World-Wide Web site offers Japan visitors unlimited local knowledge from a select Senpai network. This includes travel advice, Japanese manners, learning about Japan and other questions.
Tokyo Cheapo
This is a weblog, powered by Disqus, in which our four regular bloggers (and the sporadic guest blogger) pontificate on how to enjoy Tokyo while spending as little money as possible.
Tokyo is frequently cited as one of the most expensive cities on the planet to visit, but that is a smokescreen. The venues you learn about in those reports are written by public relations agencies cohabiting with the venues being mentioned. The venues pay to be included in the articles. The venues jack up their prices by 67+%. They find some cachet in being described as expensive, as though you achieve some mythical status for shopping or dining there. You do not get more, you just pay more. Tokyo Cheapo helps you find the venues which do not participate in this racket.
[N.B.: This racket exists World-Wide. There was a Chicago monthly small-sized glossy print magazine, ‘The REAL Chicago’, which consisted of advertisements for avaricious venues for eleven months, and which in the twelfth month were then proclaimed by the magazine as ‘Chicago's Best’ in a convoluted category in which they were the only honoree.]
Lawson ‘Store 100’ locations
It took a while to find a definitive World-Wide Web site with this information. Japan is loaded with convenience stores (“conbini”), any of which are elevated over what is found in North America, although this could change since the Japanese corporation owning ‘7-Eleven’-branded stores has bought the Speedway gasoline | convenience store chain.
There are several branches of ‘Lawson’ stores in Japan. This is where there is a list of the Lawson stores which sell everything for ¥100 [+ 10% tax]. I have consistently shopped here when in Japan.
The fascinating fact is that Lawson was founded in northeast Ohio, U.S.A. in 1939. It expanded in the U.S.A. and was invested in by a larger American corporation. In 1975, this corporation was approached by a Japanese corporation seeking to compete against ‘7-Eleven’-branded stores there. Lawson stores began opening in Japan in June 1975. The larger American corporation bought out the Lawson U.S.A. concern in 1985 and put its name on the stores. The Japanese corporation continued using the Lawson name.
Lawson is the third-largest conbini chain in Japan (because former numbers three & four merged to become #2).
Don Quijote [English]
Donki (as it is commonly called) is a chain of department stores in Japan. Its prices are extremely low. It also purveys "shopping entertainment" in each store. I have bought lots of items from its stores in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka. The last time I visited Japan, Donki saved me when I failed to pack my three-prong to two-prong outlet converter. It accepts a credit card. If you spend at least ¥10,000 in one visit, present your passport, so it can deduct the excise tax from your purchase.
Sora News 24
This is a Tokyo-based news W-WW site. It orbits around coverage of modern and traditional culture from Japan and Asia to people around the world, focusing on fun, weird, and intriguing news.
La Carmina's blog
This is the weblog of a young female who lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, but frequently visits Tokyo. She has appeared on satellite TV channels such as the Travel Channel [c.v.] and CNN in the U.S.A.; NHK in Japan; and Canal+ in France. She orbits around gothic style, alternative culture, and ‘cute’ elements of Japan. You can also follow her cat, Basil Farrow's blog at http://www.lacarmina.com/basilfarrow.
Tokyo Calling
This is a weblog by Gianni Simone, a {former?} zinester who I actually met in Tokyo in December 2005 (one of the few non-messups of that jaunt). I did reconnect with him in April 2023. He is now posting his content via Substack, which offers bonus material to people who pay for it. I enjoy his posts, but will not pay money to Substack.
Jamaipanese blog
This is a blog by Kirk Brown, a 30-ish male from Kingston, Jamaica, who began travelling to Japan in September 2011, and now lives in rural Japan as a participant with the JET Programme. “Jamaipanese” is a candid portmanteau of the words JAMAIcan and JaPANESE, hence he calls himself and the blog Jamai + Panese or Jamaipanese.
Supleks Japanese ramen search
These twelve World-Wide Web sites are weblogs for English-speaking people who are planning to visit Tokyo | Yokohama | Osaka | Nagoya, love ramen, and do not read enough Japanese to be able to understand Japanese ramen W-WW sites. I have removed all the Google™ translations of these ramen reviewing W-WW sites. Use the Translate Web Pages (TWP) Firefox addon to change the text to English (or another Romance language). This is Japan's largest ramen restaurant review W-WW site. All the reviews are from registered customers.
RAMENOID's Supleks' reviews
This is an account of a person living in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture (northeast of Tokyo), Supleks' [c.v.] ramen reviews. He is prolific. He writes one review per day, and each review is thorough. Use the TWP Firefox addon to change the text to English.
Other Japanese-language ramen reviewers on Supleks whom you could peruse are mocopapa, Y M K, & Tomason.
Ramen Walker magazine
Ramen Walker is a glossy print magazine reviewing ramen shacks. It also usually provides money-saving coupons to many of them. Again, use the TWP Firefox addon to change the text to English.
Ikemen's ramen blog
Here is another blog by a single individual. I like his posts because he has a habit of photographing the ticket machine and annotating what is each button. So you can attempt to learn Japanese in this method. Use the TWP Firefox addon to change the text to English.
Ramen Guide Japan
This W-WW site strives to provide you with quality ramen content. It is here to help you have an enjoyable time in Japan. From restaurant reviews to recipes, it hopes you will come to love ramen as much as it does.
Ramen Beast
This is a connoisseur's guide to the very best ramen of Japan. It strives to discover and celebrate only the best: Legendary shops open for generations, new school innovators carrying the cuisine forward, and the countless Japanese ramen chefs devoted to the mastery of their craft. One of its contributors is Abram Plaut, who worked with Brian MacDuckston [c.v.] on a ramen column for a weekly magazine.
Tokyo Belly
This is an English-language blog by Steve D., who lives in Tokyo, but went to junior high school and high school in Hawai'i, U.S.A. He eats at any number of restaurants, not merely ramen, in the metropolitan area. He began blogging in 2009. He is also into photography, so his entries mention the camera he used to take the pictures. If you click through to his profile, you will find more weblogs he composes.
5 AM Ramen
Here is another ramen review blogger I finally learned about when he guested on a ramen podcast I downloaded. He has been blogging since March 2016. Its title is attributed to what one consumes after a long night of drinking in Tokyo: A hearty bowl which settles the alcohol in your stomach.
Ramen Adventures
Here is another blog rating ramen shops in Tokyo. It is maintained by Brian MacDuckston. He gives a more specific location of each shop.
Tokyo Ramen Hunter
This is a ramen shack blog maintained by Gabriel Bloch. He did most of his reportage in 2014-15, and has not blogged since December 2017. The blog strives to be the essential resource for the beginner and the connoisseur. For the beginner, check the glossary for: Shio (salt), Shoyu (soy sauce), Miso (chicken & pork), and Tonkotsu (pork). They are the four basic classifications. Choose the one that sounds most appealing, and then use here to find a shop in Tokyo. This is an attempt to encyclopaedically list the city's best ramen shacks in a method allowing newcomers and tourists to get into the best without a lot of time or trouble. He got to (some) shacks that no other English-language blogger did.
Way of Ramen [podcast]
This is where Keizo Shimamoto resurfaced. He closed the ramen shack in San Juan Capistrano. He has taken over this ramen podcast (which had not had a podcast since April 2021). One of the newer episodes delves into what happened with that ramen shack. I send you to the direct link. I recommend registering for Podbay.FM [c.v.].
Friends In Ramen
This ramen blog is maintained by Benjamin Weber. He grew up in New York City, eating pizza every day. After graduating college, he moved to California, and then to Japan. He lived in Tokyo for over a year, but then got a new job. He moved to Osaka in June 2011. Much of his reportage is of shacks in Osaka. Each blog post is bi-lingual [English | Japanese]. However, he has not posted since July 2022.
Chicago BBQ King's Tokyo map
This is the map compounded by the above named person to which I refer above. It was how I discovered his weblog. For his trip to Tokyo (in 2019), he turned up hundreds of venues, many of which I was | am unfamiliar.
Amazon.co.jp: Kanagawa Prefecture atlas [Japanese]
This is the pocket-sized atlas I obtained at a bookstore in Yokohama. It should be translated into English. But for now, it is only available in Japanese. Kanagawa Prefecture is where you will find Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Misaki, Sagamihara, Hakone, and Odawara - all of which frequently attract English-speakers visiting cosmopolitan Tokyo.
With GPS devices flooding the planet, is anyone publishing print atlases anymore?
Tokyo Damage Report [archive]
This is a fascinating site formerly maintained by Steve Schultz, who no longer resides in Japan. That does not diminish the crucial data provided by this W-WW site. It describes Japanese pornographic books and videos in English. This will help you if you land on a Japanese W-WW site where the only use of English characters is in the linking URLs. The bulk of this site orbits around music.
A Google™ map of Tokyo Damage Report's venues
Somebody from Europe went and placed all the venues that S. Schultz mentioned in his Tokyo Trip Report [linked from above] on a Google™ map. Here it is.
Tokyo Railway Labyrinth
This is an English-language weblog by Yasushi Hamada, who retired. He was a petroleum geologist working in Shinjuku-ku. He travels on many train and subway lines in cosmopolitan Tokyo, not just JR.
Japanese Railway Society
This is a railfans' association, similar to C.E.R.A. [c.v.], headquartered in the U.K., which focuses on activity of the indicated topic. J.R., municipal, and private railway lines are covered. I am member #2105 of this society. If you are interested in the topic, I recommend doing also. It costs $45.00 | year. There is a U.S.A. representative of the society (in Iowa). If you contact me, I will pass along his address.
Japan train route & fare calculator [Navitime | English]
Hyperdia has been removed. It ceased updating completely post September 2022.
You begin by inputting the station names which you want to transit in Japan. It notes what you are typing and suggests the station(s) beginning with those letters. [You cannot disable this.] If you are staying at a hostel in Asakusa, the station name you want is "Asakusa(Tokyo)". Click on 'Customize Options' to specify the types of conveyances you want included. The results will let you know how much it will cost; how many times you need to transfer (and where); and how much time will be consumed.
Japan train route & fare calculator [Jorudan | English]
This is another interactive W-WW transportation site maintained by Jorudan. The concept is the same. Its output is lengthier and less interactive than Navitime, but its results should be the same. A Japanese-language version is available. Compare and contrast the two of them.
Here is a quote from Bob Radlowski of Chicago, submitted to Josh Noel, then of the Chicago Tribune, which describes the area:
I have been on some of the biggest public transportation systems - London, Paris, New York - but I have never seen a transit system like Tokyo's. Your initial impression when looking at the transit map is that it's a plate of spaghetti, but spend a little time with it, and you'll realize what a thing of beauty it is. Clean, fast, and efficient, you can get anywhere in a metropolitan area of 30-plus million people in less than half an hour. It's a reason in itself to visit Tokyo.

