PadleyWood - all links

Link	Description/Comments
Featured links
	Totally brilliant site for all things wordy - a great resource and plenty of amusing material too.
	Improve your vocabulary and feed the world! Too good to be true? Whatever, it's totally addictive and won't cost you anything but time.
	Look out for one of my recipes to be featured on this site soon! Meanwhile, check it out anyway: easy, friendly format with emphases on simplicity and recipes for the younger vegan. Loads of recipes to choose from, a blog version, useful for that RSS subscription, plus a comprehensive bookshop, information and even some clothing!
	Fellow deviant and fractalist Claire Jones has launched an excellent new Apophysis resource, including all her own downloads (some wonderful tutorials there) as well as a great set of links to external resources. A must-visit for Apophysisists!
	"A social network for hundreds of social causes and over 1 million nonprofit organizations." And what a change! Instead of yet another site encouraging pointless grinning dorks to ogle each other's identical snapshots and exchange mindless banter, we have the technology employed in promoting something worthwhile.
	A link-driven blog that frequently delivers much of interest or at least downright quirkiness - subscribe to the feed today!
<	Something completely different: a rather beautiful, as well as functional, version of the periodic table. You must have Flash enabled to see this: each element is represented by a small picture. Click on the picture to open a new tab with essential information on that element. There's also a further link to chemical data in either HTML of PDF format. Essential learning tool for the budding chemist! As a bonus and contrast, check out this fractal version of the periodic table.
	Who'd have thought it? A MySpace page getting the feature treatment! But MySpace is so diverse, not just a hangout for teenage emos dripping their clichéed angst and nihilism into the body internet, but a crucible of online activity where this peak stands strange and proud amidst the Himalayas and nondescript foothills of a new social scene. Paul Laffoley is a visionary artist whose far-reaching ideas constantly stretch the boundaries of understanding and possibility. Paul is not himself an internet user, but the site is co-managed by the tireless and talented Miquel, whose own site has previously featured here. The raison d'être of the page is both to promote Paul's art and to realise the ambitious project of making available detailed representations of the large canvases for online study. The project progresses apace and posters are now available for selected works. Visit and be blown away by something very special!
	Another excellent resource for enlightened and far-reaching thought. Make sure you have Flash enabled: the subtle use of this normally invasive technology is exemplary.
	For some reason, I'd only ever explored the Drempels page of this site. Then, on a routine check for updates, I noticed a link back to a 'main page'. And found that the author had written some plugins for Winamp. Thus I downloaded and tried them... was I ever glad! I thought the Battery: Randomization visualisation for Windows Media Player was the ultimate until I'd tried MilkDrop and Monkey. If you wish to get an idea of the effects of MDMA or 'magic' mushrooms on consciousness without actually taking them, then some of the MilkDrop presets that come bundled do a good job on the visual side.
	I've been using this resource since I've been building the website. It's wonderfully laid out, no annoying graphics (well, at least not with my web filters), just a simple tricolour interface with quick links to the various font groupings and the facility to choose how many to display on each page, useful for different connection speeds. At time of feature, there are close to 7000 fonts to choose from, so if you can't find one here, time to create your own or pay. Oh yes, did I mention that these are FREE fonts?
Some choice food blogs: Fatfree Vegan Kitchen SAVORING the MOMENT Bread and Butter Saffron Hut	This selection of food blogs have been chosen primarily for the quality of the recipes, but they're also extremely well-written and often feature photography of professional standard. In short, they really make me want to cook!
	My friend and fellow-deviant Tanya (a.k.a. RockstarVanity) describes herself as, amongst other things, "a digital media whore". Fitting, then, that I should pimp her freshly-reworked site. Whilst pink predominates, don't expect fluffiness: here's someone who has unflinchingly grasped life's nettle. Go visit for some quality art, attitude and alternative glamour!
	A web in miniature, covering much that is dear to me. Constructed on the principle of Indra's net, this site is well worth steeping in (once past the rather addictive Java applet, forever plunging down a binary-lined tunnel), just following links... A new favourite site!.
	To coincide with my psychedelic experience, it seems appropriate to focus on a website rich in information on 'sacred' mushrooms. There's plenty of material here for many fruitful hours (days?) absorption. Links led me to The Ionasphere and thence to this article for example.
	A cornucopia of links and information on some of the more unusual, inspiring and downright wacky stuff that life, history and the web has to offer. Particularly fascinating was the work of visionary artist Paul Laffoley as I had recently seen it reproduced on the cover of a book I was reading. Further research led to finding out that during a routine CAT scan, a small implant was discovered in the artist's brain. As he had never had surgery, this is a rather startling fact!
	The true spirit of the Internet: an online encyclopoedia that remains an ongoing project, forged by collaboration of many (thousands of?) individuals, and completely free. For those unfamiliar, a 'wiki' (derived from the Hawaiian 'wiki wiki' meaning 'quick') is an editable (in situ) website.
