Links to Resources
We think there is an incredible wealth of information freely available on S.T.E.M. topics. Below is a very brief listing of some of the sources that have inspired us and that we think are excellent. We also support and refer to Wikipedia regularly, though we recognize it is crowdsourced and cannot be taken as the ultimate authority on most matters.
We are also raising a daughter who loves to code. At time of writing (early 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic), the author has come to realize, especially due to COVID, that computers, coding and AI, and all things virtual, will only grow in influence and importance. It's not hard to foresee a world where great coders and technology innovators are more powerful than Prime Ministers, Presidents, and other World Leaders. Perhaps Bill Gates is already there at time of writing (2021), and of course, Elon Musk. Perhaps others. Resistance is futile.
Also, the author will sleep at night believing that this online store, and learning about physics, chemistry, etc. is in fact very simpatico with coding - electromagnetic signals interact with silicon in an almost miraculous way at the transistor level, and it's been unleashing breathtaking creative genius among coders worldwide. Have you seen the graphics in A-list games these days !?! It's almost getting better than reality.
So we've reorganized the list to include coding-related links FIRST (including generally "math" related sites), and the "physical" sciences (and everything else) SECOND. Sites that include some of each are in the FIRST grouping. Within each list, most items are ordered chronologically by when we first became aware of the item.
Our lists below will always be incomplete. Please feel free to email us your favourites and we'll be happy to add them below.
1. Coding and Virtual Sites
Kid's Online Learning Tools for Science, Technology and Beyond. This site was suggested to us and contains links to tons of Science Fair Project ideas to explore, STEM Activities for Kids, and coding and programming resources for all ages.
DroneBotWorkshop.com An awesome (and free) source if you want to build your own electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) device, drones and/or robots.
Visual Capitalist. We applaud their stated mission "to help cut through the clutter and simplify a complex world", and to "highlight the bigger picture through data-driven visuals." Be sure to check out: "A Visual Guide to Who was In Power from 1970 to Today", and All of the World's Spaceports on One Map.
Chartr A small, self-funded and independent media company that provides "Data storytelling" for "visual thinkers and data-driven professionals". Includes a newsletter option. Here's an example:
Science Games and Puzzles - A great compilation of word games and puzzles that kids can use to improve their vocabulary, spelling and grammar while also brushing up on a variety of science topics. This site was suggested to us.
Molview.org A great tool to visualize and understand molecules. For example, here's an extract of one most of us are familiar with... caffeine :-)
Background Noises • Ambient Sounds • Relaxing Music | myNoise® A free website that "creates beautiful noises to mask the noises you don’t want to hear : your chatty colleagues, tinnitus, or even your inner voice when you can't shut it down!"
Michigan Virtual An excellent and deep resource for K-12 teachers, students and parents including online courses (both free and paid). In Michigan Virtual’s podcast called “Bright”, they interview teachers located across the state of Michigan who, like countless teachers worldwide, have been doing an outstanding job in dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Desmos Graphing Calculator A very powerful and useful free resource that can graph functions: super-useful when studying functions, pre-calculus, physics, calculus, etc.
Computer Chip Visualizer. A remarkable simulation and visualization of how a computer chip works. Specifically, it's a "MOS6502 chip", first introduced in 1975. Here's a link to the Wikipedia article: MOS Technology 6502 - Wikipedia.
Kids' Coding Activities Guide. A curated list of coding games and activities for students of all levels. This resource and the keyboarding one below were suggested to us by Hailey D.S.
Kids' Computer Basics: Keyboarding. Includes several activities, games and exercises to help make good keyboarding habits fun.
Matlab. Self-described as the easiest and most productive computing environment for engineers and scientists. Includes math, graphics, and programming.
Window Swap A neat virtual service we discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the name implies, you open windows all around the world. We paid the US$20 for the all-access. You could help yourself choose where to live pretty fast (if you like sitting near a window) :D.