Beer

The Beeronaut
This is a weblog of Mark McDermott. It was previously hosted on Chicagonow before that platform was discontinued. It orbits around the craft beer scene in metropolitan Chicago.
Beer Menus [Chicago, IL.]
This is a dynamic W-WW page which currently attempts to denote which beers are available at both on-premise and off-premise venues in numerous U.S.A. cities. Alcohol by Volume (ABV) levels and prices for each are annotated. Beers and breweries may be sought. I send you directly to the Chicago main page. If you register, it allows you to make tasting notes for each beer you have. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®, and accept cookies. There is also a forum here.
Beer Me!™
Beer Me!™ is a W-WW beer site maintained by Richard Stueven, who is a brewmaster at the Gottberg Brew Pub in Columbus, Nebraska. This site is the most complete source of brewery and beer information available on the Internet.
American Breweriana Association
If you collect beer coasters, labels, crowns, neon signs, glasses or steins, bottles, or cans, or are interested in the history of breweries, join the A.B.A. I am member #1727. The Association has merged with the East Coast Breweriana Association.
Craft Beer
This was formerly the Brewers' Association [link]. The B.A. became big enough that it had to lay off people when its finances withered {oops} now needs multiple W-WW sites for each wing. This is the wing aimed at people who are not necessarily homebrewers, but enjoy savoring craft beers, either on- or off-premise.
I continue to encourage you to join the American Homebrewers' Association to take advantage of the "A.H.A. Member Deals" program.
Chicago Beer Society
The Chicago Beer Society has been around for forty years. In this span, the universe of beer has greatly transformed (and it may be transforming again); and much of that transformation can be traced directly to its members. Membership costs $25.00 | year. It is an organization for both homebrewers and beer enthusiasts with events occurring every month in the metropolitan Chicago area.
A Chicago beer wiki
Here is the first draft of a wiki-styled page which will purportedly collate all the frequently asked questions sent to the Chicago Beer Society [c.v.] E-Mail listserv; so that the same query does not have to be made again.
Guys Drinking Beer
This is a World-Wide Web site which began in 2010, and has gradually expanded into reviews, reporting, and beer-orbiting advocacy. It offers a weekly E-Mail which you may find intriguing.
Malt Row Chicago
This is an area of Chicago with a number of craft beer breweries. It is a project by the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.
Yard-Social's ultimate train crawl map
I had difficulty determing where to put this link. Yard-Social is a suburban organization committed to increase awareness of metropolitan Chicago's transit systems to make it more fun. It believes sustainable suburbs which maintain their ‘local community feel’ despite being infested by soulless subdivisions, chain fast food restaurants, and big box stores in massive parking lots, are where the future resides.
This is its user-compiled map of beerworthy venues along Metra rail's ten commuter train lines in northeastern Illinois.
Chicago Beer Geeks
This organization was founded in December 2010. Its mission is to inform craft beer geeks about the events and locations around the city and surrounding suburbs.
The main beer geek (Nik White) is Black. However, this blog has been mostly set aside for a Patreon account.
Tap Hunter [Chicago, IL.]
This is another W-WW site where a venue contemporaneously illustrates which beers it has on draft.
Sheffield's
Sheffield's is the superb craft beer bar closest to Wrigley Field. It is @ Sheffield and School Sts. There are three bars. It has also developed a solid repertory of barbeque cuisine.
The Hopleaf Bar
If you are on a tight layover, and can visit only one craft beer bar in Chicago, I recommend Hopleaf. It is at 5148 N. Clark St., near Ashland Ave. and Foster Ave. It was ranked #1 in the world (2023) by the readers of CraftBeerBrew. There are three bars. The ones on the first floor have more draft selections than the one on the second floor. Belgian-inspired foodstuffs are also available. The proprietors are Michael Roper and Louise Molnar.
The Beer Temple
In another glaring gaffe, I left this venue off the list for way too long. {People could contact me to inform about a venue which deserves consideration.} It is a store at 3173 N. Elston Ave. (the triangular corner of Belmont, California, & Elston) which began as a package shop in 2013. Christopher Quinn (& Margaret) expanded to include a taproom (20 taps) in 2017. It features numerous craft beers which do not get much distribution in metropolitan Chicago. It has a frequent buyer club you can join which does not require you to download an app to a mobile telephone.
C. Quinn also co-hosts "The Beer Temple Insiders Roundtable" podcast.
Delilah's
Delilah's, at Lincoln, Diversey, and Racine on Chicago's north side, is the tavern which is as loony and eclectic as me. It scores on multiple levels (beer | whisk(e)y | music | movies). In 2019, it was proclaimed the "Best Whiskey Bar in the World". Mike Miller is the proprietor. I hope, but I doubt, that the metropolitan area where you live has a tavern as enthralling as Delilah's, which has been around for 31¼ years. (The edifice has been a bar since 1894.)
Templestowe Pub
This is a small, quiet bar @ 3135 W. Montrose Ave. Its owners emigrated from Australia years ago. The aura of it would seemingly be Australian, but since I've never been there, I cannot be definitive. It is a very good venue. It is a Phish bar. Its beers on tap run the spectrum. It will put on the soccer game if requested. (It does not serve food, but you can bring it in or look at the nearby restaurants' menus.)
Sleeping Village
From the management of ‘The Whistler’ (a cocktail bar); Sleeping Village, at 3734 W. Belmont Ave. is a bar, concert venue (350 person capacity) showcasing local, national, and international talent, and work-space which orbits around craft beer.
The Long Room
This is at 1612 W. Irving Park Road (@ Ashland). It began in January 2000. It is a Black-owned business. It offers a curated list of beers both on draft and packaged, as well as cocktails. It is a dim, quiet venue with no televisions, but it has free wi-fi (from Astound | RCN, not Xfinity or AT&T). During daylight hours, it also offers coffee.
Empty Bottle Tavern
Here is another great music and beer venue in Chicago. It has at its core an eclectic booking policy which traverses all musical genrés. It also has a luscious cat named "Peg" {a Steely Dan [c.v.] reference?}.
Garage Bar & Sandwiches
This is a bar on the northwest side of Chicago at 6154 N. Milwaukee Ave. Its foodstuffs are good. It offers a spectrum of beers on draft at lower than average prices. It has a rooftop patio. I have been slow to acknowledge the venues west of the abode which I have visited. In the case of the Garage, the snag is also that this part of the City of Chicago is served only by Pace transit, albeit the advanced Pulse bus rapid transit mode. Ventra one, three, seven, & thirty-day passes are now valid on Pace transit routes, which will enable more patronage to venues similarly located like this.
FitzGerald's
FitzGerald's is the Chicago area's most eccentric indoor concert venue. It is in Berwyn, a west border suburb, at 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd. From “fat” music; to rhythm & blues; to big band jazz; to touring national acts: All of them play here.
Kuma's Corner
Here is a venue at 2900 W. Belmont Ave (@ Francisco). I think the reason I left it off this bookmark page was because it didn't need me to tell you about it. Before it was depicted on a television show, it was a tavern with an ‘attitude’. Somehow, despite its kitchen being only 16' × 6', it began creating artisan hamburgers, and naming them after heavy metal rock bands. It is a venue for the digital era - you will either love it or loathe it - no in-between.
There is a second Kuma's in Schaumburg, IL., a third location in Vernon Hills, IL., and a fourth location in Indianapolis, IN.
A line from its beer menu read distinctively:
Death to Miller and Budweiser...
they are over-produced and inferior products that prevent passionate craftsmen from sharing their gifts with all of us.
Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar
Here is an intriguing bar on Chicago's south side. The address (960 W. 31st St.) had been a package liquor store for the past quarter-century. Mike and Ed Marszewski rehabbed the rear portion to include a seating bar. All the brews on tap are solid craftbeers (& not just Marz's). "Kimski" provides its food service. In 2018, Chicago magazine proclaimed it "The best bar in Chicago". The CTA route #62 Archer bus, which has owl service, is within three blocks of here (walk north-northwest).
Hideout Tavern
This tavern, shoehorned into an old manufacturing district of Chicago [at 1354 W. Wabansia], features good beers and enthralling live music acts. It is a 2½-block walk north-northwest from the Throop bus stop on North Ave., east of Elston Ave.
Revolution Brwg.
This is the concern which everybody in Chicago was awaiting back in 2010. Its production brewery is at 3340 N. Kedzie Ave. Revolution's beers were exported to Japan (including venues where I have been [c.v.]). Its brewpub location on N. Milwaukee Ave. was closed in December 2024.
Off Color Brwg.
This is a brewery which has both a taproom and a packaging location. Its brewmaster is John Laffler. The taproom, dubbed "The Mousetrap", is at 1460 N. Kingsbury Ave. It is strictly walk-ins, and allows patrons to bring in food from outside venues.
The packaging location is further west at 3925 W. Dickens Ave. However, its store there is closed indefinately.
Pipeworks Brwg.
