Moskevyu on the Web
LiveJournal - Mundane day-to-day clackery.
Facebook - Public page on Facebook.
Twitter - Mini rants and whatnot. 140 characters or less.
Instagram - Snaps I shared on Twitter used to go through Twitpic, but I'm grew frustrated with it. For now, I'm flying Instagram.
Tumblr - Former home of MoskieSauce before I launched my big girl website. Mostly reblogs and occasional self-generated content.
Pinterest - Pinboards of happy things.
Facebook - Public page on Facebook.
Twitter - Mini rants and whatnot. 140 characters or less.
Instagram - Snaps I shared on Twitter used to go through Twitpic, but I'm grew frustrated with it. For now, I'm flying Instagram.
Tumblr - Former home of MoskieSauce before I launched my big girl website. Mostly reblogs and occasional self-generated content.
Pinterest - Pinboards of happy things.
Favorite Artists
DjiggiBodgi.com via Fotolia.com
Alice X. Zhang - Beautiful illustrations and digital paintings. I adore the way she works with light and texture.
Audrey Kawasaki - Graceful to shocking interplay between innocence and the erotic.
Elsa Chang - Elsa is a Character Designer at Sony Pictures Animation who also trained at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Fun and lovely illustrations.
Brian Kesinger - Disney layout and storyboard artist and the creator of Tea Girls. His steampunk creations with Otto and Victoria are charming, beautiful and entertaining.
Danny Antonucci - Creator of 'Brothers Grunt,' 'Ed, Edd n' Eddy' and 'Lupo the Butcher.'
Fueled by Rage - Sabrina Alberghetti: Story board artist, 'Ed, Edd n' Eddy' alum & 'Cars' fan.
Jhonen Vasquez - Creator of Invader Zim. He posts to Tumblr often and uses Twitter to wax non sequitur.
Dan Schoening - 'Dapper Dan' is bringing the Real Ghostbusters back to the comic world and he's making some fantastic stuff.
Anderson Mahanski - Charming and sweet animation art from Brazil.
Ahmet Ozkan - I fell in love with Ahmet's photography of jumping spiders. His insects and landscapes are fascinating, too.
Kirstin Mills - Fantasy themed paintings and illustrations. Red Riding Hood, dragons, kookaburras. Good stuff.
Kimberly Love - Abstract oil paintings and cityscapes done in palette knife and impasto.
Dale Chihuly - Amazing glass artist. A lot of his pieces remind me of sea life and organic forms found in plants. His exhibits and installations are an experience I strongly recommend.
VivziePop - Animator Vivienne Medrano. Charming creations and a fun style. Check out her YouTube channel! I'm especially fond of 'Timber.'
Audrey Kawasaki - Graceful to shocking interplay between innocence and the erotic.
Elsa Chang - Elsa is a Character Designer at Sony Pictures Animation who also trained at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Fun and lovely illustrations.
Brian Kesinger - Disney layout and storyboard artist and the creator of Tea Girls. His steampunk creations with Otto and Victoria are charming, beautiful and entertaining.
Danny Antonucci - Creator of 'Brothers Grunt,' 'Ed, Edd n' Eddy' and 'Lupo the Butcher.'
Fueled by Rage - Sabrina Alberghetti: Story board artist, 'Ed, Edd n' Eddy' alum & 'Cars' fan.
Jhonen Vasquez - Creator of Invader Zim. He posts to Tumblr often and uses Twitter to wax non sequitur.
Dan Schoening - 'Dapper Dan' is bringing the Real Ghostbusters back to the comic world and he's making some fantastic stuff.
Anderson Mahanski - Charming and sweet animation art from Brazil.
Ahmet Ozkan - I fell in love with Ahmet's photography of jumping spiders. His insects and landscapes are fascinating, too.
Kirstin Mills - Fantasy themed paintings and illustrations. Red Riding Hood, dragons, kookaburras. Good stuff.
Kimberly Love - Abstract oil paintings and cityscapes done in palette knife and impasto.
Dale Chihuly - Amazing glass artist. A lot of his pieces remind me of sea life and organic forms found in plants. His exhibits and installations are an experience I strongly recommend.