Wordle At time of writing, Jan. 11/22, this game is taking the world by storm. Check it out, if you haven't already. Beware: highly addictive.
Squardle - Wordle squared? (fubargames.se) An awesome variant if you have more time. Also works great with a playing partner. Beware: even more addictive.
5 Letter Word Finder, Solver & Unscrambler (5-letter-words.com) A handy site we found in early 2023 to help get you un-stuck in a certain 5-letter game.
75+ Wordle Alternatives (crossword-solver.io) a huge list of over 75 Wordle clones with a wide range of themes (Harry Potter inspired, geography, movies, music, and a ton more). There are even a few dozen Wordle games in various languages for those who might want to use them as a language learning tool. Sent to us by Katie Hylton.
Metazooa Find the mystery animal before your 20 questions are up. MB.
Five Books. A super useful website to find the top 5 recommended books on any topic of interest. Both fiction and non-fiction.
Clickspring. We learned of this awesome website from a Tested YouTube video with Adam Savage. Tons of ideas for complicated things and how they are made.
Thispersondoesnotexist. A weird website we first learned from Morning Brew. 100% AI-generated faces.
Myvision.org a free digital resource led by expert ophthalmologists and optometrists to provide trusted information on eye health and vision. Includes a Screen Time Guide to help parents with today's modern world of screen usage.
Repair Manuals for Every Thing - iFixit An awesome free resource for DIYers looking to avoid an expensive computer repair bill.
Virtual Vacation. A pretty neat website that lets you experience the world from home.
DeepL Translate An AI translation service that can translate entire PDF, Word (.docx) and and Powerpoint (.pptx) files 3x more accurately than Google translate.
eBird Science. We are most interested in the Climate change aspect of this website - i.e., changes in bird populations highlighting environmental changes.
OurWoldInData.org Hosted by Oxford University, 3267 charts across 297 topics, freely available.
freelearninglist.org Lists of YouTube channels, podcasts, courses (eg., Khan Academy), etc. together with scores.
DALL·E mini - a Hugging Face Space by dalle-mini A new AI tool that invites you to input any bizarre scenario you can think of, and it will create a "comic strip" series of images. For example, we entered "Giraffe eating ice cream", and this is what we got:
ClipDrop - Stable Doodle (MB) You can make a doodle, and the AI will convert it into a real image. Here's our effort with a Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich:
Histography - Timeline of History Hosted by Wikipedia, we love the Inventions timeline. Each dot represents a historic event (eg., the first use of Fire) (NB: the invention of the wheel was pretty recent compared to Fire).
Science Trivia Questions | All The Trivia A new website created by Ashley Grader with some rather difficult science trivia questions.
6 Best Practices to Manage Pull Request Creation and Feedback (doordash.engineering) A great guide on Pull Request (PR) best practices, suggested by Mitch Cruikshank, for any beginner programmers who haven't really worked collaboratively with anyone before.
Guide to Educational Video Games for Kids (verizon.com) A remarkably well-organized, engaging and rich source of free resources (plus some paid Apps). The article also discusses how to choose which games your child should play. We love the links to NASA's virtual tours of Mars, the Moon, and ISS. Sent to us by Annette Laurence at Verizon.
Playphrase.me Just type in a phrase, and you’ll see the TV and movie scenes where that phrase is spoken. Another Morning Brew idea.
ClipBase - Search Audio & Video Clips by Words or Phrase As the name implies, it's a database of audio & video clips. It seems to be mostly short samples. Beta. MB.
WhatTheFont Font | MyFonts Using deep learning, and 130,000 fonts (the world’s largest collection of fonts), can identify the fonts in any image (JPG or PNG formats only).
Free Stock Photos and Images for Commercial Use | Morguefile.com A handy source of free, high-resolution stock photos for any use.
Smithsonian Open Access | Smithsonian Institution (si.edu) You can download, share, and reuse 4.5 million+ of the Smithsonian’s images.