	An excellent drinks mixing site with over 8000 cocktail recipes and many more in other categories, including shots. What sets this site apart from competitors are some nice features such as 'Top 20 most popular' and 'Top 10 highest rated' drinks on the 'Welcome' page, as well as sets of links to similar/related drinks that change with each recipe browsed. And of course it includes the ability to build your own 'cabinet' (so you can easily find which drinks you can mix with what you've got at home), plus a 'handbook' section for storing favourite recipes.
	A shameless plug for my own most recent fractal art, but also for the site in general. If you're into any kind of on-line art, this is a fantastic place to find inspiration and learn new techniques.
	This browser (Maxthon) just gets better! I cannot recommend it enough. In addition to the existing review, I'll mention some of the add-on features available via the DAILY updates. Essential is the RSS feed plugin that now comes bundled as standard. Add feed from the plugin site, click the sidebar tool and you get a list of recent updates(with tooltip descriptions) in the sidebar, without having to visit the website. Click an item to open its webpage in a new browser window where you can download and read a fuller description. Other invaluable plugins include Weather feed and LookUpWord, both sidebar, and CloseTabs (9 options - most useful for me is close all to right) and CopySelection (copies selected text plus page title and URL to the clipboard), both toolbar.
	Brilliant recipe community with a HUGE recipe database. Free basic membership, forum, peer reviews, ingredients database, regular newsletter... Mainly US/Australian but you can choose your preferred units. A bit of a pain to submit recipes with strange ingredients, but that's a minor gripe - check it out!
	And now, as the Pythons had it, for something completely different - a rather special animation. Go for the Flash version if you have chance (for the interactive controls) and begin an endless (cyclical) journey through strange landscapes and generally weird shit, zooming inward through gateways (like the mouth above). Kind of fractal in nature, with the repetition, so no wonder it appeals!
	Another truly excellent site for ‘alternative’ thought, presented in blog format, an article that I particularly enjoyed was: The Self as Quantum Interface Just reflect on the meaning and use of language in the following quote: "The Self, it seems, has its fingers in the quantum plenum, dipping its ladle into the stew of chaos to draw out the impulse of action."
	Digitally Imported FM is a site providing free streaming audio in various formats, depending on connection/player, of mainly dance music. It's helpfully divided into major genres (e.g. Hard Trance, Classic Techno) so you can choose to suit your mood. There's also a forum where you may comment/vote for what's currently playing. The selections are excellent, and no doubt provide important airplay for less well-known labels, artists and DJs.
	Still my most regularly visited freeware site for two very good reasons - it's presented as latest additions first, and it's only freeware. Most sites offer a mixture and bundle everything together, or separate into categories (which is, of course, essential when seeking a particular type of program). Here, you get the new stuff (no more than 4 items) or choice picks from the database at the top of the page, so it's worth visiting daily to check out the latest releases - it only takes a couple of minutes.
	Top quality link-driven weirdness blog site covering many subjects both unimaginable and not under the Sun! Visit it for a daily dose of the bizarre – far more entertaining (and scarily, true) than the stuff available from the sump-end of Sunday-sheet journalism.
	Definitions: hermetic - Completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air. - Impervious to outside interference or influence: the hermetic confines of an isolated life. often Hermetic - Mythology. Of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the works ascribed to him. - Having to do with the occult sciences, especially alchemy; magical. This is an excellent resource of mystical and alternative thought. Crowley is here, of course, but it's Hakim Bey that really interested me (look in the section Hakim Bey and Ontological Anarchy). A good starter is this article
	To adequately summarise the ideas put forward on this site is impossible in such a short space. The emphasis is on how advanced technology will eliminate suffering and allow humans to "re-engineer" themselves. Remember that yesterday's sci-fi often becomes tomorrow's fact.
	This is an excellent resource; the scripts are usefully categorised with full descriptions, reviews and links. A good first stop if you want to lift your website a little.
	I was so pleased to find this site again after a period of absence; I'm not entirely clear why it disappeared, though there is some stuff about computer problems (I sympathise!). This is probably the best fractal site I've come across for style, clarity, content, art - everything really. Go there to see how it can be done.
	This should bring about a new information revolution, in fact I'm sure I've come across the ideas discussed here being incorporated into XML or some such; the Escher-esque logo says much about the concept - a whole new database-type structure built on the ideas of abstract mathematics' multi-dimensional phase space.
	A well-structured site with tutorials at different levels on all major web-based languages; I find myself in urgent need as I've agreed to design a commercial website for a friend.
	A wonderfully extensive resource on psychoactive substances, especially those of natural origin, along with related information such as legal issues and 'experience'-inspired art. Interesting that much of the art is fractal-based (see my own discussion on this conflation).
	Outstanding examples taken from a range of the arts - all very now, yet possessing the extra that suggests they will achieve a persistence. Some inspiring quotes too.