VivziePop - Animator Vivienne Medrano. Charming creations and a fun style. Check out her YouTube channel! I'm especially fond of 'Timber.'
Blogs and Folks I Respect
Photo credit: James Thew via Fotolia.com
Street Anatomy - Looks at gorgeous and fun anatomical art and pop culture.
Kevin Smith - Screenwriter, actor and producer. Runs View Askew Productions and has lots of podcast content on Smodcast.com.
Richard Horvitz - The voice behind several of my favorite characters, particularly Daggett and Invader Zim.
Maurice LaMarche - Voice actor behind characters such as The Brain, Kif, Egon Spengler and others. He is a genuinely nice person. I am surprised he doesn't have his own website.
Wil Wheaton - I wasn't a Star Trek fan when he played Wesley Crusher, but I did see him as Lachance!
Robert Reich - UC Berkely's Chancellor's professor of Public Policy pokes holes in political whitewash.
Kevin Smith - Screenwriter, actor and producer. Runs View Askew Productions and has lots of podcast content on Smodcast.com.
Richard Horvitz - The voice behind several of my favorite characters, particularly Daggett and Invader Zim.
Maurice LaMarche - Voice actor behind characters such as The Brain, Kif, Egon Spengler and others. He is a genuinely nice person. I am surprised he doesn't have his own website.
Wil Wheaton - I wasn't a Star Trek fan when he played Wesley Crusher, but I did see him as Lachance!
Robert Reich - UC Berkely's Chancellor's professor of Public Policy pokes holes in political whitewash.
Screenwriting Sites
Go Into the Story - Scott Myers discusses great writing along with the business side of screenwriting. Tied into The Black List. The Black Board is a growing forum which is also tied in with the same site. This site also offers free legal script downloads for study purposes.
Just F*ing Entertain Me - Julie Gray gives screenwriting tips and pitfalls from the Script Reader's point of view.
The Bitter Script Reader - Another seasoned Hollywood Script Reader blogs and vlogs about script qualities which scream 'Hack!'
ScriptShadow - Carson Reeves reviews unproduced scripts for helpful gems and lessons learned.
John August - Personal website and blog with helpful info for screenwriting. Also home of the Scriptnotes Podcast.
Script Toolbox - Online spec script formatting guide by T.J. Alex.
The Story Department - Many helpful articles related to writing, log lines, pitching and script development.
Three Lines or Less - Log lines! Log lines! Log lines! Screenwriting blog and log line contest. Scroll down for other useful links.
Wordplay - Writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot offer tips for writing and selling scripts. Pay special attention to their Q&A section.
Creative Screenwriting - Online presence for Creative Screenwriting Magazine. It has interviews with writers, directors and filmmakers discussing the creative process involved in their projects.
Simply Scripts - A database of many different types of scripts to download and study.
Screenwriting Source - Online directory of literary agents and managers, film production companies and producers. Also showcases numerous helpful articles for people breaking into the screenwriting trade. Note: This site requires a subscription fee.
Screenplay Contests - A free online directory of competitions to showcase your script.
Industrial Scripts - A UK writing site which offers courses in script reading and writing. It also sells screenplay analysis. There are several useful articles posted as well. This site is worth taking a look at.
202 Screenwriting Tips - Excellent tips from Hollywood screenwriter, novelist, director and producer, Brian Koppelman. Hosted at Comfort Pit. Do a search for Brian Koppelman on YouTube and find all his tips and lessons.
Just F*ing Entertain Me - Julie Gray gives screenwriting tips and pitfalls from the Script Reader's point of view.
The Bitter Script Reader - Another seasoned Hollywood Script Reader blogs and vlogs about script qualities which scream 'Hack!'
ScriptShadow - Carson Reeves reviews unproduced scripts for helpful gems and lessons learned.
John August - Personal website and blog with helpful info for screenwriting. Also home of the Scriptnotes Podcast.
Script Toolbox - Online spec script formatting guide by T.J. Alex.
The Story Department - Many helpful articles related to writing, log lines, pitching and script development.