Business Name Generator - free AI-powered naming tool - Namelix Enter one or more keywords to generate a short, brandable business name using artificial intelligence. Another Morning Brew find.
musicForProgramming Features playlists spanning a variety of genres that are suited for intense coding work, but could be used for any hardcore crunching, too.
DANCEMUSIC WTF-300 A neat game for EDM fans to test your knowledge of electronic music's subgenres. From Morning Brew.
Futurepedia - The Largest AI Tools Directory | Home A mixture of free, freemium and paid AI tools including a search function. For example, below is purportedly the first "selfie" ever taken in 1839, and then an AI-colourized version using one of the available tools, Palette - Colorize Photos:
Original
AI-colourized using Palette.fm:
OpenAI -Chat GPT A remarkable AI that can have a conversation with you or can write things for you (requires a free account). Here's an example (we typed "Tell me a joke"):
GPTZero Developed by a 22-year-old Princeton student, Edward Tian, an app that determines the likelihood that a piece of text was written by a human or by ChatGPT.
FindThatMeme - The Meme Search Engine A search engine just for memes. At time of writing, it's approx.17,841,360 memes indexed. Here's one:
Wonders of Street View (neal.fun) A fun way of randomly exploring famous locations around the globe using Google street view.
MusicLM (google-research.github.io) As described by Google, it's "a model generating high-fidelity music from text descriptions such as "a calming violin melody backed by a distorted guitar riff"." We quite like the first one ("the main soundtrack of an arcade game".
Vacay Chatbot (usevacay.com) A chatbot to help you plan your next vacation. We've struggled to find a good spot for star-gazing, so here's what we tried and found (looks pretty good!):
16 Best Free Stock Images Websites for Commercial Use (websiteplanet.com) Check this great resource that helps everyone steer clear of using copyrighted images by mistake. Suggested to us by Anna.
MyFridgeFood - Search By Ingredients Check off what ingredients you have on hand and it will tell you what to make. Another Morning Brew find.
how things are made Archives | The Kid Should See This An enormous archive of free videos about how things are made. We enjoyed the first 2 we checked out: JK Brickworks' Infinite LEGO Domino Ring | The Kid Should See This, and this one: Amazing art work on the street! Manhole mass production process. Japanese Manhole cover. Also from Morning Brew.
Open Culture A plethora of free material. Describes itself as "The best free cultural and educational media on the web". Includes K-12 resources. Also includes tons of movies you can watch for free on YouTube (with ads). Another Morning Brew find.
virtualvacation.us - Explore The World From Home Includes an addictive game whereby you watch a video taken in a mystery location, and you need to guess where in the world you are. MB.
Easy to use Online PDF editor (sejda.com) An awesome free online .pdf editor that allows editing of text, images, removal of pages, etc. (includes a paid upgrade option).
Midjourney Generates images from natural language descriptions, called "prompts", similar to OpenAI's DALL-E and Stable Diffusion. Per Morning Brew, the following masterpiece was created and posted to Reddit by a user who was apparently just trying to have a laugh, per BuzzFeed:
The Free Learning List A list of free education resources, broken down by category. A Morning Brew find.
Name That Thing - Word Game | Merriam-Webster They show you a picture, and you have to guess what it's called (multiple choice). MB.
Convert Videos from Landscape to Vertical for TikTok or IG Reels (bigroom.tv) A free resource that automatically cuts horizontal videos into vertical for TikTok + Instagram Reels using AI. From Morning Brew, via Jack Appleby (@jappleby) / Twitter.
Neal.fun Some fun and educational online games. Don't miss: Space Elevator (neal.fun).
Mosaic of Mars (caltech.edu) Do you imagine the Mars rovers (Perseverance, Curiosity, Opportunity, etc.) hanging out together on the Red Planet? Check out this 3D simulation that shows you exactly where they are. Another Morning Brew find.
Map of Earthquakes Today (earthquaketrack.com) The best resource we've found for information about earthquakes.
Home: ImportYeti - Find Quality Suppliers Find any company's suppliers. A remarkably direct way of learning about North American supply chains. MB.
