About Tharasix - The webpage that contains all the information you never really needed to know about the author of this webpage.
Mapquest - The best site for finding where you need to go. I've personally used it for detailed directions to addresses in Denver, Chicago, Cleveland, East Lansing and other places with little to no problems. Plus, the arial pictures are pretty neat.
The Weather Channel - The site for weather. They have local weather, extended forecasts, every kind of weather map under the sun, and Java doppler loops. The whole site gets updated roughly hourly.
DexOnline - The online yellow pages that I prefer. The search function works better than Smartpages, and its interface is much easier to use.
Internet Movie Database - Hey, you remember that one guy in that one movie that we saw that one time? Find out who he was, what else he was in, and just about everything else you'd ever need to know about movies here.
Moviefone - I'd think they should call it Moviepage or Movieweb or something, but it's basically the Moviefone service on the web. The best part is that you don't have to listen to that stupid sounding guy.
CNN - The website of the biggest news network. There's a nice search feature, too.
ESPN - When I occasionally want to know about anything sports related, the ESPN website comes through magnificently.
Google - The search engine, period. This is the best guide to the world's greatest repository of human knowledge. It's the first place I go when I need information on something obscure, and it usually comes through with flying colors.
Paypal - The best way to exchange money over the web. It's free, it can use all forms of payment, and all you need is an email address to use it.
Pricewatch - No, I don't mean Priceline.com, I mean Pricewatch. This is the site I always turn to when I need some computer chunks for the lowest possible price. They keep tabs on the resellers that list prices on their pages, so you can be reasonably certain that you won't get ripped off. They list everything from memory, processors and mainboards to cases and cables of all kinds.
CD Now - The biggest selection of CDs online that I've found. Their prices are reasonable, and the shipping is prompt. It's too bad they got bought out by Amazon.
TicketMaster - The website of everybody's favorite event ticket monopoly. This is a rather convienent way to buy tickets for just about any event, and the tickets generally go on sale on the website at the same time or sooner than anywhere else.
eBay - If I know my audience at all, chances are if you're reading this, you're interested in MECCG. If that's the case, eBay is probably the best place to find a lot of cards for little money. If you're not interested in MECCG, you'll still probably find something you want.
Potomac Distribution - A distributor of gaming cards. The still have some of the more overproduced expansions of MECCG, plus nearly every other game under the sun.
Apollo Hosting - The web hosting service that used to host this webpage. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of service I get from these guys, but I'm too much of a geek to not be running my own webserver.
The Brunching Shuttlecocks - I'm getting really sick of the sites I link here floating to the top of the fishbowl, so to speak. Brunching still has its archive up, Lore is still producing ratings and his comic. The Self-Made Critic is still putting up the occasional review, though he all but threw in the towel shortly after starting his own site. "As pure and simple as a hammer to the forebrain."
Penny Arcade - Your standard geek webcomic, done perfectly. These guys entertain enough people that the sites they link will occasionally get so overloaded with hits that it breaks the server. That's a crazy amount of readership.
Lethal Doses - LD is another site that keeps making me update my webpage. This is a damned funny webcomic, in which I've made one (unnamed, but wearing a skull shirt) and a half (as part of the Pchad character) appearance. LD is written by the internet's Hot Soup, who also does the art for Winter which is a more serious and artful comic that was on a regular update schedule.
Once Upon a Table - The +2 Webcomic of Hilarity. This is a webcomic drawn by another one of my friends, Mark Jones, who is quite a bit more comedian than artist, but it's a really fun webcomic to read. OUaT very roughly chronicles Middle-Earth Roleplaying campaigns that my friends and I have done. This also means I appear in this comic much more regularly than Lethal Doses, so go there, read up, laugh hard.
The Onion - America's Finest News Source. A satirical newspaper in web form, originally written by students at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Even if you don't go for their brand of humor, the AV Club has some wonderful insights into today's entertainment industry.
Dilbert - The website of the comic that brought a voice to the cubicle-dwellers. There are a lot of goodies on the site to play with, including a place to sign up for the DNRC. O-
The Parking Lot is Full - I may not agree with these guys' take on Christianity, but the site is funny enough that it needs to be listed here. If you want a good laugh, go to the search engine and look for comics with the following characters: Cookie Monster, Ronald McDonald, and Charlie Brown. Warning: not for kids. Update: PLIF is now officially done. They plan on keeping the site up indefinitely, but there will be no more new comics.
George W. Bush or Chimpanzee? - I realized, much to my chagrin, that my first version of this links page had no links to any site that made fun of the most rock stupid president this fine country has ever elected (or not). This has now been rectified. Go and be amused, or frightened, at the similarities between the chimp and the monkey living in the White House.
Scott Robbins's Linux Newbie FAQ - If you have a question about something going wrong in your Linux box, check here first. Scott has done a very good job of compiling the most common questions and answers that newbies to the Linux world have.