Three Lines or Less - Log lines! Log lines! Log lines! Screenwriting blog and log line contest. Scroll down for other useful links.
Wordplay - Writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot offer tips for writing and selling scripts. Pay special attention to their Q&A section.
Creative Screenwriting - Online presence for Creative Screenwriting Magazine. It has interviews with writers, directors and filmmakers discussing the creative process involved in their projects.
Simply Scripts - A database of many different types of scripts to download and study.
Screenwriting Source - Online directory of literary agents and managers, film production companies and producers. Also showcases numerous helpful articles for people breaking into the screenwriting trade. Note: This site requires a subscription fee.
Screenplay Contests - A free online directory of competitions to showcase your script.
Industrial Scripts - A UK writing site which offers courses in script reading and writing. It also sells screenplay analysis. There are several useful articles posted as well. This site is worth taking a look at.
202 Screenwriting Tips - Excellent tips from Hollywood screenwriter, novelist, director and producer, Brian Koppelman. Hosted at Comfort Pit. Do a search for Brian Koppelman on YouTube and find all his tips and lessons.
Production News
Variety - Industry news. Who is doing what, reviews, box office, festivals. Good to keep an eye on.
The Hollywood Reporter - Frequently updated television and film production listings.
Indiewire - Another useful news source. Indie productions, documentaries, television, festivals and reviews.
Baseline - This is a subscription database of film and television production information. For a screenwriter, this may or may not be useful. Make friends with someone who has access to see if it's something you need.
IMDb Pro - Professional side of the Internet Movie Database. It provides detailed film and television production information along with contact info. This is also a paid subscription database. Make friends with someone who has access to get a preview before paying for it.
The Hollywood Reporter - Frequently updated television and film production listings.
Indiewire - Another useful news source. Indie productions, documentaries, television, festivals and reviews.
Baseline - This is a subscription database of film and television production information. For a screenwriter, this may or may not be useful. Make friends with someone who has access to see if it's something you need.
IMDb Pro - Professional side of the Internet Movie Database. It provides detailed film and television production information along with contact info. This is also a paid subscription database. Make friends with someone who has access to get a preview before paying for it.
Novel Writing/Publishing Info
Iconoclastic Writer - I came across this site while looking for info on John Truby. Offers tips on plot development along with some NaNoWriMo prep.
Writer's Digest - Online home for Writer's Digest Magazine. Tons of helpful articles for the novice to the seasoned writer. This site also has lists of competitions, resources, seminars, blogs and a forum.
Writer's Market - Subscription directory site for literary agents, novel, short story and poetry publishers. There is also an annual print version which is based on the same info. The website has more listings.
Publisher's Marketplace - Useful directory for seeking an agent. This site shares what agents seek, what they recently sold and which editors they work with.
Random Name Generator - Stuck creating a character name? Use this tool for a little inspiration.
Rainy Mood - A little atmosphere can take your creative process a long way. You don't have to move to Seattle or hide in the back booth of a coffee shop to get the background sound you need to concentrate. You can even use white noise or streamline your laptop's environment to cut down on distractions.
Writer's Digest - Online home for Writer's Digest Magazine. Tons of helpful articles for the novice to the seasoned writer. This site also has lists of competitions, resources, seminars, blogs and a forum.
Writer's Market - Subscription directory site for literary agents, novel, short story and poetry publishers. There is also an annual print version which is based on the same info. The website has more listings.
Publisher's Marketplace - Useful directory for seeking an agent. This site shares what agents seek, what they recently sold and which editors they work with.
Random Name Generator - Stuck creating a character name? Use this tool for a little inspiration.
Rainy Mood - A little atmosphere can take your creative process a long way. You don't have to move to Seattle or hide in the back booth of a coffee shop to get the background sound you need to concentrate. You can even use white noise or streamline your laptop's environment to cut down on distractions.
Money. Investing. Saving. Regaining.
AmericaSaves.org - A campaign coordinated by the Consumer Federation of America, which is dedicated to helping individuals save money, reduce debt and build wealth.
Student Loan Borrowers Assistance - A national consumer law center program providing information about student loan rights, and responsibilities for borrowers and advocates. Be sure to check out Project on Student Debt and IBR as well.