STEM Movies and TV Shows for Students | Octane Seating Plenty of suggestions for movies and TV shows (eg., MythBusters) to assist students in their STEM learning. Sent to us by Hailey.
Talking To Children About Cancer Discusses how adults can talk to their children regarding a family member or friend having cancer. Sent to us by Kaitlyn.
OCEARCH Shark Tracker This site allows you to know the location of any (tagged) shark. MB.
TimeGuessr This game asks you to guess the time and location (world-wide) old photos come from. MB.
Discover, Create, and Publish your research paper | SciSpace by Typeset A Google Chrome extension called 'SciSpace' that allows a search of over 270 million research papers. You can even highlight text and ask your "co-pilot" to explain it (see example below, excerpted from this excellent overview: Forget ChatGPT - Use this INSANE tool for Scientific research | 10 ways to use Sci Space Copilot - YouTube):(!):
Illusions & Visual Phenomena (michaelbach.de) 151 Illusions and visual phenomena. MB.
A Beginner's Glossary of Coding and Programming Terms (qualtrics.com) A lovely and informative glossary of terms to help and inspire young coders. Includes resources links. Sent to us by Annie and Willow.
The Dreamkeeper A new AI that will re-create your dream, based on your description of it. MB
Web Design Museum A neat chronicle of how web pages (eg. Google, Apple, Amazon, etc.) have changed from the 90s to present day. MB.
Paul Debevec Personal website / blog of Paul Debevec, Director of Production Innovation Research @ Netflix, Governor, Visual Effects, Academy of Motion Pictures. We were introduced to Paul Debevec via this excellent video: VFX Artists React to Bad & Great CGi 107 (ft. Paul Debevec) - YouTube
The Condiment Packet Gallery A fun virtual gallery of condiments with categories for types (ketchup, mustard, etc.). MB.
Rubrics as an Effective Tool for Students: Benefits & Tips (ivypanda.com) An article that explains the importance of rubrics and how they can help students. The article also compares 8 different types of rubric. Sent to us by James Corbyn.
Eye-opening Facts About Vision and Eyes (visioncenter.org) An excellent resource about vision and eye health. Did you know that your irises have 256 unique patterns, over six times more than a fingerprint's 40 characteristics? Sent to us by Ivanna Jenkins.
DamnGood.Tools Easy-to-use, fun tools—free (and open-source). Some examples: detect fonts, chat with any pdf (upload a PDF file and ask any questions about it. Let AI answer them). MB.
Sketchplanations - A weekly explanation in a sketch A series of easy-to-understand sketches of lots of topics. MB
OutHorse Your Email (visiticeland.com) An interesting alternative to using an out-of-office (OOO) message :D (MB)
Hoodmaps.com Search for your city / neighborhood and see how people have described your area. MB.
What Is Precrastination with an "E" & How to Overcome It? The Complete Guide for Students (ivypanda.com) An excellent article about precrastination. It's something we didn't there was a word for. Sent to us by James Corbyn.
The Manual Library : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive A remarkable repository of manuals for mechanical and electrical items going back decades. MB.
LPT Request: What’s your best advice from your profession? : LifeProTips (reddit.com) Life advice: The best advice from every profession. MB.
Navigating the Challenges of Women in STEM & Gaming (wordfinderx.com) A compilation of resources aimed at helping women in STEM, programming and gaming to better navigate these historically male-dominated fields. Send to us by Katie Hylton.
Animated Knots by Grog | Learn how to tie knots with step-by-step animation Self-described as the #1 website for learning knots. MB.
Radiooooo.com An awesome website that let's you choose a Country and a decade to listen to music from. MB.
Lifelong Learning – How & Why to Start as a Student? Follow Our Tips (custom-writing.org) An article about the benefits of lifelong learning, why it’s never too late to start, and how you can unlock the power of lifelong learning to enhance your personal, academic, and professional life. We like the examples of people who never stopped learning. Sent to us by Julia Reed.
