Useful Resources
On this page we list a number of websites that provide what I believe is useful software and information. All these resources are provided here for your own evaluation. Some may be of use and value to you, and some may not be of value to you? All of them except for Lumosity are basically free.
COMMENT:
If you are aware of any free software that you believe is very helpful, or of websites that provide helpful information, please send the details to the webmaster and we will evaluate those things for possible inclusion on this page. Any helpful suggestions along these lines will be greatly appreciated.
CATEGORIES:
1. BIBLE SOFTWARE
2. ASTRONOMICAL DATA & INFORMATION
3. SUNRISE & SUNSET DATA
4. CALENDAR SOFTWARE
5. HEALTH INFORMATION
6. NUTRITION INFORMATION
7. ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
8. REGISTRY CLEANERS AND COMPUTER CLEANERS
9. DICTIONARIES
10. ENCYCLOPEDIAS
11. GENERAL INFORMATION
12. BRAIN EXERCISES
1. BIBLE SOFTWARE:
A) THE ONLINE BIBLE
I believe this is currently the most comprehensive free Bible software available. It is my Bible software of choice, and no computer-literate student of the Bible should be without this software. Go to: www.onlinebible.net for free downloads of Bible versions, dictionaries, commentaries and much more.
B) E-SWORD
I also use the E-sword free Bible software to supplement my research. This software has some modules that are not available in my other Bible software packages. Also, the Strong's numbering in the Old Testament is more complete than in the Online Bible software. Go to: www.e-sword.net for free downloads of many different modules.
C) THE WORD
I also use the free Bible software called THE WORD. It also has certain modules not available in the other software packages listed above. Go to: www.theword.net for free downloads of numerous modules.
D) NAS BIBLE IN E-PRIME
Dr. David F Maas has posted an "E-Prime" version of the New American Standard Bible on the following website: http://www.generalsemantics.org/index.php/component/content/article/5-archives/287-e-prime-bible.html
This version has replaced all occurrences of the verb "to be" (am, is, was, were, etc.) and thereby replaced all passive voice occurrences with active voice verbs. Dr. Maas will continue to update this version at various times. To download a copy of this "E-Prime" version click on the link above to go directly to the website.
2. ASTRONOMICAL DATA & INFORMATION
A) THE U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY
For those seeking accurate and precise astronomical data, one of the best sources is found in the web pages of the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY. There is a wealth of information to be found at that site. Go to: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/index.php for this type of information.
B) STARDATE.ORG
This website features a great deal of astronomical information.. Go to: http://stardate.org/astro-guide for this information.
C) ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
Another useful website in this regard is: http://www.archaeoastronomy.com
3. SUNRISE & SUNSET DATA
There are many different websites that offer reliable information regarding sunrise and sunset times, for various locations around the world. Three sites that I have found useful and which you might like to check out in this regard are:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html
http://www.sunrisesunset.com/
http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunrise/sunrise.html
4. CALENDAR SOFTWARE
A) CALENDAR MAGIC
For software that will accurately calculate dates in the Julian, Gregorian and Jewish calendars, give you accurate new moon data, the times of the equinoxes, and much more, go to: www.freewarebb.com/files/file/6325-calendar-magic/ The currently available version is 18.0.
5. HEALTH INFORMATION
There are many sources of very helpful information available on the internet regarding health and questions about specific health issues. Some of the sites where I have found helpful information and which you may want to evaluate for yourself include the following:
A) The website of the US Department of Health and Human Services
B) The official website of the National Institutes of Health
C) The website of the Mayo Clinic
D) The Yahoo Health Directory which searches the web for health questions
E) The website for Holistic Online has much information about nutrition, herbs and a host of other health issues. The address is: www.holistic-online.com
6. NUTRITION INFORMATION
There are many sources of helpful information in the area of nutrition and dietetics. One that I have found helpful and which you may want to examine for yourself is the Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC), which is a part of the National Agricultural Library (NAL), which is part of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Go to: http://fnic.nal.usda.gov
7. ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
A) AVAST ANTI-VIRUS
The free version of Avast can be downloaded at: www.avast.com
8. REGISTRY CLEANERS AND COMPUTER CLEANERS
It is a good idea to run cleaning software at least once a day after having used the internet. They should clean both, the registry in particular and the whole hard drive in general. The following free software packages were recommended by a computer magazine, and I have found it helpful to run them in conjunction with one another.
A) WISE REGISTRY CLEANER
Go to: www.wiseregistrycleaner.com
B) WISE DISK CLEANER
Go to: www.wisecleaner.com/wisediskcleanerfree.html
C) CCLEANER
Go to: www.piriform.com/ccleaner
D) GLARY UTILITIES
Go to: www.glarysoft.com/products/utilities/glary-utilities/
9. DICTIONARIES
A) ONE LOOK DICTIONARY SEARCH
Do you ever struggle to find definitions for uncommon words? If so, this website may be of help to you. The searches cover OVER 6 MILLION WORDS, found in 972 different dictionaries. For example, when I did a search on the word "PALIMPSEST" there were 28 different dictionaries which provided information on this word. You can then look up every single definition that the search has found. The website is called "OneLook Dictionary Search" and the address is: http://www.onelook.com/
10. ENCYCLOPEDIAS
A) ASSORTED ENCYCLOPEDIAS ON THE WEB
This website has approximately 40 different sets of encyclopedias, all of which you can search for information. The address is: http://edis.win.tue.nl/encyclop.html
B) THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
The Jewish Encyclopedia was published in the years from 1901 - 1906. Recently it became a part of the public domain. It is now available for access on the internet. The address is: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/
11. GENERAL INFORMATION
A) INFO PLEASE
For information on news, an almanac, an encyclopedia, dictionary and thesaurus, etc. you might look at: http://www.infoplease.com/
B) WEBSITES THAT TRACK US ON THE INTERNET
If you don't like people intruding on your privacy, and if you want to know which websites use which tracking tools to track your every move online, then you should read the article entitled "Top 100 websites: How they track your every move online" written by Andrew Couts on August 30, 2012. This article is well researched and is available at the following website:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/top-100-websites-how-are-they-tracking-you/
12. BRAIN EXERCISES There are a number of websites for those people who wish to engage in exercises that help to develop specific areas of the brain, to counter the loss of mental abilities commonly associated with aging, and also to just promote positive brain development. The best site I have come across is: www.lumosity.com. This website offers a range of free brain exercises which are specifically aimed at training five different areas of brain development: speed, memory, attention, flexibility and problem solving skills. While this website has a greater range of brain games for paid subscribers, the free games include an interesting selection which anyone can play free of charge.