American Bankruptcy Institute - Site is mainly geared for bankruptcy professionals, however ABI also offers useful information for consumers facing bankruptcy.
Rebuilding Credit After Bankruptcy - One of the first things you want to do after debt is discharged is get to work on regaining a good credit score. Watch your credit report and fix mistakes quickly. This isn't just so you can have low interest credit cards again. Unless you are paying cash, you need decent credit scores to buy a home or a car. Poor credit history can also hurt your insurance rates and background checks on job applications. If your scores are too low for an unsecured credit card, try getting a secured one. Your bank may also offer a secured or unsecured card based on the accounts you have. Secured credit cards are limiting, but if you fly right for about a year, you can convert your secured card to an unsecured card and get a better rate. Plan and budget. Make a priority of paying all of your bills/rent/utilities/etc. on time and paying off credit purchases quickly. If you are addicted to watching late night infomercials or shopping channels, turn them off!
AnnualCreditReport.com - This site offers your free annual credit report with no extra fees, scams, trial offers or other strings attached. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on your FICO score. Getting your FICO score does cost a fee.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Consumer Protection Unit) - Collects complaints against banks and other financial institutions.
Social Security Reality - It's not pretty. Retiring on it is rapidly becoming a myth. If you are taking control of your finances, don't ignore retirement. Take steps to bolster your retirement and get educated on the types of retirement accounts you can start now. Don't leave your 401K at your previous jobs, either. Roll that money over and keep it active in growing tax sheltered investments.
Mint.com - Organize your finances. See where your money is going and find places you can tighten your wallet.
Acorns - Baby steps investing. If you can put aside five or ten dollars per week, you can start an investment portfolio. Stash Invest also offers this type of service.
Phil Town - Phil Town's Rule #1 is a good fundamentals book for people who are new to picking stocks. Phil coaches readers on examining stocks more like Warren Buffett and picking big moat stocks. He also has a flashy investing website and a blog, but read the book.
Warren Buffett - When learning about stocks, investing and fundamental research; Warren Buffett's name comes up frequently. Several of today's popular long-term value investing strategies involve his wisdom and techniques. He is definitely worth learning more about even if it's just for fun.
Steven Sitkowski - Offers a free book on trading options (they will sell other things, but the book is still free). He also runs Pro Trader Institute. I like the book for his discussion on fundamental research. One of the reasons I mentioned this program is it's one of very few investing workshops that is entirely available online. He doesn't ask people to cough up several thousand dollars to attend a series of in-person seminars. The online lectures can be accessed for around three hundred and you can watch them as often as you need to get the lessons down. Even if you aren't ready to try options, check him out for fundamentals. He writes in plain english, the book is easy to read, easy to understand and use. He is also good to study before you start learning options trading. I also recommend TastyTrade and Dough as good places to keep learning about options trading. You can also find other great instruction at CBOE, Options Industry Council, and LearningMarkets.com.
Top Mistakes Made by Beginning Options Traders - Brian Overby lists several common mistakes which bite options traders who are just getting started. Tom Sosnoff talks about them, too.
Karen the Supertrader - Here's an inspiration story for you. This investor started off her investing education with Investools workshops. After working with stocks for a period of time, she then stepped into options trading and eventually left her job to trade full-time. In three years, she grew a modest investing portfolio to forty-one million with options trades and she's still going! She has several interviews with Tom Sosnoff on YouTube.
Why You Should Avoid Binary Options - Binary options is a new fad that's getting a lot of ad play on YouTube and investor education sites. Playing binary options isn't investing, it's gambling. There are a lot of scams related to binary options, and even keeping your activity to supposedly legit binary options sites is high risk.
Student Loan Borrowers Assistance - A national consumer law center program providing information about student loan rights, and responsibilities for borrowers and advocates. Be sure to check out Project on Student Debt and IBR as well.
American Bankruptcy Institute - Site is mainly geared for bankruptcy professionals, however ABI also offers useful information for consumers facing bankruptcy.