Bird Migration Explorer (audubon.org) Explore a map of bird migration (North America). MB.
Ranking of memorable people | Pantheon A remarkable database of notable people from world history. Can be filtered by country, gender, occupation and more. MB.
Eternal Sunset (funwebsite.fun) You can view a live sunset somewhere in the world at any time. It's literally a 24/7/365 sort of website. MB.
How companies use dark patterns to keep you subscribed (pudding.cool) An excellent summary of all of the 'dark patterns' in today's marketplace. MB.
How to Stop Overthinking: 11 Tips & 3 Simple Exercises for Students | Blog StudyCorgi A comprehensive guide that provides step-by-step instructions for anyone who has ever overthought: the causes and symptoms of it, tips, exercises and a good looking infographic. Sent to us by Lucas McCarthy.
Practice typing by retyping ENTIRE novels — TypeLit.io A pretty cool user interface that let's you practice your typing speed and accuracy on some of the most famous novels of all time. MB
How to Make a Website | Step-By-Step Guide (websitesetup.org) A free step-by-step guide for making a website (in an hour or less). Sent to us by Tal Hart.
Infographic: 6 Simple Japanese Techniques to Boost Productivity + Helpful Tips (custom-writing.org) An infographic and blog post on mastering the art of productivity, drawing inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of Japan. Sent to us by Julia Reed.
AI Coding and Programming Tools · AIPRM A useful summary of AI Coding and Programming Tools, together with some excellent links. Sent to us by Lauren and Mrs. Olley.
Check Shortcuts of 101 Apps | keycheck.dev Find keyboard shortcuts for 101 Apps. MB
Perplexity A new AI-powered search engine (backed by Jeff Bezos) designed to summarize info from the web, together with links to reputable sources. MB. Here's a sample of our first attempt (asking about stroboscopes):
Navigating in Deep Space | Time and Navigation (si.edu) For those curious as to how we can accurately land a rover on Mars (for example), this article provides insight.
Find New TV Shows, Movies, Books, Podcasts & More | Likewise, Inc Tell this new chatbot what you're interested in, and it'll suggest movies, books, TV shows, and podcasts. Below is our first attempt. MB
janwillemtulp.github.io/parallel-lives/ This awesome timeline shows you what famous people throughout history were alive at the same time. eg., do you imagine Socrates and Plato hanging out together? MB.
Airline List: Airlines, airplanes and airports compared Easily filter every airline and airport by feature and airplane model (eg., Airbus, etc.). MB
James's Light Meter Collection: Weston Master II (jollinger.com) For all about light meters (eg., for photography). The author has the one featured under 'Selenium' in Theo Gray's The Elements.
butkus.org A free online collection of instruction manuals for cameras.
8 Mindfulness Practices & 5-Minute Recharging Activities for Students | Blog StudyCorgi You can find a detailed explanation of mindfulness techniques (similar to meditation techniques) and find the one that resonates with you. Sent to us by Lily Mayer. Here's the one that resonates most with the author:
Emoji Kitchen An entertaining way of "mixing" emojis to make new ones (MB). Here's a sample combining a coffee cup with another coffee cup:
LinkedIn Games Yep, there are now games on LinkedIn. At time of writing, includes word games Pinpoint and Crossclimb and logic puzzle Queens. MB
Explore the Largest Online Collection of Plants | Compare Across Stores (getanyplant.com) The internet's largest database of plants and where to buy them. MB.
World-Wide Labyrinth Locator The title is self-explanatory. The author tried 'Hawaii' and was surprised by the multitude in existence (much more than the famous Dole Plantation on Oahu). MB
Reverse Dictionary – Find words that fit your description (virock.org) To help you find the right word for something. Like Thesaurus. MB.
Pick 5 | Have fun with OEC Data | The Observatory of Economic Complexity This game gives you a product and lets you guess who exports it. MB.