Here is a brewery with an amazing story. Its proprietors, Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis, met while working at a Chicago package liquor store. They went to Belgium and worked at the De Struise Brewery. When they returned to Chicago, U.S.A., they formulated a business plan. It ultimately hinged on a Kickstarter project. It raised its goal. Its main production brewery is at 3912 W. McLean Ave. (Near Pulaski and Armitage).
Illuminated Brew Works
Lake Effect Brwg. is shadowed because its W-WW page has not been updated in a long time.
This is a brewery which has taken up a spot in an under-represented part of Chicago for breweries and beer bars. It is at 6186 N. Northwest Hwy. (@ Sayre Ave.) Getting there on transit is straight-forward, but getting back from there after 22:00 hours shall involve a walk toward Harlem Ave., and if later, to the Harlem Blue Line “L” station.
Half Acre Beer
This brewery finally got a regular World-Wide Web page. (I am not on Facebook [a|k|a "Dungheap"], and you could not give me money to make me sign up for Facebook.) Its production brewery is at 2050 W. Balmoral Ave. in the Malt Row Chicago [c.v.] neighborhood. It sold its original tap room on N. Lincoln Ave. to the Hop Butcher for the World Brwy.
Spiteful Brwg.
This is a brewery which was founded in 2012. Its taproom @ 2024 W. Balmoral Ave. in Chicago is next door to Half Acre's brewery. Its beers originally had snarky brand names. My favorite beer from it is God Damn Pigeon Porter.
Dovetail Brwy.
Dovetail is a brewery that is very close to the Brown Line “L”'s Irving Park station, as well as Begyle Brwg. [c.v.] Its goal is to produce beer of the highest quality similar to the level of craftsmanship found in fine woodworking. It merges continental European styles and techniques with American creativity to produce the kind of beers found in small, family-run breweries in Europe. Dovetail's reputation has been spreading world-wide.
Begyle Brwg.
Here is a community supported brewery with a tap room. It wanted to use the name "Argyle", but was delivered a “cease and desist” order from Japan's Kirin Brewery conglomerate citing its use as a wine brand it was offering (It is a winery in Oregon. Do people know it is actually owned by Kirin?).
Haymarket Brwy. and Taproom [Chicago]
This is on the southeast corner of Randolph and Halsted Sts. near Greektown in central Chicago. Peter Crawley is its director of fermentation. It has a frequent drinker program called ‘Local 737’ It is the home for Chicago's Drinking and Writing Theater. The distributing brewery is in Bridgman, MI.
Goldfinger Brwy.
This is a suburban brewery in Downers Grove, IL. in an industrial plaza near the BNSF train line's Downers Grove - Fairview Ave. station. (The line runs from downtown Chicago to Aurora.) The brewery's antecedents go back to 1830s Krakow (then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) It has three core beers, all lagers. It strives to be the type of brewery you can rely on to produce beers consistently batch after batch. Its beers are attracting world-wide attention and commendation.
Une Année | Hubbard's Cave
This is a brewery which began brewing in 2013 in central Chicago. It outgrew its space and moved to 6343 Gross Point Rd. in Niles, IL., but effectively across the street from Chicago [The pedestrian route from a transit stop is tricky and convoluted - you stroll through parking lots which are not its property.]. It brews Belgian-styled pale ales, American Wild Ales, and via its affiliate, American-styled Double IPAs and Imperial Stouts. It also features BBQ cuisine.
Brewery Finder
This is a WordPress® weblog maintained by Joel and Jeremy. Its goal is to enhance the community of craft beer enthusiasts so that more people get to experience great beer and the people who make it. It aims to be the definitive online resource for locating breweries that craft beer drinkers love.
Molecular expressions
I love close-ups. Here are some close-ups you would not expect to view. This site features photographs taken through an optical microscope of some of the world's most famous beers.
Beer Advocate
This is the World-Wide Web gateway to Jason & Todd Alström's network which strives to give beer consumers a voice.
I am no longer posting here, due to its communication restrictions (mentioning other W-WW sites).
My beer-involving posts will appear on other fora such as LTHF, FlyerTalk, and Skyscraper City [c.v.]. However, I shall not disable or delete my account.
All About Beer
The fabled publication assets were purchased by John Holl and Andy Crouch. The magazine was first published in 1979. What is now available here bolsters its reputation as a trusted and cherished information source. It is committed to providing engaging and in-depth articles and interviews covering every aspect of brewing. I was published here in Summer 1993.
Beervana [Portland, OR.]
This is a beer weblog by Jeff Alworth. From a modest start in 2006, it has been augmented with deeply-reported pieces and detailed descriptions of beer and brewing techniques, industry analyses, meditations on culture, discussions of beer's rich history, and more. It has been cited three times by the North American Guild of Beer Writers as one of the best blogs on the World-Wide Web.
Vinepair
Despite its domain name, this is a W-WW site covering beer, spirits, and venturing into content not necessarily associated with wine. There are articles as well featuring travel destinations, but it should be in this rubric. It also has a podcast.
The Beer Nut (Ireland)
This gentleman does not want you to know his name. Which of course, I absolutely understand. However, it is John Duffy. {A "Hat Tip" to Jeff Alworth at Beervana [c.v.] for the revelation.} He is married, and resides in Dublin. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he frequently visited continental Europe, frequenting brewpubs, taverns, and off-licence shops. This beer weblog has been online since April 2005. It is "Made fresh from only four natural ingredients: Beer, opinion, travel, and unspeakable puns". He has an affiliated blog "Stash Killer!" in which he drinks beers from his attic.
F u g g l e d
From the above link, I landed on this beer weblog by Alistair Reece. He is an expatriot Brit now living in Virginia, U.S.A. He has been blogging since April 2008.
Paul's Beer & Travel Blog
This is a beer weblog by Paul Bailey. He was a member of CAMRA for 45 years before resigning in 2019. He is married. They live in Kentish Weald, U.K. They operated an off-licence shop for six years. He is a beer judge and a homebrewer. He began this weblog in November 2008. I especially appreciate his posts because he also likes to ride transit (buses & trains) to beerworthy venues. Without trying to sound rude, I believe they are the same age as me (judging by the mentions of the transit pass they now possess).
Boak & Bailey
This is a beerblog by Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey {no relation to Paul [c.v.]}. They scribe especially about beer and pubs. They reside in Bristol, U.K. This blog was begin in 2007.
Shut Up About Barclay Perkins
This is a beer weblog by Ronald Pattinson, who is an historian studying commercial brewing methods. He is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. He began blogging in June 2007. Similar to the Trolley Dodger [c.v.]; he tries to make money by publishing books featuring historic brewery recipes. I met him when he visited Chicago in October 2022. He resides in Amsterdam, Holland.
Retired Martin
This is a WordPress beerblog by Martin. He writes about places, pubs, people, and new music. He posts very frequently. You will also see him replying on some of the other beerblogs I list here.
Prop Up The Bar
This is a beer weblog by Nick C. I have added him to this bookmark page because he lists his interests as "Pubs 'n' eer, off-kilter music, and second division {soccer}". He explores the real ale pubs and craft beer bars of Oxford, U.K.
There are other primarily U.K.-based beer bloggers whose posts I read, but to which I do not link because they still view pubs as places where they should be able to smoke tobacco, and not have to intercourse with diverse people. Their blogposts and replies to other blogposts reflect those attitudes.
Homebrew Digest
This is the World-Wide Web site of the legendary Homebrew Digest E-Mail list. It is a U.S.A.-based 501(c)(3) educational charity maintained by Pat Babcock & Karl Lutzen. If you prowl its archives, you can find here one of my first ever E-Mail messages, sent to here back in July 1994. (When I was using a Commodore 64 on an Amiga BBS.) I break out of the frame for you.
Bruguru | Guru of Brew
This is a beer review World-Wide Web site by John Staradumsky. He lives in Canton, GA. {not Ohio}, a suburb of Atlanta. He has been reviewing beers since the 20th Century. His site lets you focus on specific beers, breweries, beer style, etc. I cannot deduce how he wound up with two domain names for the website.
Edinburgh single malt whisky tour
This site will lead you upon a tour of all of Scotland's malt whisky distilleries.
Lakefront Brewery
My favorite Milwaukee brewery is Russ and Jim Klisch's Lakefront Brwy. I especially like Eastside Dark. Its brewery tour is well-acclaimed. It is located on Commerce St., northeast of downtown. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.
August Schell Brwg. Co.
The August Schell Brewing Company has been operating in New Ulm, MN. since 1860. I toured there in 2010. It brews some of the finest beers in the entire U.S.A. It is the prime example why small, regional breweries which also devote part of their production capacities to "contract beers" must not be allowed to go out of business. I will do everything I can to ensure that this does not happen.
But it no longer distributes to Chicago. (It is available in central Illinois.)
St. Louis Brwy. & Tap Room
This is the long name of the Schlafly Brewpub, St. Louis' largest American-owned brewery. When I visit St. Louis, I wind up spending some time at one of its two locations (The brewpub near downtown, or the Bottleworks in Maplewood.). I love its beers; I agree with most of the viewpoints expressed by Tom Schlafly; and this World-Wide Web site regularly makes me smile and chuckle.