Rebuilding Credit After Bankruptcy - One of the first things you want to do after debt is discharged is get to work on regaining a good credit score. Watch your credit report and fix mistakes quickly. This isn't just so you can have low interest credit cards again. Unless you are paying cash, you need decent credit scores to buy a home or a car. Poor credit history can also hurt your insurance rates and background checks on job applications. If your scores are too low for an unsecured credit card, try getting a secured one. Your bank may also offer a secured or unsecured card based on the accounts you have. Secured credit cards are limiting, but if you fly right for about a year, you can convert your secured card to an unsecured card and get a better rate. Plan and budget. Make a priority of paying all of your bills/rent/utilities/etc. on time and paying off credit purchases quickly. If you are addicted to watching late night infomercials or shopping channels, turn them off!
AnnualCreditReport.com - This site offers your free annual credit report with no extra fees, scams, trial offers or other strings attached. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on your FICO score. Getting your FICO score does cost a fee.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Consumer Protection Unit) - Collects complaints against banks and other financial institutions.
Social Security Reality - It's not pretty. Retiring on it is rapidly becoming a myth. If you are taking control of your finances, don't ignore retirement. Take steps to bolster your retirement and get educated on the types of retirement accounts you can start now. Don't leave your 401K at your previous jobs, either. Roll that money over and keep it active in growing tax sheltered investments.
Mint.com - Organize your finances. See where your money is going and find places you can tighten your wallet.
Acorns - Baby steps investing. If you can put aside five or ten dollars per week, you can start an investment portfolio. Stash Invest also offers this type of service.
Phil Town - Phil Town's Rule #1 is a good fundamentals book for people who are new to picking stocks. Phil coaches readers on examining stocks more like Warren Buffett and picking big moat stocks. He also has a flashy investing website and a blog, but read the book.
Warren Buffett - When learning about stocks, investing and fundamental research; Warren Buffett's name comes up frequently. Several of today's popular long-term value investing strategies involve his wisdom and techniques. He is definitely worth learning more about even if it's just for fun.
Steven Sitkowski - Offers a free book on trading options (they will sell other things, but the book is still free). He also runs Pro Trader Institute. I like the book for his discussion on fundamental research. One of the reasons I mentioned this program is it's one of very few investing workshops that is entirely available online. He doesn't ask people to cough up several thousand dollars to attend a series of in-person seminars. The online lectures can be accessed for around three hundred and you can watch them as often as you need to get the lessons down. Even if you aren't ready to try options, check him out for fundamentals. He writes in plain english, the book is easy to read, easy to understand and use. He is also good to study before you start learning options trading. I also recommend TastyTrade and Dough as good places to keep learning about options trading. You can also find other great instruction at CBOE, Options Industry Council, and LearningMarkets.com.
Top Mistakes Made by Beginning Options Traders - Brian Overby lists several common mistakes which bite options traders who are just getting started. Tom Sosnoff talks about them, too.
Karen the Supertrader - Here's an inspiration story for you. This investor started off her investing education with Investools workshops. After working with stocks for a period of time, she then stepped into options trading and eventually left her job to trade full-time. In three years, she grew a modest investing portfolio to forty-one million with options trades and she's still going! She has several interviews with Tom Sosnoff on YouTube.
Why You Should Avoid Binary Options - Binary options is a new fad that's getting a lot of ad play on YouTube and investor education sites. Playing binary options isn't investing, it's gambling. There are a lot of scams related to binary options, and even keeping your activity to supposedly legit binary options sites is high risk.
US Politics, Voting and Political Watchdogs
Vote411.org - Find polling places, get info on registering to vote, apply for absentee ballots and look up candidates and issues on your ballot. This site also offers resources for military and overseas voters. Operated by the League of Women Voters.
Project Vote Smart - Nonpartisan information on US political candidates. Keeps biographical, political positions, past performance, ratings, speeches and funding sources for each candidate. Make sure you are educated and secure in your selections. Your vote is important. It is your right. It is your voice and it absolutely matters.
Headcount.org - Another nonpartisan voter information hub. Find your polling places, apply for absentee ballots and verify your voter registration status. This site has several links to information sources about voting, candidates and organizations.