City Walks Live Let's you 'walk down the street' in dozens of major cities around the world. MB.
Ventusky - Wind, Rain and Temperature Maps 'The weather website of all weather websites'. MB.
Recipe Search with Typesense This website let's you search 2 million recipes by keyword. MB.
Animated Knots by Grog | Learn how to tie knots with step-by-step animation An awesome resource for learning knots (boating, arborists, etc.).
Printable Eye Charts: Tests for Home Vision Checks (visioncenter.org) Free printable eye charts that "allow users to conduct basic vision checks at home". As with all health matters, we encourage you to work with a healthcare professional. Sent to us by Haleigh Carter.
Climate Zones (pudding.cool) How will your city feel in 2070? Check out these climate maps. MB.
Calculating Empires A "Genealogy of Technology and Power Since 1500". MB.
Text2Color API Transform text to colour (AI). MB.
The eyeballing game (woodgears.ca) A pretty cool, addictive-type game. MB.
The Scale of Life Visualize everyday life, in real time. MB.
What is Climate Change? | An Overview (perlego.com) This well-written article aims to be "one of the most comprehensive guides on the internet for climate change". Includes links to a number of books. Sent to us by Anthony Palomarez.
One Misconception About 64 Different Animals (mentalfloss.com) A thorough debunking of myths about animals, starting with toads and warts. MB.
City Diagram Links - SkyscraperPage.com Links to over 740 world city skyscraper diagrams containing 10 or more drawings of completed and under construction highrises. MB
BBC Sound Effects (bbcrewind.co.uk) The BBC's archive has 33,000+ sound effects you can download for free (NB: no results for 'what does the fox say') MB.
Magic ToDo - GoblinTools A remarkable AI-powered tool that can break-down large tasks into small, itemized tasks. Below is our result searching for "study for exam". MB
Math
WolframAlpha.com A superb free online resource that prompts every user with "Enter what you want to calculate". Try it. Sort of like a "heaven" for math nerds?
mathforlove.com an excellent blog we've followed for a long time. Makers of the multiple award-winning games "Prime Climb", and "Tiny Polka Dot".
ramanujanmachine A source of mathematical conjectures developed by AI algorithms, and attempted proofs from anyone who'd like to take a stab at discovering a new theorem.
37 Heaven (thirty-seven.org) A website devoted to 37. Veritasium highlighted this website, together with a shocking number of coincidences around 37 in this video:
Fun with Sounds
From Morning Brew: Here’s a reaction soundboard and an instant rap airhorn to annoy all your friends and colleagues with.
A Soft Murmur White noise and other ambient sounds to "wash away distraction". MB
The Eternal Jukebox (davi.gq) Find your favourite song on Spotify and this service will generate a never-ending version of the song :D. MB.
2. Computer Software & Hardware (New Section)
We rely mostly on the YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips for the best information on computing, plus the resources they routinely mention (eg., PassMark Software - CPU Benchmark Charts). They have a deep library on YouTube, plus a website with forums, etc.: Forums - Linus Tech Tips.
For anyone planning on purchasing ASUS products, you might want to check out the below for some first-hand reporting on recent negative experiences with ASUS:
Software
(1) For Windows / PC users curious to know how well your computer is running (speeds, temperatures, etc.), the following look to be among the best available:
- MSI Afterburner (a 'gold standard' of sorts)
- CPUID HWMonitor (whole computer monitor)
- TechPowerUp GPU-Z (for GPUs)
These were all suggested in the excellent YouTube video: FREE programs that EVERY PC should have... - YouTube.
The author's laptop has been getting hot (as have the Macbooks in the family), so the above-noted software is mostly for peace of mind right now.
Incidentally, you will likely enjoy the following LTT video if you've ever felt frustrated with your laptop: A COMPLETELY Upgradeable Laptop? - Framework Laptop Review - YouTube
(2) For adding a second screen to virtually any device (PC, Mac, Android, iOS, etc.), or to create a 'video wall', check out: spacedesk | Multi Monitor App | Virtual Display Screen | Software Video Wall. It's free, but there is also an extended-features paid version.