Cats | Felines

The Amazing Cat Collection
This is a World-Wide Web site featuring the funniest, cutest, and some very amazing cat pictures. If you opt to register, you may also rate the pictures.
I Love Cats
Here's a good W-WW site with lots of information and resources for cat lovers. You can even obtain a semi-anonymous E-Mail account ending in "@i-love-cats.com" (which would probably be bounced by Barracuda).
Cat Proud
This is a W-WW site with categorized images of cats and kittens. If you register for it, you can rate the image.

Zines | Diverse Culture

Quimby's Zine Store
Quimby's is Chicago's most comprehensive zine store. Many of the zines which I read are obtained here. It mails zines within the U.S.A. (International postage rates are now exorbitant.)
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
This is the organization which defends illustrators of comic books (or graphic novels) and the stores which sell them. Some judges and juries have convicted comic book store owners for selling a comic book labelled for "adults only" to an adult.(!) More recently, individuals have been indicted for possessing illustrations (hand-drawn or computer-generated) of an ‘underage’ person in a sexual situation.
If the idea is to prohibit objects which can be used to try to convince a real-life ‘underage’ person to commit a lewd act, it would seem you also need to restrict or criminalize chocolate, soda, bubble gum, and ice cream. ("Hey little girl, want some candy?") Is barring illustrations really effective? I can't envision Hershey, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi allowing their products to be so circumscribed. {Oops. The epidemic of obesity and diabetes in the U.S.A. is having an effect on the sales and marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, especially to juveniles. Many authorities are imposing a tax, or considering one, on those beverages. Consumer Reports [c.v.] is on record that weaning people off sugar-sweetened beverages will dictate an effort similar to that used to minimize cigarette consumption.}
Just For The Hell Of It
These are the “Berne Convention purveyors” to which I refer on my "Adult-Oriented" bookmark page. Here is an organization which manages to scarf up rare, out-of-print, and lost ‘cult’ videos on DVD. Its prices are low.
Cinefear | Exploitation Journal
Cinefear is Keith J. Crocker's video service, orbiting around 1960s and 1970s horror and exploitation movies, both from the U.S.A. and internationally. "Exploitation Journal" was dedicated to the serious study of it. Issues of it are being presented @ cinefear.blogspot.com.
Keith J.'s most recent movie was "Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69".
Trash Palace
From browsing a movie weblog, this is a purveyor which still seems to be in business. It is located in Silver Spring, MD. It also offers posters, stills, lobby cards (U.S. and Mexican), and celebrity posters and photographs. Movies are $12.00 each for full packaging, or $10.00 for the bare DVD-R.
Video Screams
Video Screams is a members only archival and transfer service offering rare, hard-to-find, and out-of-print films from all over the globe. It specializes in obscure horror, gore, sci-fi, schlock, and just plain bizarre movies, on both videocassette and DVD. Collectable books, posters, and pressbooks are also available.
If you noticed; DMCA actions have caused a clutch of these purveyors to cease business. But very few of the movies they offered were actually in a true release by the property rights holder. {These purveyors offered movies on demand. Now the majors offer movies on demand for the features on which they feel they would lose money putting out as a DVD or Blu-Ray®. Guess who created the market for their movies on demand?}
Shock Cinema
This is Steven Puchalski's "Shock Cinema" website. "Shock Cinema" is a magazine, published twice a year, which reviews some of the most bizarre, illusive films ever made. It is a superb read. I recommend subscribing to it ($30 for four issues).
Screem Magazine
Screem Magazine is a print magazine orbiting around horror movies, although it sways into other genrés. Darryl Mayeski is the editor. I subscribe to this magazine, and can recommend you doing so ($48.00 for four issues).
Cashiers du Cinemart
"Cashiers du Cinemart" is a movie review zine published by Mike White. His most recent book, "Short Takes: Mad Movies with the L. A. Connection", is available from BearManor Media. Mike has restarted the CduC zine. View articles from prior issues here. Mike has additional weblogs orbiting around topics other than movies and music.
The Projection Booth
This is a podcast hosted by the above-mentioned Mike White. I have linked to Mike's CduC W-WW page for years, but he never mentioned this W-WW site there. TPB is a comprehensive W-WW site exploring movies. The podcasts (some of which are four hours long) are interviews of people involved with that week's movie, or in the case of vintage movies, those who re-introduced people to them.
Podbay.FM podcast collator
I had difficulty determining where to place this link. I elected to choose here because it links to podcasts in all genrés, not merely craft beer, which is what I have been downloading. Additional facilities are available if you register here. I am registered here. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX® to fully utilize this site.
Cinema Treasures
Cinema Treasures is the world's largest guide to movie theaters. It is passionate about movie theaters, and going to the movies. It strives to be a comprehensive guide to movie theaters. This includes current theaters, and countless numbers of defunct theaters, including those which at some point in their life showed explicit erotica. (You may be surprised how many of them did.) It has been on-line since 2000.
However, the "news" section has not effectively been updated since September 2017.
DVD Infatuation
This is a weblog by Dave B. He is a ‘film geek’. His mission was to view and report on 2,500 movies on DVD. He began in 2010, and finally finished in November 2018! He resumed reporting in March 2019. He views all genrés, including some which would go on my adult bookmark page. [Some images may be NSFW.] He is a co-host of two movie podcasts.
Mondo Heather
This is Heather Drain's World-Wide Web site. She is a writer who flexes between the worlds of esoterica film, wild music, heart-born words, and prose that is dark, rich, quirky, and often undefinable. In the nonfiction realm, her work has appeared on the print and digital pages of Dangerous Minds, Diabolique, Video Watchdog, Art Decades, Rue Morgue, etc. She has also been a guest on a number of podcasts, including the Projection Booth [c.v.].
House Of Self-Indulgence
While looking up data on a “B”-movie, I landed on this weblog page. Our bloggess is a transgendered Canadian female residing in Toronto, ONT. She has reviewed quite a number of movies, in a manner similar to that of DVD Infatuation [c.v.].
She hasn't posted since May 2021, but since she follows one hundred and fifty-seven other movie weblogs, I leave her on here. {Click through to her profile to view them.}
Cinema Head Cheese
This is a movie weblog with a roster of persons, including Greg Goodsell, reviewing contemporary DVD (and BluRay®) releases of previously-issued movies. The reviews are thorough.
The Scene of Screen 13
This is a movie weblog by somebody who grew up in the Toledo, OH. area in the 1970s. It is mainly a blog about interesting films through the years with some background information about them. While I went to indoor theaters [“hardtops”] looking for erotic presentations, he went to a bunch of drive-ins in both Toledo and Detroit, MI., mainly in the early 1980s, and saw just about anything. He has enriched his blog posts with newspaper listings showing where the movies played. He takes breaks from here to concentrate on other social media W-WW sites. However, he has not made a blog post since August 2022.
Open Subtitles [English]
This is a useful W-WW site with numerous files of subtitles of movies and television shows in a spectrum of languages which can be loaded into your media player.
Cinema Wasteland
This W-WW site has a dual orbit. It promotes a twice-annual movie and memorabilia exposition by Ken & Pam Kish, in Strongsville, OH. [a suburb of Cleveland]; of which I have attended a bunch, and always had an intriguing experience. There will be another Wasteland exposition on 4 - 6 April 2025. Its other orbit is the sales of DVDs, posters, and trading cards of movies, at prices lower than other purveyors.
Kitley's Krypt
This is where Jon Kitley expounds on horror movies. He has gotten quite deep into this. He had a featured article about him in the "Best of Chicago 2021" issue of the Chicago Reader. He is a staff writer for "HorrorHound" magazine. He won a Rondo Award for that. His latest book is "Discover The Horror". He seeks to educate, expand, and entertain his browsers' knowledge of the horror genré. He lives in Aurora, IL. He also works the “B”-movie exposition circuit.
Sensitive Content
Here is a World-Wide Web site which requests some tolerance from you. It contains information about known scenes from movies, television series, and newsreels with ‘underage’ actors and actresses that may now be considered offensive or unacceptable. There are no images or videos hereupon. The information is collated from IMDb, Wikipedia, Children in Cinema, Youth in Cinema, and Children in Media.
Atomic Books
This store is in Baltimore, MD. It is the epicenter for alternative books, comics, and zines in the mid-Atlantic area.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
I should not have to explain too much about this troupe. So I won't. This World-Wide Web site is comprehensive, accurate, and includes the dead parrot loony.
Have I mentioned I am the chairperson of the Chicago chapter of the "Society For Putting Things On Top Of Other Things"?
Fearful Symmetries
This is a weblog by Skip, who is an atheist in Madison, WI. He is married, and they have a cat. (The second cat passed away.) He began blogging in September 2003, and has been consistent throughout all these years. The entries touch on several interests with which I share.
Roger Baylor
I should have had this on here a while ago. Roger Baylor was the head brewer at New Albion Brwg. in southwest Indiana for about twenty-four years. He was way ahead of the curve as being socially and politically active in left-of-center beliefs and causes. He left the brewery to run for public office. He lost. The “Beer Hunter” Michael Jackson described him as a polemicist.
Limetree Roadside PubCafé
This is a new multi-faceted weblog by Tony Forder. When Ale Street News quit publication in 2019 after its advertisers went away, T. Forder had other interests into which he could delve. He presents them here. The weblog strives to be a “virtual” café to relax and inspire you with art therapy.
Bill Owens
This is “Buffalo” Bill Owens' weblog. It encompasses photography, publishing, beer, and distilling. I like Bill a lot.
"The Simpsons" archive
This is an absolutely comprehensive clearinghouse of the animated television show "The Simpsons". This site has guides, news, and information. It is where to head if you have any queries.
Gauntlet Press
"Gauntlet Press", is a specialty press devoted to publishing signed limited edition collectibles, and trade paperbacks.
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theatre on Chicago's north side is one which is not afraid to show films which have bypassed the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system. With the increasing concentration of ownership of movie theatres by large corporate entities, theatres like the Music Box are very important.
Troma Entertainment
Mr. Lloyd Kaufman, the President of Troma, has been involved in filmmaking-on-the-cheap for over forty years. Check this W-WW site regularly for new releases and specials.
Net Neutrality is again an issue for the Internet; but the battle has also encountered a threat from mega-entertainment media conglomerates like Sony, Disney, and Universal to enact legislation in the U.S.A. and enact secret treaties in other countries, which would effectively lock down creative endeavors in the visual arts solely to the output from these mega-entertainment media conglomerates. {There would be ‘cease and desist’ and Internet takedown orders if one of the megas felt an independent media project infringed on its copyright. The independent media project's producer would have to spend more of its time and its limited funds defending itself in a courtroom than in making and presenting the media. So the independent media would not be released, and the megas would retain their 99% share of the market, which is their main intent.
An example: In 1999, Lloyd was interviewed on MTV News. In 2019, Troma uploaded the segment to its own YouTube® channel. The owner of MTV, Viacom®, reacted to this by having Troma's entire YouTube® channel taken offline!} Frankly, copyrights need to expire at some point. They have been manipulated into eternal cash cows for entities only tangentially responsible for them, not the original individual(s) who created them.
BurgerTime™ arcade game
I had difficulty determining where to place this link. Via the Internet Archive [c.v.], this is the actual software program which operated Data East | Bally®'s BurgerTime™ arcade game, originally released in 1982. This is my all-time favorite video game. It runs only in Firefox (and Chrome®). JavaScript must be enabled. After it completely loads [The Copyright screen appears.], hit the ‘Tab’ key on your keyboard to access the game's DIP switches. You can then change the game's settings for number of lives, at which point level you earn another life, and giving you an additional Pepper for completing each Stage. During game play, hitting the "P" key pauses | resumes the game. (My highest score so far = 261,500 [Stage 15].)
One Sheet Index
This is a superb W-WW site which was personally recommended to me one Saturday evening at the Twisted Spoke. It is a repository of posters and lobby cards for a vast spectrum of motion pictures. It has special sections for selected movies and performers. JavaScript|ActiveX® is needed if you wish to use the 'Search' function.
Insane Journal
Live Journal was dumped back in June 2007 for capitulating to a gang of vigilantés; effectively turning a cold shoulder to free expression on the World-Wide Web. The underlying reason: The “bean-counters” hoping for a buyout of the corporation figured whomever took over would not be able to place advertisements on Live Journal pages where a weblogger expressed controversial viewpoints. It “solved” the problem by "permanently suspending" the webloggers expressing those controversial viewpoints. (Having a Paid or Permanent Account did not save them. If anything; since Live Journal knows it will never get another dollar from a Permanent Account holder, it has every incentive to find an excuse to get rid of that account.)
This is Insane Journal, another weblog service utilizing the Xanga interactive free source software. "Squeaky", the major domo behind Insane Journal, has gone on record that he will only remove content from a person's weblog if he is presented with a genuine order from a legal entity.
Find-the-Spam®
I strive to be tolerant and egalitarian. Maybe you actually do like Spam®, despite the harsh name it has somehow acquired on the Internet.
Cu-SeeMe frequently asked questions
This has good technical information on setting up your computer (regardless of operating system) to use the software. The links along the left side of the screen contain additional information.
Hash House Harriers
Hash House Harriers are people who compete in a foot rally, and whom afterward consume lots of beer and comeraderie. They are "The drinking club with a running problem."