Linux ISO - The place to find free downloads for a bunch of Linux distributions. If you have a CD burner and a decent internet connection, this is a good place to go when you're starting your quest into Linux. Just pick some distros, burn the CDs, install them, and see which ones you like.
The Linux Documentation Project - If you have a problem that needs a little more guidance, this is the place to start for help. This is the official website for the Linux How-Tos and Mini How-Tos. You'll likely find a lot of useful information here.
Red Hat Linux - My first distro of choice, and probably the most popular Linux distro in the world. It seems to have the right mix of user-friendliness and access to the guts to satisfy the beginner to intermediate Linux users. Redhat has now, unfortunately, split into a corporate version under the old name, and a community-supported version called Fedora.
Gentoo Linux - My new favorite Linux distro. The thing I like about it is that you build your OS in the same way that you build your box, one part at a time, by compiling each bit for your computer. The net result is a very flexible, up to date, and standards-compliant distro. Highly recommended.
RPM Find - The first place to go to find the Linux software you need. All the software is downloadable in RPM (Redhat Package Manager) format, which is compatible with many Linux distros.
Source Forge - Another site for Linux software. Source Forge is a site that organizes many open source software projects into a conveinent format. You'll also be able to find documentation and forums for most of the software available there.
Yahoo! Groups - The home of the linux@yahoogroups.com and linux_newbies@yahoogroups.com mailing lists. Both of these lists are fairly friendly and useful forums to find the answers to the questions that you can't answer yourself. It's the last link here for a reason. The Linux community in general appreciates it if you do your homework before posting a question. If you've gone through this list of links and still can't find your answer, the people on these lists will be happy to help you out.
Links For Your Penguin - Go here for links to Linux software. The rest of these links are for OS independent or Windows software.
The NetMECCG Homepage - In case you hadn't noticed, I run a league for this program, which is a computerization of the Middle-Earth CCG played over the internet. Win32 required. Note: The above link is broken. I plan on trying to get a mirror of the old site running eventually, but until then, I have the setup files on my League page.
GCCG - GCCG is a new program to play CCGs over the internet which includes support for MECCG. There are *nix and Windows versions available, it supports virtual collecting of cards, and has quite an active player base.
ICQ - One of the first instant messaging programs available. I still use it and have most of my contacts with people on it. I very occasionally use other programs, but only under extreme duress. I find it needless to use more than one program for one purpose.
MySQL - The best free database engine you will ever find. If you're unfamiliar with the usefulness of a good DB, poke through the excellent documentation on that site to see what it can do.
Mozilla - Sick of Netscape sucking? Want to avoid touching Microsoft products of any kind? Opera is a good choice, but they're very picky about HTML compliant pages, and they have ads unless you pay money. The best alternative is Mozilla. Mozilla is the open source browser that Netscape modifies (read: screws up) before they release it as their own browser. There are versions for most major OSes, so go, download and enjoy. Unless you don't care about graphics or formatting, then see the next link.
Lynx - I proudly tag the pages on this site as Best viewed with Lynx and I intend to keep it that way. This site is meant primarily as a source of information, and information needs good organization, not eye candy. Lynx is the biggest text-based web browser around, so you won't miss any important content on this site with it, and I do test the site with it.
BOINC - The Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing is a new project that allows organizations to run large distributed computing projects. Seti@Home is on BOINC, along with a few other interesting projects. It's better written than Seti@Home, and it allows you to split your CPU time among several projects.
Opeth - My new obsession. These guys are the epitome of Swedish Death Metal. Even after owning their classic, Blackwater Park, for about a year, I still had a hard time not listening to it over and over. Their compositions are complex, varied and beautiful, along with being harsh and powerful. They're everything I've ever wanted in a metal band.
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - GYBE! is a band that composes and plays modal instrumental music, which features building, repeating themes. They also make use of sound clips in their music, such as recordings of interviews with homeless people. They have a very unique style, and their live shows are very moving.
Metallica - Quite possibly the most successful pop-metal band ever, they are still around and kicking, even with a new bassist and married lives. This website is the best way to keep up with them.
Tool - The best band still making recordings in the world. Everybody should own a copy of Lateralus, and this includes you. Maynard James Keenan is the best vocalist in pop music today, and Danny Carrey is arguably the best drummer. I may sound like some sort of mindless fanboy, but I'm trying to get across, as succinctly as possible, that you need to hear this album, unless music in general is of no interest to you.
In Flames - Not for the listener who places the vocalist on the top of their priorities, In Flames has some of the most beautiful guitar melodies and arrangments I have ever heard. Arguably the ultimate Swedish Death Metal group, In Flames has put out five full length recordings, two EPs and one live recording. If you're even remotely interested in well written guitar harmonies in a metal song-based style, pick up Clayman. If Clayman still isn't enough to satisfy your appetite, pick up The Jester Race, then Colony. If Clayman is still too heavy for you, give the newer albums a whirl.