Literary links
Abebooks	Looking for an old or difficult-to-find title? Look no further than here - a search engine listing 13,000 (!) boolsellers specialising in second-hand items. Search results helpfully state the condition of the book and descriptions often state delivery expectations. A first-class service.
Best-Book-Price.co.uk	Excellent book search trawling 20 major sites to find the best prices on the web. Simple interface showing results sorted for price and a selection of customer reviews. Oh, and there are sibling engines for CDs and DVDs too.
BookBrain.com	Useful book search engine that searches 14 major sites, including the biggies (Amazon, Blackwells, BOL, Alphabetstreet…..). Additionally provides at-a-glance expectation of delivery times.
EveryPoet.com	Useful poetry resource.
Project Gutenberg	The original e-book project.
The Richmond Review	Regular reviews of all kinds of literature plus extensive archive.
The Wondering Minstrels	A daily poetry section - there's dedication!

Drinks links
AlcoholReviews.com	As it suggests
Camra.org	CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale
DrinkBoy	Adventures in Cocktails - a few recipes plus some useful articles
KingCocktail.com	Some class recipes
Loch Fyne Whiskies	Probably the best UK mail order service
Pubs.com	An excellent London pub guide, some useful links
Scotchwhisky.com
Scotch whisky.net
The Webtender	Drink recipes and bartending guide; lets you check and store your ingredients from a list, and provides a search of all compatible recipes - brilliant!
The Whisky Portal
The Wine Society	The Wine Society - information only
Whiskymag.com	Whisky World, the website of Whisky Magazine - top!
FeeVerte	An excellent resource for Absinthe
Absinthe Webring	Links to over 20 Absinthe-related sites
	Comprehensive historical coverage of all things absinthe with an opportunity to purchase the associated paraphernalia.

Food links
The FATFREE Recipe Collection	A huge selection of low-fat and fat-free recipes, really not as boring as it might sound
The International Vegetarian Union	Another huge selection
Kate's (Vegan) Cookery Site	Modest-sized collection of well-chosen recipes - excellent quality with very clear instructions
Recipeland.com (vegetarian selection)	Another larger collection I recently stumbled on.
	Brilliant recipe community with a HUGE recipe database. Free basic membership, forum, peer reviews, ingredients database, regular newsletter... Mainly US/Australian but you can choose your preferred units. A bit of a pain to submit recipes with strange ingredients, but that's a minor gripe - check it out!
VeganChef	A good collection of proper chef's recipes, but not difficult!
V egetarian.about.com	The relevant section from the net behemoth about.com
	The website of the eponymous book, pay a visit to see how a vegetarian diet can promote good health as well as being a better choice for the planet and the creatures it spares.
Vegetarianrecipe.com	Another excellent recipe collection
Veggies Unite!	Massive collection, where frames actually work well!

Fractal links
Alice Kelley's fractals	Many galleries of truly beautiful pictures - these are really some of the best.
Arcane Fractals	These, for me, are some of the most beautiful flame fractals I've seen.
	Rave clothing and custom T-shirts design of psychedelic art, tribal art and streetwear, plus unique art wallpaper and posters.
Deb's Web	Galleries using a variety of generators, plus other useful stuff.
Digital Graffiti	Some truly exquisite pictures.
DreamPaint	Mainly UltraFractal and FraxFlame galleries - very good indeed.
Fractal Art Contests	Results of the 1997 - 2000 fractal art contests - stunning!
Fractal Census	A database of program users and ratings.
Fractal Explorer	Homepage of the eponymous software.
Fractal Recursions	Many galleries covering a wide range of styles from classically beautiful to abstract geometric.
Fractalus.com	More good art.
Fraktali	HUGE list of fractal software.
Fractal Visions	Fractal merchandise, links to software downloads and fractal music plus some excellent fractal art. The site has recently had a complete revamp and includes some new-concept material - photo/fractal blends: these are rather good!
Fracternity	Some more top-class UltraFractal galleries - among the best.
	This is one the best fractal sites I've come across for style, clarity, content, art - everything really. Go there to see how it can be done.
Fraktwerk	Small selection of interesting stuff.
Iterations-et-Flarium24	Home of the amazing fractal generators of Stephen C. Ferguson. The links are comprehensive.
Janet Parke	A definite contender for the most delicious UltraFractal pictures, plus the site design is excellent too.
Mark Hammond	A very individual style that works well for me.
Marias Fractal World	Small selection with some interesting themes, including 'Creatures' and 'With words'.
Renderosity (recent fractals)	A direct link to the most recent fractals on the graphic art behemoth site - varied and interesting.
Shotgun314159	Huge number of galleries, including a set of 'raw' pictures - some excellent stuff.
The b-zone	Homepage of the excellent Kaos Rhei.
The Chaos Hypertextbook	A useful summary of basic chaos maths - requires some mathematical grounding.