Proxy Judges & Proxies

Proxy judge #1
All the proxy judges to which I link are version 2.35. AnonyLevel 1 is the most secure. What is most important is whether your actual Internet Protocol [I. P.] Address is displayed anywhere on the output screen. If you know of any more version 2.35 proxy judges, please contact me.
This is a numeric I. P. Address judge.
In all modern browsers, the HTTP_DNT [Do Not Track] variable, when implemented, lowers a Level 1 or Level 2 [“elite”] proxy into Level 3 or Level 4. If you investigate "about:config", you can toggle “noscript.doNotTrack.enabled” to false to re-raise your level.
There is a browser variable, HTTP_UPGRADE_INSECURE_REQUESTS, which is a solid privacy measure, but it will lower an “elite” proxy into Level 3 or Level 4. Suffice that as long as your I. P. Address does not appear on the result page when you test your proxy - it is a servicable proxy.
You need check your proxy against only one of these judges.
Due to the Tor Project [c.v.], browser-based anonymous proxies now stay active much longer than they did previously.
If you search for proxy judges via Google™, clicking on "Cached" on the result screen will show you the information about the bot(s) Google™ uses to spider the World-Wide Web. [white on pale blue] [pops.midi.co.jp]
Proxy judge #2
This URL did not resolve numerically. The CGI code which was used to create these proxy judges was scribed by someone in Japan. Proxy judges consume a goodly amount of CPU time on a server. If a series of judge requests occur, it slows the response time for other W-WW pages hosted thereupon. This is another reason webhosts prohibit them. [black on white]
Proxy judge #3
This URL did not resolve numerically. An empty ad box may appear on this screen. [black on white]
Proxy judge #4
This URL did not resolve numerically. This proxy judge gives you a cookie. An empty ad box may appear on this screen. [white on black]
Proxy judge #5
This URL did not resolve numerically. [white on pale blue] [Japanese only]
Proxy judge #6 (v2.28)
This is an older proxy judge. I opt to present it here because of the paucity of v2.35 proxy judges. It displays the information you need to know about your I. P. address. [white on black]
Environment checker #1
I have added environment checkers here. All are version 1.04, and black on white. The presumption is that they are just as accurate as determining whether you are anonymous as a cgi-bin proxy judge, but are not as intensive a use of CPU time on a host server.
Environment checker #2
This URL did not resolve numerically.
Environment checker #3
This URL did not resolve numerically.
Environment checker #4
This URL did not resolve numerically.
Environment checker #5
This URL did not resolve numerically.
Environment checker #6
This URL did not resolve numerically. [compact display]
Environment checker #7
This URL did not resolve numerically.
Link referrer anonymizer [#1]
Anonym.to began interjecting a Google™ URL into its anonymizer; such that it would appear Google™ was the referrer. I have replaced it with href.li, which does not. This is an interstitial screen which is useful when you want to visit, or send traffic to, a World-Wide Web site which you do not want the site to know from where it was linked. It can be used dynamically by prefacing the "https://" in the destination URL [and you must include the destination URL's "https://" in your text] with "href.li/?".
Link referrer anonymizer [#2]
Here is an additional derefering interstitial. This one seems to work in Tor Browser.
Anonymous proxies #1
I have resorted the order of the W-WW sites which offer lists of anonymous proxies. I found this W-WW proxy site through Dmoz.org. It is sorted by latency, and has a dynamic function which you can use to refine your proxy selection. A column identifies if the proxy supports TLS. It is available in six languages. A WHOIS link for each proxy is also included.
Why should you configure an anonymous proxy in your W-WW browser?
A vocal minority always claims that you must be doing something “illegal” if you prefer to remain anonymous. There will always be those who abuse certain privileges or liberties, but those few cannot be allowed to ruin an entitlement for the overwhelming percentage of people who do not abuse it.
There are many factors why privacy is important. First: There are repressive governments that forbid access to certain sites, censor the World-Wide Web, and then monitor users who show interest in particular topics. [E.G.: Somebody in the U.S.A. researching pregnancy termination providers.] Second: There are people who want to tell the truth without fear of repercussion, such as corporate whistle-blowers and bloggers. Third: There are intelligence needs, in both corporate and government sectors. Fourth: An on-line stalker could pinpoint the precise community where his | her prey resides by deciphering that user's I. P. Address. (Many internet service providers in the U.S.A., in particular cable television corporations, put their host server's city and state in the REMOTE_HOST variable. Most broadband internet users can never change their I. P. Address.
Finally: We live in an age where our personal and private data, including names, identity characteristics, telephone numbers, dates of birth, credit reports, buying habits, demographics, and surfing tendencies are traded like commodities.
When I want to let a W-WW site know who and from where I am, I disengage the anonymous proxy. Otherwise, it is not entitled to that information.
Our webmaster is still trying to get you to purchase a private proxy list from him. But he is being more low-key about it.
First of all: It is wrong to try and charge for something which is available elsewhere for free. Secondly: It is difficult to remain anonymous when purchasing something on-line. If you actually used Paypal™ to pay for a list of proxies, when a governmental agency, or private organization subpoenas Paypal™, it will demand the credit card numbers associated with the accounts. Paypal™ will provide that to it. Credit card numbers lead directly to your front door. So much for “anonymity”.
Anonymous proxies #2
This is a Japanese World-Wide Web site which tests a bunch of proxies every hour. I send you to a page where you can select from which country you want to use.
It is one matter to have a proxy from a specific country. However, if the proxy in that country is registered to (for example) an elementary or middle school; or the R.I.A.A. or M.P.A.A. [these are referred to as "honeypot" proxies]; you will still be filtered from some W-WW sites, and monitored wherever you surf. I would discard that proxy and test the next one on the list.
Anonymous proxies #3
There are numerous options for obtaining browser-based proxy servers here. I send you to the anonymous free proxy wing. Our webmaster also offers a private proxy list for sale, but I discommend that. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.
Anonymous proxies #4
This has been pushed down on the list because it has seemingly not checked for free proxies since 10 December 2023. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX® to view the port numbers of the proxies.
Virtual Privacy Network (VPN) comparison chart
If you are interested in a VPN, this World-Wide Web site displays the most frequently selected providers. It is searchable on several variables. The most significant aspect to selecting a VPN is in which country is it hosted; considering how difficult it is for an agency to compel the VPN provider to release identifing information about a user. Because, if you use a credit card to obtain a VPN, that VPN would have to provide your identification to the inquiring operation. So a VPN is not entirely anonymous.
Apple iOS users take notice: If you are using an iOS device (iPhone, iPad) then it is certain that the VPN is not working. This is a long story that boils down to not trusting any VPN on iOS because they all leak data outside the VPN tunnel. In March 2020, Proton [c.v.] reported Apple iOS leaks data outside the VPN tunnel, starting with iOS version 13. M. Horowitz [c.v.] blogged about this in May 2022. This report was picked up by Ars Technica on 17 August 2022 and went viral. Only then did Apple reply, stating its OS was "Performing as expected".
This is not fully protecting its users.
VPN providers are in a rough spot. If they go public with this, they may lose customers to VPN providers that say nothing.
Apple is too powerful for nearly anybody to compel it to do something it does not want to do.
IVPN virtual privacy network
This is a combination VPN provider and World-Wide Web blog which delves into the deeper matter of a VPN. It recognizes that a VPN provider very frequently overstates what it does in order to sell its service to non-technical Internet surfers. With an increasing number of VPN providers being invested in (if not outright bought) by vertically integrated corporations seeking to enrich their income by obtaining and monetizing whatever data they can harvest from their users, this W-WW site is significant.
Privacy Badger
This is a World-Wide Web browser add-on from the Electronic Frontier Foundation [c.v.]. It learns to block invisible third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at. It does not block an advert unless it happens to be tracking you. It is an algorithmic tracker blocker: It defines what “tracking” looks like, and then blocks or restricts domains that it observes tracking in the wild. What is and isn't considered a tracker is entirely based on how a specific domain acts, not on human judgment. It is available in eight languages (including Chinese).
Tinfoil My Life
This is a World-Wide Web site in which the janitor expounds on how to reclaim your privacy (both online and in the real world), stop censorship, and maintain online security. As he astutely scribes, "It is no conspiracy that big tech companies are spying on us and gathering as much data as possible to profit from us in several ways."
Privacy Tools [classic]
Here is a comprehensive World-Wide Web site with detail on how to maintain a level of privacy on the Internet. The digest is: Avoid W-WW privacy services (including VPN providers) hosted in the ‘Fourteen Eyes’ countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America, United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. While laws exist prohibiting each country from spying on its own residents, these countries swap information amongst themselves - i.e.: If the U.S.A. wants to investigate a U.S. resident, it remits the name of that person to the surveillence agency of one of the other thirteen countries, utilizing the magic passphrase "terrorist", "drug dealer", "child abuser", or "copyright violator". The other country does the spying, because there is no law protecting you from that. The U.S.A. subsequently gets the data.
Fourteen Eyes surveillance alliance
This is a World-Wide Web site by Shimon Brathwaite (who is now likely being monitored 24/7/365 for making this information public) explaining that the spying program dates back to 1943 (World War II). It has modified since then to decrypt intelligence from the U.S.S.R. and subsequently identify genuine threats to nations. The snag which then could arise is that you will be considered a genuine threat to a nation. To be earnest, the more you delve into the function of a VPN, the higher the possibility that you do not want to have one. The surveillance alliance is concentrating on smart phones, because they come from the phone manufacturer with the backdoors already built-in. (A security analyst scribed, "The smart phone is the single most privacy breaching device mankind has ever invented, and most people accept it because of the convenience (or work requirement) such a device brings".)
Anonymizing yourself [archive]
Here is an excellent site giving specific, detailed information (in two URLs) on how to make yourself less visible to World-Wide Web sites, Usenet newsgroups, and E-Mail address harvesters, while still browsing, lurking, and contributing. The digest version: Disable both Java and JavaScript|ActiveX®. While Java is practically dead, disabling JavaScript|ActiveX® will break most W-WW sites. The consequence is installing a Firefox add-on that can turn it on and off for those W-WW sites.
Tor Project
The Tor Project is free software, and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, amongst other things. It is free and open source. It works only with the Firefox W-WW browser because other browsers are not open source, and thus, could hide some monitoring code within.
The situation with WikiLeaks [c.v.] shows that the actual censors on the World-Wide Web are not merely governments, but corporations (server hosts and payment processing services).
Web proxy list
I now include PHP and Glype proxies. This is a World-Wide Web page which collates current W-WW based proxies. The output can be further refined by the type of proxy, its host country, et cetera.
These proxies bypass most W-WW filters which attempt to keep you from accessing any number of W-WW sites which somebody deems “non-essential”.
Glype proxy #1
I elect to specifically break out a number of them here. This is Hidester. It also provides a list of browser-based anonymous proxies if you back parse.
Glype proxy #2
This is SSL Secure Proxy. It offers additional hosts and locations from where you can appear to be surfing. It is effective for dealing with downloads from 1Fichier.com, which imposes a waiting period on an I. P. Address that is not from a paid account.
Glype proxy #3
This is 4everproxy. It offers additional hosts and locations from where you can appear to be surfing. It is also effective for dealing with downloads from 1Fichier.com.
Glype proxy #4
All these proxy hosts claim to not keep logs (or keep them for only a few hours) of what W-WW sites you viewed through them.
Glype proxy #5
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #6
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #7
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #8
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #9
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #10
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #11
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #12
Try each of these PHP and Glype proxy hosts to discern which one(s) are the swiftest for you.
Glype proxy #13
This is hosted in the European Union, although you can select a host from a number of geographic locations.
Glype proxy #14
These proxy hosts are especially suited for surfing W-WW sites which your Internet Service Provider has deemed non-essential.

