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Popsci brings you up-to-the-minute science news

Posted on February 14th, 2008 in Learning, e-zines by admin

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From cars to gadgets, DIY to aviation, from the military to the environment, and plenty of entertainment and gaming, popsci.com offers “the future now”, and all the science information that you need in a nutshell.

The images are superb too – see what happens when you create lightning-like effects in a block, see pictures taken on the ground on Mars, and take a look at possible warships of the future. Popsci’s extensive Photo Galleries give some intriguing vistas onto the technology of the future, cutting edge research, and micro- and nano-scopic images.

You can read about Richard Branson’s attempts to create space tourism, about issues concerning how science is funded, and about the latest scientific research.

Popsci is the website of the magazine Popular Science, and the site makes a highly engaging browse for those interested in science, the gadget geek, gamers and those who just want to be better informed on issues relating to science and technology.

Jon Chase’s “The Grouse” is a great column for if you want to enjoy a right good rant about the cost of inkjet refills, social networking sites, batteries that cannot be re-charged, and other stuff.

There are some interesting points made in the environment section too – like how it might be better to just take shorter showers than invest in those eco-friendly light bulbs that give off about as many photons as a glow worm.

Popsci is definitely a site that I will be coming back to – it doesn’t just inform, it entertains.

urban75 - urban life on the web

Posted on November 18th, 2007 in e-zines, Sport related, Forums, Gaming by admin

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Quite often it is the non-commercial enterprises that become the really innovative and exciting websites, and the urban75 e-zine has become one of the most popular e-zines on the web, with games, photos, an events diary, information, articles, reports, but most of all, its piece de resistance – its bulletin boards, where its aficionados simply refer to it as “urban”.

Founded in 1995 in Brixton, England, (for those of you that don’t know, Brixton is part of London, south of the River Thames), the site remains resolutely unmonetised, being strictly non-profit, with no banners, no tie-ins, and no ads. The photos are a real treat – there are galleries depicting Brixton, London, New York, Chicago, Brighton, and Wales, as well as various 360º panoramas and even photography tutorials!

The site features loads of just-for-fun games, made by various web designers, and it is made abundantly clear that many of the games are pointless and have no meaning, such as “The Dot Clicking Game” and “The Curious Thingy” – a bit like “Mornington Crescent”.

Football regularly features on the site, but you certainly don’t need to be a footie fan to enjoy it. (For those of you across the Pond, I’m talking about soccer).

The bulletin boards have grown into a highly popular community, with around 33,000 registered members, although only a fraction of these are active posters. At present, there are an impressive quarter of a million page impressions each day, and about 5,000 new posts daily.

Yours truly has been contributing much of late, due to a bit of software development work. The advice you get there is great – as well as sorting out my programming problem, I have received advice about gardening, seen photos of people’s pets, discussed food, pubs, music, had a laugh and a joke. The boards are managed by a team of sensible moderators, so things don’t get out of hand, and despite being London based, the forum has a very international dimension. Urban definitely has its own inimitable sense of humour and its own culture, and if that’s not enough, there are offline nights in London where you can meet other urbanites.