Under a Cyber Moon - The Official Dream Theater Webpage - Remember that song "Pull me Under?" No? Well, if you did, you'd be mildly interested to know that Dream Theater is still cutting albums. They're a progressive metal band, which effectively means that they're virtuosic at their instruments. There a good band to listen to for aspiring pop musicians, if nothing else.
Iron Maiden - "Iron Maiden? Excellent!!" - Bill and Ted One of the leading bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, these men greatly influenced the rock bands of our time, and they're still cutting albums. A very pretty, though not particularly Lynx-friendly site.
Incubus - I used to consider this band the best band in the world, until Tool released Lateralus and they released Morning View. Their first major-label EP, Enjoy Incubus, and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. are works of pure genius. They put out this groove/funk/metal/rap sound that is as catchy as it is unique and impressive. They then proceeded to make a very radio-friendly album, but without losing much of their funk. That album, Make Yourself, is the one that has the song that became so popular that your mom probably heard it at her favorite hair salon, Drive. Since then, they seem to have mellowed out even more, but the music is still quite innovative. This is a band that's still growing, and though they are making less funky music now, it's still worth a listen.
CD Now - The website to go to if you intend on finding bands like In Flames and Godspeed You Black Emporer! unless you live near a very good record store.
TicketMaster - The website of everybody's favorite ticket monopoly. This is a rather convienent way to buy tickets for just about any event, and the tickets generally go on sale on the website at the same time or sooner than anywhere else.
The Official Lord of the Rings Movie Site - Here's the website of the movies. It's a really nice site with loads of information on the making of the movies and related matters.
The One Ring Website - Probably the most well-known Tolkien fansite. One of the best sites for any Tolkien-related news.
Iron Crown Enterprises - The website of the company that produced not only the Middle-Earth Customizible Card Game (MECCG), but also produced Middle-Earth Role Playing based on the popular Rolemaster system. ICE has since lost its licence to produce or support anything Middle-Earth related, but I still feel the obligation to link them.
The Council of Elrond - The worldwide organizing body of tournament-level MECCG since ICE dropped out of the picture. It's a good site for information an official matters of the game.
The Council of Lórien - The sanctioning organization for North America. Look here for official rules, rankings, sanctioned events and player listings for all of North America.
The Council of the Isles of the Dead that Live - The webpage of the Dutch Council. This is probably the best and most comprehensive site for information on MECCG on the internet. This site has rules, spoliers, official rulings, and a ton of other stuff.
The Lair of the Morgul Rats - Another great information site for MECCG. This one is a particularly good repository of MECCG scenarios and strategy.
The Tolen Mar Playgroup - The webpage of the Montreal-based MECCG playgroup that hosted the 2001 MECCG World Championships. There is still a lot of information on this site about all the fun things that happened there.
The NetMECCG Homepage - The homepage that the author of NetMECCG, Mike Collins, has set up for the distribution of this totally free program. Deck building program and a sealed deck generator are included. Note: The above link is broken. I plan on trying to get a mirror of the old site running eventually, but until then, I have the setup files on my League page.
NetMECCG Soundpacks - The only place you will find John Coble's soundpacks for use with NetMECCG. It's always fun to hear Aragorn declare his title when you play him.
NetMECCG League - Once you have all the software downloaded, this is the best place to find games and advertise your accomplishments against other fine MECCG players. The League is also a very good place to find people to help you learn either the game or the program or both.
Potomac Distribution - A good place to buy some boxes of what's left of the MECCG stock at fairly low prices.
Chris Cable's Webpage - There's a wealth of information on this site, other than the general stuff you find on any other site. Here you'll find both the huge Worldwide MECCG Players List and his magnificent MECCG Card Trading site. Anybody with a respectable number of cards for sale or trade are listed here.
eBay - Probably the best place to find the most cards for the least amount of money. If somebody is leaving the game, or has a box of one of the more sought-after expansions, they'll probably sell what they have on here.
Patrick Karcher's Website - Patrick runs a pretty extensive sale site, with some pretty rare stuff, including boxes of ME: The Lidless Eye starters and Middle Earth art by Audrey Corman.
Wim Heemskerk's Gwaihir.net - A very comprehensive site for buying MECCG stuff. Wim is a pro at finding as much Middle-earth product as possible, and most of it is available through this site.
The MECCG Mailing List - A currently active mailing list to discuss MECCG and other things Tolkien. This is also the list that I post occasional NetMECCG League updates and answer rules questions as the Council of Elrond's Netrep. To subscribe, go to the list's homepage.
Lord of the Rings TCG - The newly released game from Decipher based on the movies and the books. I may sound a little bitter since the game I like more is out of print, but LotR: TCG just doesn't have the depth of MECCG. It is, however, a smoother multi-player game and makes for shorter game time, on average, and the rulebook isn't quite as thick. If you need a Tolkien-based CCG, I'd recommend MECCG, but LotR: TCG may be more up your alley, so I'm giving it at least a token showing here.
Written with Pico
Best viewed with Lynx
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