HTML | JavaScript

Bare Bones Guide to HTML
You don't need a fancy HTML (HyperText Markup Language) suite to write HTML. This is where I learned HTML. The instructions are available in twenty-four languages. All my pages are maintained using regular, old "WordPad®", and utilize the commands included here.
X11 color names [Wikipedia]
Here is a Wikipedia page describing W-WW colors. It includes charts of X11 and “web-safe” colors, and a depiction how some of these colors differ in the CSS color scheme.
Computer Hope's HTML color codes
If you do not need a nearly-infinite color selection, this URL illustrates the 390 non-dithering colors which adhere to HTML in their hexadecimal codes. A link to a more expansive color chart is also present here.
HTML Color Codes
This is a dynamic color selection World-Wide Web site. It is comprehensive, including palette generators, color pickers, color charts, and color names. The sliding scale on the right-center can be used to limit the colors being presented. It also links to other W-WW sites which have royalty free stock photographs. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®. It was designed by Dixon & Moe.
W3 Schools' HTML Color Tutorial
W3 Schools is a compendium of values and commands which can be used in HTML and CSS World-Wide Web pages. This sends you to the main page for colors. Back-parse for more computer languages.
VisaBone's Color Lab
These three URLs were found in moonsliver's Insane Journal [c.v.]. This is an interactive page (requires JavaScript|ActiveX® on) which outputs the color value (a 216-color webmaster's palette) in both RGB and hexidecimal. There are four frames on this page.
Colour Lovers™
This is a weblog and forum where designers, both on-line and off, experiment and present color tableus and palettes. It strives to be a resource that monitors and influences color trends.
Color scheme designer
This W-WW site helps one compose a particular color scheme; with five base sets comparing and contrasting ‘warm’, and ‘cold’ colors. A drop-down box allows for schemes for infrequent human vision ailments [e.g.: protanopy].
Colour Scheme Machine
This site has three, well-thought-out frames. This allows you to interactively test out text, background, and link colors. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.
Pursuing page publishing
Here is where Justin Hall lets you in on the big World-Wide Web secret. (It's a secret because profiteers do not want you to know the truth!)

Music

On-line radio stations
Here is a World-Wide Web site which collates over a thousand free on-line radio stations. You can search on a spectrum of variables, including by region, country, or radio format. As it states, its fast and convenient on-line player will open up the world of radio broadcasting. There is no need to install special software or pay for the access. You may also register for it should you want to save your favorite stations. I was registered here; but since Google™ has locked me out, I cannot access my membership here. I send you to the page with its genrés annotated. I apologize; but there are just too many stations worth listening to for me to scribe here. What I now recommend you doing when you land here is to choose a genré, then a station which lists its playlist, and listen to it for awhile. When a song you enjoy, but which you have not heard in {whenever} plays, click on its title in the lower frame. This will display all the stations world-wide which have played this song. Click on a station listed there to discern what else it plays. This could become your next favorite station. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX® to fully utilize this site.
Pandora music stations
Pandora is a leading music and podcast discovery platform, providing a highly-personalized listening experience to approximately 70 million users each month. I am registered as a free member. It is a subsidiary of Sirius XM Holdings Inc.
WFMU-FM
The editor of "Psychotronic Video®" [R.I.P.] magazine, Michael J. Weldon, raved about this freeform FM station in Jersey City, NJ. [U.S.A.]
WFMU Boss Radio 66 - the Ichiban Sound
WFMU has a bunch of solid music programs, and some have corollary television and | or movie side projects. I have broken out this URL from the above link so you may more precisely link to a certain program being broadcast on WFMU.
La Dimension de Trastos
This is a music weblog by Tom G. He is another person who deejays on ‘Boss Radio 66’. He has eclectic tastes in music. He tries to link to them here. I subscribe to this weblog. I was derelict in not including him on this bookmark page.
Exclusive Radio
This is a World-Wide Web site collating a significant number of recording artists, and playing music associated with them, without commercial interruption. I discovered it via a search for John Coltrane. It is provided by the Uber Media Group.
WXRT 93.1 FM
I have installed 1 GB Fiber Broadband Internet here at the abode, and have set up a free account at Pandora® [c.v.].
There are many outlets doing a better job at broadcasting music than terrestrial stations. I have excepted WXRT because I do want to occasionally hear new music. But I do not listen to it all that much either. [N.B.: Nobody asked me, but I certainly noticed how similar the Audacy logo is to that of {now-defunct} Amherst Records.]
Radio Insight (Sean Ross)
This is a World-Wide Web site mostly serving broadcasters of radio stations, both terrestrial and Internet-based. What may be of interest to the radio listener are the posts of Sean Ross. He delves into which songs that were hits now hardly receive any airplay, and what terrestrial radio stations should do in the wake of automated and now Artificial Intelligence - directed broadcast outlets.
Jacobs Media
This is another media W-WW site with insights about terrestrial radio by Fred & Paul Jacobs. Fred Jacobs is the person most responsible for the Classic Rock radio format.
Steely Dan
Walter Becker & Donald Fagen were musical genii. There was no musical genré they could not succinctly assuage. They finally earned both the acknowledgment of their peers in 2000 by being elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and winning four Grammy® Awards for "Two Against Nature".
“Hoops'” Steely Dan fan site
This is Jim McKay's original Steely Dan fan internet resource. It was founded in 1993. A popular venue for Steely Dan fans to chat is in here, linked from the ‘bluebook’ rubric. It is a member of the Steely Dan Webring.
Steely Dan White Pages
Here is another semi-official World-Wide Web page linking the Steely Dan community.
Something Else
This is a World-Wide Web site with blog posts and lists about a spectrum of music acts, including Steely Dan [c.v.], Toto, Chicago, and The Band.
Jazz Institute of Chicago
The Jazz Institute of Chicago was founded in 1969 by a small band of jazz fans, writers, club owners, and musicians who came together to preserve its historical roots in Chicago. The core belief of the organization is all forms of the music should be equally represented in whatever it does. It presents jazz throughout the year in a spectrum of venues. Its prestige event is the Chicago Jazz Festival, held in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago around the beginning of September each year. I am a member of this organization, and I can recommend it to you even if you are not in metropolitan Chicago.
Jazz discographies
This is a W-WW site with a peculiar shortened domain name. It orbits around jazz music on all formats. It includes scores of musicians and record labels. It has been online since July 2001. It has a "GNU Free Documentation License".
Grateful Dead Net forum
This site was conceived for fans of the Grateful Dead. Registration is recommended to post or respond. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX® to fully utilize this site.
Lost Live Dead
This is a weblog which seeks to identify and illuminate live Grateful Dead (and band members' side projects) shows that are unknown or poorly documented. Its webmaster | janitor, Corry342, attended his first Dead show on 2 July 1967 (@ El Camino Park; Palo Alto, CA.).
Fate Music (Jerry Garcia)
This is another weblog orbiting in tandem with Corry342's weblog [c.v.]. In combination, and due to fascinating remembrances of commenters, substantial information about Grateful Dead concerts have been provided after years of stagnating in the ozone {or another hazy substance}.