Hardware
At the moment, we need a new desktop computer and it turned out that the best value, by far, was to build/assemble our own using new components (from Amazon). The following video gave us confidence that we could do it: (2540) Explaining Desktop PC Hardware - YouTube.
PassMark Software - CPU Benchmark Charts A comprehensive range of CPU, GPU, hard drives, RAM, and complete systems to help compare the relative speeds of different products from Intel, AMD, Apple, Qualcomm and others, together with Price-to-Performance lists and charts.
To calculate the required size of your power supply, you can use this handy free calculator: Power Supply Calculator | Cooler Master
Linux
At time of writing, in July, 2024, Windows 10 is scheduled to lose support on October 14, 2025. The author find the file management system in Windows 11 completely unworkable.
Linux is an open-source option. Here's a YouTube video that the author found very helpful to understand how a Linux journey may go:
3. "Physical" - Related Sites
Theodoregray.com/ We think this is a wonderful place to start - for Apple iOS users, see in particular the beautiful and very entertaining "The Elements" and "Molecules" Apps). New in 2023: check out the Periodic Table of Tools.
Graysci.com Be a mad scientist. This one is for the more adventurous weekend warriors.
Tested.com Led by Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame.
Mythresults A summary of all results from the Mythbusters.
The Chemogenesis Web Book | Title Page (meta-synthesis.com) "The Chemogenesis Web Book Explores How Chemical Structure & Reactivity Emerge From the Periodic Table of the Elements".
Ptable.com A free, online copy of the periodic table enriched with plenty of colour-coding and advanced features for beginners up to the most advanced users.
Behance.net Another version of the periodic table, this one with a provocative title: "The Periodic Table of the Elements in Danger", referring to and including graphics regarding the growing scarcity of certain elements.
sciencebuddies.org Includes hundreds of Science Fair project ideas, and some handy filters to help you select the best one for your grade level and topic area.
stevespanglerscience.com Check out in particular the incredible list of ideas (500+) for experiments you can try at home.
billnye.com Yes, we love the bowtie.
sciencebob.com Frequent and always entertaining guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Famous for its association with the late, great physicist, Stephen Hawking, the Perimeter Institute was founded in 1999 by Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mike Lazaridis, and is proudly Canadian.
Electrical Engineering Experiments for Kids This online collection was suggested to us and has a ton of great experiment ideas having to do with electricity.
507 Mechanical Movements An intriguing compendium of different mechanisms.
A Handyman's Guide to Tinkering This online guide was suggested to us. We like the practical advice and inexpensive project ideas to help your family to tinker with STEM-related projects
Watch Ideas For lovers of how things work (and the modern marvels of watches in particular) this website is well researched and includes a great history and explanation of watch technology
Fields of Engineering Overview A lovely and quite inspiring summary and elucidation of some of the major fields of engineering (we also love how serious the rabbits look :D).
Geek Pack Hack - a great online resource with free tutorials and videos for parents and kids to build cool electrical engineering projects together.
Fun Science Experiments for Kids One of the best collections of safe and accessible experiments that can be done with common household materials we've seen. This was sent to us by the author, Claire Mitchell, who loves writing about family and just about anything.
Imagineering.org.uk Based in the UK and staffed by committed volunteers with engineering knowledge, the Imagineering Foundation introduces 8-16 year-olds throughout the UK to the fascinating world of engineering and technology through fun, hands-on activities.
Harrogate Lunar Society for Science A group of eccentric science friends formed this society in the North Yorkshire town of Harrogate in the UK. As the lead member of the Commonwealth, they naturally discuss matters over a pint (or three). They discuss science & tech ranging from how things work, chemistry, astronomy, physics and computers, but also do experiments and take things apart, and set things on fire (check out their photo galleries).