MapLight - This site allows voters to 'follow the money' by keeping an eye on interest group and corp clout in US politics. Look up bills, legislators, contributors and companies. See a video about it here.
OpenSecrets.org - Nonpartisan guide to money's influence on US politics. PACs, contributors, fact-checking, blog and other info.
FactCheck.org - Nonpartisan nonprofit consumer advocate site which works to reduce confusion and deception in US politics.
PolitiFact - Independent fact-checking website aimed at bringing truth to citizens. Fact checks statements from the White House, Congress, candidates and advocacy groups. Home of the Truth-O-Meter!
ProPublica - Everything you've ever wanted to know about voter ID laws. A wave of revised voter ID compliance laws are in play. Be sure you can meet ID qualifications in order to participate in your state. Brennan Center for Justice lists states with new voting restrictions since 2010.
Project Vote Smart - Nonpartisan information on US political candidates. Keeps biographical, political positions, past performance, ratings, speeches and funding sources for each candidate. Make sure you are educated and secure in your selections. Your vote is important. It is your right. It is your voice and it absolutely matters.
Headcount.org - Another nonpartisan voter information hub. Find your polling places, apply for absentee ballots and verify your voter registration status. This site has several links to information sources about voting, candidates and organizations.
MapLight - This site allows voters to 'follow the money' by keeping an eye on interest group and corp clout in US politics. Look up bills, legislators, contributors and companies. See a video about it here.
OpenSecrets.org - Nonpartisan guide to money's influence on US politics. PACs, contributors, fact-checking, blog and other info.
FactCheck.org - Nonpartisan nonprofit consumer advocate site which works to reduce confusion and deception in US politics.
PolitiFact - Independent fact-checking website aimed at bringing truth to citizens. Fact checks statements from the White House, Congress, candidates and advocacy groups. Home of the Truth-O-Meter!
ProPublica - Everything you've ever wanted to know about voter ID laws. A wave of revised voter ID compliance laws are in play. Be sure you can meet ID qualifications in order to participate in your state. Brennan Center for Justice lists states with new voting restrictions since 2010.
Springs of Knowledge, Change and Means
Khan Academy - One of the greatest free resources for math lessons online. I wish this existed when I was in high school.
Economics in Plain English - The Atlantic and Derek Thompson's video series dealing with economic concepts. Described as 'Simple answers to complex questions in business and finance.'
TED-Ed - Educational videos and lectures covering a range of topics from the arts, literature, language, health and mathematics to philosophy, psychology, design and technology. Another handy learning site is Learnist, which is a type of Pinterest for learning. Guides.co offers online how-to guides for building startups, fitness, life hacks, improving work performance and other topics. Squareknot not only hosts several how-to guides, but also allows users to build them.
Class Central - Online MOOC (massive open online course) aggregator. Lists free online college classes from top universities like MIT, Stanford and Harvard. There are also Coursmos, Curious, and Udemy. Commitment fears? No worries! You can even get bite-sized classes to your email every day from Highbrow.
Lynda.com - Large online library of video tutorials on everything from 3D animation and web design to ebook publishing and accounting. Give yourself an edge at work or on your own personal projects.
Craftsy.com - Offers online craft courses on several topics including sewing, knitting, quilting, garden design, cooking/food topics, photography and fiber arts. You can also build your creative skills at Skillshare and CreativeLive.
Duolingo - Not ready to part with the money for Rosetta Stone? Maybe you'd like to try another language just to see if you can learn it? Check out free online language courses from Duolingo. Lingvist, another language learning site, offers language learning in two hundred hours. Memrise offers flashcards to help you practice your vocabulary and Busuu hosts an online community for language learners. Some of these sites also offer apps for Android and iPhone so you can practice wherever you have downtime.
AllYouCanBooks - Free access to over 30,000 audiobook titles. Catch up on your reading as you drive and work through your day.
Blinkist - Useful bite-sized bits of bestselling non-fiction books. Get condensed concepts or discover new books in science, history, business development and self improvement.
