# Help me fight my own ignorance! (Your favorite reference sites) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592 "2004-03-21T19:56:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/1 "2004-03-21T19:56:22Z")
I’ve had a weird change of sleeping habits lately (been getting up at 3 in the a of m and can’t get back to sleep, with really rots, since I don’t have to be out of the ouse for work 'til 8 am). Rather than listen to classical on the radio or reruns of Coast to Coast broadcasts, and since I have internet access again (FINALLY!!!), I figure I might as well check out some reference websites instead of counting all the bumps on the ceiling. I’m looking for _your_ favorite reference websites - sciences, arts, languages, sports, general references, stuff like that - since I might find a new hobby or career or ‘damn, I did not know that about \’. I’ll even take the religious-based ones: I wear a question mark, but the mind is not closed. That, and I ended up blitzing out all of _my_ favorites after having to purge my hard drive. Never did get around to writing down all the URLs to save them in case of breakdown, like I promised myself I would ‘someday’. :mad: So, fellow Millions. What are your favorite (non-porn) reference websites? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/2 "2004-03-21T20:02:37Z")
Here’s a good place to start: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=149223](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=149223) ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/3 "2004-03-21T20:12:12Z")
And once again, the gods of irony do spit upon me. Here I am trying to prevent myself from asking redundant questions, and the answer was right at the top of the list. Back not even one week, and already I’ve pulled a “d’ope!”. What do you expect from the person who pushes the door that says ‘pull’? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/4 "2004-03-21T23:28:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Never did get around to writing down all the URLs to save them in case of breakdown, like I promised myself I would ‘someday’. When you get your Favorites rebuilt, you don’t need to write them down. Simply copy the contents to a diskette or CD, then copy them back in if you have to restore your drive. (To find the “right” Favorites folder, simply run a Windows Explorer search on “files or folders” for the name “favorites.” In Win 2000, it will be in the path C:\Documents and Settings\*username\* where _username_ is the ID that you use to log on to the internet. In other operating systems, you should be able to spot them pretty quickly, just open each one in the returned “Favorites” folders on the Search list until you find the entries that match your on-line favorites.) Obviously, to reduce the possibilty of loss, you ought to back up the file once each week or so–or whenever you add a favorite, if you think of it. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/5 "2004-03-21T23:34:58Z")
(Oh, if you’re running AOL: under the improvements finally made in version 8 or 9 there is now a “save” button on the bottom of the Favorites drop-down that lets you save those as a file external to AOL.) ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/6 "2004-03-21T23:55:48Z")
BTW, awhile back I took the time to compile and organize most of the links in that thread. You can find a copy [here](http://home.comcast.net/~azcowboy/refer.html). I expect to change my broadband provider in the near future, so if you find these useful, I’d suggest you save the page, bookmark the links, or steal the HTML. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/7 "2004-03-22T00:12:17Z")
Thanks guys. For pulling a pretty dumb move (of all the people who should know to search before asking a question!), I got some pretty good advice. Much appreciate it. Prominsing not to be such a “d’ope!” from now on. screech-owl ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/8 "2004-03-22T01:09:14Z")
[Erowid](http://www.erowid.org) is a favorite reference site of mine. It’s a site about recreational drugs and other altered states of conciousness, with sections on “Plants & Drugs”, “Mind & Spirit”, “Freedom & Law” (lots of interesting police/trial/law info!), and “Arts & Culture”. The “Plants & Drugs” section has “vaults”, or mini-sites, on each of probably a couple hundred different psychoactive plants and drugs, most of which include basic information summaries, use/abuse statistics, growing info where applicable, info on the effects of the drug, images of the drugs/plants, and (perhaps my favorite part) first-hand experience reports written by people who use or experiment with the drug or plant. It includes info on both legal and illegal drugs, and is a real mind-opener in general. Erowid is where I go for the _real_ truth on any drug. Great site whether you’re a druggie, hardcore straight-edge, or anything in between. ([Erowid.com](http://Erowid.com), [erowid.net](http://erowid.net), and [erowid.org](http://erowid.org) all work, and all point to the same site.) ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/9 "2004-03-22T06:44:52Z")
The Admin’s list doesn’t have [Take or Word for It](http://www.takeourword.com/index.html) - an etymology site, if you didn’t guess. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/10 "2004-03-22T06:46:04Z")
Heh, that’s “Take _our_ Word for It” (obviously don’t take _my_ word for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Necro\_Romancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Necro\_Romancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necro_Romancer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-my-own-ignorance-your-favorite-reference-sites/235592/11 "2004-03-22T07:14:09Z")
[iTools](http://www.itools.com/) Too bad I rarely use it.