Stem.org.uk An education organization that provides CPD to teachers in the UK, in partnership with government and employers. They also have a STEM ambassador program to bring STEM role models into schools and support world-class STEM education to young people across the UK.
Science Experiments Around the Home The title says it all. Found by a precocious 9-year old, Tony, and sent to us my his mom, Holly. Be sure to check out how to extract the DNA from a banana!
Propel Manufacturing Terms Glossary Lost in industry-specific jargon like CAPA, composites, and Kaizen? Explore this manufacturing glossary with over 80 manufacturing terms and definitions.
TheEngineeringMindset.com A series of superb explanations of how things work. Be sure to check out the YouTube video about relays (includes a description of how those light-up elevator buttons work).
Spindle Speed Calculator (omnicalculator.com) A handy calculator for machining operations. In Q2-23, we are looking at "speeds and feeds" for our new CNC machine.
Chemistry Focus
World of Molecules An excellent, free source of information about all manner of different molecules, filtered in many familiar categories (eg., food, supplements, molecules that give colour, solvents, etc.).
Common Chemistry A web resource that contains CAS Registry Numbers for approximately 7,900 chemicals of widespread general public interest.
IUPAC-NIST Solubility Database An excellent, free resource containing solubilities originally published in the IUPAC (International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry) NIST Solubility Data Series. Data tables for solute/solvent combinations at varying pressures and temperatures. Typical solvents and solutes include water, sea water, heavy water, inorganic compounds, and a variety of organic compounds such as hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, alcohols, acids, esters and nitrogen compounds.
My Safety Labels.com. A very handy free online tool to facilitate the creation of safe labels for your chemicals. We like their label design - we find them clear, organized and easy to read. Here's a sample of one we created (for our own purposes) using the site (and with reference to a safety data sheet):
Onlinelabels.com. A similar free online tool to facilitate the creation of safe labels for your chemicals. This generator allows you to select up to 3 GHS hazard symbols, any number of hazard statements (identified with an "H" prefix, and a number between H200 and H420), and it will AUTOMATICALLY generate and provide the relevant precautionary statements for your chemical. Here's a similar sample of one we created for comparison:
Sigma Aldrich. A leading international chemical supplier, certainly NOT directed at a retail audience. However, they have a wealth of safety data sheets and other key chemical information freely available to anyone.
National Library of Medicine. An excellent source of information about a vast array of chemicals and substances, including diagrams of molecules.
International Cloud Atlas. Hosted by the World Meteorological Association. A rich resource with plenty of photos and explanations. Did you know that the average height of clouds is different in Nunavut than Toronto? Check out the table below:
Ventusky - Wind, Rain and Temperature Maps A 'hardcore' weather map. You can enter your location for an interesting view. We like the arrows indicating wind patterns.
World Weather Map - Interactive weather map. Worldweatheronline An up-to-date map of weather across the world. MB.
KK*.org Kevin Kelly is the founding executive editor of WIRED magazine. We are happy to have found his personal blog website via Morning Brew.
Teaching Math and Computer Science to Kids with Special Needs. Hosted by a cryptocurrency service, and sent to us by its author, Alexandra Chappell, a former classroom teacher, is this rather unique and impressive list of STEM resources intended to survey teaching approaches and then highlight free math and computing resources for special needs students. We especially like how the links have been grouped by grade level.
MuscleWiki is like Wikipedia, but for exercise. Another link from Morning Brew.
Matt's Tech Pages Researching wire connectors and crimp tools for our DIY CNC Vertical Mill build, we came across this awesome resource. Don't miss "What's wrong with just soldering contacts?".
International Travel Plug Adapter | Skyscanner's Travel Blog A handy international travel plug adapter guide:
23 Incredibly Easy Science Experiments & Activities to Try At Home - Word Tips A curated list of activities for kids of all ages and geared towards experiments that are easy and cheap to set up, using everyday items around the home. Sent to us by Katie Hylton.
POP CULTURE (NOT STEM-RELATED)
TV Tropes "The All Devouring Pop Culture Wiki".