Dead Sources
Here is another Grateful Dead weblog I finally discovered. While new blog posts are scant, there are informative comments being made on posts going back six years.
Frank Zappa (& the Mothers of Invention)
You (and I) can spend entire days following the links from the WFMU Rock & Soul Ichiban blog [c.v.]. For somebody who had a quote from Frank Zappa on my profile at a sexpositive World-Wide Web site, to not have a Frank Zappa link here was very derelict. Fortunately, I landed on this W-WW site. Information Is Not Knowledge is a comprehensive W-WW site. It encompasses all of Frank's record career.
I splice this in here from an interview of Frank by Bill Milkowski, from November 1981.
[The preceding question was whether there was a national shift toward the right, to which Frank
answered it was a national shift toward nowhere. It was toward fake security.(!)]
"Is this a phenomenon that you've noticed taking hold within the past few years?"
Frank: "This year it's really taken a nose dive, since the Reagan Administration has gotten in. It's frightening.
We're looking at the prelude to the New Dark Ages here. If you know anything about history,
the Dark Ages we're going into now is gonna’ make the first one look like a company picnic
."
Zappa Wiki Jawaka
This is a wiki-styled page dedicated to Frank Zappa. Their efforts are simply nothing more than a fan's efforts to broaden the knowledge and appreciation of the many works of Frank Zappa.
Ugly Things magazine
"Ugly Things" is a huge, thick magazine, published by Mike Stax, which does not merely orbit; but digs into the ground to comprehensively explore the music by underappreciated artists. It was founded to dispense information about England's "Pretty Things" group [R.I.P. Phil May & Jon Povey]. Since 1983, it has bloomed into a magazine to bring “wild sounds from past dimensions”. It consistently presents passionate, informed, insightful, in-depth coverage of overlooked music.
I keenly recommend subscribing to it. It is published three times a year. Visit here for back issues and other artifacts.
The Big Takeover
"The Big Takeover" is the pinnacle zine covering the independent pop music scene. Jack Rabid is the editor. Its writers care about music, and support the bands and musicians who pioneer, rather than rest on their laurels, or are thrust at the public through brainwashing marketing techniques. There is a forum here for which you may opt to register. I recommend subscribing to this. Four issue subscriptions (two issues a year) are available for $24.00. J. Rabid's radio show is available for download from here.
Razorcake
What happens to punk rockers when they get older? It has been attributed that they read "Razorcake" magazine. It is a bi-monthly publication, published by a certified non-profit organization in southern California, which still has a strong spot for hard-driving music (and politics) which has a ‘resist’ message embedded therein. I recommend subscribing to this. A six-issue subscription costs $23.50. Ask for freebies (7" records, stickers). I like "Razorcake" enough to donate to its foundation.
Audiophile forum
This is the forum affiliated with Steve Hoffman, a mastering engineer. He was responsible for a number of reissued record albums when they received a CD release. Members here discuss any number of components composing a home audio system.
The forum is extremely active. Some threads go pages deep with new responses in only 24 hours. I am registered here. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX® to fully utilize this site.
Record Research
Do you need an answer about a certain record? You would do well to reference one of Joel Whitburn [R.I.P.]'s tomes. He had "Billboard" magazine's permission to publish works based on its charts' data. This W-WW site has a frame.
Records, artists, & labels
These five W-WW sites are ones which I found one evening when I linked from Vee Jay Records' Wikipedia [c.v.] page. If you are not careful, you can devote hours browsing them (or maybe that is the point).
45cat is the hub for a spectrum of user-supported W-WW sites reporting about not only 45 RPM 7" discs, but ~ via its affiliate [www.45worlds.com] ~ 78 RPM platters [this site answered one of my deepest music trivia questions], vinyl albums, 12" singles, and most other entertainment physical media. {I have been cataloging my cassettes and vinyl albums on 45worlds.com under "PudgyM".} There is also a forum here with which I am registered. You need to turn on JavaScript|ActiveX®.
Artists, records, & radio stations' surveys
This is ARSA, the Airheads Radio Survey Archive, a non-profit W-WW site mixing historical value with nostalgia. You can find tens of thousands of radio station chart surveys with clickable links for each record listed thereupon. This site is comprehensively absorbing, as you can trace the records which did not break out nationally to where they received their airplay and popularity. (Look at the 1970-75 surveys for WCFL-AM Chicago to note which decks it played that WLS-AM did not.) You need to register and logon to get full access to the site (requires JavaScript|ActiveX® on). There is also a forum here with which I am registered.
Music charts
This is Music VF. It is a database of 120,000+ U.S.A. and U.K. music hits since 1900. It collates multiple charts of the U.S.A. You can search by artist name or a song title; or browse the charts by artist, year, or decade.
Both Sides Now publications
This is a W-WW site which won an award from Brittanica.com (!) as “one of the best on the Internet when reviewed for quality, accuracy of content, presentation and usability” back in 2000. It has continued on to the present day concentrating on infrequently investigated stereo 7"-single records from the 1950s. From this, it expanded to discographies of record labels, and from there to the stories about many of those labels.
Obviously, this is an epic {oops} which is impossible to fathom ever reaching its end objective, but what has been provided to date is engrossing.
The site is webmastered by Mike Callahan. Read the terms of use [TOU], and its frequently asked questions [FAQ].
Soulful Kinda Music
This W-WW site is dedicated to soul music and the discographies of the artists who recorded it. Its webmaster is located in the United Kingdom. It features both the contemporary ‘Northern Soul’ scene, and its past history.
Home Grown Music Network
This site's mission is to seek out the best music being made today and spread it across the universe. Visit here to learn about the people, organizations, independent bands, venues, stores, representatives and others all working together.
Art of the Mix [read only]
If you have a music collection, I suspect you have either duplicated some of the songs thereupon to another medium, or have considered doing so. Here is a W-WW site which is dedicated to notating mixed tapes, CDs, DVD-Rs, iPod® playlists, et cetera. It is no longer taking submissions or allowing edits of existing mixes.
Dr. Demento
If you are a fan of loony tunes and crazy comedy, you probably already know about Dr. Demento. The core is a two-hour program | podcast, now only posted on-line here (the broadcast was losing money). The Dr. was profiled in issue #77 of "The Big Takeover" [c.v.].
Classic Arts Showcase
This is a non-commercial, free, public service channel available to terrestrial, cable, and satellite services. On Dish Network® dbs, it is channel 9406. It features performance, orchestral, and visual arts. It is funded by The Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation.
Link TV
Link TV is an international and interactive channel that brings the world's events, issues, and cultures to audiences in the U.S.A. It is under this rubric because of its music programs. It is available on both DirecTV® and Dish Network® dbs systems.
R F D - TV
RFD - TV ["Rural America's most important network"] is a satellite channel dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America. It is under this rubric because of its diverse music programming (It has the broadcast rights to videotapes of old syndicated country music programs, which it obtained from Willie Nelson's personal library.). It also has regular series about railroads, both real and model. It is available on both Dish Network® and DirecTV® dbs systems.