Documentary Streams - Stuck in the programming rut between memorizing the latest Steven Universe and the next release of Game of Thrones? Keep your mind pumping with some documentaries. There are several sites offering easy access to documentaries and educational shorts.
Environmental Working Group - Online listings of toxic ingredients to help consumers make informed choices about the products we use on our bodies and in our homes.
Cost-Effective and Energy Efficient Home Design - Straw bale, rammed earth, solar homes, tiny houses. Plans, kits, legal requirements, who builds, who ships.
How to lower energy usage
How to build your own solar system
Laws about living off-grid or lowering your dependence on municipal power and water
MichaelBluejay - This is a large website covering a number of topics. Most useful are his pages on energy. He discusses where energy comes from and how much pollution is associated with it, how much it costs, how to calculate how much energy your appliances use, how to reduce your carbon footprint and how to lower your costs by conserving energy.
Dealing with Addiction - Addiction to alcohol and controlled substances has significant negative impact not only on addicts' lives, but on the lives of friends, loved ones and coworkers around them. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a directory of facilities and programs which help users to find nearby treatment and counseling.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - For 24/7 crisis support, contact The National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free service which offers referrals to suicide and emotional assistance local to your area.
Economics in Plain English - The Atlantic and Derek Thompson's video series dealing with economic concepts. Described as 'Simple answers to complex questions in business and finance.'
TED-Ed - Educational videos and lectures covering a range of topics from the arts, literature, language, health and mathematics to philosophy, psychology, design and technology. Another handy learning site is Learnist, which is a type of Pinterest for learning. Guides.co offers online how-to guides for building startups, fitness, life hacks, improving work performance and other topics. Squareknot not only hosts several how-to guides, but also allows users to build them.
Class Central - Online MOOC (massive open online course) aggregator. Lists free online college classes from top universities like MIT, Stanford and Harvard. There are also Coursmos, Curious, and Udemy. Commitment fears? No worries! You can even get bite-sized classes to your email every day from Highbrow.
Lynda.com - Large online library of video tutorials on everything from 3D animation and web design to ebook publishing and accounting. Give yourself an edge at work or on your own personal projects.
Craftsy.com - Offers online craft courses on several topics including sewing, knitting, quilting, garden design, cooking/food topics, photography and fiber arts. You can also build your creative skills at Skillshare and CreativeLive.
Duolingo - Not ready to part with the money for Rosetta Stone? Maybe you'd like to try another language just to see if you can learn it? Check out free online language courses from Duolingo. Lingvist, another language learning site, offers language learning in two hundred hours. Memrise offers flashcards to help you practice your vocabulary and Busuu hosts an online community for language learners. Some of these sites also offer apps for Android and iPhone so you can practice wherever you have downtime.
AllYouCanBooks - Free access to over 30,000 audiobook titles. Catch up on your reading as you drive and work through your day.
Blinkist - Useful bite-sized bits of bestselling non-fiction books. Get condensed concepts or discover new books in science, history, business development and self improvement.
Documentary Streams - Stuck in the programming rut between memorizing the latest Steven Universe and the next release of Game of Thrones? Keep your mind pumping with some documentaries. There are several sites offering easy access to documentaries and educational shorts.
Environmental Working Group - Online listings of toxic ingredients to help consumers make informed choices about the products we use on our bodies and in our homes.
Cost-Effective and Energy Efficient Home Design - Straw bale, rammed earth, solar homes, tiny houses. Plans, kits, legal requirements, who builds, who ships.
How to lower energy usage
How to build your own solar system
Laws about living off-grid or lowering your dependence on municipal power and water
MichaelBluejay - This is a large website covering a number of topics. Most useful are his pages on energy. He discusses where energy comes from and how much pollution is associated with it, how much it costs, how to calculate how much energy your appliances use, how to reduce your carbon footprint and how to lower your costs by conserving energy.
Dealing with Addiction - Addiction to alcohol and controlled substances has significant negative impact not only on addicts' lives, but on the lives of friends, loved ones and coworkers around them. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a directory of facilities and programs which help users to find nearby treatment and counseling.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - For 24/7 crisis support, contact The National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free service which offers referrals to suicide and emotional assistance local to your area.