Websites
Here's a list of websites which may be of interest. Some of these were helpful treasure troves of information when I was doing research or provided me with entertainment and inspiration. Please visit and show some love.
Science
Atomic Rockets
Years ago when the Pax Universe was just a rough idea, I would spend hours online doing research. I wanted to write SF with a hard slant but don't have any STEM training. Most of the websites I came across were either way too technical or insultingly simplistic. I was delighted when I came across Winchell Chung's excellent website. It's also oddly nostalgic with lots of retro pulp SF art and is clearly a work of passion with the webpage author also being a big fan of SF. This website has been around for years and is laboriously updated. This website has a TON of information and can get a little heady. It's made me feel dumb quite a few times, but it's also so concise that it's like a one stop shop for all your rocket science questions. It has a great search feature and a bunch of internal links. Be warned that you may spend hours exploring the many different sections (there's even one specifically for space combat).
Sol Station
As a kid, I used to have these huge space almanacs with long lists of stars. They were already dated by the time I got them, and there really are so many stars out there that it's hard to succinctly cover even a modest portion of our galaxy. Luckily, websites like SolStation are superb databases. I won't lie - navigation can get a bit wonky and some of the graphics look dated. That said, it's one of the best sites that I know of for detailed information about star systems. It's especially exciting now with so many new exoplanets being discovered. It's carefully updated and maintained, with a ton of links and references for you to check out. There are also interactive star maps and software, which I don't really mess with if I'm honest. Some of these page entries have so much data that they make your average wiki article look like a footnote. One of my main go-to links for astronomical information.
Isaac Arthur
This is actually a YouTube channel, although Isaac Arthur has a following with a noticeable web presence, including on social media.
His videos are well-researched and entertaining with good production value. They're informative with some good hard data while also being accessible for the lay. My understanding is that Isaac Arthur has a STEM background, but it's also pretty evident that he's a huge fan of genre. Video topics range from interstellar travel to space empires and such, so it's a great treasure trove of world-building that you can watch and re-watch at your leisure.
Atomic Rockets
Years ago when the Pax Universe was just a rough idea, I would spend hours online doing research. I wanted to write SF with a hard slant but don't have any STEM training. Most of the websites I came across were either way too technical or insultingly simplistic. I was delighted when I came across Winchell Chung's excellent website. It's also oddly nostalgic with lots of retro pulp SF art and is clearly a work of passion with the webpage author also being a big fan of SF. This website has been around for years and is laboriously updated. This website has a TON of information and can get a little heady. It's made me feel dumb quite a few times, but it's also so concise that it's like a one stop shop for all your rocket science questions. It has a great search feature and a bunch of internal links. Be warned that you may spend hours exploring the many different sections (there's even one specifically for space combat).
Sol Station
As a kid, I used to have these huge space almanacs with long lists of stars. They were already dated by the time I got them, and there really are so many stars out there that it's hard to succinctly cover even a modest portion of our galaxy. Luckily, websites like SolStation are superb databases. I won't lie - navigation can get a bit wonky and some of the graphics look dated. That said, it's one of the best sites that I know of for detailed information about star systems. It's especially exciting now with so many new exoplanets being discovered. It's carefully updated and maintained, with a ton of links and references for you to check out. There are also interactive star maps and software, which I don't really mess with if I'm honest. Some of these page entries have so much data that they make your average wiki article look like a footnote. One of my main go-to links for astronomical information.
Isaac Arthur
This is actually a YouTube channel, although Isaac Arthur has a following with a noticeable web presence, including on social media.
His videos are well-researched and entertaining with good production value. They're informative with some good hard data while also being accessible for the lay. My understanding is that Isaac Arthur has a STEM background, but it's also pretty evident that he's a huge fan of genre. Video topics range from interstellar travel to space empires and such, so it's a great treasure trove of world-building that you can watch and re-watch at your leisure.
Artists
Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb might be one of the most influential artists in my life. If you can name a Science-Fiction film in the last forty to fifty years, he's probably done some concept art for it. Alot of times when I'm trying to visualize some kind of tech or setting right down to what a chair, door, or hallway looks like, I just think how would Ron Cobb draw this? He has an awesome website with lots of cool stuff that will probably trigger a flood of nostalgic memories if you saw the same movies that I did.
Clive Barker
In addition to being a successful author and director, Clive Barker is also an amazing visual artist with a really cool website and a shocking gallery that you need to see to believe. Much as his Books of Blood inspired me as a young writer, his art has been a big influence on some of my more recent stuff.
Wayne Barlowe
Wayne Barlowe is another one of those artists who heavily influenced me years back when I first bought Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. He's worked on more projects than I can count. His style has infected my own work whenever I tried to imagine alien and fantastical life. Some of his images are stunning and hypnotic while still seeming grounded in plausibility.
Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb might be one of the most influential artists in my life. If you can name a Science-Fiction film in the last forty to fifty years, he's probably done some concept art for it. Alot of times when I'm trying to visualize some kind of tech or setting right down to what a chair, door, or hallway looks like, I just think how would Ron Cobb draw this? He has an awesome website with lots of cool stuff that will probably trigger a flood of nostalgic memories if you saw the same movies that I did.
Clive Barker
In addition to being a successful author and director, Clive Barker is also an amazing visual artist with a really cool website and a shocking gallery that you need to see to believe. Much as his Books of Blood inspired me as a young writer, his art has been a big influence on some of my more recent stuff.
Wayne Barlowe
Wayne Barlowe is another one of those artists who heavily influenced me years back when I first bought Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. He's worked on more projects than I can count. His style has infected my own work whenever I tried to imagine alien and fantastical life. Some of his images are stunning and hypnotic while still seeming grounded in plausibility.