Freeware links
DaFont	Loads of freeware fonts
Freeware - NONAGS
Freeware Arena	HUGE range, excellent choices
Freeware Files.com
Freeware World Team	HUGE, but takes time to wade through
Freeware presented by Webgrid (uk).
FreewareWeb	Another biggy, once you suss the archive
Freewarehome.com	Comprehensive range
Only Freeware
ROCKETDOWNLOAD.COM	Includes a lot of shareware
	This is slimmer than it used to be, and more reliable - it's still my first choice. Daily update during the week with a selection from the database at weekends/holidays.
WebAttack.com	HUGE range
You've just got 2Haveit.com
ZDNet Downloads	Multi-platform and -licence, but filterable.

Garden links
Great Dixter	The Great Dixter Gardeners Website
Seeds of Italy	A wonderful resource for top quality salad veg seeds, amongst other things.

Music links
	Digitally Imported FM is a site providing free streaming audio in various formats, depending on connection/player, of mainly dance music. It's helpfully divided into major genres (e.g. Hard Trance, Classic Techno) so you can choose to suit your mood. There's also a forum where you may comment/vote for what's currently playing. The selections are excellent, and no doubt provide important airplay for less well-known labels, artists and DJs.
eFestivals	Find all the details on UK music festivals
gurn.net	Weird site, must check it out!
Nukleuz.com	The home of the Nukleuz record label, probably the best in more commercial hard dance
Storm	Monthly allnighters @ The Emporium in Coalville, this is proper clubbing as it should be - the Red Room (playing old and nu hardcore) is always rammed

Philosophical & Ideological Links
Adbusters	The original culture jammers
Arachnoid.com	Some gems of original thinking
Cluetrain Manifesto	The Internet as a self-actualising tool for individuals
	An excellent vegan community and resource site
Disinformation	Broad resource for a different slant on postmodern cultural issues
Dr Steven Best	A truly wonderful resource for scholarly and enlightened thought
Interactivist Info Exchange
LibertyForum	Excellent U.S.-based forum dealing with issues relating to freedom of ideas
Meat.org	Hard-hitting pictorial truth
Memes.org	An excellent site with regular new articles on many subjects, especially, of course, memes
Philosophy around the Web	Plenty of links
Philosophy on the Internet
	Another excellent vegetarian and vegan community and resource site, UK-based
SchNEWS	Home of the Brighton-based anarchist collective Justice? - subscribe to the eponymous weekly e-sheet for the truth behind the big stories
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy	Excellent resource
VeggieHeadOnline	Grim graphics but great content, and that's what really matters
VIVA!	Viva! (the Vegetarians' International Voice for Animals)

'Alternative' Links
	To adequately summarise the ideas put forward on this site is impossible in such a short space. There is an expansion of the discussion found on the SAG website (currently dead) with an emphasis on how advanced technology will eliminate suffering and allow humans to "re-engineer" themselves. Remember that yesterday's sci-fi often becomes tomorrow's fact.
DMT, Moses, and the Quest for Transcendence	A fascinating discussion on the substance DMT (dimethyltryptamine).
	A wonderfully extensive resource on psychoactive substances, especially those of natural origin, along with related information such as legal issues and 'experience'-inspired art. Interesting that much of the art is fractal-based (see my own discussion on this conflation).
	Another truly excellent site for ‘alternative’ thought, presented in blog format, an article that I particularly enjoyed was: The Self as Quantum Interface Just reflect on the meaning and use of language in the following quote: "The Self, it seems, has its fingers in the quantum plenum, dipping its ladle into the stew of chaos to draw out the impulse of action."
HowardMarks	Website of the legendary Howard Marks.
TechnoShamanic	Altering consciousness through technology - a diverse and illuminating link-driven blog.

Resource Links
Hotscripts.com	This goes directly to the JavaScripts section - the scripts are usefully categorised with full descriptions, reviews and links: a good 1st stop
MaxxBlade	Cool site with cool scripts
NetLingo	A dictionary of internet words and glossary of online jargon with definitions of terminology - essential
The Rap Dictionary	A dictionary of rap-related terms - fascinating and hilarious by turns
	The true spirit of the Internet: an online encyclopoedia that remains an ongoing project, forged by collaboration of many (thousands of?) individuals, and completely free. For those unfamiliar, a 'wiki' (derived from the Hawaiian 'wiki wiki' meaning 'quick') is an editable website.

All links