Houston Texas websites:

The Houston Press - weekly Houston publication detailing the goings on about town. The Press is where you really have to go in order to find out anything interesting going on in Houston, because the Houston Chronicle won't tell you anything interesting.

The Houston Chronicle - Houston's atrocious big city daily newspaper. Deeply in bed with the Greater Houston Partnership (the biggest interest group in the city - mostly business related), and heavily slanted coverage favoring government, rail, and Downtown Houston redevelopment, the Chronicle sees, hears, and speaks no evil regarding anything really important in Houston.

Because of the Chronicle's position vis - a - vis the community, the paper really botched coverage of the Enron meltdown, a fact that didn't go unnoticed in the national press.

Iklektik - An organization that specializes in cool Asian art. They have an outlet in Houston.

The Retro Gallery - An arts center which specializes in vintage movie and advertisement posters. You can see their work adorning restaurants and movie theaters all over inner Houston.

Soular Grooves.com - I don't listen to radio anymore. There's little out there that turns me on. However, every Saturday night on Houston's KPFT 90.1 FM, DJ Sun and his friends play a mix of electronica, electronic jazz, soul, and groove music that's still good enough to make an old jaded music freak like me to tune in to a radio show.


Asia / Expatriate websites:

The Asia Society - The Asia Society has it all on Asia.  The Asia Society has a Houston area branch.

1930's Shanghai - Wow! California based. This site was a gem to find. Look at their collection of Asian arts!

Stickman's Guide to Bangkok - Domain of an expatriate New Zealand English teacher, who married a Thai woman in March 2003. Dry, honest, and factual, Stick's writing has built up a lot of trust and clout. He puts out a weekly column that is widely read by local expats. Don't miss his page where The Stickster posts letters and emails written to him from his site visitors.

Tales of Asia - A website by a Cambodia based American expat named Gordon Sharpless.

Thailand Life - Website of Nattawud "Gor" Daoruang. This up and coming young Thai man has been in the website business since he was 12 years old. His site is one of the most heavily visited Thai sites on the Internet.  It's hard to believe that Mr. Daoruang is now married and has a child! Boy do I fell irresponsible! 

Bangkok - Ibiza photo website - A beautiful photo page by German photographer Norbert Pogrrzeba. In German and English. His site has had over 1.3 million visitors since 1996.

Voice from a Thai Girl - Website of "Me", a 30 - something professional Thai woman. This woman's english is good and her insights on how Thai's think is great to read. Read her guestbook, but skip over entries written by "Aloha Chris" from Hawaii.

Update: January 4, 2003. It appears that "Me" hasn't entered anything into her diary for a while. Maybe she's found someone or something new to keep herself busy!

Engrish.com - A website that shows how Japanese (and other Asians) butcher the "Engrish" language!


The Bangkok Mouth - What happens when a young Englishman named Phil rolls the dice of life and comes up empty handed? Well, he takes off for Thailand ... and stays there. A resident of Thailand since the late 1980's, read Bangkok Phil's commentary and be prepared to laugh your butt off!

Phuket Real Estate - For listings of property in Thailand. This issue is turning out to be interesting in the light of recent changes to Thai visa and landownership laws.

Zhongwen.com - Chinese language website.


Culture:

Slipcue.com - "All substance, No Style" is the motto of this website which  belongs to a San Francisco DJ named Joe Sixpack. I am a fan of Brazilian music and his guide to the genre is a must read for anyone interested in the subject. 

Retro Crush.Com - Do you miss your comic books from the days of old? How about playing Pac Man? What about watching old sit - coms? Ever get a hankering to see photos of Raquel Welch, Diana Rigg, Barbara Eden or Cindy Crawford? Then go visit this self proclaimed "World's finest culture website!"

2 Blowhards. com - 2 graying, eternal amateurs write about art, movies, politics, evolutionary biology, taxes, writing, computers, kids these days, and lousy Ivy League Educations.

Fred on Everything - Folksy wisdom from an American expat living in Mexico.

The History Channel - My favorite television channel.


Tolkien:

The One Ring.net - Probably the most heavily visited Tolkien related website anywhere. News on Peter Jackson's films, reviews, stories about the film cast, Tolkien chat, this website has it all.

Tolkien Brick Tales -  UCLA organic chemistry professor Bruce Hietbrink has probably the most original Tolkien related website on the Internet. A Lego fanatic, Professor Hietbrink is in the process of reconstructing entire Tolkien's epic using Legos! A must see!




Chess:

Chess Variants.com - For those who are not content with the classic game of chess.

FIDE - Website of The World Chess Federation.

Arasan - Website of a freeware program by programmer Jon Dart. Dart has links to other chess programming websites listed on his site.

The United States Chess Federation - For chess players in America.

Garry Kasparov's Website - Visit the great one.

A Bobby Fischer page - Not done by Fischer himself, this is a fan website.


Politics -

Arts and Letters Daily - This site has links to articles about culture, politics, criticism, and everything else you can imagine.

The Cato Institute - Washington D.C based libertarian think tank.

Lew Rockwell.com - The premier anti - state, anti - war website on the Internet.

Reason Online - Website of Reason magazine.

The Independent Review - Libertarian based public policy site. I subscribe to their periodical.

The Economist - Since 1843. By far the most wide ranging and intelligent periodical written anywhere. Published weekly. I've subscribed and have kept every issue I've ever received since 1994.

Critical Review - Excellent academic journal edited by Barnard University political science professor Jeffrey Friedman. It was in this magazine that I discovered the
issue of public ignorance of political issues and its potential effects on public policy.

Foreign Policy - Foreign affairs magazine.

Foreign Affairs - Foreign affairs magazine #2.

Public Purpose - Website of transportation consultatnt Wendell Cox.

The Thoreau Institute - Website of Urban economist Randall O'Toole. Buy his book, The Vanishing Automobile and other Urban Myths.

Naughty Stuff -

Eros Blog - When my thoughts turn to the dark side...

Belle De Jour - The online diary of a London woman of the night...

More to come....

Back to Adventures & E - Book Home Page

Go to Home Page