Soccer

American Outlaws
This is a booster club for the U.S.A. National Soccer Teams (both Men's & Women's). A year's membership is $30. Membership provides perks like the ability to obtain tickets to matches in the same section as other members, as well as discounts on apparel and airfares. I can recommend joining this organization.
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
F.I.F.A. is the most significant organization on the planet. It is the administrator overseeing all the efforts of its member associations which operate in soccer [football]. Its mission is to reach out and touch the world, using football as a symbol of hope and integration. This W-WW site is available in English, French, Español, and German.
Confederation Of North American, Caribbean, and Central American Football
CONCACAF is the confederation, similar to UEFA [Europe], overseeing its member nations in this hemisphere. This includes the U.S.A. Its prestige event is the CONCACAF Gold Cup™, held every two years in the odd-numbered years. It also presents annually the CONCACAF Champions' League®, whose winner qualify for the F.I.F.A. Club World Cup in December. A Spanish-language version of this W-WW site is available.
United States Soccer Federation
Here is the official site of the United States Soccer Federation. The U.S.S.F. affiliated itself with F.I.F.A. in 1913. Besides all the National Team programs, its marquee event is the annual Lamar Hunt U. S. Open Cup Tournament.
The (U. S.) Open Cup
This is an independent World-Wide Web site featuring reportage of the Lamar Hunt U. S. Open Cup Tournament.
OurSports Central
This was the swiftest I have ever added a bookmark to this page. It has lots of articles about the sports which do not command a plethora of media attention: I.E.; the “minor leagues”.
Major Arena Soccer League
This is the official W-WW page for the M. A. S. L.. It has twenty teams across the U.S.A. and Mexico. It is an affiliated member of the World Minifootball Federation (WMF).
Chicago MUSTANGS official W-WW site
This is the W-WW page of the Chicago MUSTANGS M. A. S. L. 2 franchise. The team's owner is Armando Gamboa. The franchise play their home games in the Sears Centre in northwest exurban Hoffman Estates. {Hoffman Estates is closer to Elgin than Chicago.}
U. S. Soccer Hall of Fame [Wikipedia]
Did you know that the U.S.A. has a National Soccer Hall of Fame? Its physical location was in Oneonta, New York until 2010. In 2018, it reopened in Frisco, TX. (near Dallas). This site has data about its inductees.
Four Four Two
Four Four Two, created in England in 1994, is the world's biggest soccer magazine, published in 17 markets. Its mission is to offer intelligent, international audience access to the game's biggest names, insightful analysis, and a bit of a giggle. It unashamedly loves this game and hopes its coverage reflects that.
United States National Team Players Association
This somewhat obscure site orbits around the players on the U.S.A. Men's and Women's National Teams. It has a good array of articles, games, puzzles, playing tips, coaching tips, and other support functions for soccer boosters in the U.S.A. There is also a message forum for which you may register.

Pinball

Pin Game Journal
This is the zine which has original articles, and keeps tabs on the other on-line and print publications covering pinball.
Stern Pinball
Here is the W-WW site of one company manufacturing mechanical action pinball machines. If you have an older W-WW browser, click on the 'site map' link in the lower right corner of this page.
American Pinball
This manufacturer eluded my attention until I glimpsed two of its machines in the Logan Square Emporium Arcade one evening. It is headquartered in Streamwood, IL., a northwest exurb of Chicago. Its mission is to provide the highest quality pinball machines in the world. Its team has been listening to the pinball community and is driven to design pinball machines that appeal to the collector, the pinball player, as well as the commercial operator.
Kineticist
This is a World-Wide Web site celebrating, showcasing, and building for the pinball and arcade communities, one pixel and one person at a time. Its links to other pinball-orbiting W-WW sites is comprehensive. It also offers a free e-mail newsletter (Moving Parts).
Pinside
Pinside is a vibrant and welcoming online community dedicated to all things pinball. It brings together pinball enthusiasts from all over the world, providing a wealth of resources, information, and support for collectors and players of all levels.
This Week in Pinball
This is a W-WW site featuring the latest news about pinball. The rubric Pinball University is a solid resource for people just beginning their exploration of machines.
Tilt forum
This is a forum begun in January 2015 which talks about game strategies, upcoming events, locations that we love, etc. Registration is required to participate.
Pinball News
This is a W-WW site with multiple rubrics dealing with all aspects of pinball. It was initially created in December 1999. Its webmaster is Martin Ayub, but there are numerous writers contributing to it. It considers its non-commercial status its most important element.
Pinball Magazine
This is a W-WW site which mostly supports its free monthly E-Mail newsletter. It considers itself more of a glossy magazine than a book.
Internet Pinball DataBase
This is a comprehensive, searchable encyclopedia of virtually every pinball machine ever commercially made. The database currently includes 80,174 images of 6,679 games, 5,872 other game related files, and links to other pinball websites, grouped by machine. The database also includes pitch & bat baseball games, cocktail table machines, bingos, and payout machines (when they have a pinball theme).
Open Pinball Database
The OPDB is a searchable archive of pinball machines with a focus on providing a solid API for software developers who wish to incorporate pinball machine data into their apps.


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"Adult-Oriented" bookmarks begin at this URL.

My index page is here.